Climate Change and Greenhouse Effect Quiz

Climate Study Guide

• Atmospheric Dust: Composed of soot, pollen, and microorganisms.
• Biosphere: The thin layer of Earth that supports life, encompassing all living things and their environment. Divided into three components.
• Atmosphere: Composed of a mixture of gases.
  • Nitrogen (78.08%): Crucial for plant growth.
  • Oxygen (20.95%): Necessary for cellular respiration in living organisms.
  • Other gases (0.97%): Examples include water vapor and carbon dioxide.
  • Rises over 500km from Earth's surface.
• Atmospheric Layers: Divided into four layers: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere.
  • Troposphere: Average temperature 15°C, 80% of atmospheric gases are here, nearly all life is in this layer.
  • Stratosphere: Temperature increases with altitude, contains most of the ozone layer.
  • Mesosphere: Temperature decreases with altitude; clumps of cells exist.
  • Thermosphere: Temperature increases with altitude, auroras occur here.
• Lithosphere: Includes the crust and upper mantle (rigid outer layer of Earth). Contains a 100km depth of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Warmed by solar and geothermal energy (from the core).
• Hydrosphere: All water on Earth (liquid, solid, and vapor). 97% is saltwater, 3% is freshwater (e.g., ice, glaciers, polar caps). Warmed by solar radiation.
• Water Exists in 3 Parts of Biosphere: Water vapor in the atmosphere, water in soil, groundwater/water in the lithosphere.

Conditions Affecting Tree Rings

• Warm and Wet Conditions: Wider and denser rings indicating more water and faster growth.
• Cold and Dry Conditions: Narrower rings, thinner and less defined wood, indicating scarce water availability.
• Insulators: Materials that resist heat flow, trap heat, or slow its transfer (e.g., snow, air gaps, wood).
• Conductors: Materials that allow heat to pass through them easily (e.g., metals).

Insolation and Earth's Surface

• Insolation: The amount of solar radiation that strikes a particular region of Earth's surface.
• Equator Receives Most Insolation: Direct solar radiation results in maximum insolation.
• Albedo: The percentage of solar radiation reflected by a surface. Darker surfaces have lower albedo (absorb more); light surfaces have higher albedo (reflect more).
• Angle of Incidence: The angle at which the sun's rays strike the Earth's surface. The angle affects the intensity of solar radiation.

Greenhouse Effect

• Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun, warming the Earth's surface.
• Prevents infrared radiation from escaping, keeping Earth warmer.
• Water vapor is a major contributor.

Wind and Ocean Currents

• Wind Currents: Redistribute heat and moisture globally, influencing weather patterns.
• Ocean Currents: Move heat across the globe, influencing coastal climates and marine ecosystems.
• Both (wind and ocean currents) are critical for regulating Earth's climate and supporting weather extremes.
• Angle of Inclination: Earth's tilt (23.5 degrees) affects the distribution of solar radiation and seasons.
  • Coriolis Effect: The deflection of objects from a straight path due to Earth's rotation.
• Convection Currents: Are driven by the unequal heating of a fluid, creating a continuous cycle of rising warm fluid and sinking cool fluid. Occurs in atmosphere, oceans, and Earth's interior.
  • Examples of Scientist Activities: ice samples, tree rings, fossil records.
  • Net Radiation: Incoming and outgoing radiation, balance of energy.

Heat Transfer and Energy

• Q = mcΔT: Formula for calculating heat transfer.
• Specific Heat: The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius.
• Heat of Fusion/Vaporization: Energy required to change substance state (solid to liquid, liquid to gas).
• Open System (Biomes): Exchange both energy and matter with the surroundings.