Oceans
What greenhouse gas is absorbed by the ocean, slowing the buildup in the atmosphere?
CO2
How is sea ice formed?
Freezing the top layer of sea water
Which warms faster in a changing climate: land or ocean?
Land
As global temperatures rise, what type of temperature extreme becomes more common?
Heatwaves/Hot Days
Is building a seawall an example of adaptation, mitigation, or geoengineering?
Adaptation
What primarily drives surface ocean currents?
Winds OR Heat Gradients
Which polar region contains more multi-year sea ice?
The Arctic
Which region has experienced the fastest warming in recent decades?
The Arctic
What type of study examines how climate change altered the odds of an extreme event?
Attribution Study
Is replacing coal power with solar power adaptation, mitigation, or geoengineering?
Mitigation
What is the name of the large circular current systems that dominate ocean basins?
Gyres
What term describes the gain or loss of ice from a glacier over time?
Mass balance
Why do oceans generally warm more slowly than land?
High heat capacity/uptake
A "100-year flood" has about what percent chance of occurring in a given year?
1%
Is marine cloud brightening adaptation, mitigation, or geoengineering?
Geoengineering
What process occurs when surface waters move away from an area and deeper water rises to replace them?
Upwelling
A glacier is in negative mass balance when ice losses exceed what?
Accumulation
Why does the Arctic warm faster than the Antarctic? Give one major reason.
Arctic Amplification
Which emissions metric best reflects a country's historical contribution to climate change: annual, cumulative, or per-capita emissions?
Cumulative Emissions
What characteristic makes an energy source renewable?
The source is naturally replenished on human timescales
What is the major Atlantic circulation that crosses the equator?
The AMOC
What positive feedback occurs when melting ice exposes darker surfaces that absorb more sunlight?
Ice-Albedo Feedback
How can melting ice in Greenland influence temperatures and stability in the North Atlantic Ocean?
Freshwater input can reduce sinking of dense water increasing stability, weaken the AMOC, and decrease northward heat transport
How do historical emissions generally compare with climate vulnerability around the world?
Higher emitters typically have lower vulnerability, while lower emitters typically have higher vulnerability
Why does the timing of mitigation matter?
Earlier reductions prevent more cumulative warming