Thunderstorms and Tornadoes
True or False. All thunderstorms are associated with fronts.
Explain your answer.
Tropical cyclones are known as __________ in the North Atlantic, ____________ in the Indian Ocean, and ____________ in the Western Pacific
hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather - conditions at a specific time and place
Climate - average conditions over a period of time
What is different about climate change in the last 150 years versus climate change over the last few million years?
Happening much more rapidly, caused by humans
Define GWP. How does it compare (relatively) for N2O, CO2, and CH4.
Global warming potential - relative to CO2.
CO2 has a GWP of 1 by definition. CH4 is higher (~20), and N2O is even higher (~298)
What are the three requirements for thunderstorms to form?
Moist surface air
Unstable/ Conditionally unstable atmosphere
“Trigger” to force air to rise
What are the 4 requirements for hurricane development?
1.Seawater at least 27°C/80°F in top 200ft
2.Moist, humid, unstable air
3.Weak upper-level winds
4.Coriolis Effect to spin the system
Why do greenhouse gases increase global temperature? Draw a diagram on the board showing how greenhouse gases affect shortwave and longwave radiation.
GHGs allow shortwave radiation from the sun to pass through, but trap outgoing longwave radiation, so more energy stays in the atmosphere.
An observable and measurable phenomenon that serves as an indicator of changes in climate is ....
a climate proxy
Something that causes a change is climate is called....
A driver or forcing
What are the three phases of thunderstorm development? Describe each.
Stage 1: Cumulus: Rising air condenses into single or cluster of cumulus clouds WARM UPDRAFTS
Stage 2: Mature Stage: Evaporating droplets cools the air, Cooler air is more dense, begins to sink as a downdraft. WARM UPDRAFTS and COLD DROWNDRAFTS = CELL
Stage 3: Dissipating Stge, DOWNDRAFTS
Why does the hurricane season peak in September (in the northern hemisphere) even though solar radiation peaks earlier in the summer? Use a specific vocab word!!!
Water has a high specific heat, so the oceans take longer to heat up than the air. Warmest water temperatures occur after the warmest air temperatures.
What are 7 controls on climate in any given place?
latitude, distribution of land and water, ocean currents, prevailing winds, high and low pressure areas, mountain barriers, altitude)
What are two controls on energy coming into and three controls on energy going out of the Earth system?
In: sunspots (variation in solar radiation), changes in Earth's position relative to Sun
Out: albedo, greenhouse gases, aerosols and particulates
Diagram and desribe a positive feedback mechanism on the board.
An initial change leads to more change in the same direction.
Example: increase temperature, melt sea ince, decrease albedo, increase temperature more
What kind of thunderstorm is most likely to produce tornadoes? Why?
supercell thunderstorm - strong vertical wind shear leads to rotation
Most damage and fatalities caused by hurricanes are associated with....
Why?
Freshwater flooding
Storm surge pushes water onto land, huge amounts of precipitation
What kinds of human records are useful as climate records (before the invention of thermometers, barometers, etc.)?
Agricultural records, diaries, sketches and paintings, etc.
Explain how humans have disrupted the global carbon cycle.
Humans are moving carbon into the atmosphere (through burning fossil fuels) much faster than it is being removed from the atmosphere, so the concentration in the atmosphere is increasing.
Why might droughts become worse with climate change, even if total annual precipitation increases or stays the same?
Precipitation comes in shorter, more intense storms so the water doesn't go into the ground.
Why does a mutlicell thunderstorm last longer than a single cell thunderstorm?
Moderate to strong vertical windshear
Cell tilts so updraft rides OVER the downdraft
Rising updraft can form new storm
What is latent heat? Fill in all the blanks on the image shown.
Latent heat - "hidden" heat associated with phase change
What is a climate scenario? Describe how they are used and why they are important.
Used in models to show how future climate depends on what we do as humans (more or less fossil fuel use, etc.)
Describe 3 paleoclimate proxies that can have absolute ages.
Tree rings, varves (in sediment), ice layers in ice cores
What is the difference between mitigation and adaptation in regards to climate change? Provide an example of each.
Mitigation--slowing or stopping climate change by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere
Adaptation--lessening the IMPACTS of climate change