Climate Basics
(T/F) On a given day, we should expect the high/low temperature to be exactly equal to the climatological average.
False (climate includes extremes, storms, etc.)
As global average temperature increases, the total volume of atmospheric water vapor ___________.
increases
What two processes drive sea level rise?
Melting Land Ice and Thermal Expansion
This 2021 comedy film tells the story of science denialists in governments around the world ignoring the threat of an impending comet collision with Earth despite numerous feasible options for deflecting the comet’s path away from Earth.
Don’t Look Up
During the 2015 COP-21 meeting, nations agreed to keep global temperature rise below 2°C pre-industrial levels and to aim to limit warming to 1.5°C. This treaty is known as __________.
The Paris Agreement
A “Super El Nino” is forecast for the 2026-27 winter season that could impact seasonal temperature and precipitation across much of the United States. Describe what El Nino actually means.
An increase in temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific. A super El Nino has sea surface temperature anomalies in this region that exceed +2C
Under current emission scenarios, global average temperature is expected to increase by_______°C by the year 2100.
2.6–2.8°C
When ocean temperatures become unusually warm, corals expel the symbiotic algae that provide much of their energy and color. What is this phenomenon called?
Coral Bleaching
This climate activist gained global fame in 2018 at 15 years old for staging a solo school strike outside of a government building because of their country’s disregard for climate change.
Greta Thunberg (strike outside Swedish Parliament)
This energy source has been the largest generator of electricity in the US since 2016.
Natural Gas
Coal
Solar
Wind
Geothermal Energy
Hydropower
Oil
a. Natural Gas
Climate “normals” (avg high, avg low, etc.) are calculated every ___ years by using the last ___ years of data.
10, 30
The statewide yearly average temperature of Vermont has (increased/decreased) by ___F since 1895
+3.9F
Urban areas tend to have higher temperatures compared to surrounding areas due to decreased albedo (e.g. dark asphalt roads absorb more sunlight), increased dryness (less vegetation), and increased exposure (less shade provided by tree canopies). What is the name for this local climate effect?
The Urban Heat Island
This song by Billie Eilish appears on her 2019 album “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” and is about human destruction of the planet.
“all the good girls go to hell”
What sector is responsible for the greatest amount of greenhouse gas emissions?
Agriculture
Energy production
Waste management
Transportation
B - energy production
In a normal climate scenario (excluding modern climate change), how many local temperature extremes could we expect in a given year?
Most areas have ~130 years of observations: 365/130 = 2.8 (2-3 records)
The average global temperature has increased by 1.1°C since 1880. ___% of that warming has occurred since 1975.
2/3 (67%) or about 0.8°C of warming
Buildings, roads, and pipelines across Alaska have been damaged as the ground beneath them loses its long-term stability. What climate impact is causing this problem?
permafrost thaw
This famous rock band announced in 2021 that it would not tour again until they could do so with an eco-conscious plan.
Coldplay
Which U.S. state first implemented a statewide cap-and-trade program in 2013?
California
One of the biggest drivers of natural variability in Earth’s climate is changes in Earth’s orbit (i.e., orbit shape and axis tilt/wobble). Approximately how long are these orbital cycles?
100-1,000 years
1,000-10,000 years
10,000-100,000 years
100,000-1,000,000 years
c. 100,000 (orbital shape), 41,000 (axis tilt), and 26,000 (axis wobble) years
Wildfires in Canada lead to dramatic worsening of air quality in Vermont and across much of the northern and eastern United States. Climate models suggest that the conditions that lead to these large wildfires (i.e., heat, drought, humidity, wind) occur ___% more often in today’s world compared to a pre-industrial world.
100% (or twice as often)
Recently, heavy rainfall contributed to the rapid growth and eventual breach of a glacial lake in Nepal, causing destructive flooding downstream. What type of event occurred?
Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF)
2026 marks the twentieth anniversary of this documentary and associated book by former vice president Al Gore. Name this documentary and its 2017 sequel.
“An Inconvenient Truth”, “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power”
Despite its reputation as an oil-and-gas state, what state leads the nation in both wind-powered electricity generation and total renewable electricity generation?
Texas