Green House Effect
Name one greenhouse gas.
Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Water Vapor, Nitrous Oxide.
Define a positive feedback loop.
A positive feedback involves a stimulus that is enhanced by a response or cause of that stimulus. It perpetuates effects.
Define Albedo
Albedo is the light reflectivity a given surface possesses.
Milanakovitch cycles predict long-term global temperature changes due to astronomical phenomenon.
What is the fruit Mr. Hackett's cat is named after?
Coconut
Is the greenhouse effect good or bad and why?
The greenhouse effect is essential for a stable environment on Earth. Just the right amount is an essential thing, however, too much greenhouse effect and drastic concequences can follow.
Define a negative feedback loop.
A negative feedback loop balances or stops a response to a stimulus.
What color has the highest albedo and what has the lowest?
White, Black
What are the three aspects the Milankovitch Cycles
Eccentricity (Shape of Earth’s Orbit), Axial Tilt (Obliquity), Precession (Wobble of Earth’s Axis)
What's Mr. Hackett's favorite fish to catch?
King Salmon
Explain the process of the Greenhous effect.
Sun energy enters the Earth's atmosphere, some of that energy radiates off the Earth's surface and escapes back into space. However, some gets trapped / absorbed by greenhouse gasses causing the atmosphere to warm.
Explain how greenhouse gasses are involved in a feedback loop.
Greenhouse gasses increase global temperature, global temperature melts artic sea ice, as artic sea ice melts more light energy is absorbed by the ocean leading to back to increased global temperatures.
Explain the impact that the changing age and extent of the Artic ice sheet will have.
Older thicker ice has higher albedo reflecting more light energy and cooling the Earth. As we shift into almost entirely annual ice with the Artic ice sheet we will be having both less albedo from less distance that the ice sheet form and thiner less reflecitve ice.
According to the Milankovitch Cycle, in 13,000 years when will the northern hemisphere experience Winter?
June/July
Of the Jurrasic Park movies, which one is the best... objectively?
The original Jurassic Park movie
Explain how global temperatures and "emissions" are directly correlated. What time frame did we see these trends abruptly change?
We have seen a global temperature spike occuring around the 1900s due to the Industrial Revolution and more abruptly 1950-1970 due to emissions from vehicles.
Burning fossil fuels releases long term carbon stored from ancient plants into the atmosphere increasing global temp from the greenhouse effect.
Give an example of a positive feedback loop and explain.
Water Vapor, Vegetation and Soil Erosion, Ice Albedo, Ice Sheet Height
Which type of ice has the largest affect on global sea levels and why.
Glacial ice has the largest affect on global sea levels beause its volume is not displacing water like the artic sea ice. It will be entirley new water volume that is added to the oceans.
What overall trend did the Milankovitch Cycles predict in the last 200 years? Are we seeing that trend? Why or why not?
The Milankovitch cycles predicted we should be entering a mild ice age phase after a warming trend took place some 20,000 years ago melting continental glaciers. We are not seeing that currently due to human influenced greenhouse gas effect.
What country did Mr. Hackett spend a year in?
Austrailia
Of the greenhouse gasses discussed in class, which one is the most potent in trapping light energy per molecule and which one has the most impact on global temperature and why?
Water Vapor or Nitrous Oxide. But Carbon Dioxide is attributed with the largest impact on global temperature rise because of its shear volume in the atmosphere.
Give an example and explain a negative feedback loop discussed in this unit.
Outgoing Radiation, Heat Transport by the Atmosphere, Chemical Weathering of Rocks, Carbon Dioxide Fertilization
Explain why the Arctic is so important to global climate.
The Arctic acts like Earth’s refrigerator, reflecting huge amounts of sunlight back into space because of its bright ice and snow. As the Arctic warms and ice melts, this albedo is lost, causing the region to absorb more heat and accelerate global warming. Its rapid changes disrupt global weather patterns, ocean circulation, and climate stability worldwide.
What was Milankovitch's first name?
Milutin
What is the make and model of the vehicle Mr. Hackett drives?
Dodge Dakota