Weather and Climate
Which is short-term: weather or climate?
Weather
What gas is most responsible for recent warming?
Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
How does volcanic ash affect global temperature?
Blocks sunlight → cooling
What happens to sea level when sea ice melts?
Stays the same
Write 2000 m in km.
2 km
Give an example of weather.
Rain, snowstorm, sunny afternoon
What happens to infrared energy when more CO₂ is in the atmosphere?
More CO₂ → traps infrared → warms Earth
Did volcanic ash cause warming or cooling? Why?
Cooling (less sunlight reaches Earth)
What happens when land ice melts?
Sea level rises
Write 361,900,000 km² in scientific notation.
3.619 × 10⁸ km²
Give an example of climate.
Average summer temp in NJ is 85°F
Explain the greenhouse effect in one sentence.
Greenhouse gases trap heat in atmosphere
Earth’s tilt is responsible for what?
Seasons
Why does land ice add water, but sea ice doesn’t?
Sea ice already displaces water; land ice adds new water
Formula: Height = Volume ÷ Area. If a glacier of 1,000 km³ melts into an ocean area of 5,000,000 km², how much does sea level rise?
1,000 ÷ 5,000,000 = 0.0002 km = 0.2 m
Why is it incorrect to say a snowy day “disproves” climate change?
Because climate = long-term average, not daily events
Why does adding CO₂ cause glaciers to melt faster?
Trapped heat warms oceans + air → melts ice faster
If Earth’s tilt increased, what would seasons be like?
More extreme seasons (hotter summers, colder winters)
Name one piece of evidence scientists use to track ice loss.
Satellites, ice cores, sea-level gauges
What does a consensus model represent in science?
A shared explanation based on evidence
Describe the difference between a weather report and climate data.
Weather = short-term forecast; Climate = decades of data
Draw or explain an energy transfer model showing how CO₂ traps heat.
Model: Sun → Earth → IR escapes → CO₂ re-radiates heat back
Which affects global temperature more in the long term: volcanic eruptions or CO₂? Explain.
CO₂ (long-lasting vs. short volcanic events)
Which contributes more to sea level rise: Greenland ice melt or Arctic sea ice melt? Why?
Greenland (land ice adds new water)
Why do we revise our models instead of treating them as final?
Because science builds with new evidence → models evolve