International Protocols & Random
What are the 3 international protocols we have focused on?
Paris Agreement
Kyoto Protocol
Montreal Protocol
What is meteorology?
Study of weather
What is latitude?
The position with respect to the equator
Where do most earthquakes occur?
Which GHG is most responsible for the greenhouse effect?
Methane
Which protocol was legally binding and did not include developing nations?
Kyoto Protocol
During the summer in the Northern Hemisphere, how is the southern Hemisphere tilted? What season does it experience?
It is tilted away from the sun and is experiencing winter
Why is the ocean so important to temperature?
It holds large amounts of energy
What is the relationship between altitude, air density, and temperature?
CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons)
What is the Urban Heat Island Effect?
The warming of an area due to an altered landscape
Land near ocean experiences what 2 effects?
Higher humidity and generally more rain
Define the rain shadow effect. Which side gets more rain?
This is where mountains block precipitation from reaching the other side of the mountain, creating a desert on the leeward side. The windward side gets rain
What is a unique property of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide that is not found in the other gases?
It can have a cooling or warming effect depending on the situation
Describe the Paris Agreement including 3 key characteristics
International protocol where countries set their own goals for greenhouse gas emissions
It included developed and developing countries
Many developing countries got financial aid if necessary
The US withdrew from this in 2025
While it increased cooperation and renewable energy, many countries felt differences in responsibilities
What is the Coriolis effect?
The Earth spins faster at the equator than at the poles, causing the winds to be defected
What does ENSO stand for?
El Nino Southern Oscillation
What are the 3 types of plate movements? Describe each.
Divergent plate boundary: plates move apart from each other
Convergent plate boundary: plates move together, one plate slips under another (that is the subduction zone)
Transform fault: plates move parallel to each other and grind down rocks
What are the top 6 Greenhouse Gases we covered?
Water Vapor
Carbon Dioxide
Methane
CFCs
Nitrous Oxide
Ozone
The ability of the atmosphere to trap heat is important because without it, we would not be able to survive.
Human contributors: fossil fuel emissions, industrial processes, agriculture, refrigerants, etc
Natural contributors: natural decomposition, marshes, volcanic activity, etc
Define an inversion and give a real world example we have gone over
A warm layer of air traps a cold layer of air below it
The front range of Colorado with its pollution issue
What is El Nino?
A warming of water in the Pacific with change of winds that cause shifts leading to precipitation to increase in the southern parts of the US and of South America.
What is the subduction zone?
It is a region of a tectonic plate that is pushed down into the mantle at the convergent plate boundary
What is the difference between ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect?
Ozone depletion leads to more UV entering the troposphere
Greenhouse effect leads to warming of the troposphere