Term
How long is the Sun Spot Cycle? |
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Definition
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Term
What are the following?:
Changes in solar radiation output
Sun-Earth orbital changes
Change in land configuration
Changes in natural aerosols
Natural changes in greenhouse gases |
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Definition
Potential Sources Of Natural Caused Climate Change |
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Term
What are the following?:
Modification of Earth's Surface by Human Activity
Human sources of aerosols
Human sources of greenhouse gases |
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Definition
Potential sources of human-caused climate change |
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Term
What removes greenhouse gases from the atmosphere? |
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Definition
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Term
What adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere? |
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Definition
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Term
What are large tracts of land cleared of trees? |
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Definition
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Term
What are deforestation and desertification? |
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Definition
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Term
What is the alteration of arid land surfaces that reduces natural vegetation? |
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Definition
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Term
What is the amount of aerosols in the air? |
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Definition
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Term
What is the scattering and absorption of solar and infrared radiation? |
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Definition
Direct Effect of Aerosols On Climate |
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Term
What serves as cloud condensation nuclei affecting cloud development? |
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Definition
Indirect Effect of Aerosols On Climate |
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Term
What is the residence time of tropospheric aerosols? |
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Definition
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Term
What is the reduction of solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface due to absorption and backscattering of sunlight by human induced tropospheric aerosols? |
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Definition
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Term
What can increase stratospheric aerosols? |
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Definition
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Term
What can increase atmospheric albedo directly by increased aerosol backscatter and indirectly by increase in reflectivity of clouds? |
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Definition
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Term
What lead to Frankenstein? |
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Definition
The Eruption of Mt. Tambora and the year without a summer. |
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Term
When was the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo? |
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Definition
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Term
What is an increase in Earth's global temperatures? |
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Definition
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Term
What keeps Earth's surface habitable? |
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Definition
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Term
What causes net warming effects? |
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Definition
Longer wavelengths of heat energy, some trapped and some escaping. |
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Term
Which of the following is incoming heat energy? |
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Definition
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Term
Which of the following is outgoing heat energy? |
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Definition
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Term
What is the reduction of solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface due to absorption and backscattering of sunlight by human-induced troposheric aerosols? |
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Definition
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Term
What is the most abundant/variable green house gas in the atmosphere, and accounts for 60% of the greenhouse effect? |
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Definition
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Term
What is a natural part of the atmosphere that has been greatly increased by humans burning fossil fuels? |
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Definition
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Term
What is the second must abundant human-caused green-house gas, with greater warming power per molecule? |
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Definition
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Term
What are some of the biggest contributors to the increase in methane in Earth's atmosphere? |
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Definition
Landfill decomposition and cattle. |
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Term
What is the primary way for looking back at the Pateoclimate record? |
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Definition
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Term
What are systems in which changes in one variable lead to changes in another? |
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Definition
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Term
What is a feedback that inhibits further change in a variable? |
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Definition
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Term
What is feedback that helps further change in a variable occur? |
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Definition
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Term
Describe why Ice Albedo Feedback is Positive Feedback |
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Definition
Expansion of ice > Increased Albedo Reduced Insolation > Cooling > Loop |
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Term
Are clouds a negative or positive feedback? |
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Definition
Unclear, because they reflect solar radiation to promote cooling and absorb upwelling longwave which promotes warming. |
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Term
Describe how Greenhouse Gas is a positive feedback loop: |
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Definition
Warmer Atmosphere > More Water Vapor > Green House Warming > Loop |
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Term
What is a natural sink for CO2? |
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Definition
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Term
Describe how the fertilization effect is a negative feedback loop: |
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Definition
More CO2 and warmer temperatures > Enhanced Photosynthesis > Reduced CO2 |
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Term
What is increased greening in northern latitudes? |
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Definition
Global Greening that occurs due to global warming and the fertilization effect. |
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Term
How do increases in global temperatures raise mean sea level? |
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Definition
Expansion of warmer ocean waters and the melting of glaciers and release of water to oceans. |
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Term
What are ocean circulations driven by temperature and salinity variations? |
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Definition
Thermohaline Circulations. |
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Term
What adds freshwater to the ocean? |
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Definition
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Term
Small changes and errors in your initial conditions in computer simulations lead to what? |
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Definition
Big errors and changes in the future. |
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Term
Many climate models have been designed to be very sensitive to what? |
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Definition
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Term
The more complex you make a model, the longer what? |
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Definition
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Term
What Does IPCC Stand For? |
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Definition
Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change |
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Term
What does the IPCC report do? |
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Definition
It expresses confidence in weather based predictions. |
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Term
What was a time period with a fewer number of sun spots, less solar output and greater global cooling? |
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Definition
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