ENPC HIGH-YIELD TOPICS AND CORE
CONCEPTS SUMMARY
◉ Temperature anomalies are used to summarize temperature data
from around the world. Anomalies are calculated for individual
weather stations on a given day by subtracting the temperature on
that day from:
Answer: a baseline of average temperature determined over a
number of years from the same station for the day in question
◉ El Nino events occur periodically when the winds blowing
westward across the ocean have become weaker or changed
direction. When these events occur the water off the west coast of
South America becomes _______________.
Answer: warmer
◉ Sea level is rising as global temperatures rise. The causes of sea
level rise include the melting of ice sheets as well as glaciers.
Another and potentially larger cause of sea level rise is:
Answer: water expands on warming
◉ NC is comprised of major land regions that formed by different
geological processes. The land region formed as a result of high sea
levels is the:
,Answer: coastal plain
◉ The sun emits radiation in the visible range while the Earth emits
radiation in the infrared range. This is because:
Answer: the sun is hotter than the earth
◉ T/F: Water vapor is the greenhouse gas that absorbs more
wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation than any other
greenhouse gas.
true
Answer: true
◉ What are the major greenhouse gases?
Answer: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide
◉ Energy balance models for the Earth have shown that the amount
of incoming energy from the sun is slightly greater than the amount
of energy re-emitted back into space. As a result the Earth is
warming. Where is most of the excess energy being stored?
Answer: ocean
◉ The Earth's surface receives from the sun approximately 161 Wm-
2 of energy that passes through the atmosphere and is absorbed by
land or water. It also receives an amount of radiation from the
, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The amount of radiation from
the greenhouse gases that is emitted downward back to earth is
approximately: [Hint: is the radiation greater than, less than, or
about equal to [161 Wm-2]
Answer: 342 Wm-2
◉ T/F: Polar regions of the earth are heating up faster than
equatorial regions.
Answer: true
◉ If the amount of CO2 is doubled then the Earth's surface
temperature should eventually rise. The rise in temperature is
caused by more infrared radiation being emitted by the greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere. Why does the increased CO2 cause more
radiation to be returned to Earth?
- The CO2 gas in the atmosphere warms up as it absorbs more
energy.
- The atmosphere itself warms up and emits more infrared radiation
some of which comes back to Earth.
- The amount of visible light reaching the earth is not absorbed by
the atmosphere and plays no role in the additional warming.
- As the atmosphere warms, more radiation is emitted to space, but
some also comes back to Earth.
- All of the above are correct
CONCEPTS SUMMARY
◉ Temperature anomalies are used to summarize temperature data
from around the world. Anomalies are calculated for individual
weather stations on a given day by subtracting the temperature on
that day from:
Answer: a baseline of average temperature determined over a
number of years from the same station for the day in question
◉ El Nino events occur periodically when the winds blowing
westward across the ocean have become weaker or changed
direction. When these events occur the water off the west coast of
South America becomes _______________.
Answer: warmer
◉ Sea level is rising as global temperatures rise. The causes of sea
level rise include the melting of ice sheets as well as glaciers.
Another and potentially larger cause of sea level rise is:
Answer: water expands on warming
◉ NC is comprised of major land regions that formed by different
geological processes. The land region formed as a result of high sea
levels is the:
,Answer: coastal plain
◉ The sun emits radiation in the visible range while the Earth emits
radiation in the infrared range. This is because:
Answer: the sun is hotter than the earth
◉ T/F: Water vapor is the greenhouse gas that absorbs more
wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation than any other
greenhouse gas.
true
Answer: true
◉ What are the major greenhouse gases?
Answer: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide
◉ Energy balance models for the Earth have shown that the amount
of incoming energy from the sun is slightly greater than the amount
of energy re-emitted back into space. As a result the Earth is
warming. Where is most of the excess energy being stored?
Answer: ocean
◉ The Earth's surface receives from the sun approximately 161 Wm-
2 of energy that passes through the atmosphere and is absorbed by
land or water. It also receives an amount of radiation from the
, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The amount of radiation from
the greenhouse gases that is emitted downward back to earth is
approximately: [Hint: is the radiation greater than, less than, or
about equal to [161 Wm-2]
Answer: 342 Wm-2
◉ T/F: Polar regions of the earth are heating up faster than
equatorial regions.
Answer: true
◉ If the amount of CO2 is doubled then the Earth's surface
temperature should eventually rise. The rise in temperature is
caused by more infrared radiation being emitted by the greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere. Why does the increased CO2 cause more
radiation to be returned to Earth?
- The CO2 gas in the atmosphere warms up as it absorbs more
energy.
- The atmosphere itself warms up and emits more infrared radiation
some of which comes back to Earth.
- The amount of visible light reaching the earth is not absorbed by
the atmosphere and plays no role in the additional warming.
- As the atmosphere warms, more radiation is emitted to space, but
some also comes back to Earth.
- All of the above are correct
