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ERTH 335 - Exam 2 Questions And Answers
100% Verified.
Why do scientists use climate models? - Answer✔✔1. to understand present climate
2. tool to run experiment
3. to understand future climate
4. to communicate scientific understanding
Describe the basic strategy used in climate models to calculate future climate conditions -
Answer✔✔divide earth into small grids and use equations to simulate wind, radiation, and
variability
How did we calculate future climate using the human climate model? - Answer✔✔old
temperature + greenhouse warming (0.1 celsius) + random variability (coin flip) + (velocity*ΔT)
ΔT = neighbors temp - your temp
In the human climate model, why did you have to talk to the person next to you in order to
calculate future climate in your grid box? - Answer✔✔Simulates how wind patterns affect
temperature
i.e. in the climate model a temperature found in one grid, moves to the right after a few time
steps, mimicking how heat is exchanged when the wind picks up and transfers this air
What, in the Human Climate Model, could you calculate without talking to the person next to
you? - Answer✔✔the future climate influenced by greenhouse warming and variability
(excludes wind patterns)
What processes in the Human Climate Model were realistic? - Answer✔✔- effect of wind to
temperature
- general climate in certain regions
- simulates variability
1
, ©FYNDLAY.
What to improve on Human Climate Model? - Answer✔✔- 2 dimensional winds instead of 1
dimensional
- vertical structure (using info from the person in front of you as well)
- winds that change with time
What processes dominate the evolution of climate models over short timescales (hours to days)?
- Answer✔✔winds
What processes dominate the evolution of climate models over long timescales (decades to
centuries)? - Answer✔✔global warming
What physical processes must be represented in a climate model?
What other physical processes are also sometimes included represented by climate models? -
Answer✔✔temperature, pressure, and wind
other physical processes: clouds, humidity, rainfall, co2, albedo
What is the biggest uncertainty in future projections of the Earth's climate made by climate
models? - Answer✔✔exactly how much CO2 humans will emit in the future
What does the instrumental record of atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) concentrations look
like? - Answer✔✔increasing rapidly
What is the concentration of atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) today? - Answer✔✔almost 400
PPM
What was the concentration of atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) before the industrial
revolution? - Answer✔✔around 280 PPM
How does atmospheric CO2 change during the year? Why does it do that? - Answer✔✔There is
more CO2 in atmosphere during fall/winter because carbon is released into atmosphere when
plants die
How long have we been measuring CO2 in the atmosphere directly? - Answer✔✔between 1960-
1970
How do we infer atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) before instrumental sampling began? -
Answer✔✔ice cores
What is special about the tiny air bubbles we find in ice cores? - Answer✔✔we can sample the
co2 concentration using those air bubbles
2
ERTH 335 - Exam 2 Questions And Answers
100% Verified.
Why do scientists use climate models? - Answer✔✔1. to understand present climate
2. tool to run experiment
3. to understand future climate
4. to communicate scientific understanding
Describe the basic strategy used in climate models to calculate future climate conditions -
Answer✔✔divide earth into small grids and use equations to simulate wind, radiation, and
variability
How did we calculate future climate using the human climate model? - Answer✔✔old
temperature + greenhouse warming (0.1 celsius) + random variability (coin flip) + (velocity*ΔT)
ΔT = neighbors temp - your temp
In the human climate model, why did you have to talk to the person next to you in order to
calculate future climate in your grid box? - Answer✔✔Simulates how wind patterns affect
temperature
i.e. in the climate model a temperature found in one grid, moves to the right after a few time
steps, mimicking how heat is exchanged when the wind picks up and transfers this air
What, in the Human Climate Model, could you calculate without talking to the person next to
you? - Answer✔✔the future climate influenced by greenhouse warming and variability
(excludes wind patterns)
What processes in the Human Climate Model were realistic? - Answer✔✔- effect of wind to
temperature
- general climate in certain regions
- simulates variability
1
, ©FYNDLAY.
What to improve on Human Climate Model? - Answer✔✔- 2 dimensional winds instead of 1
dimensional
- vertical structure (using info from the person in front of you as well)
- winds that change with time
What processes dominate the evolution of climate models over short timescales (hours to days)?
- Answer✔✔winds
What processes dominate the evolution of climate models over long timescales (decades to
centuries)? - Answer✔✔global warming
What physical processes must be represented in a climate model?
What other physical processes are also sometimes included represented by climate models? -
Answer✔✔temperature, pressure, and wind
other physical processes: clouds, humidity, rainfall, co2, albedo
What is the biggest uncertainty in future projections of the Earth's climate made by climate
models? - Answer✔✔exactly how much CO2 humans will emit in the future
What does the instrumental record of atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) concentrations look
like? - Answer✔✔increasing rapidly
What is the concentration of atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) today? - Answer✔✔almost 400
PPM
What was the concentration of atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) before the industrial
revolution? - Answer✔✔around 280 PPM
How does atmospheric CO2 change during the year? Why does it do that? - Answer✔✔There is
more CO2 in atmosphere during fall/winter because carbon is released into atmosphere when
plants die
How long have we been measuring CO2 in the atmosphere directly? - Answer✔✔between 1960-
1970
How do we infer atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) before instrumental sampling began? -
Answer✔✔ice cores
What is special about the tiny air bubbles we find in ice cores? - Answer✔✔we can sample the
co2 concentration using those air bubbles
2
