Natural Disasters Final Exam Questions and Answers Latest Update 2025/2026
how do climate and weather differ? - Answers weather- minutes to months changes in the
atmosphere
climate- the long term pattern of weather in a particular area
what four factors drive climate change? - Answers latitude- determines the amount of incoming
solar energy
elevation
topography- on the windward side, most water gets precipitated; on the leeward side, cold dry
air descends and deserts form here
proximity to large bodies of water- water has a high heat capacity and can hold onto solar
radiation and release it slowly over time
what five factors interact to drive climate at a global level? - Answers configuration of the
continents
changes in ocean water density
changes in albedo
changes in atmospheric composition
changes in insolation (Milankovitch cycles)
how does the configuration of the continents impact global climate change? - Answers they
direct ocean currents. oceans store a lot of heat. continents, because they are more reflective
than the ocean, don't retain heat as well. continents near polar regions tend to plunge the earth
into a glacial period.
what is thermohaline circulation? - Answers thermohaline circulation is the part of the ocean
circulation which is driven by density differences
what is albedo? what does it mean to have a high or low albedo? - Answers albedo is the
reflectivity of a surface
higher albedo means a surface is more reflective and sends more of the sun's energy back into
space (glaciers and ice)
lower albedo means a surface is less reflective and more energy from the sun is absorbed
(open ocean)
what is the greenhouse effect? how does it work? - Answers the greenhouse effect is the
trapping of the sun's warmth in a planet's lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of
, an atmosphere.
how it works:
-solar radiation passes through the clear atmosphere
-most radiation is absorbed by the Earth's surface and warms it
-some solar radiation is reflected by the Earth and the atmosphere
-some of the infrared radiation passes through the atmosphere, and some is absorbed and re-
emitted in all directions by greenhouse gas molecules
what would the Earth be like without the greenhouse effect? - Answers no liquid water and no
life on Earth; similar to one of Jupiter's ice moons
what are the six most important greenhouse gases? where are they concentrated in the
atmosphere? - Answers -water vapor
-carbon dioxide
-methane
-fluorinated gases
-ozone
-nitrous oxide
most greenhouse gases are trapped in the troposphere, but the ozone layer is in the
stratosphere
in the carbon cycle, what are our four big sinks and sources of CO2? - Answers sources-
volcanoes, animal respiration, burning of fossil fuels, destruction of forests and clearing of
vegetation
sinks- vegetation, oceans, calcium combines with CO2 to form limestone
what are oil/natural gas/coal made of? - Answers living things
how does fossil fuel combustion affect the carbon cycle? - Answers when humans burn fossil
fuels, the stored carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. the carbon is then
free to cycle through the Earth and can upset the natural balance of carbon available, changing
the way that processes occur on Earth
how have solar luminosity and atmospheric CO2 concentrations for the Earth changed over time?
- Answers as solar luminosity has increased, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has
decreased
how do climate and weather differ? - Answers weather- minutes to months changes in the
atmosphere
climate- the long term pattern of weather in a particular area
what four factors drive climate change? - Answers latitude- determines the amount of incoming
solar energy
elevation
topography- on the windward side, most water gets precipitated; on the leeward side, cold dry
air descends and deserts form here
proximity to large bodies of water- water has a high heat capacity and can hold onto solar
radiation and release it slowly over time
what five factors interact to drive climate at a global level? - Answers configuration of the
continents
changes in ocean water density
changes in albedo
changes in atmospheric composition
changes in insolation (Milankovitch cycles)
how does the configuration of the continents impact global climate change? - Answers they
direct ocean currents. oceans store a lot of heat. continents, because they are more reflective
than the ocean, don't retain heat as well. continents near polar regions tend to plunge the earth
into a glacial period.
what is thermohaline circulation? - Answers thermohaline circulation is the part of the ocean
circulation which is driven by density differences
what is albedo? what does it mean to have a high or low albedo? - Answers albedo is the
reflectivity of a surface
higher albedo means a surface is more reflective and sends more of the sun's energy back into
space (glaciers and ice)
lower albedo means a surface is less reflective and more energy from the sun is absorbed
(open ocean)
what is the greenhouse effect? how does it work? - Answers the greenhouse effect is the
trapping of the sun's warmth in a planet's lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of
, an atmosphere.
how it works:
-solar radiation passes through the clear atmosphere
-most radiation is absorbed by the Earth's surface and warms it
-some solar radiation is reflected by the Earth and the atmosphere
-some of the infrared radiation passes through the atmosphere, and some is absorbed and re-
emitted in all directions by greenhouse gas molecules
what would the Earth be like without the greenhouse effect? - Answers no liquid water and no
life on Earth; similar to one of Jupiter's ice moons
what are the six most important greenhouse gases? where are they concentrated in the
atmosphere? - Answers -water vapor
-carbon dioxide
-methane
-fluorinated gases
-ozone
-nitrous oxide
most greenhouse gases are trapped in the troposphere, but the ozone layer is in the
stratosphere
in the carbon cycle, what are our four big sinks and sources of CO2? - Answers sources-
volcanoes, animal respiration, burning of fossil fuels, destruction of forests and clearing of
vegetation
sinks- vegetation, oceans, calcium combines with CO2 to form limestone
what are oil/natural gas/coal made of? - Answers living things
how does fossil fuel combustion affect the carbon cycle? - Answers when humans burn fossil
fuels, the stored carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. the carbon is then
free to cycle through the Earth and can upset the natural balance of carbon available, changing
the way that processes occur on Earth
how have solar luminosity and atmospheric CO2 concentrations for the Earth changed over time?
- Answers as solar luminosity has increased, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has
decreased
