ENV 101 EXAM 3 QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED
ANSWERS
Weather - Answers - temp, humidity, precipitation on a given day, short term,
geographically limited
Climate - Answers - normal range or weather conditions expected in particular
locations/times of the year, patterns based on long-term observations, larger/long-term
picture
Climate change - Answers - significant change in measures of climate (e.g. temp,
precipitation, wind patterns)
Global warming - Answers - recent/ongoing risk in global average temp near Earth's
surface, causing climate patterns to change, only one aspect of climate change
Indicators of climate change: species and geographic range shifts - Answers - Bird
wintering ranges moved northward
Indicators of climate change: phenology changes - Answers - Study of cyclic/seasonal
natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant/animal life; events
occurring earlier
Indicators of climate change: long-term temp change - Answers - Global average land
temps almost 2 degrees F higher than 20th century; sea surface temp as much as 5
degrees higher
Indicators of climate change: glaciers - Answers - Loss of glacier mass
Indicators of climate change: sea level rise - Answers - Higher storm intensity
Indicators of climate change: precipitation changes - Answers - Higher precipitation,
drier
Greenhouse effect - Answers - Necessary for life on our planet, greenhouse effect
retains/stores heat in atmosphere
Greenhouse effect: process - Answers - solar radiation reaches the atmosphere (⅔
enters atmosphere, ⅓ reflected back to space), radiation hitting Earth's surface heats it,
Earth radiates heat back at atmosphere (70% retained by atmosphere's greenhouse
h\gases, 30% lost to space)
, GHG: H2O sources - Answers - clouds (reflect sun→cooling as well), water vapor in air
increases with temp, natural-not recent human-caused
GHG: CO2 sources - Answers - respiration, fossil fuel combustion (gas, oil, coal)
GHG: CH4 sources - Answers - Anaerobic (w/o oxygen) decomposition, ruminants
(cattle, sheep), industry, natural gas extraction
GHG: N2O sources - Answers - oceans, soil in tropics, nitrogen fertilization
Concentration trends of GHG - Answers - Trend towards warmer average temperature;
caused by urbanization, combustion of fossil fuels
Mauna Loa - Answers - Carbon dioxide is increasing; the site was isolated so findings
were more precise.
Ice cores used to measure CO2 - Answers - Snow traps atmospheric air, measure gas
in air bubbles
Albedo - Answers - Albedo is the ability to reflect sun and is high when you have
light/white (ice and snow, sand)
Albedo: positive feedback loop - Answers - Increase in temp→melting ice→decrease
albedo→more absorption
Radiative forcing - Answers - amount of change in thermal energy a factor causes
Net radiative forcing - Answers - adding all together to get total, can be + or -
Impacts of climate change: coral reefs - Answers - loss of native fish,
bleaching→increase temp, acidification→increase in CO2 that ocean takes up
Impacts of climate change: currents - Answers - influx of cold, fresh water can shut
down currents (Gulf Stream and England)
Impacts of climate change: biodiversity (phenology changes) - Answers - mismatch in
seasonal changes, your food might come out before you
Impacts of climate change: biodiversity (extinction risks) - Answers - north/south poles,
tops of mtns (can't go further north/south/up)
Impacts of climate change: biodiversity (precip-aquatic eco) - Answers - increase
precipitation→increase flooding/erosion→increase pollution, decrease
precipitation→shrink aquatic ecosystems
ANSWERS
Weather - Answers - temp, humidity, precipitation on a given day, short term,
geographically limited
Climate - Answers - normal range or weather conditions expected in particular
locations/times of the year, patterns based on long-term observations, larger/long-term
picture
Climate change - Answers - significant change in measures of climate (e.g. temp,
precipitation, wind patterns)
Global warming - Answers - recent/ongoing risk in global average temp near Earth's
surface, causing climate patterns to change, only one aspect of climate change
Indicators of climate change: species and geographic range shifts - Answers - Bird
wintering ranges moved northward
Indicators of climate change: phenology changes - Answers - Study of cyclic/seasonal
natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant/animal life; events
occurring earlier
Indicators of climate change: long-term temp change - Answers - Global average land
temps almost 2 degrees F higher than 20th century; sea surface temp as much as 5
degrees higher
Indicators of climate change: glaciers - Answers - Loss of glacier mass
Indicators of climate change: sea level rise - Answers - Higher storm intensity
Indicators of climate change: precipitation changes - Answers - Higher precipitation,
drier
Greenhouse effect - Answers - Necessary for life on our planet, greenhouse effect
retains/stores heat in atmosphere
Greenhouse effect: process - Answers - solar radiation reaches the atmosphere (⅔
enters atmosphere, ⅓ reflected back to space), radiation hitting Earth's surface heats it,
Earth radiates heat back at atmosphere (70% retained by atmosphere's greenhouse
h\gases, 30% lost to space)
, GHG: H2O sources - Answers - clouds (reflect sun→cooling as well), water vapor in air
increases with temp, natural-not recent human-caused
GHG: CO2 sources - Answers - respiration, fossil fuel combustion (gas, oil, coal)
GHG: CH4 sources - Answers - Anaerobic (w/o oxygen) decomposition, ruminants
(cattle, sheep), industry, natural gas extraction
GHG: N2O sources - Answers - oceans, soil in tropics, nitrogen fertilization
Concentration trends of GHG - Answers - Trend towards warmer average temperature;
caused by urbanization, combustion of fossil fuels
Mauna Loa - Answers - Carbon dioxide is increasing; the site was isolated so findings
were more precise.
Ice cores used to measure CO2 - Answers - Snow traps atmospheric air, measure gas
in air bubbles
Albedo - Answers - Albedo is the ability to reflect sun and is high when you have
light/white (ice and snow, sand)
Albedo: positive feedback loop - Answers - Increase in temp→melting ice→decrease
albedo→more absorption
Radiative forcing - Answers - amount of change in thermal energy a factor causes
Net radiative forcing - Answers - adding all together to get total, can be + or -
Impacts of climate change: coral reefs - Answers - loss of native fish,
bleaching→increase temp, acidification→increase in CO2 that ocean takes up
Impacts of climate change: currents - Answers - influx of cold, fresh water can shut
down currents (Gulf Stream and England)
Impacts of climate change: biodiversity (phenology changes) - Answers - mismatch in
seasonal changes, your food might come out before you
Impacts of climate change: biodiversity (extinction risks) - Answers - north/south poles,
tops of mtns (can't go further north/south/up)
Impacts of climate change: biodiversity (precip-aquatic eco) - Answers - increase
precipitation→increase flooding/erosion→increase pollution, decrease
precipitation→shrink aquatic ecosystems
