Geog 1300E- Exam 1|Questions With Correct Answers|Verified
Fahrenheit - Mercury thermometer, used based on the temp. range in Europe. 0 Degrees
is coldest air temp. 100 Degrees is hottest human body temp.
Celsius - Thermometer based on the freezing and boiling points of water, 0 degrees
water freezes
Kelvin - Scientific unit for temp., 0 degree is the absolute zero, meaning no atomic
motion
Time Scale - the time allowed for or taken by a process or sequence of events
Sink Analogy - Incoming=outgoing
Water temperature remains constant
Greenhouse Effect - Natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by
carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases. Certain gases interact with Earth's heat
radiation
Drivers - The forcing mechanisms that change the energy in the system
Response Time - Time it takes for drivers to move the system 1/2 way to its equilibrium
Fast Response - System components will respond with larger amplitude and similar
phase to drivers
Slow Response - System components will respond with smaller amplitude and different
phase to drivers
, Feedbacks - Can occur in a system when the response to an initial driver itself changes
the system
Positive Feedback - Amplifies the initial response (making the total response larger)
Negative Feedback - Reduces the initial response (making the total response smaller)
stabilizing the system
In what ways are the Celsius and Kelvin temperature scales more convenient than the
Fahrenheit scale? - Farenheit uses thermometer based on the temp. range in Europe,
does not take in to account the boiling and freezing points of water
In what way is Earth more habitable than its sister terrestrial planets? Why? - Earth has
70% water and life exists anywhere, has water in all three states (solid, liquid, gas) while Mars
has solid/gaseous and Venus has gas
Give an example of this scenario "climate is like a deck of cards, and weather is a hand that it is
dealt" - 22,000 years ago Hartford County would have been an ice sheet, Earth was 6
degrees --> very different from the weather that we see today. Climate constrains the kind of
weather a region can experience.
Of the 4.5 billion years of Earth's history, how much of it will we discuss in this course? -
We'll consider the past 600M years or so
In what ways does climate science differ from traditional science such as chemistry or biology? -
It doesn't focus on just chemistry or just biology, it takes into account everything going
on at Earth's surface, global climate, the sun, the atmosphere, etc.
How does climate forcing differ from climate response? - Climate forcing deals with
sunlight being absorbed by the Earth and energy being radiated back into space, while climate
response focuses on the amount of warming in the atmosphere due to specific aspects in the
environment
Fahrenheit - Mercury thermometer, used based on the temp. range in Europe. 0 Degrees
is coldest air temp. 100 Degrees is hottest human body temp.
Celsius - Thermometer based on the freezing and boiling points of water, 0 degrees
water freezes
Kelvin - Scientific unit for temp., 0 degree is the absolute zero, meaning no atomic
motion
Time Scale - the time allowed for or taken by a process or sequence of events
Sink Analogy - Incoming=outgoing
Water temperature remains constant
Greenhouse Effect - Natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by
carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases. Certain gases interact with Earth's heat
radiation
Drivers - The forcing mechanisms that change the energy in the system
Response Time - Time it takes for drivers to move the system 1/2 way to its equilibrium
Fast Response - System components will respond with larger amplitude and similar
phase to drivers
Slow Response - System components will respond with smaller amplitude and different
phase to drivers
, Feedbacks - Can occur in a system when the response to an initial driver itself changes
the system
Positive Feedback - Amplifies the initial response (making the total response larger)
Negative Feedback - Reduces the initial response (making the total response smaller)
stabilizing the system
In what ways are the Celsius and Kelvin temperature scales more convenient than the
Fahrenheit scale? - Farenheit uses thermometer based on the temp. range in Europe,
does not take in to account the boiling and freezing points of water
In what way is Earth more habitable than its sister terrestrial planets? Why? - Earth has
70% water and life exists anywhere, has water in all three states (solid, liquid, gas) while Mars
has solid/gaseous and Venus has gas
Give an example of this scenario "climate is like a deck of cards, and weather is a hand that it is
dealt" - 22,000 years ago Hartford County would have been an ice sheet, Earth was 6
degrees --> very different from the weather that we see today. Climate constrains the kind of
weather a region can experience.
Of the 4.5 billion years of Earth's history, how much of it will we discuss in this course? -
We'll consider the past 600M years or so
In what ways does climate science differ from traditional science such as chemistry or biology? -
It doesn't focus on just chemistry or just biology, it takes into account everything going
on at Earth's surface, global climate, the sun, the atmosphere, etc.
How does climate forcing differ from climate response? - Climate forcing deals with
sunlight being absorbed by the Earth and energy being radiated back into space, while climate
response focuses on the amount of warming in the atmosphere due to specific aspects in the
environment
