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GLOBAL WARMING FINAL EXAM
Questions And Answers 100% Verified
Why do scientists use climate models? - Answer✔✔1. To predict future climate
2. Apply physical laws on large scales
3. Test the models using recent historical records
Physical processes represented by climate models - Answer✔✔Wind, surface pressure,
temperature, humidity, and rainfall
How and why does atmospheric CO2 change during the year? - Answer✔✔CO2 decreases in
spring-summer because plants absorb it. In fall-winter, the plants die/decay and release CO2
back into the atmosphere
What is positive feedback? - Answer✔✔Feedback that increases the output of a process
(magnifying)
What is negative feedback? - Answer✔✔Feedback that dampens a response (stabilizing)
Are most feedbacks positive or negative? - Answer✔✔Positive
What is albedo? - Answer✔✔Fraction of light that is reflected
How is albedo measured? - Answer✔✔W/M^2
What is the equation for albedo? - Answer✔✔a=reflected/incident
What controls the amount of water vapor that a mass of air can hold? - Answer✔✔Temperature
What is saturated air? - Answer✔✔Maximum amount of water that the air can hold as vapor
What is undersaturated air? - Answer✔✔Air is at the point where it can still take in more water
vapor
What is relative humidity? - Answer✔✔The ratio between the amount of H2O in given volume
of gas and the maximum amount it is capable of holding at that temperature.
RH=water content/saturation water content
Is water vapor a greenhouse gas? How can we tell? - Answer✔✔Yes. It has 3 atoms.
1
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How do high clouds (cirrus clouds) alter the temperature of the surface? - Answer✔✔Warm the
earth
How do low clouds (stratus and cumulus clouds) alter the temperature of the surface? -
Answer✔✔Cool the earth
What is the approximate Radiative Imbalance of earth today? - Answer✔✔0.8 W/M^2
What is the Radiative Forcing of human activities to date? - Answer✔✔1.6 W/M^2
What are the 4 primary drivers of climate variability and climate change over the last 1000
years? - Answer✔✔1. Greenhouse gases
2. Solar variability
3. Industrial pollution
4. Volcanoes
What is an industrial aerosol? - Answer✔✔Small solid particle or liquid droplet suspended in the
air
How are industrial aerosols removed from the air? - Answer✔✔By rain
How do industrial aerosols affect the climate? - Answer✔✔Cause cooling
What are 2 major ways aerosols affect the climate? - Answer✔✔1. Reflect sunlight back to space
2. Make clouds more reflective
How do major explosive volcanic eruptions affect global climate? - Answer✔✔1. Form barrier
to sunlight
2. Reflect sunlight (cool earth)
What kind of feedback is Radiative Emission? - Answer✔✔Negative
What is dew point? - Answer✔✔When the number of molecules that evaporates equals the
number that condense
What is the biggest uncertainty in future climate? - Answer✔✔How much CO2 humans will
emit into the atmosphere in the future
What is the difference between Radiative Imbalance and Radiative Forcing? -
Answer✔✔Radiative Forcing measures the TOTAL effects of all the greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere on the energy budget of the earth over time.
Radiative Imbalance is the CURRENT difference between incoming radiation and outgoing
radiation measured at the top of the atmosphere.
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GLOBAL WARMING FINAL EXAM
Questions And Answers 100% Verified
Why do scientists use climate models? - Answer✔✔1. To predict future climate
2. Apply physical laws on large scales
3. Test the models using recent historical records
Physical processes represented by climate models - Answer✔✔Wind, surface pressure,
temperature, humidity, and rainfall
How and why does atmospheric CO2 change during the year? - Answer✔✔CO2 decreases in
spring-summer because plants absorb it. In fall-winter, the plants die/decay and release CO2
back into the atmosphere
What is positive feedback? - Answer✔✔Feedback that increases the output of a process
(magnifying)
What is negative feedback? - Answer✔✔Feedback that dampens a response (stabilizing)
Are most feedbacks positive or negative? - Answer✔✔Positive
What is albedo? - Answer✔✔Fraction of light that is reflected
How is albedo measured? - Answer✔✔W/M^2
What is the equation for albedo? - Answer✔✔a=reflected/incident
What controls the amount of water vapor that a mass of air can hold? - Answer✔✔Temperature
What is saturated air? - Answer✔✔Maximum amount of water that the air can hold as vapor
What is undersaturated air? - Answer✔✔Air is at the point where it can still take in more water
vapor
What is relative humidity? - Answer✔✔The ratio between the amount of H2O in given volume
of gas and the maximum amount it is capable of holding at that temperature.
RH=water content/saturation water content
Is water vapor a greenhouse gas? How can we tell? - Answer✔✔Yes. It has 3 atoms.
1
, ©FYNDLAY.
How do high clouds (cirrus clouds) alter the temperature of the surface? - Answer✔✔Warm the
earth
How do low clouds (stratus and cumulus clouds) alter the temperature of the surface? -
Answer✔✔Cool the earth
What is the approximate Radiative Imbalance of earth today? - Answer✔✔0.8 W/M^2
What is the Radiative Forcing of human activities to date? - Answer✔✔1.6 W/M^2
What are the 4 primary drivers of climate variability and climate change over the last 1000
years? - Answer✔✔1. Greenhouse gases
2. Solar variability
3. Industrial pollution
4. Volcanoes
What is an industrial aerosol? - Answer✔✔Small solid particle or liquid droplet suspended in the
air
How are industrial aerosols removed from the air? - Answer✔✔By rain
How do industrial aerosols affect the climate? - Answer✔✔Cause cooling
What are 2 major ways aerosols affect the climate? - Answer✔✔1. Reflect sunlight back to space
2. Make clouds more reflective
How do major explosive volcanic eruptions affect global climate? - Answer✔✔1. Form barrier
to sunlight
2. Reflect sunlight (cool earth)
What kind of feedback is Radiative Emission? - Answer✔✔Negative
What is dew point? - Answer✔✔When the number of molecules that evaporates equals the
number that condense
What is the biggest uncertainty in future climate? - Answer✔✔How much CO2 humans will
emit into the atmosphere in the future
What is the difference between Radiative Imbalance and Radiative Forcing? -
Answer✔✔Radiative Forcing measures the TOTAL effects of all the greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere on the energy budget of the earth over time.
Radiative Imbalance is the CURRENT difference between incoming radiation and outgoing
radiation measured at the top of the atmosphere.
2
