GEO 401 Test #3 exam 2023 with 100% correct answers

Climate - correct answer -Average weather patterns in a particular area over the course of a year Greenhouse gases - correct answer -Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and ozone in the atmosphere which are involved in the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse effect - correct answer -1. Earth absorbs sunlight's energy. 2. The Earth also emits energy (helping it to cool down) 3. When this balance (radiative balance) is thrown out of whack by gases such as methane, the earth is literally covered in a blanket-like formation that causes the atmospheric temperature to increase. Albedo - correct answer -The fraction of solar radiation that is reflected off the surface of an object Atmosphere - correct answer -The mass of air surrounding the Earth (N, O, Ar, H20, CO2, greenhouse gases) Troposphere - correct answer -The layer closest to Earth, where almost all weather occurs; the thinnest layer Thermohaline circulation - correct answer -Movement of ocean water caused by density difference brought about by variations in temperature and salinity. As ocean water freezes at the poles it concentrates salt, and the colder, denser water sinks. El Nino - correct answer -A warm ocean current that flows along the equator from the date line and south off the coast of Ecuador at Christmas time. When it is functioning naturally, it brings rain to Indonesia in the monsoon season, but when it is not functioning normally, it brings rain to the west coast of South America and causes drought in Indonesia. Carbon cycle - correct answer -The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again. (See diagram) Positive feedback - correct answer -a change in one component is enhanced by the change it induces in other components Negative feedback - correct answer -a change in one component is reduced by the change it induces in other components Milankovitch cycles - correct answer -Periodic variations in tilt, eccentricity, and wobble in the earth's orbit; Milutin Milankovitch suggested that it is responsible for cyclic weather changes