Geos 110 Exam 1 Study Guide:
Test is mixed: multiple choice, matching and essays/labeled illustrations
You are allowed 1 double sided, 8.5”x11” sheet of notes, a calculator and pens or
pencils
It covers all of the vocabulary, concepts, figures etc. in Chapters 1, 2, 3 & 4 of
Kump et al The Earth System, 3rd edition, any associated power points on my
website. Content from the power point on Last 600,000 years of climate history.
The exam is Tuesday Oct 25 in Lab period
Vocabulary to know for terms and definitions or to use in essays and labeling
your diagrams:
Chapter 1: Global Change
Vocabulary:
Abiotic feedbacks
Acid rain
Aerosols
Anthropogenic activities/influence
Archimedes’ principle
Atmosphere
Biodiversity
Biota
Carbonate-silicate geochemical cycle
CFCs
CH4
Chlorine containing compounds
Climate change
ClO
CO2
Core
Cosmic clock
Crust
Crysosphere
Deforestation (tropical)
Deuterium
Dobson unit
Earth system(s)
Errors: systematic, random
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Faint young sun paradox
Forcing factors
Fossil fuels
Fusion (nuclear)
Gaia hypothesis
Glacial period
Global environmental issues
Global warming
Greenhouse effect
Greenhouse gases
Gubbio clay
H2O
Heat island
Hothouse Earth
Hurricane
Hydrogen fusion
Hydrosphere
Ice core data (Vostok, Dome C)
Ice pack/Sea ice
IPCC
Iridium anomaly
Isotopes
Interglacial Period
Keeling curve
Latent heat
Little Ice Age
Luminosity
Massive Extinction
Mantle
Methane
N2O
O3
Ozone
Ozone hole
Ozone hole
Ozone layer
Photosynthesis
Pioneer effect
Rocks
Sea level rise
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Sediments
Sensible heat
Smog
Snowball Earth
SO2
Solar luminosity
Solid Earth (layers)
Stratosphere
Sulfate aerosols
TOMS/Nimbus 7
Trace gases
Troposphere
Questions/Discussion:
1.) Is the Earth’s climate warming or not and what is some of the evidence
and difficulties in addressing this topic?
2.) Irrespective of whether mankind, or Canadians specifically are
responsible for global warming, discuss why we might care about this
topic and how it might affect us, our landscapes, our natural resources
and ongoing natural processes.
3.) What if any are the effects of the biosphere as to how it might interact
with or influence the atmosphere and global climate?
4.) What are the most important changes or disturbances to Earth Systems
confronting us today, what might we do about them and in what order of
priority should we deal with them?
Chapter 2: Daisyworld & Systems
Vocabulary:
Albedo
Climate response
Climate system
Component
Coupling
Daisyworld
Differential Equations
Disturbance
Energy
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Equilibrium (state)
Feedback factor
Feedback loop
Forcing
Graphs
Large Volcanic Eruptions
Mass
Matter
Negative Coupling
Negative Feedback Loop
Perturbation
Positive Coupling
Positive Feedback Loop
Self-regulating System
Sinusoidal Oscillator
Stable Equilibrium
State
System
Threshold
Unstable Equilibrium
Variables (explicit, implicit)
Questions/Discussion:
1.) What is the difference between a perturbation and a forcing with respect
to Earth’s climate and give an example of each.
2.) Why are positive feedback loops inherently unstable.
3.) Discuss how negative feedback loops in systems can regulate equilibrium
conditions without being inherently intelligent.
4.) Discuss the climate response to very large volcanic eruptions, what causes
them, how big they are and how long they last.
Chapter 3: Global Energy Balance-Greenhouse Effect
Vocabulary:
Albedo (major contributors)
Barometric Law
Blackbody
Blackbody radiation
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Cloud effects on albedo and atmospheric heating
Conduction
Convection
Effective Radiating Temperature
Electromagnetic Radiation
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Energy
Exosphere
Fifteen Micrometre CO2 Absorption Band
Flux
Frequency
GCM/General Circulation Model
H2O Rotation Band
Ice-Albedo Feedback
Infrared Radiation
IR-Temperature Feedback
Inverse Square Law
Kelvin (absolute) Temperature Scale
Latent Heat
Mesosphere
Photon
Photosphere
RCM/Radiative Convective Model
Relative Humidity
Runaway Greenhouse
Stefan-Boltzmann Law (Flux = sigma T4 )
Stratosphere
Thermosphere
Troposphere
Ultraviolet Radiation
Visible Radiation
Visible Spectrum
Water Vapour Feedback
Wavelength
Wein’s Law (lambda max = 2898/T kelvins)
Questions/Discussion:
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1.) What contribution do Greenhouse gases make to Earth’s Climate, how big
an effect is this and what does it have to do with latent heat and molecular
motions?
2.) What is the reason for the different ways the Stratosphere and
Troposphere are heated and what consequences does this have for the
nature of global atmospheric circulation.
3.) What is the relationship and net result of feedback between: 1) outgoing
infrared radiation flux, 2) atmospheric water vapour and 3) ice albedo
versus Earth’s surface temperature and do they make for negative or
positive feedbacks towards the stability of Earth’s climate?
4.) The intensity of insolation varies as the Earth moves closer or farther from
the sun and in response to variations in axial tilt. How does each of these
affect the heating of the atmosphere and the climate variation between
seasons and which is more important as a climate driver?
Chapter 4: Atmospheric Circulation
Vocabulary:
Anti-Cyclones
Bouyancy/Density
Boyle’s Law: (PV)initial = (PV)final
Charles’ Law: (V/T)initial = (V/T)final
Centrifugal Force
Centripetal Force
Condensation
Continentality
Convergence
Coriolis Effect/Force
Gas Density: mass/V = P/RT
Deserts/Drylands
Divergence
Downwelling
Equinox: (Vernal, Autumnal)
Ergs
Evaporation
Extra-Tropical Cyclones
Farrel Cell/Circulation
Geopotential Surface
Global Hydrologic Cycle
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Groundwater
Hadley Cell/Circulation
Horizontal Movement
Horse Latitudes/Doldrums
Hurricane
Ideal Gas Law: PV=nRT
Inflow
ITCZ/Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone
Latent Heat of Fusion
Latent Heat of Vapourization
Littoral
Meridional Circulation (Troposophere)
Monsoon
Obliquity
Onshore/Offshore (Sea Breeze)
Outflow
Partial Pressure (Dalton’s Law of)
Polar Deserts
Polar Easterlies
Polar Front Zone
Polar High
Saturation Vapour Pressure
Seasonal Variability
Subpolar Low
Subsidence
Subtropical High
Thermal Equator
Trade Winds (NE, SE)
Tropic of Cancer/Capricorn
Turbulence
Uplift/Upwelling
Upper Level Air Flow (Troposphere)
Vertical Movement
Westerlies (Mid-Latitudes)
Questions/Discussion:
600 thousand years of Climate History- Orbital Controls of Climate
Vocabulary:
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Aphelion
Axial Tilt (Obliquity-varies with pull of larger planets, 41 ka period)
Benthic Foraminifera
Climate proxy records:
(Deep sea sediments, Ice cores, GHG concentrations, Stable Isotopes)
Delta O-18
Eccentricity of Orbit (ellipticity, pull of large planets, 413 ka & 100 ka)
Equinox
Ablation Rates
Ice Accumulation Rates
Ice-Albedo Feedback
Ice age cycle (100 ka)
Milankovitch Cycles/Theory (of ice ages)
Obliquity (axial Tilt, see above)
Ocean Circulation-CO2 Feedback
Orbital Cycles
Oxygen Isotope Records
Perhelion
Periods (413,000; 100,000; 41,000; 23,000; 19,000) years
Precession of Equinoxes
(wobble-variation in direction that axis leans, sun-moon, 23 & 19ka)
Planktonic Foraminifera
Proxy
Quaternary
Solstice
Tertiary
Variation of insolation (greatest at northern latitudes at deglaciation)
Questions/Discussion:
1.) How does the astronomy of Earth’s orbit affect cyclic ice ages and what
are the 3 major cycles that affect insolation?
2.) How does Continent position and Ocean circulation factor into the theory
of ice ages?
3.) Are the seas heavier or lighter isotopically with respect to oxygen and
hydrogen during a glacial maximum and why is this so?
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