Climate Science & Atmospheric Systems Flashcards
7 cards from real CAP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Climate Science & Atmospheric Systems flashcards as text
Which atmospheric layer contains the ozone layer that absorbs harmful UV radiation?
Answer: Stratosphere
The stratosphere, extending from about 12 to 50 km altitude, contains the ozone layer that absorbs most of the sun's ultraviolet radiation.
What is the primary driver of the ocean's thermohaline circulation, often called the 'global conveyor belt'?
Answer: Differences in water temperature and salinity
Thermohaline circulation is driven by density differences caused by variations in water temperature and salinity, which move vast amounts of heat around the planet.
Which feedback mechanism causes Arctic ice loss to accelerate warming by exposing darker ocean surfaces?
Answer: Ice-albedo feedback
The ice-albedo feedback occurs because melting sea ice exposes dark ocean water that absorbs more solar radiation than reflective ice, amplifying warming.
The Keeling Curve, initiated at Mauna Loa in 1958, primarily tracks which atmospheric measurement?
Answer: Atmospheric CO₂ concentration
The Keeling Curve is the continuous record of atmospheric CO₂ concentrations measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory, showing both seasonal oscillations and a long-term rising trend.
What percentage of Earth's natural greenhouse effect is attributed to water vapor?
Answer: Approximately 50–60%
Water vapor accounts for roughly 50–60% of Earth's natural greenhouse effect, making it the most abundant greenhouse gas by warming contribution.
Which paleoclimate proxy is commonly used to reconstruct ancient atmospheric CO₂ concentrations extending hundreds of thousands of years back?
Answer: Ice core air bubbles
Air bubbles trapped in ice cores preserve ancient atmospheric samples, allowing direct measurement of past CO₂ levels going back 800,000+ years.
In the context of climate science, what does 'radiative forcing' measure?
Answer: The net change in energy flux at the tropopause due to a climate driver
Radiative forcing quantifies the change in energy flux (in W/m²) in the atmosphere caused by natural or anthropogenic factors, used to compare the effectiveness of different climate drivers.