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ENVS 120 Midterm 1
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Why is the planet warming? How much has it warmed? What places are warming most? | a. Planet warming due to humans producing CO2 & other gases b. Warmed by 1.1 degrees C since 1850, 1.3 degrees C above pre-industrial c. Northern hemisphere warming the most |
| What are the consequences of a warmer world? | 4 MAIN CONSEQUENCES: i. Temperature rises ii. Sea ice melts iii. Precipitation increases in previously dry areas iv. Sea level rises |
| What are corals? How do they get bleached? | a. Corals are animals b. Corals form a symbiotic relationship with algae, which feeds them. If the algae gets stressed, it will leave and the coral loses its color |
| What are some of the major coral stressors? | 5 MAIN STRESSORS: i. Extreme temperatures ii. Ocean acidification iii. Pollution iv. Breaking v. Invasive species and diseases |
| What % of the US thinks global warming is occurring (Yale study, as of 2024)? | 72%!! |
| Know about the goals of each section of a scientific paper. | Abstract: WHO, WHY, HOW, WHAT, & IMPLICATIONS! Introduction: BACKGROUND INFORMATION! Why do we CARE? Data and Methods: ALLOWS REPLICATION OF EXPERIMENTS/ RESEARCH Results: OUTCOME. Analyze figures! Discussion: INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS |
| How are time periods of Earth’s history divided? What Epoch are we currently in? | a. Earth’s time periods are divided into 4 categories which get progressively shorter: Eons -> Eras -> Periods -> Epochs b. Current Epoch: Holocene, started 11,700 years ago |
| What requirements need to be met for something to be called a “golden spike” (GSSP)? | 7 requirements must be met: 1. Marker event/ time 2. Other secondary events 3. Regional AND global effects 4. Continuous sedimentation in rock layers 5. An EXACT location 6. Accessibility 7. Provisions for conservation |
| What are the 5 main potential markers for the start of the Anthropocene (know dates, impacts, etc)? Which have GSSPs (and what are they) and which have GSSAs? | 1. Agriculture (~11,000 yrs ago) GSSA, regional 2. Age of Exploration (1492) GSSP, Orbis Spike 3. Industrial Revolution (1880s) GSSA, unclear date, regional 4. Great Acceleration (1952) plutonium peak. GSSP – Crawford Lake, Ontario 5. Plastiglomerate |
| Which date was most recently favored as a start date by the Anthropocene Working Group? What location did they propose for the global spike and why (Perkins article)? | a. 1952 b. Proposed Crawford Lake, Ontario. Fly-ash — a byproduct of burning fossil fuels — are laced throughout the sediments. Buried tree pollen. Regional conservation area. |
| What is the current status of an official Anthropocene epoch? | There is none. The ICS voted against the definition of an Anthropocene epoch. |
| What are the main 2 permanent gases and 2 variable gases that make up the atmosphere? What are their % contributions? | Permanent gases: Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%). Variable gases: Water vapor (0-4%), CO2 (0.04%, 425 ppm) |
| Know the steps involved in the hydrological cycle | 1. Evaporation 2. Condensation 3. Precipitation 4. Runoff 5. Infiltration |
| What are ways to add and remove CO2 to atmosphere? What processes dominate each? | Add CO2: Fuel combustion, volcanic activity, burning plants, respiration (dominates), deforestation, decay, CO2 evaporates Remove CO2: Photosynthesis (dominates), marine life, CO2 dissolves |
| Be able to rank the top 3 global anthropogenic GHG emissions by gas and by source in 2019 (Foley, Figs 1 and 2). Where do excess CO2 emissions go annually (Foley, Fig3)? | Top 3 global anthropogenic GHG emissions: CO2 fossil fuels > CH4 > CO2 land use. Electricity > food, land use > industry. Excess CO2 emissions go into the atmosphere, land-based sinks, and ocean-based sinks. |
| What are aerosols? How are these different from pollutants? | Aerosols: Particulates that are not harmful to human health (ex: dust, sea spray) Pollutant: Manmade AND harmful to human health |
| Know the relationships between temperature, wavelength, and energy emitted. What are the names of these 2 laws? | S-B Law: E = σT^4 Wien’s Law: λmax = 2498/T |
| What types of wavelengths come from the Sun and the Earth (general names and peak emission wavelengths)? | Sun: λ=0.5 micrometers, “short wave” visible Earth: λ=0.10 micrometers, “long wave” infrared |
| What is the greenhouse effect? How does it work (be sure to know the scientific terminology)? What are the main greenhouse gases? Why is anthropogenic CO2 a problem? What percentage of CO2 emitted each year is due to human emissions? | When the amount of energy Earth absorbs > emits. Water vapor and CO2 absorb a lot of energy from Earth which gets re-emitted. NRG absorbed ^, Surface Temp ^. 3-4% |
| What are the top 3 countries by total GHG emissions? What was the share of US’s global greenhouse gas emissions in 2021? How do these 3 countries compare in per capita emissions and how has this pattern changed in the last 25 years? | Top 3 countries: US > China > India (per capita) US produced 12.4% of global GHG emissions in 2021 Emission growth has slowed from 1990-2019 US emissions are falling, while India emissions are rising. China emissions have been and are rising |
| Which sector was the largest contributor to U.S. GHG emissions in 2022, and what share did it represent? How does land use and forestry affect U.S. greenhouse gas emissions? | Agriculture, 10% Forest is a carbon sink, offsetting 13% of total US GHG emissions since 1990 |
| What are the differences between ecological and carbon footprints? How many Earths are we currently using each year? When did this number get above 1 (ecological overshoot)? | Ecological footprint: Productive area required to provide the resources humanity is using. Carbon footprint: Amount of carbon emitted by an individual, activity, or organization. We are using 1.8 Earths a year. This number got above 1 in 1970 |
| What is dendrochronology? What is the typical response of tree growth to warm/wet years? What is changing in this pattern due to climate change (Greenwood article)? | Measure of change in tree ring thickness. Warm/ wet years: wider tree rings. Climate change introduces new conditions to trees that previously responded to limited conditions, so the changes in tree ring growth are less extreme. |
| How (generally) has the temperature of the earth changed over different time periods: 150 years? 1000 years? 800,000 years? Longer? What time period is the “hockey stick” talking about? What is significant about the rate of change now? | 150 yrs: Largest increase in temperature during last 100,000 years 1,000 yrs: “Hockey stick” 450,000 yrs: Alternating patterns of glacials and interglacials 485 million yrs: Current temperatures not the hottest, but still correlate strongly with CO2 |
| How (generally) has the concentration of CO2 changed in the past 100 years? 1000 years? 800,000 years? Longer? What are the pre-industrial and current concentrations of CO2? | 100 yrs: Steep increase past the max. for the past 800,000 years 1,000 yrs: Typical rise in CO2 following glacial and interglacial patterns 800,000 yrs+: Alternating pattern of concentration of CO2 Pre-industrial: 280 ppm Now: 425 ppm |
| What are interglacials and glacials? Which last longer? How long over time do we have to look to see repeated patterns of interglacials and glacials? What are the typical glacial and interglacial concentrations of CO2? | Interglacials: Warmer periods between glacial advances, around 280 ppm Glacials: Polar ice appears/ grows and glaciers advance, around 170 ppm Interglacials <<< Glacials 450,000 yrs |
| What are the 3 external causes of climate change? Which are natural and which are manmade? | 1. Changes in incoming solar radiation, natural 2. Changes in composition of the atmosphere, natural (aerosols) and manmade (GHGs) 3. Changes in Earth’s surface, natural (tectonics) and manmade (land use) |
| What is Milankovich Theory? Know the 3 Milankovitch cycles (names, what changes, and time frames). How long is the typical solar cycle for sunspots? | 3 separate cyclic movements combine to produce variations in how much solar energy reaches Earth. 1. Eccentricity: Orbit shape, 100,000 yrs 2. Obliquity: Tilt angle, 41,000 yrs 3. Precession: Tilt angle direction, 23,000 yrs Sunspots: 11-year cycle |
| How do volcanic eruptions influence global climate? How long does this impact last? | Volcanic eruptions release sulfate aerosols, which reflect sunlight and cool the climate. Also release CO2 and H2O Sulfate Aerosols: 6 months-2 years cooling CO2 and H2O; Long-term warming |
| How do climate models predict future climate conditions? | Models divide Earth’s surface into a grid. 1. Look at current conditions in the grid square 2. Put in estimate about future conditions (“prescribed change”) 3. Launch and predict interactions 4. Stop and see outcome |
| What is albedo? Know the average albedo of the Earth, and be able to compare the albedo of some common surfaces. | Albedo is the reflectivity of a surface, or how much reflects off of a surface. Average albedo of the earth is 30%. Sea ice = Fresh snow > Clouds > Water > Cropland > Forest > Asphalt |
| What is Global Warming Potential? How does the GWP of CO2 compare to CH4 and N2O? | GWP is a measure of how much energy the emission of 1 ton of a gas will absorb over a period of time. CO2 GWP (1) < CH4 GWP (24) <<< N2O GWP (310). |
| What are positive and negative feedbacks? Be able to identify examples of each and think about how feedbacks work. | Positive feedbacks: System responds to change by enhancing it Negative feedbacks: System responds to change by returning to default |
| What are SSPs? What do each of the 5 represent (broadly)/which scenarios predict the most/least extreme changes? | SSP- Shared Socio-Economic Pathway 1. SSP1-1.9: Very low GHG emissions, CO2 emissions reach net zero around 2050 2. SSP1-2.6: Low 3. SSP2-4.5: Intermediate 4. SSP3-7.0: High 5. SSP5-8.5: Very high, CO2 emissions double by 2050 |
| What is an ensemble and how does it potentially help reduce error in model output? | Ensemble: Running each model thousands of times w/ diff conditions and averaging the results. Helps account for different outcomes. |
| What are tipping points? How many global (“core”) tipping points are thought to exist? Which are mostly likely to occur even if we meet the goals of the Paris Agreement? | Triggers when certain climate events become self-perpetuating. 9 core tipping points. West Antarctic Ice sheet collapse, Low-latitude coral reefs die, Barents sea ice loss, Boreal permafrost thaw, Greenland ice sheet collapse, Labrador Sea Subpolar gyre |
| What changes can happen to the boreal forest? Be able to compare temperatures/rates of collapse occurring in the elements of the Antarctic Ice Sheet | The southern edge of the boreal forest could die, while the northern edge could grow. West Antarctic ice sheet collapse > East Antarctic subglacial basins collapse > East Antarctic ice sheet collapse (in order of most likely to least likely). |
| Know about the relationships during ENSO- what do atmospheric pressure, winds, upwelling, and oceanic temperature patterns look like during “normal”, El Niño, and La Niña conditions? | Normal: High pressure & upwelling off S.America. Low pressure off Indonesia. Winds E to W. El Nino: High pressure off Indonesia. Low pressure off S. America. Winds reverse. La Nina: ^ p & upwelling off S. America. v p off Indonesia. Winds stronger. |
| Where will future warming be worst? When do we expect to cross 1.5 degrees C of warming? | North Pole and over land in northern hemisphere. Late 2020s or early 2030s. |
| How have heatwaves, heavy precipitation events, and once-in-a decade crop drought events currently changed (vs historical)? How are they predicted to change in the future? | All events used to be once-a-decade. Heatwaves: Present, 2.8x a decade. Future, 4.1x a decade. Precipitation: Present, 1.3x a decade. Future, 1.5x a decade. Drought: Present, 1.7x a decade. Future, 2x a decade. |
| How are weather events such as hurricanes and tornadoes changing/expected to change? | Tornadoes: Number of days with tornadoes expected to go down. Number of days with CLUSTERS of tornadoes expected to go up. Hurricanes: Number of hurricanes won’t change. STRENGTH of hurricanes expected to go up. |
| How are sea ice and land ice changing? How does this contribute to sea level rise? | Sea ice does not contribute to sea level rise since it is already in the sea. Melting of land ice increases sea level rise. |
| How much has global sea level risen already? What processes contribute to this? | Global sea level has risen by 23 cm over about 150 years. Contributors: 1. Melting of Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets 2. Thermal expansion of ocean waters -> When you warm a substance, it takes up more space |
| How has pH in the ocean changed? | ~8.13 in 1950 to 8.06 in 2015 |
| Which SSP scenarios are our current global CO2 emissions closest to? | SSP2-4.5 |
| Economic costs of climate inaction, including what falls under each category. | Economic Costs: 1. Impacts on productivity -> Lost labor, agriculture 2. Damage to assets and capital -> Land 3. Disruptions to global flow of currency -> Weather leads to less travel |
| Social costs of climate inaction, including what falls under each category. | Social Costs: 1. Impacts on health and well-being -> Weather, diseases, air quality 2. Loss of nature and biodiversity -> Forests, ecological zones 3. Migration 4. Global and local inequalities -> Worsening costs in underdeveloped countries |
| In the U.S, which regions are predicted to see the most warming, biggest increases and decreases in precipitation, and largest amounts of sea level rise? | Most warming: Alaska Precipitation: Upper North, Alaska. Southwest gets drier. Sea level rise: Gulf Coast and East Coast. |
| What happened in the towns in coastal Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina? (Lustgarten article) and how does this connect with how climate-driven migration will likely play out in other places? | Towns flooded and populations decreased (except for one due to becoming a stop for refugees coming up from the South). Places that face rising sea levels, stronger coastal storms, and greater droughts will likely see decreases in population. |
| What are the main climate critiques discussed in class and how can they be refuted (first 3)? | 1. Co2 lags temp -> temp rises first, then CO₂ -> positive feedback 2. Urban heat island effect -> City temps higher, but trends not just ground data 3. Antarctica is gaining ice -> Land ice decreasing; sea ice briefly grew but no longer |
| What are the main climate critiques discussed in class and how can they be refuted (last 3)? | 4. Weather ≠ climate → short-term events ≠ long-term trends. 5. Oceans absorb heat/CO₂ → warming harms them, lowers pH. 6. Renewables “too expensive”? Fossil fuels were cheapest, but now solar and wind cost less. |
| How does the perceived support for climate policies differ from actual support? | Perceived support: 66-80% Actual support: 37-43% |
| Of the contrarian climate claims, which dominate CTTs and blogs? (Coan article, Fig 2) | CTTS: Solutions won’t work Blogs: Science is unreliable |
| What are the differences between mitigation and adaptation? | Mitigation- “Avoiding the unmanageable,” trying to prevent it Address the root cause Straightforward and hard Adaptation- “Managing the unavoidable,” living with it Address the effect Complex and hard |
| What global mitigation efforts/treaties have occurred (including years)? | 1. 1987: Montreal Protocol 2. 1992: UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 3. 1997: Kyoto Protocol “top-down” 4. 2009: Copenhagen Accord/ 2010 Cancun Agreement “bottom-up” 5. 2015: Paris Agreement |
| What is the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement? What is the current status of the Agreement if all countries complete their full pledges? | GOAL: Limit warming to 2 degrees C (ideally 1.5 degrees C) above pre-industrial If all countries complete their pledges, we will meet 2.1 degrees C warming |
| What food product contributes the most to GHG emissions? | Beef |
| Be able to identify the challenges/benefits associated with the discussed geoengineering options. | Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) -> Costly and might disincentivize reducing fossil fuels Solar Radiation Management (SRM) -> Could have serious unintended consequences, doesn’t solve other issues |
| What is the difference between carbon-neutral and carbon-negative technologies? | Carbon-neutral: Emissions = Reductions Carbon-negative: Emissions < Reductions Direct air capture and storage is PERMANENTLY carbon-negative |
| What are Blue Carbon Ecosystems, and what are their benefits? | Blue Carbon Ecosystems, like coastal habitats, naturally capture and store CO2 from the atmosphere |
| Where is the ozone hole and why has it been damaged? Why do we need that ozone? How was the hole “fixed”? | The ozone hole is above the Antarctic CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) damage the ozone layer-CHLORINE!! Ozone stops 97-99% of harmful UV rays from reaching the Earth’s surface The Montreal Protocol phased out the production of aerosol sprays containing CFCs |
| What is the Carbon Law (Foley article)? What 4 types of solutions does we claim he need to meet that goal? | Carbon Law: We need to cut emissions in half during this decade and reach net zero emissions by 2050 4 Solutions: 1. Quick Wins 2. New Infrastructure 3. Carbon Sinks 4. Technology |
| Which approach to climate solutions is more equitable (mitigation vs adaptation)? | Mitigation can benefit everybody. Adaptation is easier for wealthier groups. |
| What are the principles of climate justice? How does this connect to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals? | 1. Human rights 2. Right to development 3. Share benefits and burdens equally 4. Participatory, transparent, and accountable climate change decisions 5. Climate stewardship 6. Partnerships 7. Community focus |
| Why is climate justice an important part of climate solutions? | Climate justice focuses on the ROOT CAUSES of climate change and calls for a sustainable economy. Climate impacts can make already inequitable social conditions worse. |
| In Georgia, which factor is ranked as the biggest driver of overall climate vulnerability? In Georgia, which area of community baseline is most vulnerable? | Biggest driver: Access to healthcare Most vulnerable area of community baseline: Infrastructure |
| When was “one of the first official efforts to incorporate environmental justice language into the international environmental movement”? Which U.S. President was the first to sign an Executive Order regarding environmental justice? (Córdova article)? | The pairing with the labor movement. In 1994, President Clinton issued Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice |
| What does Katherine Hayhoe say is the most important thing you can do to fight climate change in her video (and why)? | TALK ABOUT IT, but by starting from your HEART instead of the facts. Talk about attractive solutions. Because fear will not motivate us, it will just drive us away. What we need is rational hope. |
| Know the 8 tips for communicating climate information given in the lecture (orange headers + general ideas, including related vocabulary (red and bold text). | 1. Know audience (mental models) 2. Attention (ABT template, Promote > Prevent, Now > Future, Gain > Loss) 3. Data -> Experience (real > abstract) 4. Simple terms 5. Knowns > unknowns 6. Don’t abuse emotional appeals 7. Social identity 8. Solutions |
| What is the Tragedy of the Commons? What are some problems with this theory? | Refers to a situation in which individuals with access to a public resource (common) act in their own interest and ultimately deplete the resource. Problem: NOT set in stone. Some communities work together to get the most out of a shared resource. |
| Know the 6 mains tips for IPCC scientists when communicating with the public (Climate Outreach article). | 1. Be confident 2. Talk about the real world, not abstract ideas 3. Connect with your audience 4. Tell a human story 5. Lead with what you know 6. Use effective visual communication |
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