Which of the following is NOT a fundamental component of the Earth system?
Solar Energy
"Global warming" and the "greenhouse effect" refer to the same physical phenomenon.
False
What is released in the Antarctic stratosphere from the breakdown of anthropogenic chloroflourocarbons (CFCs) that helps to cause the Ozone Hole?
Chlorine
On the hypothetical (imaginary) planet of Daisyworld, which type of surface has a higher (larger) albedo?
daisies
Which figure below shows the growth rate curve of daisies on Daisyworld?
Does this diagram demonstrate a positive or negative feedback cycle?
positive
What type of equilibrium is P2 on the following diagram of Daisyworld?
unstable
The following feedback cycle pertains to one of the equilibrium points (P1 or P2) on Daisyworld.
What point does it represent?
P1
The state of a system ...
is a set of important attributes that characterize the system at a particular time.
A perturbation causes a decrease in component A, which then leads to a decrease in component B. This type of coupling between these components is...
positive
The albedo of a surface refers to its ____.
reflection
All equilibrium states are always stable, so that unstable equilibrium states never exist.
False
A perturbation to a system is a ____ disturbance to the system.
temporary
Positive feedback in a system tends to _____ the effects of disturbances.
amplify
What type of feedback is Water Vapor Feedback?
Positive feedback
What is the correct equation for the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation?
Wavelength equals the speed of light divided by the frequency of radiation
Which scale describes "absolute temperature", which is defined in terms of the heat energy of a substance relative to the energy it would have at a temperature of absolute zero.
Kelvin
What physical law describes the manner in which the intensity of sunlight changes as the observer moves away from the Sun?
Inverse-square law
What does Wien's Law tell us about blackbody radiation?
It tells us the wavelength of peak emission based on an object's temperature.
What does the Stefan-Boltzmann Law tell us about blackbody radiation?
It tells us the total power per area (Watts per square meter) emitted by an object at a given temperature.
Choose the list that contains the two most abundant gases in the atmosphere.
nitrogen, oxygen
What is the major contributor to Earth's albedo?
Clouds
Scientists know that greenhouse gases are good absorbers of infrared (heat) radiation. List the two processes that can occur in a greenhouse gas molecule when it absorbs heat.
vibration and rotation
Choose the correct spectral region through which infrared radiation can most easily escape to space (or be transmitted completely through the atmosphere).
8 - 12 microns (infrared)
High, thin clouds tend to ______ climate, while low, thick clouds tend to ______ climate.
warm, cool
What do the numbers represent in the figure?
percentages of the total radiation from the Sun
What is the largest positive contribution of flux to the energy balance of Earth's surface?
Greenhouse effect
The solar flux shining at Earth's surface decreases with latitude because ___.
the energy is spread over a larger and larger area as latitude increases
Over what approximate latitude range does Earth have a surplus of energy?
30 South to 30 North
The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is where rising and converging air occur in the Hadley circulation cell. The position of the ITCZ changes with seasons because of ____
the tilt of Earth on its axis and its effect on the location of sunlight intensity in the Tropics.
The Coriolis Effect turns the winds ___.
to the right in the northern hemisphere and the left in the southern hemisphere.
Wind direction is defined to be the direction that the wind ____.
comes from
When air is heated near the surface by sunlight, the air tends to rise because of _.
Buoyancy
Rising air causes precipitation because ____.
the air cools, becomes saturated and condenses into droplets.