Download Met 112: Final Exam Study Guide

Met 112: Final Exam Study Guide
Prof. Jin, Nov. 22, 2008
The final exam will be of a similar format as the midterm; closed book, multipleselection section followed by short-answer questions. You will have 2 hours and 15
minutes for the exam.
To prepare for the final, I would suggest that you review your lecture notes very
carefully. Based on the results of the midterm, it should be clear that the more familiar
you are with your notes, the more effective you will be in answering questions within the
time limits. I would also encourage you to pay special attention to your homework
questions (Homework 3 and 4).
I would also suggest that you review the video we watched in class which is to enhance
clarity and understanding of the existing notes. In addition, review the conclusions of
your group project and what you ‘learned’ from this. Finally, a list of
questions/suggestions is provided below that should serve as a good review. However
note that this list is not intended to include everything covered in the course
or on the final exam, but it’s a good start.
1. What are theories explaining snowball earth and freeze/fry episodes?
2. If the earth is to warm, how would this affect cloud amounts and why.
3. What is a positive/negative feedback?
4. What is a stable versus and unstable equilibrium?
5. What is the difference between external and internal forcing of the climate
system?
6. What are some natural factors that affect climate change?
7. What affect does the sun have on climate? Provide an example.
8. What is the Milankovitch theory?
9. Explain how a changing in the tilt of the earth could affect climate?
10. Explain how a change in the eccentricity could affect climate?
11.What is the IPCC?
12.Why did the IPCC run climate models using different scenarios?
13.How are CO2 emissions and CO2 concentrations related?
14.How is CO2 concentrations and temperature related?
15.What is a climate model?
16.What is regional climate model and global climate model?
17.What is model resolution?
18.What are the reasons for model uncertainties?
19. In IPCC, What are the different scenarios for climate change in terms of future
temperature?
20.How and why will sea levels change in the future?
21.What are the uncertainties in relation to predicting future climate change?
22.Where does most of the US electricity come from?
23.What is the Kyoto Protocol?
24.Why did the US not sign onto the Kyoto Protocol?
25.What is the current status of the protocol?
26.What countries will be affected (positively and negatively) by climate change?
27.How will the climate of cities around the globe change in the next 50 years.
(temperature, rainfall, pollution)
28.What is ozone and why is it important?
29.What is the difference between tropospheric ozone and stratospheric ozone?
30.Why does the ozone hole form?
31.Why doesn’t the northern hemisphere have an ozone hole?
32.What are CFC’s, and what is their role in ozone depletion?
33.What has been done about ozone depletion, and what is going to happen in the
future?
34.What is the recipe for the ozone hole?
35.How are ozone depletion and global warming related?
Lecture 8 (Natural Climate Forcing)
1. What are the names of period and epoch for current earth system? (Holocene
Epoch, Quaternary Period)
2. When was the time for Dinosaurs? (Mesozoic era)
3. How long is the Earth system history? (~3800 Ma)
4. Give examples for proxy of paleoclimate? (C14 and C18)
5. Explain why O18 can be used to refer paleoclimate.
6. What is the surface temperature and CO2 concentration in atmosphere?
7. Definitions of External Forcing and Internal Forcing. Give examples.
8. What may be the reasons for the warm during Cretaceous? (CO2, more water
vapor)
9. What is Sunspot? More Sunspots,Solar energy will be_____ (more)
10. How long is the cycle of sunspot activity? (~11 yrs)
11. What is the “Maunder Minimus”? (when and why?)
12. When is so-called “Little Ice Age”?
13. Who are the key scientists for oribit drift theory? (James Croll, Milutin
Milankovitch)
14. What is eccentricity, period of it is____?
15. What is precession, and its period is_____?
16. What is axis title, and its cycle is_________?
17. Small eccentricity, energy difference between summer and winter will be (high or
low?) than large eccentricity?
18. What are the examples for internal forcing? (lecture page 33)
Lecture 9 (Climate Modeling)
1. What is climate modeling?
2. What are the major components of a climate model? (Atmosphere, land, Ocean
and sea-ice, carbon cycle, atmospheric chemistry, etc)
3. What is the approach for you to know the future climate? (climate modeling)
4. Why Ocean is critical in climate system?
5. Explain the relation between salinity and precipitation.
6. What is ocean mixed layer? How deep of this layer is?
7. What is the role of ocean surface currents? What is the driving force for ocean
surface currents?
8. What is themocline?
9. What are the model evaluation approaches?
Lecture 10 (Climate Feedback)
1. What is positive feedback? What is negative feedback? Draw carton to show.
2. Examples of positive feedback and negative feedback.
3. explain ice-albedo feedback. Water vapor feedback, clouds feedback.
4. Is clouds feedback a positive or negative feedback?
Lecture 11. (Climate Change Connections)
1. What is Ozone depletion (what, when where)?
2. What is Montreal Protocol ? (what about? When, who?)
3. What are predictions for the future Ozone?
4. What is the connection between ozone depletion and global warming?
5. What are the necessities for life?
6. The predictions of climate change suggest that access to fresh water will be made
more __________(difficult or easy?)
Lecture 12
1. What is IPCC?
2. What is the major conclusion of IPCC 2007 on human activity on climate change?
3. Explain future temperature prediction.
4. What would the future sea level change?
5. Explain the US CO emission - . What percentage of electricity generation comes
from the burning of natural gas? Where does most residential energy come from?
6. What is mitigation?
7. What is Kyoto Protocol?
8. What are Kyoto Protocol Mechanisms?
9. What is emission trading?
10. Is CA active in reduce CO emission?
11. What would snow coverage change for CA with temperature change?