(Top QUALITY 2024/2025 EXAM REVIEW) WGU C267 - Climate Change, Questions and answers, 100% Accurate.

WGU C267 - Climate Change, Questions and answers, 100% Accurate. What is the Climate? - -The mean of Earth surface conditions. Climate does not equal weather Climate Zones - -Regions of similar conditions What creates the climate? - -1. Starts with insolation and ends with energy balance 2. Energy & matter exchanged among surface components What is a blackbody curve and what does it represent? - -Energy vs. wavelength. Shift is a function of temperature What gases cause the 'greenhouse effect'? - -H2O, CO2, CH4, O3, N2O, CFC's. Two types of matter exchange - -Water and Carbon Water - -Reservoirs (storage): Ocean, atmosphere, vegetation, etc. Fluxes (Movement): Evaporation, precipitation, etc. Carbon - -Reservoirs and fluxes Climate Forcing - -Some factor that changes the energy balance. Positive Climate Forcing - -Forcings make Earth warmer Negative Climate Forcing - -Forcings make Earth cooler Factors that can act as forcing - --Changes in Earth's orbit -Changes in the Sun -Volcanoes -Clouds Orbital Forcing - -The Milankovitch Effect: a. Eccentricity: Earth's orbit alters every 100,000-413,000 years b. Tilt: Shifts from more vertical to less vertical every 41,000 years c. Precession: The axel wobbles and changes orientation every 26,000 years. Volcanic Forcing - -Volcanic sulfur gases oxidize to sulfate particulates. Ash & sulfate particles block sunlight Solar Forcing - -Energy emitted by sun varies. Correlates with sunspots. Cyclical Forcing - -a. Happens daily: Forcing: Earth's Rotation b. Seasonally: Forcing: Earth's Revolution Non-Cyclical Changes - -Example: Weather - Short-term Changes - Limited predictability beyond a fe