GARP SCR EXAM LATEST ACTUAL EXAM 300 REAL EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS (VERIFIED
ANSWERS) |ALREADY GRADED A+
Proxies for Climate History (~70 million years) - ANSWER: Tree Rings
Corals
Speleotherms (stalactites + stalagnites)
Ice Cores
Ocean Sediment Cores
How to Find Proxies for Climate History - ANSWER: Long-lived geological, chemical or
biological systems that have climate imprinted on them
Earth's Climate Cycles - ANSWER: For the last 410,000 years, Earth has been cycling
through cold periods (ice ages) and warmer, interglacial periods; last ice age ended
about 10,000 years ago; we have been in an interglacial period since then
How Earth's Climate Has Changed - ANSWER: - Climate has been cooling, generally,
for the last 50 million years; prior to that, earth was so hot that there was no
permanent ice
- Earth cycles through periods of ice and warmer periods about every 100k years
-Holocene: last 11,000 years since end of last ice age
Recent Warming: Why It's Important - ANSWER: - Late 2010s was 1degree Celsius
warmer than ice age after Holocene
- Avg temp diff btwn ice + interglacial period is 6 degrees so 1 degree warming is
significant
-Warming over past century is 16x faster than warm period after last ice age
Weather - ANSWER: Exact state of atmosphere at a particular location and time
Climate - ANSWER: Long-term patterns of weather or weather statistics; typically
measured in chunks of 30 years
Climate Change - ANSWER: long-term differences in statistics when weather is
measured over multi-decadal periods
Global Warming vs. Climate Change - ANSWER: Global warming: only refers to
increasing temperature
Climate Change: Changes in all aspects of climate (e.g. precipitation, sea level)
,Surface Warming - ANSWER: 1.2 deg C in last 150 years
Warming in Different Parts of Environment - ANSWER: Land warms more than ocean
Northern hemisphere has warmed more than the tropics (85% of world pop)
Heating Oceans - ANSWER: 93% of heat trapped by greenhouse gases goes into
heating oceans
- Heat content shows oceans gaining energy
Causes of Sea Level Rise - ANSWER: - Melting of Grounded Ice
- Thermal expansion
Energy Balance - ANSWER: amount of energy radiated by an object is determined by
the temp of the object
as object heats up, it radiates more energy
Energy Balance and Climate Change - ANSWER: Energy reaching the earth from the
sun must be equal to the energy earth radiates back into space
Greenhouse Gases - ANSWER: Parts of atmosphere that absorb radiant heat
Greenhouse Gases and Energy Balance - ANSWER: The less energy Earth radiates
into space, and the more energy absorbed by greenhouse gases, means that the
planet will be warmer on balance
Greenhouse Effect - ANSWER: Increase in greenhouse gases means a warmer planet
Greenhouse Gas Types - ANSWER: H2O - water vapor; traps the most heat
CO2 - next largest contributor at 0.0417% of atmosphere
Methane (CH4): 0.8 ppm pre-industrial revolution, now a 1.9 ppm in 2020
How we Know Humans Are Fueling Climate Change - ANSWER: The isotopic content
of carbon in the atmosphere is the same as fossil fuels we burn
44% of carbon is human released
of 56% of the remaining carbon, 50% is absorbed into the ocean, increasing
acidification; remaining 50% is absorbed in plant growth
Measuring air bubbles trapped in glacial ice and their CO2 content; increased by 50%
since industrial revolution
,PPM - ANSWER: parts per million
Methane - ANSWER: Far more powerful on per molecule basis than other
greenhouse gases; each kg of methane traps as much heat as 28 kg of co2
GWP - ANSWER: Gloal Warming Potential - heat-trapping power relative to CO2
Which GHGs have high GWP? - ANSWER: N2O, Methane, Halocarbons
Ozone (O3) - ANSWER: Absorbs UV radition, traps heat; humans emit the precursors
that lead to the formation of ozone, which leads to an increased trapping of heat
Aerosols - ANSWER: Particles so small that buoyant forces can be similar to gravity
and remain suspended in the atmosphere for weeks
Why aerosols matter - ANSWER: Aersols can be used to reflect heat back into space,
acting as a cooling mechanism; offsets GHG effects
Natural Processes that Affect Climate - ANSWER: Tectonic
Sun output
Orbital Variations: earth-sun distance
Unforced variability: complex internal physics of climate system
GHGs
Human-Caused Global Warming - ANSWER: Human activity has caused global surface
temp to rise etween 0.8 deg C to 1.3 deg C, with the best estimate being 1.07 deg C
or 100% of observed warming
Effects of Increased Global Temperatures - ANSWER: Fatal heat waves, reduced
productivity, reduction in agricultural yields
Effects of Increased Precipitation due to Increased Temperatures - ANSWER:
Increased rate of evaporation as a result of increased temperatures result in avg
rainfall of greater than 3% for every additional degree of warming
Leads to increased floods, occurrence of droughts, extremes of wet and dry seasons,
reduced availability of water during the summer
Sea Level Rise and Acidification - ANSWER: Decreasing pH results in species not being
able to maintain shells, meaning skeletons are exposed to predators and heat
Albedo Effect - ANSWER: Ability of a surface to reflect sunlight
, Previously ice-covered areas will absorb more radition, melting more ice, reducing
overall "albedo"
Water Vapor Feedback - ANSWER: amplify changes caused by things like increasing
CO2; warmer atmosphere can absorb more water vapor, and water vapor is itself a
GHG, leading to additional warming
Polar Amplification - ANSWER: Because of the albedo effect, the arctic is warming
faster than other places on earth
Climate Tipping Point - ANSWER: Add enough Greenhouse Gases that the climate
system undergoes large, rapid shift to an entirely new climate state
Examples of What Could Happen if we Reach the Climate Tipping Point - ANSWER:
Shutdown of Gulf Stream
Disintegration of Ice Sheets, raising sea levels
Thawing of permafrost - release large amounts of GHGs
Indian monsoon season shifts or erodes
Adaptation - ANSWER: Respond to negative effects of climate change (reactive)
Usually manifested in human-built infrastructure
Manifested in policy regulations, communications, etc
Mitigation - ANSWER: Avoid or minimize climate change (proactive)
Examples of Mitigation Strategies - ANSWER: Policies encouraging transition from
fossil fuels to green energy
Geoengineering - ANSWER: Active manipulation of climate system
Examples of Adaption - ANSWER: Human-built infrastructure, enhancement of
ecosystem functions; individual adaption to climate changes
Maladaptation - ANSWER: intended adaptation that increases climate vulnerability
Examples of maladaptation - ANSWER: sea walls and levees under a situation where
sea level rise is present
Can government promote adaptation? - ANSWER: Promote water conservation,
setting an appropriate price for flood insurance; distributing reliable information
about climate change
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS (VERIFIED
ANSWERS) |ALREADY GRADED A+
Proxies for Climate History (~70 million years) - ANSWER: Tree Rings
Corals
Speleotherms (stalactites + stalagnites)
Ice Cores
Ocean Sediment Cores
How to Find Proxies for Climate History - ANSWER: Long-lived geological, chemical or
biological systems that have climate imprinted on them
Earth's Climate Cycles - ANSWER: For the last 410,000 years, Earth has been cycling
through cold periods (ice ages) and warmer, interglacial periods; last ice age ended
about 10,000 years ago; we have been in an interglacial period since then
How Earth's Climate Has Changed - ANSWER: - Climate has been cooling, generally,
for the last 50 million years; prior to that, earth was so hot that there was no
permanent ice
- Earth cycles through periods of ice and warmer periods about every 100k years
-Holocene: last 11,000 years since end of last ice age
Recent Warming: Why It's Important - ANSWER: - Late 2010s was 1degree Celsius
warmer than ice age after Holocene
- Avg temp diff btwn ice + interglacial period is 6 degrees so 1 degree warming is
significant
-Warming over past century is 16x faster than warm period after last ice age
Weather - ANSWER: Exact state of atmosphere at a particular location and time
Climate - ANSWER: Long-term patterns of weather or weather statistics; typically
measured in chunks of 30 years
Climate Change - ANSWER: long-term differences in statistics when weather is
measured over multi-decadal periods
Global Warming vs. Climate Change - ANSWER: Global warming: only refers to
increasing temperature
Climate Change: Changes in all aspects of climate (e.g. precipitation, sea level)
,Surface Warming - ANSWER: 1.2 deg C in last 150 years
Warming in Different Parts of Environment - ANSWER: Land warms more than ocean
Northern hemisphere has warmed more than the tropics (85% of world pop)
Heating Oceans - ANSWER: 93% of heat trapped by greenhouse gases goes into
heating oceans
- Heat content shows oceans gaining energy
Causes of Sea Level Rise - ANSWER: - Melting of Grounded Ice
- Thermal expansion
Energy Balance - ANSWER: amount of energy radiated by an object is determined by
the temp of the object
as object heats up, it radiates more energy
Energy Balance and Climate Change - ANSWER: Energy reaching the earth from the
sun must be equal to the energy earth radiates back into space
Greenhouse Gases - ANSWER: Parts of atmosphere that absorb radiant heat
Greenhouse Gases and Energy Balance - ANSWER: The less energy Earth radiates
into space, and the more energy absorbed by greenhouse gases, means that the
planet will be warmer on balance
Greenhouse Effect - ANSWER: Increase in greenhouse gases means a warmer planet
Greenhouse Gas Types - ANSWER: H2O - water vapor; traps the most heat
CO2 - next largest contributor at 0.0417% of atmosphere
Methane (CH4): 0.8 ppm pre-industrial revolution, now a 1.9 ppm in 2020
How we Know Humans Are Fueling Climate Change - ANSWER: The isotopic content
of carbon in the atmosphere is the same as fossil fuels we burn
44% of carbon is human released
of 56% of the remaining carbon, 50% is absorbed into the ocean, increasing
acidification; remaining 50% is absorbed in plant growth
Measuring air bubbles trapped in glacial ice and their CO2 content; increased by 50%
since industrial revolution
,PPM - ANSWER: parts per million
Methane - ANSWER: Far more powerful on per molecule basis than other
greenhouse gases; each kg of methane traps as much heat as 28 kg of co2
GWP - ANSWER: Gloal Warming Potential - heat-trapping power relative to CO2
Which GHGs have high GWP? - ANSWER: N2O, Methane, Halocarbons
Ozone (O3) - ANSWER: Absorbs UV radition, traps heat; humans emit the precursors
that lead to the formation of ozone, which leads to an increased trapping of heat
Aerosols - ANSWER: Particles so small that buoyant forces can be similar to gravity
and remain suspended in the atmosphere for weeks
Why aerosols matter - ANSWER: Aersols can be used to reflect heat back into space,
acting as a cooling mechanism; offsets GHG effects
Natural Processes that Affect Climate - ANSWER: Tectonic
Sun output
Orbital Variations: earth-sun distance
Unforced variability: complex internal physics of climate system
GHGs
Human-Caused Global Warming - ANSWER: Human activity has caused global surface
temp to rise etween 0.8 deg C to 1.3 deg C, with the best estimate being 1.07 deg C
or 100% of observed warming
Effects of Increased Global Temperatures - ANSWER: Fatal heat waves, reduced
productivity, reduction in agricultural yields
Effects of Increased Precipitation due to Increased Temperatures - ANSWER:
Increased rate of evaporation as a result of increased temperatures result in avg
rainfall of greater than 3% for every additional degree of warming
Leads to increased floods, occurrence of droughts, extremes of wet and dry seasons,
reduced availability of water during the summer
Sea Level Rise and Acidification - ANSWER: Decreasing pH results in species not being
able to maintain shells, meaning skeletons are exposed to predators and heat
Albedo Effect - ANSWER: Ability of a surface to reflect sunlight
, Previously ice-covered areas will absorb more radition, melting more ice, reducing
overall "albedo"
Water Vapor Feedback - ANSWER: amplify changes caused by things like increasing
CO2; warmer atmosphere can absorb more water vapor, and water vapor is itself a
GHG, leading to additional warming
Polar Amplification - ANSWER: Because of the albedo effect, the arctic is warming
faster than other places on earth
Climate Tipping Point - ANSWER: Add enough Greenhouse Gases that the climate
system undergoes large, rapid shift to an entirely new climate state
Examples of What Could Happen if we Reach the Climate Tipping Point - ANSWER:
Shutdown of Gulf Stream
Disintegration of Ice Sheets, raising sea levels
Thawing of permafrost - release large amounts of GHGs
Indian monsoon season shifts or erodes
Adaptation - ANSWER: Respond to negative effects of climate change (reactive)
Usually manifested in human-built infrastructure
Manifested in policy regulations, communications, etc
Mitigation - ANSWER: Avoid or minimize climate change (proactive)
Examples of Mitigation Strategies - ANSWER: Policies encouraging transition from
fossil fuels to green energy
Geoengineering - ANSWER: Active manipulation of climate system
Examples of Adaption - ANSWER: Human-built infrastructure, enhancement of
ecosystem functions; individual adaption to climate changes
Maladaptation - ANSWER: intended adaptation that increases climate vulnerability
Examples of maladaptation - ANSWER: sea walls and levees under a situation where
sea level rise is present
Can government promote adaptation? - ANSWER: Promote water conservation,
setting an appropriate price for flood insurance; distributing reliable information
about climate change
