Meteorology 211 - Assignment 2

Meteorology 211

Spring Quarter 2011 

Homework Assignment #2

***Due Date: Friday, April 29***

Answer the following questions based on the assigned reading and classroom discussions.  Answers must be typed. Please use complete sentences.

1)  a. Define what is meant by the Earth’s climate system.

Climate System:

• Atmosphere (air)
• Hydrosphere (water)
• Lithosphere (rock and soil)
• Cryosphere (sea ice, glaciers, terrestrial ice sheets)
• Biosphere (living things)

     b. Can you think of another example of a “system” that has interrelated

         components analogous to those of the climate system? (describe it) 

Another example of a "system" that has interrelated components analogous to those of the climate system are similar to those of our body.

2) a. In what form does the energy from the Sun reach the Earth?

The sun emits radiation over a range, or spectrum, of energies, represented in part by the rainbow of colors that make up sunlight. Radiation exists in the form of waves, and radiation wavelength is the inverse of energy: the higher the energy the lower the wavelengths. Therefore, we can think of spectra in terms of energy or wavelength.

    b. What is the definition of the solar constant, and is its numerical value?

The temperature of the Sun's surface - about 6000degrees Celsius(10,800degrees F)- determines both the spectral character and the amount of energy received by the earth. The amount, known as the solar constant, is 1,367 watts per square meter. Averaged over the entire surface of the upper atmosphere, this amount is equivalent to 342 watts per square meter.(A watt is a unit of power equal to 1 joule of energy per second, so radiation intensity is the rate of energy flow per square meter.) Pg.76 Mathez

3)  Define radiative forcing, and explain what the difference is between a positive radiative forcing and a negative radiative forcing.

Radiative forcing is the change, relative to the year 1750, in incoming energy minus outgoing energy in response to a factor that changes energy balance. (the year 1750 is commonly taken as the pre-industrial revolution benchmark for investigating changes in the climate system since then.)

Positive forcing tends to warm the surface while negative forcing tends to cool it.

4) Explain how the atmospheric “greenhouse effect” doesn’t really work like a real greenhouse where we grow plants.

The greenhouse effect IS NOT reflection. The atmosphere absorbs and re-radiates heat it doesn’t trap it like a greenhouse.

5) Explain why it is that volcanic eruptions can produce a natural negative radiative forcing in the atmosphere that can last many months.

Volcanoes influence climate when especially large, explosive eruptions inject sulfur dioxide (SO2) into the stratosphere. Within weeks, the sulfur dioxide reacts with water vapor to form an aerosol composed of particles of sulfuric acid. this stratospheric aerosol circles the globe in two or three weeks. It absorbs solar radiation from above and IR radiation from below , thereby warming the stratosphere but cooling the underlying atmosphere as well as Earth's surface. The aerosol also destroys stratospheric ozone and may influence weather patterns. Because stratospheric aerosol takes two or so years to settle out, the impact on climate lasts well beyond the proximate time of the eruption.

6)  Describe the difference between a positive feedback and a negative feedback in systems in general.

negative feedback like a furnace works when the temperature drops down to a certain temp, at that point the  furnace kick on and begins to heat.

positive feedback like the earth heats up, which causes the surface to get darker and that causes the Earth to heat up more.

7) a. Chapter 4 describes several carbon reservoirs. Which of these stores the

        greatest amount of carbon on Earth?

The "rock" reservoir stores the greatest amount of carbon on Earth, it amounts to some 50 Million gigatons.

    b. Which “surface” reservoir stores the greatest amount of carbon?

The largest by far of the surface reservoirs is the ocean, which holds 39,000 gigatons.

8) What do we mean by anthropogenic carbon emissions, and what are the main activities or processes that produce them? 

Emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases as a consequence of human activity-burning fossil fuel, cement production, and other activities, together are commonly referred to as anthropogenic emissions.

9) a. What is causing ocean acidification? [Note: A general answer is okay – you

         don’t need to give me chemical equations, etc.]

Because the atmosphere and the ocean are in chemical equilibrium, as the CO2 content of the atmosphere increases, so does that of the ocean. The CO2 taken up by the ocean goes through a series of reactions that reduce the pH of the water.

     b. Give one example of how ocean acidification could adversely affect ocean

         ecosystems.

Although the pH change may seem small, the acidification is likely to have a profound influence on ocean biogeochemistry, particularly on calcifying organisms. As pH decreases the amount of carbonate is seawater decreases which has the effect of decreasing the stability of calcite and aragonite, the carbonate minerals that constitute the skeletons and shells of calcifying organisms.