EAES 101: Global Environmental Change Spring 2018 Possible Short Answer Question
ID: 294624 • Letter: E
Question
EAES 101: Global Environmental Change Spring 2018 Possible Short Answer Question 3: (20 points total) Think about what drives the climate system A) Identify the three 'knobs' for the climate system - i.e. what are the three aspects of the climate system that when their values change will cause the long-term climate change. For each knob, provide a physical/chemical component or interaction within the Earth System (or Solar System) that can 'turn the knob' (i.e., change its value). (6 points) B) Identify which of the three knobs from A) could be altered by anthropogenic factors. For each, provide an example for how human activities can alter the value of this knob. If any of the three knobs from A) cannot be altered by humans, briefly discuss why. (4 points)Explanation / Answer
A) Three knobs of climate system are Mean global temperature, concentration of green house gases like carbondioxide and aerosol concentration in the atmosphere. If these factors change long term climate change takes place. mean global temperature is due to internal and external sources. solar radiation incoming to outgoing ratio is high, so temperature is increased. Due to industrial pollution carbondioxide may increase. aerosols are increased due to the human impacts on the earth and some natural aspects which produces aerosols.
B) Carbondioxide concentration is much impacted by humans. The pollution from industrial revolution and emissions of vehicles increased carbondioxide valuse upto so high. mean global temperature is not much affected by humans. it is mainly due to solar heat budget and internal heat increase by volcanoes etc.
C) Neoproterozoic snowball Earth: long term low latitude glaciation causing climate change event featured by frozen ocean. This is due to runaway albedo feedback and collapse of biological productivity. This biological productivity collapse is for an interval of time exceeding carbon residence times. so cap carbonate rocks are formed. continental ice cover was thin and patchy.
Little ice age: It is a short term climate changing event from 1330 AD to 1850 AD roughly. Average winter temperatures during this period was very low about 2 degress celsius. this ice age is due to sunspot where sun is inactive and possibly cooler. Iceland got affected much during this period because of crop decline and hunger.
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