Systems What is a system? What do the arrows in this diagram represent? What do the boxes represent? Why is it useful to study and understand systems? evaporation River & Lake water rain Atmosphere Water vapor rain river flow sublimation snow evaporation Ocean water Greenland and Antarctic ice caps melting Use these diagrams to explain: Stability versus instability Resilience Resistance 1
Relationships & Feedbacks Relationships between parts of a system: What is a Positive Relationship? What is a Negative Relationship? What is a Positive Feedback Loop? What is a Negative Feedback Loop? What type of feedback loop(s) is needed for a system to be stable? Explain. Solar & Terrestrial (Radiation) What is the difference between Solar and Terrestrial Radiation? Why does the sun emit different radiation than the earth? What is blackbody radiation? 2
What is albedo? Explain what this diagram represents. What types of surfaces have high albedo? What types of surfaces have low albedo? How is sun angle related to albedo? What does an albedo of.7 mean? What is the average albedo of the earth? Radiation Balance Why is solar heating of earth s surface different at different latitudes (labeled incoming radiation in the diagram below)? At most latitudes the difference between incoming and outgoing radiation is NOT ZERO. WHY? 3
Greenhouse Gases What are the four most common greenhouse gases? What type of radiation do greenhouse gases absorb and emit? How do greenhouse gases warm the surface of the earth? 90 N 1 60 N 30 N Equator 2 3 4 Draw the atmospheric cells below to show where air rises, sinks, and flow horizontally at the earth s surface. What is the name of each cell? At each number below (1, 2, 3, 4): is there high or low pressure at the earth s surface? is air rising or sinking? is there divergence or convergence? WHY? what type of climate would you expect and WHY? 4
90 N 1 A 60 N 30 N Equator B 2 C D 3 4 At each LETTER below (A, B, C, D): which direction is the wind blowing? WHY? what is the name of the wind? what is the Intertropical Convergence Zone? And, where is it? what is the polar front? And, where is it? Fig. 13.2 Explain why the climate zones are where they are on this map. Focus on the moist tropical climates, dry climates, moist climate with severe winters, and tundra. 5
Ocean Layers Like the Atmosphere, the ocean can be divided up into layers. We divide the ocean into three main layers. Explain the fundamental differences between the layers. Is the ocean well-mixed, or well-stratified. Why? Ekman Transport What is Ekman Transport, and what causes it? What is the direction of flow of surface water relative to the direction of the winds? Spencer Fig. 9.11 6
The main ocean circulation features of the surface ocean is the circular flow depicited in this picture. What is this feature called? Is this a high or low pressure region?? What type of currents are these? Do they carry warm or cold water? What types of currents are these?? What type of currents are these? Do they carry warm or cold water? Is this a high or low pressure region? The Brazil Current flows from the equator to the south (right off of the east coast of Brazil and Argentina). Is the Brazil Current an eastern boundary current, or a western boundary current? Does it carry warm water or cold water? The Peru/Humbolt Current flow along the western coast of Chile and Peru. Is the Peru Current an eastern boundary current, or a western boundary current? Does it carry warm water or cold water? Kaufman Fig. 4.12 7
Explain the two types of upwelling. How do each of them work? Explain an example in the real world of where you find each type of upwelling. Given a hypothetical coast and winds (and knowing which hemisphere they are in), make sure you can predict whether or not there would be coastal upwelling. Spencer Fig. 9.12 These are maps of surface salinity and surface temperature. Explain why the salinity is higher in the Atlantic than in the Pacific. Explain where you would expect deep water to form and why. What is the North Atlantic Deep Water? How does it form? 8
Describe the Conveyor Belt circulation - first the path of the deep flow and then the path of the surface flow. What role does the Gulf Stream Current play in the Conveyor Belt Circulation? What role does North Atlantic Deep Water play of the Conveyor Belt Circulation? Where does deep water form in the Conveyor Belt circulation? Where does deep water upwell? Kaufmann Fig. 4.13 Autotrophs What are Autotrophs? What are Primary Producers? What controls their growth rate? What is their role in organic matter - inorganic matter recycling? What is their role in the Global Carbon Cycle? What process does the reaction below describe? Explain the following reaction: CO 2 + PO 4 + NO 3 + H 2 O ==> CH 2 O,P,N + O 2 9
Heterotrophs What are Heterotrophs? What is their role in organic matter - inorganic matter recycling? What is their role in the Global Carbon Cycle? What process does the reaction below describe? Explain the following reaction: CH 2 O,P,N + O 2 ==> CO 2 + PO 4 + NO 3 + H 2 O Box Model What does the BOX represent? What is meant by the term INVENTORY? What do the ARROWS represent? What is Steady-State? What is residence time and how is it calculated? Why is it useful to know residence time? 10
Use this figure to explain how it is that we know that the atmospheric reservoir of carbon is growing. Also explain how it is we know that some of the carbon emitted by human activity is going into the ocean and the terrestrial biosphere. Use this diagram to describe FOUR possible negative feedbacks that might dampen the effects of fossil fuel use on biogeochemical cycles. Also describe ONE possible positive feedback. 11
What are the two Mechanisms by which the ocean takes up carbon? 12