Chapter Questions
What are the important characteristics of the troposphere? Of the stratosphere?
What are the main components of our weather, and how is weather related to climate?
How has global mean temperature changed since the mid-1800s?
How does the modern global climate compare with that of 400,000 and 800,000 years ago? How do we know?
What is the Meridional Overturning Circulation? How does it work? What are the impacts of the El Niño/La Niña Southern Oscillation (ENSO)?
What is radiative forcing? Describe some warming and cooling forcing agents.
What evidence of a warming Earth do global land and ocean temperatures provide?
Which of the greenhouse gases are the most significant contributors to global warming? How do they work?
Describe the data for atmospheric $\mathrm{CO}_2$. What are significant sources and sinks for atmospheric $\mathrm{CO}_2$ ? Why is $\mathrm{CO}_2$ called "the atmosphere's control knob"?
How are computer models employed in climate change research? Describe several scenarios for 21 st-century climate change.
What are the major IPCC projections for climate changes in the 21 st century?
What does the IPCC 5 th Assessment report say about sea level rise by 2100 ?
What is a representative concentration pathway? How does the +2.6 compare to the +8.5 ?
What are four effects of climate change that we are already seeing in the United States?
Give three ethical principles that can be brought to bear on "the perfect moral storm."
What are three mitigation steps that could be taken to stabilize the greenhouse gas content of the atmosphere?
What are three adaptation steps that could be taken to adjust to inevitable changes in climate?
What is geoengineering? Give two examples.
What is the Kyoto Protocol? What happened in Copenhagen? In Bali? What is the climate emissions gap?
What national efforts is the United States making to address climate change?