Posts Tagged ‘atmosphere’

by Oxfam International

Question: According to one argument, if the atmosphere warmed, the Gulf Stream would be altered and global climate wo?
According to one argument, if the atmosphere warmed, the Gulf Stream would be altered and global climate would cool. Which of the following mechanisms is used to support this argument? The surface of the ocean would become warmer and

a. denser; it would sink, increasing the vertical current, causing the Gulf Stream to speed up.
b. more buoyant; it would stop sinking and shut off the vertical current, causing the Gulf Stream to speed up.
c. more buoyant; it would stop sinking and shut off the vertical current, deflecting the Gulf Stream.
d. denser; it would sink, increasing the vertical current, deflecting the Gulf Stream.

Answer:

Answer by Trevor
The most likely answer is C although it’s an unsatisfactory answer. However, if this is a homework question then you need to provide an answer based only on what you have been taught and not on the fuller picture.

If the surface of the oceans were to warm they would expand and in doing so they would become less dense. Therefore answers A and D can be eliminated. If a medium becomes less dense it has less mass per unit area and weighs less, the warmer water would therefore be more buoyant upon the colder water beneath.

On the assumption that the less dense water were to stop sinking, the vertical current would shut down and this would disrupt the Gulf Stream, probably stopping it altogether. It certainly wouldn’t speed up the system so B can be eliminated, leaving only C as an available option. However, this isn’t a particularly good answer because if the warm water did stop sinking then the Gulf Stream would stop, not be deflected.

The reality is that the Gulf Stream may or may not be affected by global warming.

One consequences of a warmer climate is an increase in the amount of meltwater from the ice caps entering the seas and oceans. This cold, fresh water cools the oceans and reduces the salinity. The cooling of the oceans increases their density (below 4°C it increases density – one of the strange properties of water). However, the dilution of salinity is a counterbalance in that this decreases density.

Another consequence of global warming is thermal expansion of the oceans, particularly in the surface and near-surface layers. This decreases the density and is largely caused by a greater transfer of heat from the atmosphere to the ocean and the absorption by the oceans of heat from the Sun.

The Gulf Stream is one part of a global system of connected ocean currents collectively known as the Thermohaline Circulation (THC). The primary drivers of THC are density, salinity and temperature, as these characteristics change there is a possibility that they could have an effect on THC. However, some of the effect are negative forces and others are positive forces, depending how great the sum of the forces is there may be a state of equilibrium in which nothing happens.

If the Gulf Stream were to be affected it could do one of several things – divert, split, truncate, overturn, decelerate, accelerate or stop altogether. This is an area in which a great deal more research is needed before we can make accurate predictions. For now anything you hear is nothing more than supposition.

by Campus Progress

Question: How does the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere affect climate?
a. As carbon dioxide concentrations increase, temperatures decrease
b. As carbon dioxide concentrations increase, temperatures increase
c. Carbon dioxide concentrations have no effect on climate
d. As carbon dioxide concentrations increase, temperatures become more random

Answer:

Answer by Pennsylvania
b. As carbon dioxide concentrations increase, temperatures increase

by dothegreenthing

Question: What chemical compounds or other material goes into the atmosphere potentially leading to a cooling of climate?
What chemical compounds or other material goes into the atmosphere potentially leading to a cooling of climate?

a. Sulfate aerosols and volcanic ash
b. CO2
c. H2O vapor
d. Methane
e. Ammonia
f. Pumice
g. Nitrous oxide
h. None of the above

Answer:

Answer by Punk Rock and Minerals
a. Sulfate aerosols and volcanic ash

by dothegreenthing

Question: How does the atmosphere affect the earth’s temperature and climate?
How does the atmosphere affect the earth’s temperature and climate?

Answer:

Answer by Michel Verheughe
The atmosphere is a composition of nitrogen, oxygen and traces of carbon dioxide, methane, ozone and other rare gases. As the sun heats the surface of the earth and the sea, in turns, it warms up a thin layer of air right above it. Warmer air is lighter and it rises only to cool down with altitude by the adiabatic effect of a lesser pressure aloft.

As it does, it decreases the pressure and causes a displacement of the air from high to lower pressure. That further mixes the atmosphere, transporting moisture and temperature.

Meteorology is about the thermodynamic effects of air masses with different temperature, moisture and temperature. Ultimately, the continuous effect of the weather forms what we know as the climate; the average type of weather a reason has. It is the atmosphere that is the regulator of our climate as a fluid can transport heat and moisture.

by manos_simonides

Question: How does the atmosphere affect the earth’s temperature and climate?
How does the atmosphere affect the earth’s temperature and climate?

Answer:

Answer by MKultra
The atmosphere is the result of the earth’s temperature and partly it’s climate – they are all closely related.

by chinadialogue.net

Question: What chemical compounds or other material goes into the atmosphere and how do these materials affect climate?
This question is concerning volcanoes and the effect their eruptions have on the climate.

Answer:

Answer by MIKE YANTREE
Much more than man does. The climate might be affected by volcanoes but will never be affected by man. The politics behind this is more important than the science behind it. Look for the agendas.

by \!/_PeacePlusOne

Question: What role do convection currents in the ocean and atmosphere have in a regulating climate?
What role do convection currents in the ocean and atmosphere have in a regulating climate?

a. They prevent deep-water currents.
b. They restrict energy to local use.
c. They ensure a balance of precipitation.
d. They set up atmospheric circulation.

Answer:

Answer by Curiosity
D
*

Isn’t there a ‘scrubber’ attachment or some way to chemically or physically clean the emissions before they are let into our atmosphere?

I say that its all about money, since filtering, desalination, chlorination, and transportation of seawater is possible. The only way water can be destroyed is through electrolysis or other chemical process
Even if water evaporates, it will not leave the atmosphere.

Fine. Go ahead and don’t believe in Global Warming, archeology, or biology. But there are other more immediate reasons to cut pollution: holes in the ozone causing cancer, smog conditions leading to increased rates of asthma and allergies, rivers with inedible fish, and the destruction of the habitats of animals that YOU enjoy hunting.

Heck, you could even be against pollution for efficiency reasons. Anytime a company dumps something in the trash or pumps it into our atmosphere it is wasted energy, just like radiant heat or vibration is wasted energy.