What does a geologic (deep-time) perspective of climate change offer that is unique

from study of climate change of the past few decades or centuries?

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Provides insight on human induced climate changes vs naturally induced

climate disruption
Gives us context on what we can expect in the future and how we can adapt
or mitigate such change
The past shows how life on Earth responds and recovers from such major
climate changes

How has the artic sea ice changed over the past few decades (increase, decrease,
no change). How is rainfall/snowpack in the Sierra Nevada expected to change with
continued warming?
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The ice caps are decreasing each decade by 3.5%

Winter sea ice is down by 25%
Greenland ice sheet and Antarctic ice sheet both have been decreasing the
past 2 decades

Is the level of CO2 in the atmosphere today similar, lower, or higher than the past
few (3) million years? What is the concentration of CO2 (ppmv) in the atmosphere
today?
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The level of CO2 is higher than the past 3 million years (has not reached this
level since 3.5 million years ago)
The CO2 concentration today is 400 ppmv

What is feedback? A negative vs positive feedback? How do negative and positive

feedback loops differ in terms of controlling how much change takes place?
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Feedback the result of 1 process triggers a change in a 2 nd process, which

influences the 1st process
Negative feedback a change in one component leads to a change in the
opposite direction
o A reducing system
Positive feedback a change in one component leads to a change in the
same direction
o An amplifying system

What is a threshold tipping point? And what do these have to do with climate?
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A threshold tipping point is the boundary between a new and old climate
state. Once passed, the climate state cannot return to its original conditions.

What is the difference between climate and weather?

Weather is the day-to-day state of an atmosphere that includes temperature,

wind, rain, etc
Climate is long term weather effects, often years or seasons

What are the main reservoirs/components of the Earth system? And which is most
sensitive?
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The atmosphere, hydrosphere (water, oceans), biosphere (living organisms),

and lithosphere (soil, rocks, sediment)
Atmosphere is most sensitive

What is albedo and the albedo effect?

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Albedo the % of sunlight that is reflected back out to space

Albedo effect glacial ice reflects back 60 to 90% sunlight that strikes it. The
atmosphere above then cools and promotes more ice to form
o A positive feedback loop

What is the seasonal effect on solar radiation at any given place on Earth? Where
on earth does the maximum of Suns heat energy reach in winter, summer? Why is
it not always the geographic equator? Whats the difference between geographic
and climate equator?
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Summer: northern hemisphere receives more solar energy than southern

o Sun is highest over tropic of cancer (23.5 N)
Winter: southern hemisphere receives most solar energy
o Sun is highest over the tropic of Capricorn (23.5 S)
Geographic equator is only hottest in spring and autumn equinox
Geographic equator is the physical location of the earth while climate equator
ranges from 23.5 N to 23.5 S

Does climate change typically occur gradually? Or in fits and starts (non-linear)?
And why?
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Climate change occurs gradually and in fits and starts.

Negative feedbacks regulate climate system and keep it in check
Positive feedbacks can amplify warming and can increase the speed at which
occur

What is electromagnetic radiation? What are the primary types of electromagnetic

radiation that enter the earths atmosphere vs what exits the earth?
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Electromagnetic radiation heat energy

Infrared and visible light enter the earths atmosphere
Infrared light exits the earth

Is there a natural greenhouse effect on earth? If so, is that a good or bad thing? By
how much does the natural greenhouse effect heat earths surface? (i.e., what
would the earths surface temperature would be if there was no greenhouse effect)

Yes there is from greenhouse gases. It is a good thing as it keeps the earth
warm
Greenhouse effect gives an additional 18 C to our average temperature.
Without it, the earths temperature would be -18 C

What makes a gas a greenhouse gas, and which one is the primary greenhouse
gas?
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Greenhouse gases are based on their ability to absorb infrared radiation

Water, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide

How do greenhouse gas molecules absorb heat energy. Why are only dipolar
molecules good greenhouse gases?
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Greenhouse gases absorb heat energy when their vibrational frequency is the
same as the frequency of the energy wave.
Dipolar molecules are good greenhouse gases because they carry a charge

Why are there latitudinal temperature gradients on earths surface? What

components of the climate system thermoregulate climate by redistributing this
imbalance in heat distribution over the earths surface?
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Imbalances in net radiation

Temperature and pressure differences in lower atmosphere force air masses
to move horizontally and vertically, creating atmospheric circulation
The hydrosphere (ocean) thermoregulate this imbalance via response to wind
patterns

In what part of the atmosphere does our climate occur? What is meant by
convective air circulation? And what provides the ceiling to these convective cells
in earths atmosphere?
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Troposphere and stratosphere

Convective air circulation temperature and pressure differences in
atmosphere create air movement
Tropopause

How does the atmosphere work to distribute heat (and water) over the earths
surface? This includes the concept of latent heat of evaporation and condensation.
Where is atmospheric circulation initiated and by what process? Where and why do
we have subtropical highs? How does atmospheric circulation relate to where
clouds are most common and deserts develop? Where does the jet stream fit in?
Why in northern California, do we care about the jet stream? How might the jet
stream respond to climate change?
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Overall, how do clouds control our surface temperature? More specifically, do high
vs low clouds warm or cool our surface temperature?
Coriolois phenomenon
Maritime less variable climate on ocean
Continentality climate variability is greater on land than on ocean
Oceanic circulation how do winds control surface ocean circulation? Why is the
ocean stratified and operate as 2 independent layers? Which layer is larger?
How are gyres set up and how do they relate to atmospheric subtropical highs?
What 3 processes keep gyres circulating? Why are these referred to as the horse
latitudes? What do they have to do with marine deserts?
What is the thermohaline (oceanic) conveyor belt? What process(es) drives this
circulation system? What is the role of this oceanic conveyor belt in transporting
heat from the lower latitudes to the higher latitudes. How might continued warming
impact the behavior of the oceanic conveyor belt?
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The lower limb of the ocean conveyor belt as high density water sinks to the
bottom
Location of deep water formation (northern Atlantic ocean and Antarctica)
Density of water (salinity and temperature)
Redistribute heat globally; the same amount of heat energy as does
atmospheric circulation

What are the smallest and largest carbon reservoirs on Earth? Which is the
environmental dipstick that indicates when the earths carbon cycle is imbalanced?
What evidence do we have of this? What are the largest carbon reservoirs?
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Smallest atmosphere
Largest carbonate rocks
The atmosphere is earths dipstick since it is the most sensitive

What are the main processes that have controlled atmospheric CO2 and O2 levels
through Earths history? What are 2 natural C sinks on Earth for storing
(sequestering) atmospheric CO2?
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Carbon sweeping via ocean

Photosynthesis and silicate weathering

What is meant by the term the oceanic sweeper? What is the oceans natural alkaseltzer? And is it widely available? What is the chemical equation that summarizes
how the ocean sweeps out CO2 in the atmosphere to store it in the ocean? How
does this all relate to ocean acidification?
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CO-23

Sweeping means to remove CO2 from the atmosphere

Only a limited supply
CO2 (aq) + CO3 2- + H2O <-> 2HCO3

How do biological processes cycle carbon through the atmosphere and ocean/land?
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Photosynthesis takes up CO2 and produces O2.

o Increase in CO2 in atmosphere means plants will photosynthesize more
Organic matter respiration -

What role do rocks play in long-term removal of CO2 out of the atmosphere? And
how is this tied to a large-scale climate feedback that has regulated climate for over
3 billion years?
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Silicate weathering uses CO2 to create minerals

These minerals are used to create shells
CO2 is removed from atmosphere and locked up in as limestone for millions
of years
Very slow process but very powerful and effective

What is carbon capture and sequestration? And how is it based on the natural rock
cycle? What is its relevance to our future?
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Carbon capture the process of storing carbon in various reservoirs

o Silicate weathering
o Photosynthesis
o Ocean sweeping
Carbon sequestration reducing carbon levels in the earth
Natural rock cycle uses silicate weathering to sequester carbon from the
atmosphere and store it as limestone

What were the freeze-fry climate cycles of the Neoproterozoic approx. a half
billion years ago? What processes that sequester CO2 from the atmosphere
repeatedly brought atmospheric CO2 levels back to normal levels? What major
event in the history of the Earth occurred at this time likely driven by one of
these major climate cycles?
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CO2 levels were very high so silicate weathering and carbonate formation
occurred
Organic matter also was buried with CO2
Made earth freeze over quickly
Other half of silicate weathering volcanoes erupting with large levels of CO2
Mesozoic era