2nd HOURLY EXAMINATION

The second hourly exam will be on Thursday, March 7, 1996 during class time (11:45 AM, Room 103 FAB). Reading assignments for this period included Chapters 8, 9, 12, 13, 14 and 18 and Appendix E from the Blue Planet textbook, and the IPCC executive summary found on this homepage. The examination will emphasize lecture material but you are also responsible for readings (both electronic and printed text) related to the subject matter presented in lecture.

List of things you should study for 2nd hourly exam:

Changes in Atmospheric composition since Industrial Revolution

  1. What are CFCs and what are they used for?
  2. Know how ozone is produced and destroyed in Earths atmonsphere
  3. What two global change problems do CFCs contribute to?
  4. Review sources and sinks of nitrous oxide, CFCs, NOx, and SO2
  5. Review IPCC executive summary on greenhouse warming and the lecture material
  6. Understand the current (1995) projections for global warming and review the information that has caused the IPCC to scale back its estimates of global warming
  7. Review the major greenhouse gases and their relative radiative forcing values
  8. Review the threats to human health caused by global warming
  9. Know what gases are responsible for acid rain
  10. Know the reactions for formation of acid rain in the atmosphere.
  11. What is the normal pH of rain water? Why is it naturally acidic?
  12. hat are some of the environmental consequences of acid rain? (Movie on acid rain and lab exercise)

Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation

  1. Understand general circulation of the atmosphere.
  2. For example, high and low pressure systems, major wind belts (Trades, Westerlies, Polar Easterlies), patterns of precipitation, etc.
  3. Positions and direction of Hadley, Ferrel, Polar cells.
  4. What is the coriolus force? How does it effect wind direction and circulation around high and low pressure cells in both hemispheres.
  5. Understand general surface-water circulation of the oceans.
  6. What is the relationship between wind stress, surface current, and transport
  7. Understand basic gyral circulation in each ocean basin
  8. What wind patterns drive this gyral circulation?
  9. Be familiar with North Atlantic current system (names)
  10. Characteristics of eastern versus western boundary currents
  11. Characteristics of Florida Current and Gulf Stream

Climatology and Paleoclimatology

  1. What is the difference between climate and weather?
  2. What are the components of the Earths climate system?
  3. What is the basis for Koppen climate classification system?
  4. Know major groups (ABCDE) and subdivisions discussed in class (see Appendix E in Blue Planet).
  5. How did the Earths climate system differ during the last glaciation compared to today (temp., atmospheric composition, wind speed, dustiness, etc.)?