Earth Gauge » Climate Trivia

Climate Trivia: Ocean Acidification

kraus — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:32:18 +0000

The oceans are currently absorbing about 22 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) each day and have absorbed an estimated 525 billion tons of CO2 over the last 200 years.

Trivia Question: As the oceans absorb more carbon dioxide, they become…

a. more basic (higher pH).
b. more acidic (lower pH).
c. richer in nutrients.
d. warmer.

The correct answer is b. As oceans take CO2 out of the atmosphere, the waters become more acidic. More acidic waters mean there are less carbonate molecules available to organisms that use calcium carbonate to build their bodies, such as coral, oysters and many of the tiny plankton that are at the base of the food chain. One indicator of how this acidification has affected ocean life is the thickness of foraminiferan shells, which are a type of plankton. Samples from the Southern Ocean around Antarctica indicate that foramineferan shells, which are harder to make when there are fewer carbonate molecules, are now one-third thinner than they were in pre-industrial times.

Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Sources: Hoegh-Guldberg et al. “Coral Reefs Under Rapid Climate Change and Ocean Acidification.” Science 318 (2007): 1737 and “Oceans Becoming More Acidic, Potentially Threatening Marine Life.” Science Daily 23 February 2009. Accessed Online 25 February 2009 and Moy, AD et al. “Reduced calcification in modern Southern Ocean planktonic foraminifera.” Nature Geoscience 2 (2009): doi:10.1038/ngeo460.

Climate Trivia: Marmots and Warming

kraus — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:27:12 +0000

Plants and animals that live high up in the mountains have to be able to tolerate strong winds and long durations of snow cover. Most animals, such as the yellow-bellied marmot, deal with long and cold winters by hibernating. Over the last century, the Rocky Mountain region in Colorado has warmed by between 1.5 and two degrees Fahrenheit, with most of this warming happening over the last 30 years. This warming has stimulated a decrease in the amount of time marmots spend hibernating – these animals waking up around 38 days earlier than they did in the early 1980s.

Trivia Question: How have marmots responded to this temperature rise and decrease in hibernation period?

a. They have become larger.
b. They have become smaller.
c. Their population has declined.
d. Their population has grown.
e. a and d.

The correct answer is e. Marmots now have more time to be active, eat and reproduce. As a result, today there are more marmots in the Colorado Rockies and they are bigger than they were several decades ago. Most of the population and size trends have occurred since 2000. There are now three times more marmots living in Colorado’s Upper East River Valley and juvenile marmots are now growing at a rate of 0.7 pounds per year faster than in 2000.

Please visit http://www.earthgauge.net/climate-facts-image-library#7 to download an image of a yellow-bellied marmot in Rocky Mountain National Park. The image is in the public domain.

Seasons: Spring, Summer

Sources: Martens, Chad. “Are Alpine Species DisappearingThe Effects of Climate Change on Alpine Vertebrates in the Rocky Mountains.” Mountain Research Station, University of Colorado, Boulder. Spring 2005 and Ozgul, A et al. “Coupled dynamics of body mass and population growth in response to environmental change.” Nature 466 (2010): 482-483.

Climate Trivia: Atlantic Hurricane Frequence and ENSO

kraus — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:42:52 +0000

Warm ocean surface temperatures in the North Atlantic provide the warm and moist air that fuels hurricanes, which develop out of random disturbances in the tropics that provide the spark for these storms. Warmer waters in the North Atlantic generally mean more fuel for the storms. But did you know that surface temperature conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean also influence the Atlantic Hurricane season? The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the periodic shifting of sea surface temperature distributions in the tropical Pacific. During El Niño phases, water temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific off the coast of South America are warmer than normal. During La Niña phases, water temperatures there are cooler than normal. During ENSO neutral phases, the temperatures are somewhat in between.

Trivia Question: All other things being equal, during what phase of ENSO does the Atlantic Hurricane season tend to be most active?

a. El Niño
b. La Niña
c. Neutral

The correct answer is b. The amount of vertical wind shear over the ocean can make or break a hurricane season. Vertical wind shear is the change in the speed and direction of wind at different levels of the atmosphere. More vertical wind shear, or lots of variation in wind speed across different altitudes, suppresses hurricane activity. Less vertical wind shear, or more even wind patterns across different altitudes, promote hurricane development. La Niña phases work to reduce the amount of vertical wind shear over the North Atlantic, and thus La Niña years tend to be years with more active Atlantic hurricane seasons. La Niña conditions are now present in the tropical Pacific.

Seasons: Summer, Fall

Sources: Briggs, WM. “On the Changes in the Number and Intensity of North Atlantic Tropical Cyclones.” Journal of Climate 21 (2008): 1387-1402. Donnely, JP and Woodruff, JD. “Intense hurricane activity over the past 5,000 years controlled by El Niño and the West African monsoon.” Nature 447 (2007): 465-468.

Climate Trivia: Cloud Condensation Nuclei

kraus — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:40:09 +0000

The term cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) is a fancy way of describing the tiny particles that even smaller water vapor droplets cling to as raindrops form. Once enough water vapor droplets gather on the nuclei, raindrops fall. This is a critical part of Earth’s water cycle, which moves water from the oceans to the land, making freshwater and life on land possible. Without the nuclei, water vapor would not collect and fall as raindrops.

Trivia Question: Which of the following is a common source of cloud condensation nuclei?

a. Dust storms
b. Ocean salt spray
c. Volcanoes
d. Ocean algae
e. All of the above

The correct answer is e. Dust from dust storms, salt from the ocean, sulfate from volcanic activity, and a substance emitted in large quantities by ocean algae blooms called dimethylsulfide are all crucial sources of cloud condensation nuclei. Any changes in the concentrations of these different nuclei can affect the weather by affecting when and how clouds form and rain falls.

Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Source: Vakkubam SM et al. “Weak response of oceanic dimethylsulfide to upper mixing shoaling induced by global warming.” PNAS 104 (2007): 16004-16009.

Climate Trivia: Sea Level and Ice Melt

kraus — Mon, 24 May 2010 13:49:46 +0000

By most estimates, Earth’s sea level rose by 3.5 mm per year between 1993 and 2006. About one-seventh of this sea level rise can be attributed to ice melt on one island – two to three days worth of the summertime melt water from the island could supply the New York Metropolitan area’s water needs for a year!

Trivia Question: Which island is this?

a. Baffin Island
b. Hokkaido (Japan’s northernmost Island)
c. Hawaii’s Big Island
d. Greenland

The correct answer is d. Greenland’s ice sheet, the world’s second largest ice sheet behind the Antarctic ice sheet, has been losing more ice during the summer melt season than it gains during the cold season. For the past few decades, Greenland has been losing about 57 cubic miles of ice each year. For further comparison, this ice melt is about 14 times the annual flow of the Colorado River.

Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall

Sources: Steffen, K. “Cryospheric Contributions to Sea-Level Rise and Variability.” United States Senate, Washington, DC. 3 May 2007. Accessed Online 21 May 2010

Climate Trivia: Substance in the Stratosphere

kraus — Mon, 24 May 2010 13:41:37 +0000

The 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo injected into the atmosphere about 20 million tons of a certain substance, which blocked the incoming sunlight causing a global cooling of one degree Fahrenheit over 18 months.

Trivia Question: What was this substance?

a. Carbon dioxide (CO2)
b. Carbon monoxide (CO)
c. Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
d. Ash

The correct answer is c. The June 15th eruption of Mt. Pinatubo on the island of Luzon in the Philippines injected about 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, the second lowest layer of the atmosphere between six and 31 miles in altitude. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists sulfur dioxide as a criteria air pollutant. When it is present in the lower parts of the atmosphere, it makes rain more acidic and can lead to damaged plants, buildings and degraded water quality. After the Pinatubo eruption, plumes of sulfur dioxide circled the Earth in about three weeks and by the end of the year had made it to the poles, forming a “sulfur dioxide envelope” around the Earth. The sulfur dioxide particles in the stratosphere absorbed sunlight, warming that layer of the atmosphere by seven degrees Fahrenheit, but they also prevented the usual amount of sunlight from reaching the Earth’s surface, which caused a surface cooling of one degree Fahrenheit.

Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Sources: Gu, Lianhong et al. “Response of a Deciduous Forest to the Mount Pinatubo Eruption: Enhanced Photosynthesis.” Science 299 (2003): 2035-2038 and Wolfe, Jason. “Volcanoes and Climate Change.” NASA Earth Observatory 5 September 2000. 16 July 2008

Climate Trivia: Transition Zone Transition?

kraus — Mon, 24 May 2010 13:39:51 +0000

The area around Vermont’s Green Mountains is a “transition zone” between the boreal forests in Canada, which are dominated by conifer species that are better adapted to the extreme winter cold, and the broadleaf forests that are familiar to residents of the eastern U.S. Higher elevation areas of the Green Mountains are significantly colder and windier than the lower zones. Higher elevation areas have traditionally been dominated by conifer species that form communities resembling the boreal forests. Pine trees dominate at higher elevations while oaks and maples dominate at lower elevations.

Trivia Question: As temperatures have warmed over the past 40 years, the area of the Green
Mountains dominated by pines has…

a. shrunk
b. expanded
c. remained about the same

The correct answer is a. A two degree Fahrenheit warming and a 40 percent increase in precipitation in the region over the past 40 years has corresponded to shrinking of the area dominated by conifer trees and range expansion of the less cold hardy broadleaf trees. The area of the mountains dominated by broadleaf forests increased by 19 percent.

Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Source: Beckage, B. et al. “A rapid upward shift of a forest ecotone during 40 years of warming in the Green Mountains of Vermont.” PNAS 105 (2008): 4197-4202.

Climate Trivia: Arctic and Antarctica

kraus — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:48:27 +0000

Over the past century, the Arctic was cooler than normal from 1900-1915, warmer than normal during the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, cooler than normal during the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and has been warmer than normal from the early 1980’s to today.

Trivia Question: During warm periods in the Arctic, is the Antarctic generally…

a)   Also warmer than normal
b)   In an opposite cool phase
c)   Antarctic temperatures were steady over the 20th century
d)   No positive or negative relationship between Arctic and Antarctic temperatures exist

The correct answer is b. Periods when the Arctic is warmer than normal tend to be periods when Antarctica is cooler than normal and vice-versa. This “bipolar seesaw” phenomenon has been linked to well-documented shifts in ocean circulation, specifically the 65-70 year Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. Strong winds around Antarctica bring salty waters from the ocean depths to the surface. These waters are heated by the sun and Atlantic surface currents take the warm and salty waters North. When this process is at its most efficient, more warm water is transported to the far north, warming the Arctic and cooling the Antarctic. When the process is not efficient, more warm water stays around Antarctica, warming that continent instead of the Arctic. This general pattern has been observed in long-term (millennial) paleo-ice core records. The last 30 years have been different, however, with a dramatically warmer Arctic without a corresponding cooling of the Antarctic.

Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Source: Chylek, P et al. “Twentieth century bipolar seesaw of the Arctic and Antarctic surface air temperatures.” Geophysical Research Letters 37 (2010): L08703.

Climate Trivia: Ocean Salinity

kraus — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:44:45 +0000

Melting ice and intensification of Earth’s water cycle appear to be impacting how salty ocean waters are. How salty the water is affects sea levels as well as Earth’s thermohaline circulation – the ocean currents driven by differences in temperature and salinity. Both changes in sea levels and the thermohaline circulation can have consequences for Earth’s climate.

Trivia Question: Which of the following best characterizes recent trends in ocean surface salinity?

a) Fresher tropics, saltier high-latitudes
b) Fresher Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and a saltier Pacific
c) A fresher Pacific, a saltier Atlantic, and no change in the Indian Ocean
d) Ocean waters are freshening near the poles and getting saltier near the equator

The correct answer is d. Increased input of fresh water into the higher latitude parts of the oceans as glaciers melt and precipitation increases is being largely counteracted by increased evaporation (and thus saltier waters) in the tropics and especially the subtropics. The areas immediately around the Equator are also freshening. The Atlantic Ocean is experiencing a freshening of the waters between 45 and 70 degrees North, as well as in waters near Antarctica. Most of the Indian Ocean, which lies largely in the tropics, is becoming saltier. The Pacific also follows the general rule, with an especially strong freshening around the Equator, and the tropical and subtropical waters are becoming more saline. The far South Pacific and the Indian Ocean around Antarctica are also freshening.

Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Source: Boyer, TP et al. “Linear Trends in Salinity for the World Ocean, 1955-1998.” Geophysical Research Letters 32 (2005): L01604 and Durack, P and Wijffels, S. “Fifty-year Trends in Global Ocean Salinities and Their Relationship to Broad-Scale Warming.” Journal of Climate Preprint (2010): Accessed Online:

Climate Trivia: Dry Episodes in the Southwest

kraus — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:41:54 +0000

In the Southwest U.S., prolonged dry episodes are defined as periods of two months or longer when daily precipitation falls below one millimeter.

Trivia Question: Have such prolonged dry episodes become more or less common over the past 60 years?

a)   More common
b)   Less common
c)   No change

The correct answer is b. Despite drought conditions in the late 1990’s and early 21st century, there appears to be an overall trend of fewer prolonged dry events in the Southwest since the 1950’s. This is especially true for the cold season (October through March), due to the more El Niño events in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean over the study period. El Niño events work to steer the Northern Hemisphere storm track right over the desert Southwest. Also, since the mid-1970’s, the North Pacific Ocean has been in a “warm” phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Warm phases help to enhance the effects of El Niño events on Southwest rainfall. An overall warming, however, and thus an increase in soil evaporation, may be counteracting the effect this increase in precipitation has on streamflow levels.

Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Source: McCabe, GJ et al. “Variability and trends in dry day frequency and dry event length in the southwestern United States.” Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 115 (2010): D07108.

Climate Trivia: It’s All Connected

kraus — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:39:40 +0000

Teleconnections occur when an event in one part of the world impacts another part of the world. One frequent source of teleconnections is the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). ENSO is the periodic shift in wind patterns and sea-surface temperatures over the tropical Pacific Ocean. ENSO’s teleconnections include control over the number of winter storms impacting the California Coast, the intensity of the South Asian (Indian) Monsoon, and even the wintertime Nor’easters along the Eastern U.S. Seaboard.

Trivia Question: Which is another well-documented climate teleconnection?

a. Flooding in India resulting in sea-level rise around Manhattan
b. Mudslides in California causing snow in Maryland
c. Warm North Atlantic sea-surface temperatures leading to more wildfires in the western U.S.
d. Thunderstorms in Omaha leading to drought in Kazakhstan

The correct answer is c. While there may be some spurious correlation between some of the other events listed, analysis of over 500 years of proxy data from the West illustrates that wildfires there are more frequent when sea-surface temperatures in the North Atlantic are warm. Temperatures in the North Atlantic fluctuate between warm and cool conditions on a period of about 65 years, a phenomenon known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation.

Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Source: Maue, Ryan N. “Northern Hemisphere Tropical Cyclone Activity.” Geophysical Research Letters 35 (2009): L05805 and Kitzberger, T et al. “Contingent Pacific-Atlantic Ocean influence on multicentury wildfire synchrony over western North America.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104 (2007): 543-548 and eGaetana, AT et al. “Statistical Prediction of Seasonal East Coast Winter Storm Frequency.” Journal of Climate 15 (2002): 1101-1117 and Hirsch, ME et al. “An East Coast Winter Storm Climatology.” Journal of Climate 14 (2001): 882-899 and Eichler, T and Higgins W. “Climatology and ENSO-Related Variability of North American Extratropical Cyclone Activity.” Journal of Climate 19 (2006): 2076-2093 and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Climate Prediction Center. Accessed Online 7 December 2009 http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/precip/CWlink/stormtracks/eisdiffobs.meta.gif

Climate Trivia: El Niño Frequency

kraus — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:10:17 +0000

Much of our weather in the United States depends on what is happening in the tropical Pacific Ocean. During an El Niño event, which is happening now, the eastern tropical Pacific is warmer than average. During La Niña events, the eastern tropical Pacific is cooler than average. While South America’s west coast may seem far away, what happens there has been shown to affect weather throughout the United States. El Niño events mean more winter Nor’easters on America’s East Coast. El Niño events also result in a more southerly winter storm track, which means more rain and snow for the Southwest but less for the Pacific Northwest. Hurricane season in the Atlantic is less active during El Niño phases and more active during La Niña phases. An intermediate stage, known as the neutral phase, means more snowfall throughout the Mississippi River basin.

Trivia Question: What phase has been more common over the last 25 years?

a) El Niño
b) La Niña

The correct answer is a. El Niño events have become more common since the mid-1970’s. Duing the 1950’s and 1960’s, La Niña events were more common. See below for a graph of the last 60 years of El Niño (red) and La Niña (blue) event frequency.

Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Sources: Kim, HM et al. “Impact of Shifting Patterns of Pacific Ocean Warming on North Atlantic Tropical Cyclones.” Science 325 (2009): 77-80 and Twine, TE et al. “Effects of El Niño-Southern Oscillation on the Climate, Water Balance, and Streamflow of the Mississippi River Basin.” Journal of Climate 18 (2005): 4840-4861 and Meehl, GA et al. “Current and Future U.S. Weather Extremes and El Niño.” Geophysical Research Letter 34 (2007) L20704 and Easterling, David. “Observed Climate Variability and Change.” NOAA/National Climatic Data Center. Ashville, NC: 31 January 2007 http://www.ametsoc.org/atmospolicy/documents/Easterling-Observed-Change-Jan-07.pdf and Meehl, GA et al. “Current and Future U.S. Weather Extremes and El Niño.” Geophysical Research Letter 34 (2007) L20704 and Easterling, David. “Observed Climate Variability and Change.” NOAA/National Climatic Data Center. Ashville, NC: 31 January 2007 http://www.ametsoc.org/atmospolicy/documents/Easterling-Observed-Change-Jan-07.pdf.

Climate Trivia: Earth’s Green Season

kraus — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:01:01 +0000

In the Northern Hemisphere, deciduous trees are beginning to come out of their dormant season and unfurl their leaves. Soon, the greys and browns that characterize America’s broadleaf forests during winter will be replaced the by the greens of spring and summer. Over the last four decades, there has been a global trend in the length of the “green” season, or the period between when leaves emerge in the spring and when they turn color and drop in the fall.

Trivia Question: Since 1970, Earth’s “green” seasons have become…

a) longer
b) shorter

The correct answer is a. Earth’s “green” season – the combined average length of both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere green seasons – is now on average 15 days longer than it was in 1970. This trend has been linked to warmer temperatures, milder winters and higher concentrations atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Seasons: Late Winter, Early Spring

Source: Peñuelas, J et al. “Phenology Feedbacks on Climate Change.” Science 324 (2009): 887-888.

Climate Trivia: El Niño Events and Frost Days – Great Basin

kraus — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:54:12 +0000

Winter is ending and the growing or “frost free” season is almost here! The frost free season is defined as the continuous period of the year when the temperature does not drop below freezing. When this season starts and how long it lasts have important implications for the plants and animals that live around us, especially plants we grow for food. In the United States over the second half of the 20th century, the average length of the frost free season increased at a rate of two days per decade. How many frost days there are each year is influenced – as is much of our weather – by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), or the periodic warming and cooling of the eastern tropical Pacific. This warming and cooling changes how air in the upper-atmosphere moves, which in turn affects weather across the United States.

Trivia Question: During El Niño years such as this year, when the eastern tropical Pacific is relatively warm, does the Great Basin region have on average…

a. fewer frost days?
b. more frost days?

The correct answer is a. All other things being equal, the Great Basin region experiences fewer frost days during El Niño years compared to La Niña years.

Seasons: Late Winter, Early Spring, Fall

(Sources: Meehl, GA et al. “Current and Future U.S. Weather Extremes and El Niño.” Geophysical Research Letter 34 (2007) L20704 and Easterling, David. “Observed Climate Variability and Change.” NOAA/National Climatic Data Center. Ashville, NC: 31 January 2007 http://www.ametsoc.org/atmospolicy/documents/Easterling-Observed-Change-Jan-07.pdf)

Climate Trivia: El Niño and Frost Events – Pacific Northwest

kraus — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:50:05 +0000

Trivia Question: During El Niño years such as this year, when the eastern tropical Pacific is relatively warm, does the Pacific Northwest have on average….

a. fewer frost days?
b. more frost days?

The correct answer is a. All other things being equal, the Pacific Northwest experiences fewer frost days during El Niño years compared to La Niña years.

Seasons: Late Winter, Early Spring, Fall

Sources: Meehl, GA et al. “Current and Future U.S. Weather Extremes and El Niño.” Geophysical Research Letter 34 (2007) L20704 and Easterling, David. “Observed Climate Variability and Change.” NOAA/National Climatic Data Center. Ashville, NC: 31 January 2007 http://www.ametsoc.org/atmospolicy/documents/Easterling-Observed-Change-Jan-07.pdf.

Climate Trivia: El Niño and Frost Events – Eastern U.S.

kraus — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:44:28 +0000

Trivia Question: During El Niño years such as this year, when the eastern tropical Pacific is relatively warm, does the eastern U.S. experience on average…

a. fewer frost days?
b. more frost days?

The correct answer is b. All other things being equal, the eastern U.S. experiences more frost days during El Niño years compared to La Niña years.

Seasons: Late Winter, Early Spring, Fall

Climate Trivia: El Niño and Frost Events – Southern U.S.

kraus — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:34:45 +0000

Trivia Question: During El Niño years such as this year, when the eastern tropical Pacific is relatively warm, does the southern U.S. have on average…

a. fewer frost days?
b. more frost days?

The correct answer is b. All other things being equal, the southern U.S. experiences more frost days during El Niño years compared to La Niña years.

Seasons: Late Winter, Early Spring, Fall

Climate Trivia: Coral Bleaching

espinoza — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:04:00 +0000

Some of Earth’s most diverse and colorful ecosystems are shallow-water coral reef ecosystems, which are built on the skeletons of animals called corals. One critical part of these ecosystems, known as zooxanthellae – the single- celled organisms that live in coral skeletons – use their photosynthetic ability to manufacture sugars from the sun, which they give to the corals. This energy, which could be likened to “rent” paid, is necessary to keep the corals alive and the reef ecosystems functioning. Corals need warm waters to survive, which is why they are only found in tropical and subtropical waters. If the water becomes too warm, however, corals “expel” the zooxanthellae and “bleach.” While corals can recover from bleaching events if the exceptionally warm conditions wane, periods of prolonged exposure to these conditions cause the corals to die. When waters in the reefs rise 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit above their long-term monthly averages, they are considered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to be in danger of bleaching. El Niño years correspond to elevated sea surface temperatures on a global scale and the El Niño events of 1982-83 and 1997-1998 corresponded to years when coral bleaching was especially widespread.

Trivia Question: During the severe global coral bleaching event of 1998, what percentage of the world’s reef-building corals died?

a. One percent
b. Ten percent
c. 16 percent
d. Less than one percent

The correct answer is c. Sixteen (16) percent of Earth’s corals died during the 1998 bleaching event. Sea surface temperatures in the tropical and sub-tropical Atlantic are the warmest they have been since record keeping began in the 1880’s. The northern hemisphere summer (June, July and August) of 2009 logged the warmest summer global sea-surface temperatures on record.

(Sources: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: NOAA News. “NOAA: Warmest Global Sea Surface Temperatures for August and Summer.” 16 September 2009. Accessed Online 6 February 2010 and Government of Australia: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. “What is Coral Bleaching?” Accessed Online 6 February 2010 )

Climate Trivia: Ocean vs. Atmosphere Carbon Stocks

espinoza — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:56:38 +0000

Carbon is a critical element in the Earth system. Carbon molecules are constantly moving from different states and from reservoir to reservoir. One reservoir is the terrestrial biosphere (the life systems that exist on land), which holds carbon primarily in the form of plant matter and soil. The atmosphere holds carbon in the form of carbon-dioxide gas (CO2) and methane. The oceans also hold carbon, primarily in the form of dissolved CO2 and calcium carbonate. The amount of reactive carbon – carbon in forms that can readily change its chemical state and move from one reservoir to another – in each of these reservoirs is markedly different. The ocean is by far the largest of these three carbon reservoirs.

Trivia Question: The ocean’s carbon reservoir is about how many times the size of the atmosphere’s carbon reservoir?

a. Two times
b. Ten times
c. 25 times
d. More than 60 times

The correct answer is d. The oceans hold more than 60 times the amount of reactive carbon that the atmosphere does.

(Source: Riebesell, U et al. “Sensitivities of marine carbon fluxes to ocean change.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 49 (2009): 20602-20609)

Climate Trivia: Earth’s Largest Dust Source

espinoza — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:50:31 +0000

At any given time, there is about 22 million tons of dust suspended in the atmosphere around us. Dust has important effects on Earth’s climate. It absorbs and scatters incoming radiation, affecting how much sunlight reaches the Earth’s surface and how much is reflected back into space. How much sunlight reaches the Earth’s surface helps drive surface temperatures and rainfall patterns. Dust also serves as a fertilizer – dust from barren regions can travel thousands of miles and fertilize plants that grow in lush regions. The Amazon rainforest is one such lush region that is stimulated by fertilizing dust from afar.

Trivia Question: What region is Earth’s largest single source of atmospheric dust?

a. The Great Basin
b. The Gobi Desert
c. The Sahara Desert
d. The Atacama Desert

The correct answer is c. More dust comes out of Africa’s Sahara Desert than any other region on Earth. The Bodélé Depression in Chad (central Africa) may be Earth’s largest single dust “hot spot.” About half of the dust emitted from the Sahara comes from this 8650 square mile barren lake bed. Each year, about 100 dust plumes rise from the depression. Each plume contains about 700,000 tons of dust.

(Source: Grini, A et al. “Model simulations of dust sources and transport in the global atmosphere: Effects of soil erodibility and wind speed variability.”Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres. 110 (2005): D02205 and Washington, R. et al. “Dust as a tipping element: The Bodélé Depression, Chad.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 49 (2009): 20564-20571)