Chapter 16 Summary & Key Term Check
Chapter 16 Main Ideas
16.1 What Is the Earth System?
Viewing Earth as a system allows us to take into account the complex ways in which the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere interact. Positive feedbacks amplify changes in the Earth system, and negative feedbacks reduce them. The stability of the Earth system will depend on what feedbacks are available. The presence of ice sheets makes the Earth system less stable.
16.2 Causes of Climate Change
Weather describes day-to-day conditions, but climate refers to the long-term average conditions over decades or longer. Climate forcings alter climate. They include processes that change the rate and location of solar energy reaching Earth’s surface; processes that alter how ocean currents move heat around Earth’s surface; and processes that affect how heat moves into and out of the atmosphere. Climate forcings operate on a range of timescales, from billions of years to less than a decade. Changes in greenhouse gas concentrations and albedo are two climate forcings affected by human activities.
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16.3 Methods for Studying Past Climate
Climate conditions for some of human history can be determined from direct measurements that have been recorded, but for studying paleoclimate it’s often necessary to use proxy data. Proxy data come from natural materials that behave in a systematic way in response to climate conditions like temperature or precipitation. Proxies include tree ring data, stable isotopes, measurements of gas bubbles trapped in ice, and the geographic distribution of rocks and fossils.
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16.4 Computer Models of the Earth System
Earth-system models use mathematical equations to simulate Earth-system processes. Models are set up and checked using real-life measurements. Model uncertainty is a number that tells us the likelihood that a particular model result falls within a certain range of values. It is a way to evaluate whether results can be used to draw meaningful conclusions.
16.5 Humans in the Earth System
Data show recognizable anthropogenic influence on the Earth system beginning when humans began to use fossil fuels for industrial purposes. CO2 in the atmosphere has the isotopic fingerprints of fossil fuels. The flow of anthropogenic carbon into the Earth system is relatively small compared to some natural flows, but natural processes do not remove all of what humans put in, causing CO2 to accumulate in the atmosphere.
Practice Again
Key Term Check
What key term from Chapter 16 is each card describing? Turn the card to check your answer.
