METEOROLOGY/AGRONOMY/ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 404/504


Block 2 Exam
4 April 1997
  1. Climate has always been changing; what are the questions about current climate change that must be answered.


  2. Why might we worry if our climate system is determined to be "almost intransitive?"


  3. Discuss the spatial resolution of a global climate model and a regional climate model.


  4. Discuss how the difference in spatial resolution creates different simulations of precipitation for climate models.


  5. You have an engineering friend who is skeptical about global warming and the link to human causes. You are to present your best arguments to convince her/him that.


  6. Either (i) humans are responsible for at least part of the observed warming, or (ii) there is insufficient evidence that humans are responsible for the observed warming


  7. Give physical arguments to describe why an El Nino can at the same time cause a temporary collapse of the Peruvian anchovy fishing industry and wheat production in Australia.


  8. Use your knowledge of Earth satellites to design a satellite observing system forMars. The radius of Mars is about 1/2 of that for Earth and its mass is about 10% of Earth's mass. You may not remember specific formulas, but give physical reasoning about the necessary factors to consider.

  9. You want to place a satellite in geostationary orbit over Mars. Explain how you would determine the height above the planet surface for such a satellite. What additional information might you need?


  10. You want to map details about the surface and weather conditions over the polar ice fields on Mars. Give reasons why your geostationary satellite is not the best choice for this project.


  11. Give the key factors and concepts that must be considered in determining the carrying capacity of planet Earth.