Why is the concept of radiative forcing critical to understanding the causes of global climate change?
What will be an ideal response?
Radiative forcing is the amount of change in thermal energy units (watts/square meter on the earth's surface) caused by a given factor. This allows a quantitative scientific evaluation of the many variables that make up the equation of the earth's heat balance. The variables include solar output, ocean absorption, ocean circulation, changes in albedo, Milankovitch cycles, aerosols and anthropogenic factors. Positive values indicate a warming effect, while negative values have a cooling effect. This analytical approach strengthens the scientific conclusions drawn about the relative importance of each variable contributing to climate change.
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How much of the world's table salt is produced by the evaporation of seawater?
A) One quarter B) One third C) One half D) Three-quarters
At low latitudes, primary production is controlled more by the seasonality of the sunlight than by the availability of nutrients.
Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)
Most urbanization corresponds with industrialization and growth in agricultural productivity, although neither of those factors is causing the unprecedented high rate of urbanization in Africa.What three factors make the growth of cities in Africa different from urbanization in the rest of the world
Severe gender inequality is a challenge to development because
A) it leads to smaller family sizes, and families with fewer child laborers cannot earn enough money to pay for their rent and utilities. B) it is associated with higher literacy rates, higher economic vitality, and lower infant mortality rates. C) it excludes men from the informal economy, wasting a major economic asset. D) it severely limits the economic and social mobility of women, as well as families that are headed by women. E) it does not allow men and boys the freedom to attend the schools and seek the jobs that are best suited to them.