Arctic Sea Ice Review

Draw

Write which season each Earth (A, B, C, D) is in for the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

Sea Ice and the Earth System Story Map: Review

Let's review what we've learned so far.

Earth's Energy Budget

The Earth is constantly trying to maintain a balance between the energy that reaches Earth from the sun and
the energy that flows from Earth back out to space.

Multiple Select

Energy from the sun can do which of the following when it gets to Earth? Choose two.

• Reflect

• Absorb

• Diffract

• Inverse

Multiple Choice

How much energy stays and how much energy goes from the Earth is a function of Earth's

• Energy Budget

• Defense Monitor

• Atmosphere only

• Moon

ARCTIC SEASONS

Earth rotates upon its axis

Earth's axis is tilted to an angle
of 23.5 degrees

The tilted axis always points in
the same direction as Earth
orbits the sun

Different parts of Earth get the
sun's direct rays throughout
the year

When the South Pole tilts

toward the Sun, it’s winter in

the Northern Hemisphere.

When the North Pole tilts

toward the Sun, it’s summer in

the Northern Hemisphere.

ARCTIC SEASONS

Multiple Choice

Why is the Equator warmest?

• Because it is closest to the sun.
• Because it receives the most direct sunlight
• Because no clouds form here.
• Because it is far from the sun

Multiple Choice

What are the reasons for the season?

• Earth's tilt & rotation
• Earth's tilt & revolution
• Earth's rotation & rovolution
• Earth's tilt & resolution

Multiple Choice

What happens when the area in which you live tilts away from the sun?

• It is summer.
• It is spring.
• It is winter.
• It is fall.

Multiple Choice

Which season is taking place in the Northern Hemisphere in Position 1?

• Winter
• Spring
• Summer
• Fall

Multiple Choice

Which season is taking place in the Northern Hemisphere in Position 4?

• Winter
• Spring
• Summer
• Fall

Multiple Choice

During which month does the Arctic receive the most direct energy from the sun?

• February
• September
• December
• June

​The amount of radiation (energy) (from the sun) that is absorbed or reflected (bounced back) depends on the surface.

​

The measure of reflectivity of a surface is called albedo.

• Light colored surfaces like ice reflect more sunlight than dark surfaces like dirt or soil.

• Dark surfaces have a low albedo and absorb more sunlight then they reflect.​

ICE-ALBEDO FEEDBACK

Sea ice has a much higher albedo
compared to other earth surfaces, such as
the surrounding ocean.
Because the sea ice absorbs less solar
energy, its surfaceremains cooler.

Multiple Choice

Which property of light is being demonstrated in this image?

• absorption

• diffraction

• reflection

• bending

Multiple Choice

What is another word for "albedo?"

• Reflectivity

• Absorption

• Solar energy

• Surface temperature

Multiple Choice

Light colored surfaces ____________ more radiation than dark colored surfaces.

• reflect

• absorb

Multiple Choice

What has the highest albedo?

• the oceans

• Ice in the Arctic or Antarctic

• the ground

• roads

Multiple Choice

Dark colored surfaces _________ more radiation than light colored surfaces.

• reflect

• absorb

Multiple Choice

Which would you expect to have the lowest albedo?

• dark soil

• white sand

• ice and snow

• deep sea water

Multiple Choice

Land heats up _______ than water

• faster

• slower

Multiple Choice

If you want to keep your house cool all year, should you design the house roof to have a high or a low albedo?

• High

• Low

Multiple Choice

What does it mean when we say sea ice has a high albedo?

• Sea ice with high albedo is formed in warm ocean waters.
• Sea ice with high albedo has a low melting point.
• Sea ice with high albedo reflects a large amount of sunlight back into space.
• Sea ice with high albedo absorbs a large amount of sunlight.

Multiple Choice

Rank the following from low albedo to high albedo.

(1) Ocean

(2) Sand

(3) Ice

(4) Asphalt

• 2, 3, 4, 1

• 1, 2, 4, 3

• 3, 2, 1, 4

• 4, 1, 2, 3

Multiple Choice

Which would you expect to have the lowest albedo?

• dark soil

• white sand

• ice and snow

• deep sea water

ARCTIC ALBEDO

Positive Feedback

If Earth’s climate is colder and there is more snow and ice on the planet, more solar radiation is reflected back out to space and the climate gets even cooler.

On the other hand, when warming causes snow and ice to melt, darker-colored Earth surface and ocean are exposed and less solar energy is reflected out to space causing even more warming.

This is known as the ice-albedo feedback.

Multiple Choice

When light is reflected by an object, it makes the atmospheric temperatures warmer.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

If the ice caps continue to melt, then there is less albedo at the poles.  This process will continue to melt more ice and have less albedo.  This is an example of a...

• mega feedback loop

• neutral feedback loop

• negative (balancing) feedback loop

• positive (reinforcing) feedback loop

Multiple Choice

Currently, about 10% of Earth is covered with ice year-round. If this ice melts, what could happen to Earth’s temperature?

• Increase
• Decrease
• Remain the Same
• Not enough information 

Multiple Choice

What is the ice-albedo feedback?

• melting ice --> increased albedo --> more ground reflection --> more ice melting

• melting ice has no effect on albedo or solar radiation, leading to no change in ice melting.

• melting ice --> increased albedo --> less ground absorption --> less ice melting

• melting ice --> decreased albedo --> more ground absorption --> more ice melting

Multiple Choice

Negative Feedback Loops:

• amplify processes
• prevent small changes from getting larger
• are initiated during childbirth
• are found only in plants

• Albedo is the % of sunlight reflected by a surface.

• Ice has a very high albedo

• Albedo has a heavy influence on Earth's energy budget.

• Earth is always trying to balance incoming and outgoing energy.

• Sunlight in the Arctic is dependent on seasons, which is due to Earth's tilt.

Earth's Energy Budget

What have we learned?

Albedo

Multiple Choice

Why does the ice-albedo feedback have such a big influence on Earth's energy budget?

• causes the Earth to move closer to the sun

• It changes how much solar energy is reflected or absorbed

• increases the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

• creates more clouds that reflect sunlight away from the Earth