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Introduction to Climate Change
Part I: Earth’s Climate System
Contents
Earth’s energy balance
Earth’s climate system
Glacial cycles
Natural variability
Volcanic eruptions
Earth’s Energy Balance
Incoming vs. Outgoing
Imbalance in the Balance
Energy Excess and Deficit
Incoming Radiation
Outgoing Radiation
Incoming – Outgoing Radiation
Average Temperature
Earth’s Energy Balance
• Key terms:– Radiation (long wave vs. short wave)– Albedo– Convection, conduction, latent heat– Greenhouse effect
The Earth’s Climate System
Earth’s Energy Balance
Atmospheric Layers
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
Exosphere
0-15km
50-85km
15-50km
100-400km
>400km
Equator
30˚S
60˚S
HadleyCell
FerrelCell
Polar Cell
Oceanic Circulation
The Earth’s Climate System
• Key Terms– Atmospheric layers (e.g. Troposphere and
Stratosphere)– Hadley cell– Oceanic currents
Glacial and Solar Cycles
The Earth’s Climate System
Earth’s Energy Balance
Milankovitch Cycles
AphelionPerihelion
Milankovitch Cycles
23.5˚N
23.5˚S
22.1˚-24.2˚
Milankovitch Cycles
13,000 years13,000 years
PolarisVega
A Cyclical Pattern
Click to edit Master title styleSolar Variability
Sunspot
Plage
Glacial and Solar Cycles
• Key terms:– Milankovitch cycles
• Eccentricity– Aphelion– Perihelion
• Obliquity• Precession
– Sunspots• Plages
Natural Variability
Glacial and Solar Cycles
The Earth’s Climate System
Earth’s Energy Balance
What is the difference between weather & climate?
100 108
1010
104
104
Meters
Se
con
ds 106
(Week)
(Hour)
108
(Year)
102
(Minute) Turbulence
Tornadoes
Thunderstorms
TropicalCyclones
El Niño-Southern Oscillation
El Niño-Southern Oscillation
Neutral
El Niño-Southern Oscillation
El Niño /Warm event
El Niño-Southern Oscillation
La Niña /Cool event
El Niño-Southern Oscillation
Natural Variability
• Key terms:– Weather vs. Climate– El Niño-Southern Oscillation– Scales: time and spatial
Climate and Volcanoes
Natural Variability
Glacial and Solar Cycles
The Earth’s Climate System
Earth’s Energy Balance
Volcanic Eruptions
H2OCO2 SO2 H2
COH2S
HClHF
Volcanic Eruptions
Global Temperatures and Volcanic Eruptions
NOAA ESRL
Let’s recap…
Key lessons and processes
Earth’s radiation is balanced through incoming (solar) and outgoing (longwave) radiation
The atmosphere plays a role through greenhouse gases
Earth’s climate can be affected by changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere and changes in solar radiation
References and additional resources
• Broecker, Wallace S. 1991. The great ocean conveyor. Oceanography 4(2): 79-89.
• Broecker, Wallace S. 1982. Glacial to interglacial changes in ocean chemistry. Progress in Oceanography 11(2): 151-197.
• Kump, Lee R., James F. Kasting, and Robert G. Crane. 2010. The earth system. Prentice Hall, San Francisco, U.S.A.
• McCormick, M. Patrick, Larry W. Thomason, and Charles R. Trepte. 1995. Atmospheric effects of the Mt Pinatubo eruption. Nature 373.6513: 399-404.
• [USGS] Unites States Geological Survey. Volcanic Gases and Their Effects. Available from: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hazards/gas/index.php (accessed February 20, 2014).
