CLIMATE SCIENCE

What earth systems processes influence climate change?

What impact will climate change have on me as a global citizen?

What can be done to create a sustainable global community?

Spheres of Earth

www.eoearth.org

http://thundafunda.com/uncategorized/hq-desktop-wallpaper-forces-of-nature-volcanoes-thunder-lightning/

Lithosphere

Solid part of the earth. Crust and upper

mantle ~75-100km thick

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/images/lithosphere.gif

• What phenomena occur in the lithosphere and relate to climate?

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/images/biosphere/global_biosphere_2003_lrg.jpg

http://www.coralreefinfo.com/images/coral_reef.jpg

Biosphere

Parts of the land, sea, and atmosphere in which organisms are able to live.

What phenomena occur in the biosphere and relate to climate?

http://earth.rice.edu/mtpe/cryo/cryosphere/what_images/ramseier_aerial_view.jpg

Cryosphere

Frozen parts of Earth:SnowSea IceLake Ice/River IceFrozen ground and

permafrost.GlaciersIce Sheets

http://www.digitaluniverse.net/images/19061/350x0/scale/CryosphereThm.jpg

• What phenomena occur in the cryosphere and relate to climate?

http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Water/images/wave_ucar.jpg

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/images/hydrocycle.gif

Hydrosphere Combined mass of

water found on, under, and over the surface of the planet.

What phenomena occur in the hydrosphere and relate to climate?

http://www.williamsclass.com/EighthScienceWork/Atmosphere/AtmosphereEarth.jpg

Atmosphere The gaseous envelope surrounding the earth.Exosphere, Thermosphere,

Mesosphere, Stratosphere, & Troposphere.

http://www.theozonehole.com/images/atmospbhere.gif

• What phenomena occur in the atmosphere and relate to climate?

http://www.phys.port.ac.uk/units/2007/global/Anthrosphere.gif

Anthrosphere

The anthrosphere is that part of the environment that is made or modified byhumans for use in human activities.

What phenomena occur in the anthrosphere and relate to climate

http://blogs.discovery.com/.a/6a00d8341bf67c53ef0133f15e3aab970b-800wi

Atmospheric Science

What is the basic composition of the atmosphere?

What are the major layers of the atmosphere?

Where is the ozone layer located within the atmosphere?

What is the impact of direct vs. indirect heating?

The atmosphere

Atmosphere = the thin layer of gases that surrounds Earth Absorbs radiation and moderates climateTransports and recycles water and nutrients78% nitrogen gas, 21% oxygen gas, 1% other gasesIts four layers differ in temperature, density and

composition

Minute concentrations of permanent (remain at stable concentrations) and variable gases (varying concentrations)

Human activity is changing the amounts of some gases

The atmosphere’s composition

© 2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers

The structure of the atmosphere showing temperature profile and ozone layer of the atmosphere to an altitude of 110 km.

The atmosphere’s four layers

The first two layers of the atmosphere

Troposphere = bottommost layerAir for breathing, weatherTemperature declines with altitudeTropopause = limits mixing between troposphere

and the layer above it Stratosphere = 11-50 km (7-31 mi) above

sea levelDrier and less dense, with little vertical mixingColder in its lower regions, temp increases with

altitude Contains UV radiation-blocking ozone, 17-30 km

(10-19 mi) above sea level

The two highest levels of the atmosphere

Mesosphere = 50-80 km (31-56 mi) above sea levelExtremely low air pressureTemperatures decrease with altitude

Thermosphere = atmosphere’s top layerExtends upward to 500 m (300 mi)Temp increases with altitude

http://eo.ucar.edu/staff/rrussell/atmosphere/images/mesosphere_diagram_big.jpg

OZONE

HIPPO

Solar energy heats the atmosphere

Energy from the sun Heats air Moves air Creates seasons Influences weather and climate

Solar radiation is highest near the equator

Direct vs. Indirect Heating

Solar energy creates

seasons

Because the Earth is tilted

Each hemisphere tilts toward the sun

for half the year

Results in a change of seasons

Equatorial regions are unaffected by

this tilt, so days average 12 hours

through the year

Tilt of the Earth: The Reason for the Seasons

Solar energy causes air to circulate

Air near Earth’s surface is warmer and moister than air at higher latitudes

Convective circulation = less dense, warmer air rises and creates vertical currentsRising air expands and

coolsCool air descends and

becomes denser, replacing warm air

Influences both weather and climate

FROM http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/images/atmosphere_mural_jpg_image.html

FROM http://user.gs.rmit.edu.au/caa/global/coriolis.html

What processes make weather on a global scale?

DIFFERENTIAL HEATING OF EARTH’S SURFACE

ROTATION OF THE EARTH

GLOBAL PATTERN OF:

1) PREVAILING WINDS

2) LATITUDINAL BELTS

OF HIGH AND LOW

PRESSURE

Convection Currents Convective currents contribute to climatic

patterns and affect moisture distributionHadley cells = near the equator, surface air warms,

rises, and expands ○ Releases moisture and heavy rainfall near the

equatorFerrel cells and polar cells

○ Creates precipitation at 60 degrees latitude north and south

○ Causes air to descend at 30 degrees latitude

FROM http://user.gs.rmit.edu.au/caa/global/vertical.html

Global wind patterns

The atmospheric cells interact with Earth’s rotation to produce global wind patternsAs Earth rotates, equatorial regions spin faster

Coriolis effect = the north-south air currents of the convective cells appear to be deflected from a straight pathWeb merry-go-round , web animation , embeddedResults in curving global wind patterns

Wind patterns Doldrums = near the equator

Few winds Trade winds = between the equator and 30

degrees latitudeBlow from east to west

Westerlies = from 30 to 60 degrees latitudeOriginate from the west and blow eastPeople used these winds to sail their ships across the

ocean

COMMON TERMS

• Easterlies

• Westerlies

• Horse latitudes

• Trade winds

• Doldrums

• Highs

• Lows

The atmosphere drives weather and climate

Weather = specifies

atmospheric conditions

over short time periods and

within a small geographic

areas.

Climate = describes patterns of atmospheric conditions

across large geographic regions over long periods of time

Mark Twain said “Climate is what we expect; weather is what we get”

http://www.london.ca/Emergency_Management/images/lightning.png

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Natural causes of climate variation Atmosphere Sun Milankovitch Cycles Ocean atmosphere interactions

El Nino/La Nina Ocean Circulation Volcanoes

The Greenhouse Effect - Atmosphere

http://www.sciencebuzz.org/sites/all/files_static/global_warming/greenhouse_effect.gif

http://www.ecoslopes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/greenhouse-effect-solutions-300x225.jpg

The atmosphere = without it, the Earth’s temperature would be much colder

Earth’s atmosphere, clouds, land, ice, and water absorb 70% of incoming solar radiation

Atmosphere - Greenhouse/Heat trapping Gases and major sources

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) = Burning fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas) and other combustion reactions such as forest fires.

Methane (CH4) = fossil fuel deposits, termites, livestock, landfills, crops such as rice, melting permafrost. HIPPO VIDEO

Nitrous oxide (N2O) = feedlots, chemical manufacturing plants, auto emissions, and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers

http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/6246/reducingsmogpollution.jpg

Greenhouse/Heat trapping Gases and major sources

Ozone (O3 ) = risen due to

photochemical smog. Stratosphere= Good Troposphere= Bad

Halocarbon gases (CFCs/HCFCs/HFCs) = Man-made, primarily found in refrigerants and blown foam products. CFCs are declining due to the Montreal Protocol.

Water vapor (H2Ov) = the most abundant greenhouse gas and contributes most to the greenhouse effect

SUN- Energy BudgetW/m2

Turn to your neighbor and spend 2 minutes explaining what you see.

http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2008/07/11/11jul_solarcycleupdate_resources/ssn_predict_l.gif

Natural Reasons for climate flux

Solar output = drives temperature change on Earth’s surface

The Sun varies in the radiation it emits

Variation in solar energy (i.e., solar flares) has not been great enough to change Earth’s temperature

The Sun = without it, the Earth would be dark and frozenAlso supplies most of our planet’s energy

http://www.eoearth.org/files/120401_120500/120458/620px-MilankovitchCycles.jpg

Natural Reasons for climate flux Milankovitch cycles:

periodic changes in Earth’s rotation and orbit around the Sun Precession(wobble)-

19,000-23,000 yrs Tilt- 41,000 yrs Orbit- 100,000 yrs Alter the way solar radiation

is distributed over Earth’s surface

By modifying patterns

of atmospheric heating, these cycles trigger long-term climate variation such as periodic glaciations

Natural Air Sea Interactions influence Climate flux

El Niño-southern oscillation (ENSO) = a systematic shift in atmospheric pressure, sea surface temperature, and ocean circulation in the tropical Pacific.

El Niño is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific, as opposed to La Niña, which characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific.

http://s4.hubimg.com/u/2739815_f520.jpg

Ocean Circulation

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Thermohaline_Circulation_2.png/400px-Thermohaline_Circulation_2.png

The oceans = shape climate bystoring and transporting heat and moisture

Ocean circulation = ocean water exchanges tremendous amounts of heat with the atmosphere, and ocean currents move energy from place to place

• Surface and deep water currents move this around our earth.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/1997/fs113-97/resources/AshCloud.jpg

Other Natural contributors to climate flux

Volcanoes:Example: On June 1991: Mount Pinatubo (Philippines)

explodedAirborne pollutants (AEROSOLS), deaths, and damageAffected climate temperatureJames Hansen(NASA) cooled the temp of the earth

by )0.5* over a 19th month period. Then the earth would warm

Paleoclimatology: An Investigation How do we know what we know? What is a proxy? Examples of proxies

Ice coresTree ringsPollenSpeleothemsHistorical documentsCoralPackrat Middens

Resolution vs. Span

Ice CoresJim White: Stable Isotope Lab @ CU

http://michigantoday.umich.edu/2009/11/vostok-graph.jpg

Tree Rings

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/ctl/images/16thchron2.jpg

http://saima-tutkimus.fi/saimapictures/kiekkoisov.jpg

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/pubs/smith2006/fig1.jpg

http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/climate/images/stalagmites_sm.jpg

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a1/Labeled_speleothems.jpg

Pollen

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_j1cdMMQnYns/TMLGrbaJP_I/AAAAAAAAJMU/2CNdQce5DKw/lavender-pollen-grain--lavandula-dentata--80200172-m%5B4%5D.jpg

Canadian modelHadley model

Coral

bleaching

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/fbeinecke/Bleached.coral.jpg

http://www.climateshifts.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Bellwood-et-al-Fig-1.jpg

Historical

Conclusion

http://scienceinthetriangle.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/spaghetti-climate-graph.jpg

Model images/examples

Super Computers (picture)

Resolution?High resolution (pictures) vs. low

Used for predicting

future based on past

(paleo) data

http://www.coloradoconnection.com/uploadedImages/kxrm/News/Stories/supercomputer.jpg?w=204&h=153&aspect=nostretch

The Very, Very Simple Climate Model

CCSM – NCAR Model

IPCC – different scenarioshttp://poitsplace.com/images/08/warming_projections.png

http://www.frontiernet.net/~gnreil/weather/LWC/James%20Balog_Climate%20Rhythm.jpg

Impacts of Global Warming

Courtesy EPA

Affects of Global Climate Change (projects)

Extreme Weather (flood, fires, drought, heat waves) Distribution of plant and animal species Desertification Water/food availability Disease Sea Level Rise and temp relationship Ocean acidification Ocean acidification (link) Urban Heat Islands Ice Sheet/Glacial Sheet Melt

Mitigation, Adaptation, Remediation Mitigation: the action of lessening in severity

or intensityExamples:

Adaptation: something that is changed or modified to suit new conditions or needsExamples:

Remediation: the correction of something bad or defectiveExamples:

Major environmental policies related to climate change

International PoliciesMontreal Protocol (1987): Ozone LayerKyoto Protocol (1997): Reduction of GHG emissions

5% National Policies

Clean Air Act (1970, 1990 modified): reduction in air pollution.

Can you connect other policies to climate change? Talk to neighbor