CORNELL NOTES CHAPTER 20: THE ATMOSPHERE, CLIMATE AND GLOBAL WARMING

What are the 2 main pieces of

evidence for climate change?
What is the difference between weather and climate?
What does a climatogram show?
What is the composition of the atmosphere? Describe each layer.
How does atmospheric pressure change with altitude? Explain.
What causes winds on Earth?
Describe the Earths albedo (Heat/Energy Budget)
What instruments are used to study paleoclimate?
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Temperature and amount of Co2 in atmosphere.
whats happening now in the atmosphere near the earths surface
Climate is the average weather.
Nitrogen (78%)
Oxygen (21%)
Argon (0.9%)
Carbon dioxide (0.03%)
Water vapor
Trace amounts of other gases/pollutants
Earths rotation and heat.
Latitudinal belts of high and low pressure.
Tree rings, sediments, ice cores, fossil pollen, corals, and carbon!14 (14C)
typical conditions Earths atmosphere:
Reects ~30% of the electromagnetic energy that comes in from the sun
absorbs ~25% The remaining ~45% gets to the surface
Explain the Greenhouse Effect- What gases are involved?
What are positive and negative feedbacks?
What are some natural causes of climate change?
How does the Ocean affect climate change?
What is El Nino and what causes it/what does it cause?
Explain how we can forecast climate change:
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Each gas in the atmosphere.
Certain gases are especially strong absorbers in the infrared.
They absorb radiation emitted by the warmed surfaces of the Earth.
Water vapor
Carbon dioxide
Methane
Some oxides of
nitrogen
CFCs
Positive: increase of water vapor.
Negative: Could surface.
Three Cycles
26,000 year
Earth Does not keep its poles at a constant angle in relation to the sun.
41,000 years
The tilt of wobble.
100,000 years
Elliptical orbit around the sun also changes
Sometimes it is a more extreme ellipse.
Heat is stored, and Co2.
Specics variations of pacic ocean currents.
Surface water temperature rise off.
Causes changes in weather in regions that are far removed from tropical Pacic.
Empirical and theoretical.
Empirical approach is to go back to the geological idea of uniformitarianism.
What are some possible effects of climate change?
We can either adapt or mitigate the effects of climate change- explain.
What are things we can do to reduce the potential of climate change?
What are some international agreements to help mitigate with global warming/climate
change?
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Increase in temperature. More heat. Green house effect.
Changes in river ow. Rise in sea level. Ice cap.
Changes in biological diversity. Agricultural productivity.
Learn to live, or work to reduce the green house gasses.
Alternative energy use, use mass strasit.
Higher fuel economy.
Planting more trees.
Limit on emissions
Carbon trading.
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