Climate change and the atmosphere

Esteban Cubillos CPSP218L Fall 2008

Presentation OutlineAtmosphere reviewThe importance of the atmosphereThe mutual relation between the atmosphere

and climate changeCarbon CycleWater Cycle

Global Energy TransferSummaryWorks used

The Atmosphere

http://www.williamsclass.com/EighthScienceWork/Atmosphere/atmosphereLayers.gif

•Thermosphere: The outer layer of the atmosphere, where most of the sun’s energy is stored, it is divided in two layers:The ionosphere and the exosphere.

•Mesosphere: Separated from the thermosphere by the mesopause, it is the coldest of the atmospheric layers ,this is where meteors burn up.

•Stratosphere: Contains the Ozone layer.

•Troposphere: lowest layer, where we live and all the earth’s weather occurs

Why the atmosphere is important to usThe atmosphere protects us from harmful UV

raysContains the gases that allow life on earthKeeps the earth at habitable temperaturesProtects the earth from a strike by most

foreign objects like meteorsInfluences all weather systems

Relation between the atmosphere and climate changeThe atmosphere has a balance of gases

Humans have thrown the balance off

The disturbed balance is causing theEarth’s climate to change.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/

The atmosphere also contains millions of microscopic particles called aerosols, which scatter sunlight. This can affect the amount of energy stored in the atmosphere, and therefore the Earth's climate.

Disturbing the amount of these “aerosols” would affect our climate

Relation between the atmosphere and climate changeThe Carbon Cycle:

http://www.koshland-science-museum.org/exhibitgcc/carbon03.jsp

Relation between the atmosphere and climate changeIncrease of atmospheric carbon:

•A 50% increase in carbon dioxide levels coincided with a 5°C rise in global average surface temperature.

Hydrologic Cycle

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/srh/jetstream/atmos/hydro_cycle.htm

Hydrologic Cycle: Increased temperatures cause an increase in

water vapor.Feed back loop: more water vapor in the air

causes an even larger increase in temperature, which causes even more water to evaporate

Ocean Water contains Carbon dioxide, warming of the water releases it back into the atmosphere: another loop.

Hydrologic Cycle Increased global cloudiness, as for increased globalevaporation and precipitation, would be an expectedconsequence of higher global temperatures. Annualmean cloudiness has been found to have increased

over Europe (6% / 80 years), Australia (8% / 80years), the Indian sub-continent (7% / 50 years) andNorth America (10% / 90 years) (Henderson-Sellers,

1986, 1989).

Clouds reflect heat back to the surface, an increase in cloud cover creates an Increase in temperature.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/srh/jetstream/atmos/energy.htm

Global Energy transfers:

http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/Resources/gcc/Climate_Change_Study_Guide.pdf

What is happening to the atmosphere?Climate change is causing the atmosphere’s outer

layer to reduce in density: 3% reduction by 2017CO2 emmissions warm the lower layers but cool

the outer layer (thermosphere) this cooling reduces its density

Tropospheric and stratospheric temperatures are changing and are central to the problem of greenhouse warming, models predict that temperature changes due to increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases will cause warming in the mid-troposphere and cooling in the much of the stratosphere.

Effects on Atmospheric CirculationThe atmospheric circulation is the main controlbehind regional changes in wind, temperature,precipitation, moisture and other climatic variables.Variations in many of these are quite strongly relatedthrough large-scale features of the atmosphericcirculation. Changes in a number of circulationfeatures, including El Niño Southern Oscillation(ENSO) events in the south-east Pacific, mid-latitudeNorthern Hemisphere westerlies and the location andintensity of the Aleutian low pressure system in theNorth Pacific, may all be related to the more generalglobal warming of the twentieth century (Folland etal., 1990).

Summary:Greenhouse gases are increasing at a high

rate, the natural cycles cannot keep up. The changing weather is changing the

atmosphereMore heat is creating more water vapor

The changing atmosphere is changing the weatherMore clouds= more heat retentionAffects weather systems

Works Cited:Warren, S.G., Hahn, C.J., London, J., Chervin, R.M.

& Jenne, R.L., 1988. Global distribution of total cloudcover and cloud type amounts over the oceans. NCARTech. Note TN 317+STR, 44pp, Boulder, Colorado,USA.

Folland, C.K., Karl, T.R. & Vinnikov, K.Ya., 1990.Observed climate variations and change. In: ClimateChange: The IPCC Scientific Assessment,Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),Houghton, J.T., Jenkins, G.J. & Ephraums, J.J. (eds.).Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 195-238.

IUCN. "How Does Climate Change Affect The Water Cycle?." ScienceDaily 27 October 2008. 11 November 2008

<http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/10/081013143031.htm>.

United States Geological Survey. "Century Of Data Shows Intensification Of Water Cycle But No Increase In Storms Or Floods." ScienceDaily 17 March 2006. 11 November 2008 <http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2006/03/060317114727.htm>.

Yao, M.-S., and Del Genio, A.D.: Effects of cloud parameterization on the simulation of climate changes in the GISS GCM, J. Climate, 12, 761-779, doi:10.1175/1520-0442(1999)012<0761:EOCPOT>2.0.CO;2, 1999.

National Weather Service. “JetStream-Online School of Weather” http://www.srh.noaa.gov/srh/jetstream/atmos/energy.htm 09 nov 2008

Jinho Ahn* and Edward J. Brook “Atmospheric CO2 and Climate on Millennial Time Scales During the Last Glacial Period” Originally published in Science Express on 11 September 2008 . Science 3 October 2008:Vol. 322. no. 5898, pp. 83 – 85 DOI: 10.1126/science.1160832 10 nov 2008

Bill Stockwell “Ozone chemistry is at the heart of atmospheric chemistry” http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Tango/ 08 nov 2008

Rudolf Deckert and Martin Dameris. “ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE:From Ocean to Stratosphere” Science 3 October 2008:Vol. 322. no. 5898, pp. 53 – 55 DOI: 10.1126/science.1163709 .08 nov 2008