ATMO 336, Section 2 Weather, Climate, and Society

Class web page http://www.atmo.arizona.edu/courses/spring08/atmo336s2/

Center of the Milky Way galaxy taken in at infrared (IR)wavelengths taken by the NASA Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) Project

Earth in the shadow of Saturn (Image from Cassini)

Earth

It’s your atmosphere Only planet with abundant oxygen, water, and temperatures conducive to life as we know it. Oceans cover 2/3 of planet. Surface temperatures 40 to -40 C allow 3 phases of water. Hydrologic cycle (recycles fresh water for the biosphere). Atmosphere protects earth from UV, meteorites, solar wind. “Ocean of air” is very thin; can’t breathe above 10 km.

Atmosphere is absolutely necessary for life: Eat 3 x per day, can survive without food for 40 days. Drink 6 x per day, can survive without water for 7 days. Breathe 22,000 x per day, can live without air only 3-5 min. 1022 molecules in every breath of air 1044 molecules in the entire atmosphere 1022 breaths of air in the atmosphere.

Social Dimensions Humanity is not in harmony with the atmosphere and/or the larger geophysical environment. Weather Hazards Combustion of Fossil Fuels Air Pollution Greenhouse Gases Global Warming Weather and Climate Control A critical study of weather, climate, and society calls into question the entire trajectory of civilization.

Weather Disasters http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s334.htm Weather is the most violent variable in human affairs. U.S. Galveston Hurricane, 1900 -- 12,000 deaths Hurricane Katrina 2005 -- 1836 deaths Tri- State Tornado, 1925 -- 635 deaths International Yangtze River Flood, China, 1931 -- 3.7 milion fatalities North Vietnam Flood, 1971 -- 100,000 deaths from flooding Bangladesh Cyclone, 1970 -- up to 500,000 fatalities Bangladesh Cyclone, 1991 -- 138,000 fatalities Hurricane Mitch, Honduras & Nicaragua, 1998 -- 11,000 fatalities Sahel Drought, 1910-1914, 1940-44, 1970-85 -- up to 1 million fatalities Great Smog of London, 1952 -- 8,000 fatalities

Damage from the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 was caused by the hurricane and resulting storm surge. This was the greatest natural disaster in terms of loss of life (12,000) in U.S. history.