GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE AN OVERVIEW

Global Climate Change: Change in the long term weather patterns that characterize the regions of the world

Weather: the short-term (daily) changes in temperature, wind, and/or precipitation of a region influenced by the sun The sun heats the earth's atmosphere and its surface causing air and water to move around the planet. (I.e. Slight breeze or the formation of a tornado)

The Albedo Effect The reflectivity of the earth’s surface Cools the earth Reflection also caused by aerosols Small particles of dust, water vapour and chemicals in earth’s atmosphere Also cools the earth

Greenhouse effect A warming process that balances Earth's cooling processes. During this process, sunlight passes through Earth's atmosphere as short-wave radiation. Some of the radiation is absorbed by the planet's surface.

Greenhouse Effect (cont…) As Earth's surface is heated, it emits long wave radiation toward the atmosphere. In the atmosphere, some of the long wave radiation is absorbed by certain gases called greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N20), tropospheric ozone (O3), and water vapor

Greenhouse Gases carbon dioxide (CO2) Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC's) methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N20) tropospheric ozone (O3) water vapor

Why do we need G.G.’s? It maintains Earth's average temperature at approximately 60 degrees Fahrenheit. It keeps all Earth's heat from escaping to the outer atmosphere. Without the greenhouse effect, temperatures on Earth would be much lower than they are now, and the existence of life on this planet would not be possible.

Too much of a good thing? Too many greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere could increase the greenhouse effect resulting in an increase in mean global temperatures as well as changes in precipitation patterns.  

Changes in Climate Natural changes in climate usually occur over such long periods of time that they are often not noticed within several human lifetimes. This gradual nature of the changes in climate enables the plants, animals, and microorganisms on earth to evolve and adapt to the new temperatures, precipitation patterns, etc.

Then what’s the big deal about climate change? It lies in how rapidly the change occurs. Over the past 130 years, the mean global temperature has risen 0.6 to 1.2 degrees Fahrenheit (0.3 to 0.7 degrees Celsius). The increasing steepness of the curve suggests that changes in mean global temperature have occurred at greater rates over time. Further evidence suggests that future increases in mean global temperature may occur at a rate of 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.2 degrees Celsius) each decade.

Continued… Past changes occurred at much slower rates, and were spread out over long periods of time. This slow rate of change allowed most species enough time to adapt to the new climate. The current and predicted rates of temperature change, may be harmful to ecosystems because rates of T change are much faster than Earth's past. Many species of plants, animals, and microorganisms may not have enough time to adapt to the new climate & become extinct.

What does this mean for the current change? It may be more harmful to ecosystems because these rates of temperature change are much faster than those of Earth's past. Many species of plants, animals, and microorganisms may not have enough time to adapt to the new climate. These organisms may become extinct.

Conduction Convection Radiation