Jason Hamilton Thomas J. Pfaff

Glacier Pair Images ier_then_now.pdf

A Look at Global Temperature T(x)=0.0005x x F T’(x)=0.001x F/year x years after 1950 T(58)= F and T’(58)= F/year In 2008 the average global temperature was deg F and increasing at a rate of deg F per year. - Now Ask a Question About This-

National Academies Report: Climate Change The rising temperature observed since 1978 are particularly noteworthy because the rate of increase is so high and because, during the same period, the energy reaching the Earth from the Sun had been measured precisely enough to conclude that Earth’s warming was not due to changes in the Sun. -March 2006

Temperature Predictions T(100)=61.60 F and T(150)=67.61 F The model predicts that in 2050 the average temperature will be 61.6 deg F, and in 2100 it will be deg F, an increase of 3.49 and 9.48 deg F, respectively, since –Now Ask a Question About This-

More Temperature Predictions Using T’(58)=.0528 F/year If global temperatures continue to increase at current rates, then by 2050 there will be an increase of 2.61 deg F and by 2100 there will be an increase of 5.24 deg F since The average global temperature in those years will be and 63.37, respectively.

-National Academies Report on Climate Change (March 2006)

Summary of Sea Ice 1980 Max: msk, x=2.59 Min: 7.86 msk, x=8.79 Inf: msk/month, x=6.44 Melt Period: 6.20 months 2008 Max: msk, x=2.26 Min: 5.40 msk, x=8.80 Inf: msk/month, x=6.77 Melt Period: 6.54 months

Who Cares?  Heat content of atmosphere & hydrosphere  Air Temperature &  Water Temperature  Ice

Spatial Extent? Thickness? Timing of thaw? Timing of re-freeze? Ice characteristics?

January Sept March June Thaw Freeze Shrink Grow Males

January Sept March June Thaw Freeze Den Females Leave den Cubs Mate

So Who Cares? We Do. ?

Questions? Jason: Tom: Partly supported by NSF DUE