Some climate principles

Illumination of the earth by the sun: 1. More heat received at the equator than at the poles 2. Solid earth receives more heat by radiation than it radiates back RESULT: CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSPORT FROM EQUATOR TO POLES THROUGH AIR AND OCEANS

To go from atmospheric CO 2 concentration change to climate change, we need to know the climate sensitivity parameter,. The common approach is:  T s =  F  or  F/  T s = 1/ where  F is the ‘radiative forcing’ caused by the increased CO 2 concentration. The value of  F can be calculated from the increase in CO 2 concentration using the deBeers law.  T s is the change in the surface temperature of the earth We can solve for by taking the first derivative of Boltzman’s Law F =  T s 4 or dF/dT s = 4F/T s leading to a value of 0.3 K/Wm -2. This approach is the most fundamental response function and uses zero climate feedbacks! Most climate modellers use 0.5 K/Wm -2, incorporating various positive and negative feedbacks.