1. Climate and Weather Suzana J. Camargo

2. Weather

4. Climate - Temperature

5. Seasons

6. Climate - Precipitation

7. What happened in December 2004?

9. Temperatures – December 2004

10. IRI Forecast for MJJ 2005

11. Why forecasts? Water Management Health Agriculture Populations Fisheries Economy

12. How do we measure temperature and precipitation? Surface Data – over land: station data – temperature, pressure, humidity, cloud cover, rate of precipitation… 60 stations in 1875 7000 stations inn 2005

13. Balloons Rawinsonde – meteorological device attached to a balloon that measures: temperature, pressure, humidity, winds at various altitudes After World War II – launched by plane twice daily at the major airports

14. Radar data

15. Satellite Data

16. How do we know about past climates? PALEOCLIMATOLOGY: Study of the climate when records of temperature, precipitation were NOT available. PROXYS: records of climate preserved in different elements of nature

17. Historical Data Historical documents contain information about past climates. Examples: farmers’ logs, travelers’ diaries, letters, newspapers. Historical grape harvest dates used to reconstruct summer temperatures in France 1370-1879

18. Corals – sea temperature

20. Coral reefs areas

22. Fossil Pollen All flowering plants produce pollen grains. Different plants produce different types (shapes) of pollen. Pollen is well preserved in sediment layers of ponds, lakes and ocean. Each layer: which plants were growing at that time.

23. TODAY 18,000 years ago

24. Tree-Rings Tree growth is influenced by climatic conditions. Patterns in tree rings: width, density, composition reflect variations in climate. Temperate climates: distinct growing season. Trees: hundred of years old – record of climate in centuries to millennia.

25. Locations of tree-rings studies

26. Tree-rings information from different sources:

28. Drought in tree-ring records DROUGHT

29. ICE CORES Ice accumulated from snowfall over thousands of years in high mountains and polar ice caps. Scientists drill through deep ice to collect ice cores. Ice cores contain air bubbles, dust, different elements that can be used to interpret past climate.

30. Vostok temperature record Present climate 250,000 years ago

32. Ocean core sediments Billions of tons of sediments accumulate on the ocean floor yearly. Scientists drill the ocean floor to obtain sediment cores. Sediments include fossils and chemicals that are used to interpret past climates.

37. Why should we study past climates ?

39. Global Warming

40. Green House effect

41. Can we do anything to stop? YES!!