1. Climate Change

2. What Controls Climate and Weather in Earth's Atmosphere?
Air/Water
Energy (unequal)
Earth’s Spin (this is responsible for the Coriolis Effect)
Topography (mountains, canyons, ocean/shorelines, etc)
The different ways that continents, oceans, and ice interact with solar energy.

3. Energy Remember the “ENERGY IN = ENERGY OUT” What is the ENERGY IN?
Solar Radiation
What is the ENERGY OUT?
Reflection and long-wave radiation from Earth

4. The Greenhouse Effect Good or Bad? Major Green house gases H2O – water
CO2 - Carbon Dioxide
CH4 - Methane

5. Does Earth’s Climate Change?

6. What Could Cause the Earth’s Climate to Change?
Changes in the Energy
Changes in Earth’s Spin (this isn’t likely)
Change the amount of energy absorbed or refelected.
Changes in Topography

7. Changing Climate Changes in the Energy
Can change because of the Milankovitch Cycles: periodic changes in the orbit and tilt of the Earth.

8. Changing Climate Changes in the Energy
The Solar Cycle: cyclical changes in the amount of energy released from the sun.

9. Changing Climate Adding or Removing Greenhouse Gases
Changes in the Energy
Milankovitch Cycles
The Solar Cycle
Changes in the Greenhouse Effect
Adding or Removing Greenhouse Gases

10. Changing Climate Change the amount of energy absorbed or reflected.
Changes in Energy
Changes in the Earth’s Spin (this isn’t likely)
Change the amount of energy absorbed or reflected.
Positive Feedback Loops: an event causes another event, which reinforces that initial event.
Example: Ice-Albedo Feedback
Changes in Topography
Accomplished by plate tectonics

11. Is Climate Changing Today?
Global average air temperature is increasing
Global average ocean temperature is increasing
Glaciers worldwide are retreating.
Ecosystems are shifting.
Sea level is rising.

12. Is the Climate Changing Today?

13. What is Causing Today’s Change
Possible Causes
Changes in Milankovitch Cycles …. Takes thousands of years
The Solar Cycle …. Years to millions of years
Changes in the Greenhouse Effect …. Years to million f years
Plate Techtonics …. Millions of years

14. What is Causing Today’s Change
Solar Cycle: Temperature change is probable not caused by the solar Cycle.

15. What’s Causing Today’s Change
Changes in the Greenhouse Effect
CO2 is increasing

16. Changing Greenhouse Effect
Where are these gases coming from?
Think about the Carbon Cycle
Carbon is increasing in the atmosphere
Carbon is increasing in the ocean
Carbon is increasing in living plants (despite deforestation)
So where is all of that carbon coming from?
Increased combustion of fossil fuels

17. What Does it All Mean
Most scientists now conclude that the changing climate on the Earth is, at least in large part, being caused by human activity.

18. Potential Impacts Disease: Ecosystems: Agriculture: Biodiversity:
Diseases (mostly tropical) can spread to other areas
Ecosystems:
Floods, Droughts, Melting, Shifting ecosystems
Agriculture:
Reduced crop yields
Biodiversity:
Decrease
Others: