1. Climate Changes
By: Carlos Cedeño

2. Main Objective
Describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate.
Discuss the causes of climate change and how they vary by time scales
The time scales range from 1-10 years to millions of years
Climate change is determined empirically through changes in surface temperatures, precipitation patterns, glacial ice volumes, sea levels, and biosphere distribution

3. Climate and Weather
Weather is what’s happening now or over some short time period (hour, day, week) in the atmosphere near the ground
The temperature, pressure, cloudiness, precipitation, and winds
It is raining today in Valencia is an example of weather
Climate is the average weather and usually refers to average weather conditions over long periods (seasons, years or decades)
Venezuela has hot weather throughout most of the year is an example of climate
Climate can also be determined by altitude and how near to the coasts they are

4. Changes to Regional Climate (Global)
Tectonic events
Earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis (associated with earth movements)
Ocean circulation
Covers 71% of planet. Large scale movements of waters in the ocean basins.
Volcanic activity
Gases and dust particles thrown into the atmosphere
Glaciers
Can observe historic climates and know about past ice ages
Melting more and more, this raises the volume of the oceans and releases held gases
Vegetation
Covers 20% of planet. They absorb and emit energy
They process and release water vapor necessary for cloud formation
Human activities
Burning fossil fuels
Currently most impacting on climate

5. Changes to Earth’s Global Climate Systems
Changes in the sun’s energy output or Earth’s orbit
Solar cycles (radionuclides show if sun was hotter or colder)
Increasing sunspots increase heat but earth should be cooler
Earth’s orbit affect climate in long term right now there is less solar output
Also Determined by
Electromagnetic radiation from the sun (sunlight)
This is what warms the earth through the greenhouse effect
The Earths:
Reflection
Absorption
Storage and redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and land systems
This energy’s re-radiation into space

7. 1-10 years Large volcanic eruption
Gases and dust particles thrown into the atmosphere
Also releases CO2
Other gases that increase the greenhouse effect
Can also release dust that may cause cool climate below the cloud
Some volcanoes have particles that reflect sunlight and may cause cooling since less sunlight comes in
Mostly are short term only really big eruptions can change climate drastically
Ocean Circulation
Wind drives surface circulation while the cooling and sinking of waters in the polar regions drive deep circulation
Water has the highest heat-storage capacity of any compound
Ocean conveyor belt (northward movement)
El Niño

8. 10-100s of years Changes in human activity Ocean circulation
Increase in greenhouse gases
Burning of fossil fuels
From the Industrial Revolution
Ocean circulation
Oceans also absorb a lot of the CO2 on earth and water becomes acidic
El Niño and climate. The upward current form Peru stops and circulation stops. Every seven years and affects global climate
Solar output
Solar cycles (radionuclides show if sun was hotter or colder)
Increasing sunspots increase heat but earth should be cooler

10. 10-100s of thousands of years
Changes to Earth’s orbit
This goes through a long term cycle
Changes from an almost circle to an oval shape
Planet is sometimes closer to earth receiving more heat
Earth’s orbit affect climate in long term right now there is less solar output
The orientation of Earth’s axis
This also goes through a long term cycle
Taking approximately 41,000 years to shift between a tilt of 22.1° and 24.5° and back again.
When it increases the sun during summers is more and during winter its less
The opposite happens when the tilt decreases

11. What this causes
This have altered the intensity and distribution of sunlight falling on the earth
These phenomena cause a cycle of ice ages
Gradual climate changes.

12. 10-100s of million of years
Long-term changes in atmospheric composition
Earths first atmosphere had a composition similar to that of gases of the planetary nebula
Earths second atmosphere was when things cooled down and water started condensing and with rain oceans were formed
Earths third atmosphere was when Monocellular life proliferated with little oxygen, here the luminosity of the sun increased by 85%
This is also when lots of oxygen got released
Now our present atmosphere came to be
This marked the abundance of multicellular life
Most of the major groups of animals first appeared at this time
Vegetation covered the surface of the Earth, and oxygen accounted for 30% of the atmosphere
Earth’s future atmosphere look like it will be filled with lots of fossil fuel gases

13. Human Activity
Changes in the atmosphere due to human activity have increased carbon dioxide concentrations and thus affect climate.
Destroying forests
The most impacting is burning fossil fuels

14. Summary
Climate changes are hard to study since climate changes constantly
Climate can be seen in different time scales to understand it better
Causes of climate change can be natural or caused by human activity
Climate is greatly affected by human activity and people ignoring the reality of global warming
Climate never stops changing and unexpected natural events can also change the climate drastically
The current climate problem should be looked into and everyone should try to change and be more conscious

15. Questions?

16. Quiz Time

17. What is Climate?
Climate is the average weather and usually refers to average weather conditions over long periods (seasons, years or decades)

18. What is the most impacting cause for climate change right now?
Human Activity

19. Where is climate hotter on earth?
Near the equator

20. Do volcanoes cool or warm up the earth?
They actually do both

21. What is the famous phenomenon in ocean circulation that affects climate?
El Niño

22. Why does the sun’s energy output change?
Solar Cycles and Earth’s orbit around it

23. How was the ocean circulation called?
Conveyor Belt

24. How were the Earth’s different orbit around the sun called?
Milankovitch Cycles

25. What does El Niño cause?
Droughts and Floods

26. Is global warming real?

27. THANK YOU!