1. Global Changes in Climate
Atmospheric effect
Global Changes in Climate

4. Fig 9

6. Redistributing Energy from the Sun

7. Differential heating of Earth

8. Insolation

9. Temperature at Surface

10. Fig. 8C.

12. Evaporation minus Precipitation

13. Circulation Effect on Energy Balance

14. Wind-driven surface ocean circulation

15. Salinity at Surface

16. Density of Water Ocean is stratified
Density increases with increasing salt content
Density increases with decreasing temperature
Temperature and salinity are set at the surface and are “conserved” in the deep ocean
The ocean’s deep waters are COLD and thus deep waters were last at the surface at high latitudes
At high latitudes, cooling is important for increasing water density and sending it to the bottom
The “great ocean conveyor” acts as a giant heat pump in the Northern Atlantic

17. Fig. 14.6A

20. Atmosphere-Ocean Organization
ENSO
NAO

21. Normal State of the Pacific
Fig. 18.

22. El Niño State of Pacific
Fig. 19.

23. Ocean Response to Atmospheric Circulation
Fig. 7.
Winds cause a general westward motion of tropical surface waters
Winds also cause the warmest waters to “pile up” at the western Pacific (western Pacific warm pool)

24. El Niño, after Ropelewski and Halpert 1987, MWR, 1606-1626.
Regions with consistent precipitation anomalies associated with
El Niño, after Ropelewski and Halpert 1987, MWR,

25. NAO+
NAO-

26. 11

27. Natural Causes of Climate Change on Long Timescales

28. Geometry of Earth’s
orbital variations and tilt

29. 60°N summer insolation minima coincide with glaciations

30. The Carbon Cycle
Fig

33. Plate Tectonics

34. Modern distribution of continents
Pangaea ~250 Ma
Modern distribution of continents

35. Before uplift
After uplift

36. Effect of uplift on climate

37. d18O
d13C 10 20 30
Age
(Ma) 40 50 60 70
Zachos et al., 2001

38. Inferring climate change far back in time
Proxies
Inferring climate change far back in time

39. What would we like to know?
Temperature
Rainfall
Evaporation
Seasons
Winds
Ocean currents
Deep ocean overturning