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This Week: Future Climate Future CO 2 Forcing Climate Sensitivity – Feedbacks Natural Short and Long-term Forcings Global Warming Impacts
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Announcements See handout and website for details regarding paper and poster content Poster Sessions: March 12 and 13 in Mary Gates Commons 10:30 – 11:20 Monday March 17 8:30 AM, Final Exam, JHN 075 (here) Papers and descriptions of 3 other posters due Wednesday March 19
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Kaya Identity Model kaya identity model
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Future Atmospheric CO 2 One emission scenario Range of predictions suggest double pre-industrial by mid- century
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Stabilization Scenarios 2000 230021002200 What our emissions can be for different constant CO 2 levels. What do these tell us about future biosphere and ocean sinks?
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Committed to Warming: Time Response
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A Long View of Fossil Fuel Perturbation
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Climate Sensitivity-All about Feedbacks T = F is climate sensitivity parameter units: K “per” W/m 2 determined by feedbacks!
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Estimates of Climate Sensitivity T change for a 4 W/m 2 forcing (i.e. “double CO 2 ”) Most probable ~ 0.75 K/(W/m 2 )
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Announcements Get a handout on paper/poster guidelines Brian’s office hours today canceled, moved to Thursday 5-6pm My office hours are today, 3:30 – 4:30pm in 506 ATG
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Feedbacks Initial Forcing State Variable Process or coupling +/- + increases state variable - decreases state variable “feedback loop”
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Ice-Albedo Feedback Initial Forcing (e.g. GHG) Temperature Ice melts, dark soils exposed Example of a positive feedback + Albedo - + More solar radiation absorbed
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Water Vapor-Temperature Feedback Initial Forcing (e.g. GHG, solar radiation) Temperature + Water Vapor + + More evaporation, saturation vapor pressure increase Increased Greenhouse effect
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Atmosphere—Protector of the Oceans? water trap If H 2 O reaches top of atmosphere it is blown apart by UV radiation H atoms escape to space, never to return Probable cause for no H 2 O on Venus
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IR Flux-Temperature Feedback Initial Forcing (e.g. GHG) Temperature Example of a negative feedback + Outgoing IR flux increases + -
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Phytoplankton-DMS-Marine Cloud Feedback Initial Forcing (decreased clouds) Solar Radiation (Temperature) + Biogenic Sulfur Emissions + - Charlson, Lovelock, Andreae, Warren “C.L.A.W.” Hypothesis Photosynthesis + aerosols and cloudiness +
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Cloud Forcings and Feedbacks Low altitude thick clouds Stratus High altitude thin ice clouds Cirrus
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Aircraft emit particles (and particle precursors) which can nucleat clouds. This activity gives rise to a 1.Positive radiative forcing 2.Negative radiative forcing
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Aviation Contrails—Positive Forcing October 2004
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Clouds and Climate—a complex problem Cirrus: Not so reflective, but absorb and emit at cold T Low Clouds: Absorb IR but emit like warm surface. Reflective
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Clouds and Cloud Feedbacks Initial Forcing (e.g. GHG, solar radiation) Temperature + + Low Clouds + High Clouds + - + Atmosphere holds more water Uncertain! Increased greenhouse effect Albedo +
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Predicted Changes in Cloud Forcings IPCC 2007
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Sunspots – Cyclic Changes in Solar Output
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~11 year Sunspot Cycle
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Radiative Forcing by Solar Cycle
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The solar cycle forcing has increased from -0.1 to 0.2 W/m 2 since 1900. This forcing can explain ____ of 1 o C increase in global Avg. T since 1900 1.60 - 70% 2.40 - 50% 3.20 - 30%
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False Assertions: Sun – Global Warming Originally from WSJ Article written by two chemists named Robinson WRONG Solar Cycle WRONG T record
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False Assertions: Sun – Global Warming Correct cycle Laut 2003
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T Response After Major Eruptions
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Natural and Anthropogenic Forcings
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El Nino Southern Oscillation-ENSO
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Neutral Walker Circulation Neutral
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El Nino/La Nina State Flip-Flop
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El Nino/La Nina Circulation Patterns Very Strong El Nino Strong La Nina
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ENSO “Periodicity” El Niño years La Niña years
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El Nino Global Impacts
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El Nino Impact on Fish Normal El Nino
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Climate History
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18 O Ratios in Sediment and Ice Core
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Pleistocene Glacial and Interglacials Reconstruction of land and sea ice 21,000 years ago (last glacial maximum) February July
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Records of NH Glaciations Geological Records: glacial deposits, scarring, larger scale Cordilleran Ice Sheet Lake Missoula Spokane Floods (from Lake Missoula)
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Milankovitch—Before sediment cores Predicts glacial and interglacial transitions based on variations in Earth’s orbit His results suggested many such transitions in ~ 1 million yrs (he was right) —at the time, no observable records show that many, so his work widely criticized Milutin Milankovitch
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Milankovitch Continued “I do not consider it my duty to give an elementary education to the ignorant, and I have also never tried to force others to use my theory, with which no one could find fault.” While lacking patience for critics, he did not lack confidence Milutin Milankovitch
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Orbital Forcing Summary Eccentricity Tilt Precession IPCC 2007
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Orbital Forcing Summary Cartoon orbital forcings
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Currently NH summer takes place at aphelion, in about 12,000 years, NH summer will occur at perihelion. At this time, SH seasonality will be 1.stronger 2.weaker
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Solar Insolation at 65N and Glaciation
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Recent UW Research Time rate of change of ice volume and solar insolation
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The Key For Glaciation Solar insolation in NH summer appears to be key maintaining glaciation. Ice sensitive to melting! Initial Forcing Weaker NH summer insolation T - Albedo + - Ice Coverage + Positive Feedback— Destabilizing Climate Same old ice-albedo feedback, just different initial forcing
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Questions—In Class Activity 1.Given the behavior of CO 2 and CH 4 is there a positive or negative feedback with T? 2.Provide a feedback involving marine biota which might explain CO 2 ’s behavior. 3.Suppose marine biota are the cause of CO 2 ’s behavior, is this support for or against Gaia theory? 4.When’s the next glacial maximum? Do you think we’ll get there?
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Eccentricity: More to Less Circular
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Obliquity: More or Less Seasonality
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Precessional Cycle: Tilt and Eccentricity Current situation
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