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Climate and Weather David M. Hassenzahl ENV 206: Introduction to Climate Change
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Overview Weather and Climate defined Determinants of weather and climate Please read NASA’s Meteorology - Weather And Climate: A Condensed PrimerMeteorology - Weather And Climate: A Condensed Primer
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Relevant Course Objective Define climate and climate change, and explain how climate changes over time
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Weather The phenomena (temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind) occurring in the atmosphere at a given time The atmosphere consists of gases held close to Earth by gravity
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Climate Climate is the typical pattern of weather in a given place over an extended period of time (30 or so years) Temperature Precipitation Humidity Wind
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Precipitation Type –Rain, snow, fog, other Amount Distribution / Seasonality
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Temperature Average temperature Daily highs and lows Seasonal highs and lows
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Humidity and Wind Humidity –Percent of saturation Wind speed matters
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Winds Uneven heating and cooling lead to winds –Water – Land –Land – Land –North – South –Altitude Earth’s rotation drives winds –Coriolis effect (See video library)
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Climate and ecology Climate, along with geology, determines what sorts of plants, animals, and other life can live in a given place Humans have developed methods for controlling local climate –Heating and cooling –Building shelter
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Köppen Classification of Climates Tropical Dry Mild mid-latitude Cold mid-latitude Polar
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Examples of Climates: Desert Low rainfall (<250 mm / 10 in) per year Low humidity Often hot Mojave (Las Vegas) Sahara, Gobi Source: United States Geological Survey
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Examples of Climates: Tropical Rainforest 1750 – 2000 mm rain (68 – 78 inches) Year-round or monsoon rain High temperatures and humidity
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Tropical Rain Forest Source: NASA
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Examples of Climates Mediterranean Tundra Taiga Steppe
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Determinants of Climate Insolation Geography Ocean Atmosphere
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Insolation Aka sunlight Intensity (solar flux) –Watts per square meter Variability –Solar cycles –Solar flares and sunspots Angle of incidence –Earth’s tilt –Varies over time
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Source: NASA
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Earth Energy Balance Source: NASA
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Geography Land masses –Continents –Mountains Water bodies –Oceans –Seas and large lakes Altitude and latitude Albedo (reflectivity)
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North Pole Ice Source: NASA
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Ocean Ocean currents move hot and cold water around the globe Evaporation precipitation Cold air warms up over hot water Hot, humid air condenses, rains when cooled
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Why Europe is Warm wind direction Warm water flow Source: NASA
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The Atmosphere Source: NASA
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Atmospheric Gases Nitrogen – N 2 (~78%) Oxygen – O 2 (~21%) Argon – Ar (~1%) Water vapor (variable, averages 1%) “Trace gases” (parts per million / ppm)
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Parts per million Parts per million, or ppm As a fraction of volume –(Can also measure by mass) 1 ppm means one atom out of every 1,000,000 atoms in the atmosphere
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Trace Gases Include Carbon Dioxide – CO 2 –0.0390 % = 390 ppm Methane – CH 4 –1.79 ppm Nitrous oxide (N2O) –320 ppb Chlorofluorocarbons –~1 ppb Neon Helium Krypton Hydrogen Xenon Ozone Others
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Summary Weather is atmospheric conditions Climate is typical pattern of weather Climate is determined by –Insolation –Geography –Ocean –Atmosphere Next: How Climate Changes
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