lecture 9: climate change and land use change

greenhouse gases

gases that absorb infrared radiation and re-emit infrared radiation, trapping more of it in the atmosphere instead of allowing it to radiat to space

land use change

indirectly changing carbon emissions to the atmosphere by changing how humans use land and therefore how the carbon cycle operates in those locations

deforestation

carbon source

reforestation

carbon sink

climate model

models that link data to physical processes, allowing us to predict future climates - simulate physical processes affecting radiation, mass, heat, in ocean, and land surface

positive feedback (destabilizing)

x changes, causing y to change, causing x to change further

ice feedback

positive: warming, ice melts, lower albedo (less reflective), more sunlight absorbed, more warming

vegetation feedback

positive: warming, more tree mortality, more CO2 in atmosphere due to decomposition, more warming

cloud feedback #1

positive: warming, more high altitude clouds, absorb more infrared radiation (heat), more warming

negative feedback (stabilizing)

x changes, causing y to change, causing x to change back towards its original value

radiation

negative: warming, more IR radiation emitted, more cooling

cloud feedback #2

negative: warming, more tropical low elevation clouds, more sunlight reflected to space, more cooling

RCP

Representative Concentration Pathway: RCPs are greenhouse gas concentration scenarios used in climate modeling to predict future climate impacts based on different emission levels.

Phenology

changes in timing of seasonal events relating to organisms