GEO QUIZ 2 Try 2
Global temperature anomaly: the difference between current global temperature over 1850 to
1900
- Humans hadn’t so dramatically affected the climate
Current Global temperature anomaly: +1.3 degrees celsius
- Includes all locations
Last Ice Age - 6 degrees celsius cooler than today
- Global warming is measured in ice age units
- 1.3 degrees celsius/ 6 degrees celsius = 20% of the size of change since the ice age
In the future: warming by 2100: 2-3 degrees celsius most likely
CO2
- In 1750: 250 ppm
- In 2022: 415 ppm
- Almosy 50% increase
Other Greenhouse gasses
- Methane
- Nitrous oxide
- Increases as well
Global Warming caused by increase in greenhouse gasses in atmosphere
CO2Sources
1. Fossil fuel burning → coal, oil, natural gas
2. Deforestation
Feedbacks in the Climate System
- Positive feedback: process that is self enhancing
- Sound → sound picked up by microphone → sound amplified by speaker →
sound
- Negative Feedback: self limiting process
Global Temperature controlled by balance between positive and negative feedback
Water Vapor Feedback: as global temperature increases, water vapor in the atmosphere increases
(water vapor is a greenhouse gas)
- Water Vapor → increase in water vapor → less longwave radiation escapes → water vap.
Ice Albedo Feedback (high albedo, lighter color)
- Warming → melt arctic sea ice → reduce albedo → increase shortwave absorbed →
warming
Feedbacks
- Positive: self enhancing cycles
- Negative: self limiting process
Clouds
- Low clouds; flat, close to the surface
- High clouds; thin, high in the atmosphere
Cloud feedback
- Warming → less low clouds → increase in shortwave radiation → warming (+)
- Shortwave radiation reflected off of low clouds
- Warming → more high clouds → reduce outgoing longwave radiation → warming (+)
- Long wave radiation absorbed outgoing by high clouds
Radiation Feedback
- warming → increase energy carried by longwave → more heat lost → less warming
(negative feedback)
- Amount of energy in an object's radiation increases w/ temp.
- Increase in earth temp. Means more energy lost via longwave
Positive and negative feedback will eventually balance
CO2: 280 → 415ppm
Temp: 1.3 degrees celsius warming
Climate Sensitivity: increase in temp. When CO2concentration doubles – 2-4.5 degrees celsius
Emissions: amount of CO2added to atmosphere each year = 50 gigatons per year