Earth’s energy balance
Earth’s climate system
Glacial cycles
Natural variability
Volcanic eruptions
• Key terms:
– Radiation (long wave vs. short wave)
– Albedo
– Convection, conduction, latent heat
– Greenhouse effect
Earth’s Energy Balance
>400km
Exosphere
100-400km Thermosphere
50-85km Mesosphere
15-50km Stratosphere
0-15km Troposphere
Equator
Hadley
Cell
30˚S
60˚S
Ferrel
Cell
Polar Cell
• Key Terms
– Atmospheric layers (e.g. Troposphere and
Stratosphere)
– Hadley cell
– Oceanic currents
The Earth’s Climate System
Earth’s Energy Balance
Perihelion
Aphelion
22.1˚-24.2˚
23.5˚N
23.5˚S
Vega
13,000 years
Polaris
13,000 years
Sunspot
Plage
• Key terms:
– Milankovitch cycles
• Eccentricity
– Aphelion
– Perihelion
• Obliquity
• Precession
– Sunspots
• Plages
Glacial and Solar Cycles
The Earth’s Climate System
Earth’s Energy Balance
What is the difference between weather & climate?
1010
El NiñoSouthern
Oscillation
108
Seconds
(Year)
106
Tropical
Cyclones
(Week)
104
Thunderstorms
(Hour)
Tornadoes
102
(Minute)
100
Turbulence
104
Meters
108
Neutral
El Niño /
Warm event
La Niña /
Cool event
• Key terms:
– Weather vs. Climate
– El Niño-Southern Oscillation
– Scales: time and spatial
Natural Variability
Glacial and Solar Cycles
The Earth’s Climate System
Earth’s Energy Balance
H2O
CO2
SO2
H2
CO
H2S
HCl
HF
NOAA ESRL
Earth’s radiation is balanced through
incoming (solar) and outgoing (longwave)
radiation
The atmosphere plays a role through
greenhouse gases
Earth’s climate can be affected by changes
in the chemical composition of the
atmosphere and changes in solar radiation
• Broecker, Wallace S. 1991. The great ocean conveyor.
Oceanography 4(2): 79-89.
• Broecker, Wallace S. 1982. Glacial to interglacial changes in
ocean chemistry. Progress in Oceanography 11(2): 151-197.
• Kump, Lee R., James F. Kasting, and Robert G. Crane. 2010.
The earth system. Prentice Hall, San Francisco, U.S.A.
• McCormick, M. Patrick, Larry W. Thomason, and Charles R.
Trepte. 1995. Atmospheric effects of the Mt Pinatubo eruption.
Nature 373.6513: 399-404.
• [USGS] Unites States Geological Survey. Volcanic Gases and
Their Effects. Available from:
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hazards/gas/index.php (accessed
February 20, 2014).