Global Ozone Project
Curriculum
Climate Change/CO2
Rev 10
Brian Carpenter, Jessa Ellenburg and John Birks
Learning Objectives
At the end of this lesson students
should be able to:
• Define and compare both weather and
climate.
• Describe the greenhouse effect and how it
warms the Earth.
• Describe the different sources of CO2
emissions, both natural and anthropogenic.
• Discuss some of the projected effects of
rising CO2 concentrations.
Global Ozone Project
Curriculum
Part 1:
Weather vs. Climate
Weather
People have long been fascinated with the weather.
How often have
your travels
been delayed
because of the
local weather
conditions?
Rain storm in Fog Dam Conservation Reserve, Northern
Territory, Australia.
Weather Maps
Local weather data is
obtained from a large
array of surface
weather stations and
are then plotted as
surface weather
maps. This aids us in
visualizing,
measuring and
predicting local
weather patterns.
Weather
Predicting the weather is extremely challenging
Snow and ice storm showing effect on power
lines.
In fact, we are
only able to
accurately
forecast the
weather for up to
about three days
in advance.
Certainty
A fact or truth that is absolutely certain must be
unquestionably established and without error.
Meteorologists are
fundamentally limited in their
ability to predict the weather.
Due to the immense complexity
and variability in the
atmosphere, they can never be
completely certain.
Chaotic Weather
Weather is difficult to predict because it is chaotic!
1
2
Chaos Theory
describes a state of
utter confusion or
disorder
3
Edward Lorenz wrote in his
landmark paper on chaos in 1963,"... if
the theory were correct, one flap of a
seagull's wings would be enough to
alter the course of weather forever".
Weather vs. Climate
What is Climate?
Climate
• Climate is the long term average of weather
conditions.
• Climate is more predictable than weather,
because many of the large fluctuations that are
inherent in weather are averaged out in
climate.
Climate
The climate of a given region is
characterized by the averages
over time of weather data,
such as humidity, wind speed
and direction, atmospheric
pressure, and precipitation.
(Click on the image to loop through the
seasons) Monthly mean temperatures
averaged over 1961-1990. This shows how
one aspect of climate varies with location
and season.
These averages are affected by
multiple factors including
latitude, altitude, type of
terrain, and proximity to
water.
Global Ozone Project
Curriculum
Part 2:
The Greenhouse
Effect
The Greenhouse Effect
To understand climate change, we first need to
understand the Greenhouse Effect
Solar Radiation
Earth receives nearly all
of its energy from the
sun and the constant
incoming solar radiation
that it provides.
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Radiation
Everything on Earth, including humans, emits radiation!
The wavelength of the
radiation depends on
the temperature of the
object, the Blackbody
Temperature.
Black body emission at visible
wavelengths emanating from molten
lava in Kilauea, Hawaii.
Infrared Radiation
Thermogram (infrared image) of a house in false
color. All objects emit thermal radiation, the
intensity increasing with higher temperatures. In
this image you can see where energy is escaping
through the windows, roof top and eves.
Full Body Thermogram
Can be used to diagnose a
variety of diseases.
Infrared Radiation and Blackbody Earth
The Earth is constantly emitting longwave
(infrared) radiation toward the atmosphere!
Albedo
The albedo of an object is the extent to which it reflects radiation. This is
why different regions of the earth reflect radiation at varying intensities.
Earth’s Temperature
The blackbody temperature of the Earth is
about –18°C = -.4°F
This is what the temperature of Earth would
be without an atmosphere.
However, the gases in our atmosphere trap heat radiating from the
earth, warming our average surface temperature to about 15° C = 59° F
Why is the average surface temperature of the Earth so much
warmer than the blackbody temperature?
Answer: The “Greenhouse Effect”
Frozen Earth
Without the atmosphere and greenhouse gases like
CO2, Earth would be a very cold, frozen rock.
Radiation and the Greenhouse Effect
Picture the Earth as
a barren rock, with
no atmosphere or
greenhouse gases.
If there were no greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere, all of
the Earth’s heat (radiation)
would escape into space!
The Greenhouse Effect
Now picture the barren rock Earth
surrounded by an atmosphere and
greenhouse gases.
Some of the Earth’s radiation is absorbed in the atmosphere by
greenhouse gases. Of the energy absorbed by the atmosphere, some
escapes to space, and some is radiated back, heating Earth’s surfaces.
This is the Greenhouse Effect!
The Greenhouse Effect
What are some other examples of the greenhouse effect?
Global Ozone Project
Curriculum
Part 3:
Greenhouse Gases
The Gases in Our Atmosphere
Greenhouse Gases
• Greenhouse gases are
special because they absorb
energy (radiation) of the
wavelengths (longwave)
emitted by the Earth.
Which gases do this?
• In general, any atmospheric
gas that is relatively
transparent to the Sun’s
energy but absorbs the
Earth’s energy.
Greenhouse Gases
Greenhouse gases in order of energy trapping
impact:
1. Water vapor
Humans are increasing the
2. Carbon dioxide
concentrations of #’s 2 - 7!
3. Tropospheric ozone
4. Methane
5. CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs
6. Nitrous Oxide
7. Other Minor Compounds
What is CO2?
• A colorless, odorless gas
produced from both
natural and human
(anthropogenic) sources
• An important component
of Earth’s atmosphere
because it absorbs and
emits infrared radiation,
thereby playing a large
role in the greenhouse
effect.
Chemical Structure of C02:
Two Oxygen atoms
attached to one Carbon
atom
The Carbon Cycle
Top Natural Source of CO2: Respiration
Bacterial Respiration in Soils,
etc.
Bacterial Respiration During
Animal/Plant Decay
Top Anthropogenic Sources of CO2
1
Burning Fossil Fuels
This is the primary anthropogenic
source of CO2 in the atmosphere.
2
Land Use Changes
Deforestation destroys forests that
would have otherwise absorbed CO2
from the atmosphere. Slash and
burn agriculture is a double
whammy, it destroys forests, but also
releases CO2 when the forests are
burned.
Burning of Fossil Fuels: Anthropogenic Source of CO2
This graph displays the
different sources of
anthropogenic CO2
emissions and how they
have increased from
the year 1800 to 2000
The Atmospheric CO2 Record
Global Ozone Project
Curriculum
Part 4:
Global Climate
Change
Global Climate Change
Given that temperature is just one aspect of
climate, many scientists prefer the term
"Global Climate Change“ (rather than “Global
Warming“) to describe the effects of
increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases
on our climate and atmosphere.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
All of the following slides on global climate change are based
on, and consistent with, the topics discussed within the IPCC
Fourth Assessment Report (AR4).
In the AR4, scientists have found and agree that:
• Warming of the climate system is unequivocal (unquestionable).
• Most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since
the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in
anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations.
– Very likely means "the assessed likelihood, using expert judgment" is over
90%.
How Do We Know the Atmosphere is Warming?
The Global Temperature Record
Global Temperature Anomalies in Celsius
Further evidence that temperatures are rising.
Evidence of Climate Change
•Sea level rise
•Warming oceans
•Shrinking ice sheets
•Declining Arctic sea ice
•Glacial retreat
•Increase in extreme events
•Ocean acidification
Sea Level Rise (1880 – 2000)
Sea Level Rise
If sea levels were to rise four feet – within the range of end-of-century projections for the New
Orleans, Louisiana region – much of New Orleans and many of the highways would be under water.
Declining Sea Ice
Glacial Retreat
Retreat of Greenland's Helheim Glacier from
2001 to 2005 (image from 2005 is on the top).
The glacier is on the left and is retreating from
right to left.
Glacial Retreat
Mount Kilimanjaro 1993
Mount Kilimanjaro 2000
Ocean Acidification – Coral Bleaching
Changing Planet Video Series
Learn more about
our changing
planet in these
videos.
Click Here!