Alan Robock Department of Environmental Sciences

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental Sciences

Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey USA

[email protected]

http://envsci.rutgers.edu/~robock

Climate Dynamics11:670:461

Lecture 2, 9/8/14

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

Sciences

Nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), and argon (Ar) make up for 99% of the atmosphere, but are not greenhouse gases.

Water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), ozone (O3), and nitrous oxide (N2O) are greenhouse gases.

A greenhouse gas absorbs infrared radiation, whichcreates molecular vibrationand bending.

Collisions transfer energy to heat the surrounding gas.

But, what is a “greenhouse gas” anyway?

Water vapor (H2O) vibration modes

http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/vibrat.html

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

Sciences

CCSM Climate “Forecasts”

(°C)

Produced by Gary Strand, NCAR

(°C)

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

Sciences

IPCC AR4, Chapter 1 Fig. 1.1

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

Sciences

Fig. 1.2

Bretherton Diagram

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

Sciences

Fig. 1.2

Bretherton Diagram

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

Sciences

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

Sciences

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

Sciences

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

Sciences

http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs_v3/Fig.A2.pdf

Recovery from volcanic eruptions

dominates

Tropospheric

aerosols mask warming(global

dimming)

Greenhouse gases

dominate

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

Sciences

Desire for improved well-being Consumpt

ion of goods and services

Impacts on

humans and

ecosystems

Climate change

CO2 in the atmosphe

re

Consumption of

energy

CO2 emissions

CO

NSER

VATI

ON

EFFICIENCY

LOW

-CARBON

ENERG

Y

SUFFER

ING

SOLA

R RA

DIA

TION

MAN

AGEM

ENT

CA

RB

ON

DIO

XID

E

REM

OVA

L

ADAPTATION

After Ken Caldeira

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

Sciences

Annual average surface air pressure. Interval 50 mb.

Fig. 2.1

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

Sciences

Fig. 2.1

Annual average surface air pressure. Interval 50 mb.

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

Sciences

Fig. 2.2

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

SciencesFig. 2.3

Annual mean900 mb

geopotential height (m)

Annual mean200 mb

geopotential height (m)

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

SciencesFig. 2.3

Annual mean900 mb

geopotential height (m)

Annual mean200 mb

geopotential height (m)

Alan RobockDepartment of Environmental

Sciences

Seasonal900 mb

geopotential height (m)

Fig. 2.4