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Michael Wiescher
NSH 181
Bryce Frentz [email protected]
Additional speakers
to be identified!
http://isnap.nd.edu/Lectures/phys20054/
MacKenzie Warren [email protected]
24 class participants
24 students & 17 projects 2/3 students per project
Drastic Climate Change
Earth Climate
determined by : energy absorption, emission, and reflection
energy exchange through convective and radiative processes
Cloud formation, precipitation,
and ice
Ocean currents salinity and circulation
The Sun
Solar energy production
Energy emission
Sunspot activities
Luminosity variations
The dim long term future
Earth’s energy budget
Energy absorption
Spectral absorption
Energy reflection
Energy trapping
December-January-February
June-July-August
Spectral absorption
Atmosphere
Characteristics of atmospheric layers
Thermal structure of atmosphere
Chemical composition of atmosphere
Chemistry of atmosphere
Radiation trapping
Greenhouse effect
Condensation and Cloud Formation
Cumulus clouds Cumulonibus clouds Cirrus clouds Stratus clouds
Chemistry of the atmosphere
Historic evidence of sulfuric
acid emission in Greenland
and Antarctic ice cores
Dust and Aerosols Scattering of sun light
Absorption of energy
Chemical modification
20% natural sources (volcanoes, hot sulphuric springs)
80% anthropogenic sources (traffic, industrial pollution)
Krakatau eruption 535-536 AD
According to ancient records
“Pustaka Raya Purwa” splitting
Sumatra and Java!
“There was a sign from the
sun, the likes of which have
never be seen or reported
before. The sun became dark
and the darkness lasted for 18
months. Each day it shown for
about 4 hours and still this
light was only a feeble
shadow.” John of Ephesus,
Bishop of Syria
Volcanoes
Conversion of ejected gaseous SO2 into H2SO4
within six months
Increase of stratosphere temperature by ~4o,
decrease of temperature in hemisphere by ~0.2o.
OHSOHOHOHSO 24222 23
Philippines
Eyjafjallajökull March-June 2010
Iceland
350 Mtons of ash
Into Troposphere
9-10 km high
Air traffic shut down
Winds
Storms
Tornados
Origin and role of trade winds
and jet cycles
Atmospheric Motion
Ocean and Climate
Carbon cycle
Coupling ocean atmosphere
Heat storage
Heat transport
Salinity
Hydrological cycle
The Ocean Conveyor Belt
Ocean Currents
Primary Forces
Solar heating
Wind
Gravity
Coriolis
Wind driven surface water currents
Thermohaline circulation
Motors of the conveyor belt
10oC 3oC
Salinity in grams of salt
per kg of water
Why is Atlantic salinity locally higher
than the salinity of other oceans?
Why does water with high salinity sink?
Green House effect
Radiation Loss Imaging
(Atmospheric Infra-Red Sounder AIRS)
Heat Absorption Mechanism
The Carbon Cycle
The CO2 Distribution
The Milanković cycle – periodic natural variability
Periodic warm and cool periods (ice
ages) are explained by Milancović
as collective effects of eccentricity,
tilt and precession of earth’s axis!
Non-periodic changes: the little ice age
Climate Records in Corals and Tree Rings
Rings provide isotope & geochemical
tracers of climate and human impact!
Low salinity
Climate Records in Ice Cores Greenland Ice Core Project (GRIP) is a European funded initiative, which
obtained a 3029m deep ice core (down to the bedrock) covering about 100,000
years of climate past! Byrd Station refers to a research station established by the
United States in Antarctica, the Byrd core was 2164m to the bedrock.
Analysis of isotope ratios 18O, 13C etc
Molecules
SO2
CO2
Dust, particles, ashes
Climate History and paleoclimates
Climate Modeling
http://climatemodels.uchicago.edu/modtran/
Climate change and climate engineering
Climate change indicators
Increase in greenhouse gas emission
Increase in CO2 concentration
Global temperature increase
Increase in heat waves and drought
Change of precipitation rate
Decline of arctic sea ice area
Decline of high altitude glaciers
Carbon sequestration
CO2 capture
Ocean iron fertilization
Solar radiation management
Stratospheric sulfur aerosols
Space mirrors
Cloud reflectivity enhancements
phytoplankton
Summary of class topics
1. Solar radiation and the earth's energy budget
2. Radiative and convective energy transfer
3. Atmosphere and climate
4. Clouds and aerosols
5. Ocean and climate
6. Greenhouse effect
7. Ozone layer
8. History of the earth climate
9. Climate observations
10. Climate models
11. Climate change and climate engineering
12. Consequences of climate change
Projected Class Schedule Day Date Topic
Tuesday 01/13/15 Overview
Thursday 01/15/15 Project description
Tuesday 01/20/15 Solar Energy 1
Thursday 01/22/15 Solar Energy 2
Tuesday 01/27/15 Absorption 1
Thursday 01/29/15 Absorption 2
Tuesday 02/03/15 Absorption 3
Thursday 02/05/15 Energy Balance 1
Tuesday 02/10/15 Energy Balance 2
Thursday 02/12/15 Atmosphere 1
Tuesday 02/17/15 Atmosphere 2
Thursday 02/19/15 Clouds and Aerosols 1
Tuesday 02/24/15 Clouds and Aerosols 2
Thursday 02/26/15 Clouds and Aerosols 3
Tuesday 03/03/15 Repetition
Thursday 03/05/15 Mid-Term Exam
Tuesday 03/10/15 Springbreak
Thursday 03/12/15 Springbreak
Tuesday 03/17/15 Ocean and Climate 1
Thursday 03/19/15 Ocean and Climate 2
Tuesday 03/24/15 Ociean and Climate 3
Thursday 03/26/15 Climate Fluctuations
Tuesday 03/31/15 Climata Proxy 1
Thursday 04/02/15 Climate Proxy 2
Tuesday 04/07/15 Climate Proxy 3
Thursday 04/09/15 Paleo Climate 1
Tuesday 04/14/15 Paleo Climate 2
Thursday 04/16/15 Greenhouse Effect 1
Tuesday 04/21/15 Greenhouse Effect 2
Thursday 04/23/15 Presentations
Tuesday 04/28/15 Presentations
Syllabus Class Prerequisites
Math 10360 or 10560, & Physics concepts
Class Content
The course will focus on the description and analysis of the underlying physical and chemical processes
that define the earth climate. The course will present a short overview of the climate history of our planet
as indicated by modern techniques of climate recording.
Climate depends critically on the overall energy budget, which is balanced by solar energy and the
physical and chemical absorption and reflection processes in our oceans and atmosphere. The physics
and chemistry of these processes and the impact on climate balance and weather patterns will be
discussed. Global climate predictions require extensive mathematic modeling techniques. The underlying
principles will be presented.
The course will address questions related to observational evidence and possible consequences for
natural and anthropogenic climate change. This part will be discussed in student presentations.
Honor Code
All students should familiarize themselves with the Honor Code on the University’s website and observe its
provisions in all written and oral work, including oral presentations, quizzes and exams, and drafts and
final versions of essays.
Class Projects Anthropogenic Climate Changes 1. The economic consequences and opportunities of climate change
2. The Gilgamesh epos or agriculture in early Mesopotamian cultures 3. Ecological reasons for the abandonment of Maya cities 4. The ecological impact of the large Midwest forest clearing
5. Industrial revolution and the impact on global climate
6. Nuclear testing in the 1950-1960ies and the impact on the atmosphere
7. Consequences of tropical deforestation (Amazon, Indonesia, Congo Basin) 8. Reason and consequence of the ecological disaster of the Aral lake
9. Urban heat islands
Natural Climate Changes 10. Isotope Geology and the mapping of Earth’s climate
11. Chicxulub and the death of dinosaurs 12. Volcano eruptions and the consequences for global temperature
13. Sahara in pre-historic times 14. The role of the Amazon jungle for global climate
15. Noah’s Flood and the possible implications for Indo-Germanic migration
16. The little ice age and consequences for medieval life
17. The expansion of the Sahel zone
Textbook & grade information Textbook F. W. Taylor, Elementary Climate Physics, Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 0 19 8567340 D. Archer, Global Warming, Understanding the Forecast, Wiley, 2011, ASIN B00M3UMKGC
Supplementary Reading Material J. Marshall & R. A. Plumb, Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics, Elsevier, 2008, ISBN-13 978-0-12-558691-7 N. Mason & P. Hughes, Introduction to Environmental Physics, Taylor & Francis, 2002, ISBN 0 7484-0765-0 J. P. Peixoto & A.H. Oort, Physics of Climate, AIP & Springer Verlag, 1992, ISBN 0 88318-712-4 K. E. Trenberth, Climate System Modeling, Cambridge University Press, reprint 2009, ISBN 978-0-521-12837-7 Class Grades Weekly quizzes 10%; Homework 25%; Midterm Exam 20%; Final Exam 20%; class project 15%;participation 10%
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