What is the relationship between increasing amounts of greenhouse gases and global climate change?
The basic fact is that our releasing of greenhouse gasses actually strengthens the atmosphere. This sounds incorrect but that’s because we don’t want our protective shell surrounding the planet to be too strong. The sun’s rays are coming through whatever shell we have. It’s the “getting back out” part that’s the issue. That heat that can’t in large part escape means warming up under the shell.
The week we saw a great cartoon clip about how that’s just what carbon does! It can’t help it.
Here is a link to a site that has great graphics to illustrate the greenhouse effect.
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-overview-interactive/
Imperfect understanding of climate feedbacks is a major cause of uncertainty and concern about global warming. How can the use of climate models help in the understanding of these uncertainties?
These mathematical models can be used to best guess the future. Instead of just going by instinct or rumor, models take, as many real variables into account to illustrate what will happen if certain things occur. These models can inform the public and they can also lead people to certain conclusions. For example, if we stop burning so much oil, we can use a much better model then if we don’t.
With regards to the six emission scenarios, describe any evidence existing today that would suggest to you one or more of the scenarios may occur within the next 100 years. What key uncertainties (climate forcings and feedbacks) would exist for these scenarios as a whole, or specific ones individually?
I would like to say that without any unexpected forcings or feedbacks, our climate will stabilize (scenario A1). At least it won’t get any worse!
But the reality is that we people on this planet have to organize and gain singular focus for this to happen. There is a lot standing in the way.
The models don’t talk about increases in war, starvation, disease and the like. So, I think we had better go back to the black board if we want to make it 100 more years!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Someone do something about GCC!
Which climate forcings and feedbacks are most prevalent in either your local area or in the United States as a whole and why might this be so?
The two most profound changes that we in the Boston (New England) area can expect are heat waves and coastal erosion. We have already begun to see this. Because of the political power of those with conflicts of interests (i.e. oil companies) we are made to feel unpatriotic at best, loony at worst, if we question weather an occurrence is indeed GCC related.
From the UCAR digital site:
Increased intensity, duration, and number of heat waves in cities historically prone to them; the elderly, whose proportion of the U.S. population is increasing, are most at risk (very high confidence)
Coastal areas: increased stress on people and property, due to climate change impacts interacting with development and pollution (very high confidence)
What resources have you located to help you and your students understand climate forcings and feedbacks?
http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/tp/globalwarmtips.htm
The above site is an example of helpful ways to deal with climate change. I do note that in many sites, the granddaddy of them all is missing. That is political change to force our leaders to do something about GCC. We can recycle our water bottles as much as we want, but if Big Oil controls the powers around us, there is not much hope for meaningful change. I am very optimistic. I just hope we change our governing dynamic before the damage from GCC is irreparable.
In addition, there are still questions about what is causing GCC. This NASA site
http://climate.nasa.gov/uncertainties/
would be a helpful location for my students to begin to feel the complexity of the issue. Yes,GCC is a certainty, but NO, it’s root causes have not been exhaustively proven.
The two most profound changes that we in the Boston (New England) area can expect are heat waves and coastal erosion. We have already begun to see this. Because of the political power of those with conflicts of interests (i.e. oil companies) we are made to feel unpatriotic at best, loony at worst, if we question weather an occurrence is indeed GCC related.
From the UCAR digital site:
Increased intensity, duration, and number of heat waves in cities historically prone to them; the elderly, whose proportion of the U.S. population is increasing, are most at risk (very high confidence)
Coastal areas: increased stress on people and property, due to climate change impacts interacting with development and pollution (very high confidence)
What resources have you located to help you and your students understand climate forcings and feedbacks?
http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/tp/globalwarmtips.htm
The above site is an example of helpful ways to deal with climate change. I do note that in many sites, the granddaddy of them all is missing. That is political change to force our leaders to do something about GCC. We can recycle our water bottles as much as we want, but if Big Oil controls the powers around us, there is not much hope for meaningful change. I am very optimistic. I just hope we change our governing dynamic before the damage from GCC is irreparable.
In addition, there are still questions about what is causing GCC. This NASA site
http://climate.nasa.gov/uncertainties/
would be a helpful location for my students to begin to feel the complexity of the issue. Yes,GCC is a certainty, but NO, it’s root causes have not been exhaustively proven.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)