Concern arises from two pieces of evidence o Increase in average surface temperature of the earth from 1860 to the

present o Increase in co2 concentration in the atmosphere Weather and Climate o Weather is whats happening now in the atmosphere near the earths surface o Climate is the average weather Atmosphere composition o Nitrogen 78% o Oxygen 21% o Argon 0.9% o Carbon dioxide 0.03% o Water Vapor o Trace amounts of other gases/pollutants Structure of the Atmosphere o Troposphere: bottom layer, where weather occurs o Stratosphere: Above the troposphere, contains ozone o Mesosphere

o Thermosphere Atmospheric Pressure o Decreases with altitude o Caused by the weight of overlying atmospheric gases Atmosphere moves due to o Earths rotation o Differential heating What makes the earth warm o All the energy from the sun o Reflects 30%, absorbs 25%, radiates back the rest 45% back to the atmosphere or to outer space. The Green House Effect o Absorb radiation emitted by the warmed surfaces of the earth and increases the temperature of the earths surface. o Water vapor o Carbon dioxide o Methane o Some oxides of nitrogen

o Evidence indicates that carbon dioxide, methane, and temperature rise and fall together Positive and Negative Feedbacks o Negative: warms temps warm air and lead to increased evaporation o Positive : Warms temps warm air and lead to increased evaporation but instead of clouds forming remain as water vapor Causes of climate change o 26,000 year: earth doesnt keep its poles at a constant angle in relation to the sun o 41,000 Years: the tilt of wobble also varies over a period of 41,000 years o 100,000 years: elliptical orbit around the sun also changes o The combination of these lead to periodic changes in the amount of sunlight reaching the earth. Natural causes o Solar cycles Atmospheric transparency affects climate and weather. o From the sun coming in o From the earths surface going out

 Oceans effect on climate change o Water has the highest hear capacity of any compound. o Ocean absorbs dissolved co2 o Climate system driven by ocean conveyor belt El Nino and climate o El Nio Is a specific periodic variation of pacific ocean currents o It trade-winds blow west across the tropical pacific. o Changes global atmospheric circulation o Western moving current weakens or reverses Forcasting climate Change o Empirical: to go back to the geological idea of uniformitarianism o Theoretical Effects of Global Warming o Changes in river flow o Rise in sea Level o Melt glaciers and Antarctic ice cap o Changes in Biological Diversity o Black guillemonts o Agricultural productivity globally