Climate Change

Question 1

Climate vs. Weather

Answer 1

Climate - Statistical description of weather at a location over long periods of time
Weather - Current state of atmosphere w.r.t. temperature, precipitation, wind, sky cover

Question 2

What is the evidence for unequivocal human influence on the climate?

Answer 2

Global surface temperature increases from 1850-1900 (industrial revolution), unprecedented by natural causes over 1000’s of years

Question 3

How can climate data be acquired from hundreds/thousands of years ago?

Answer 3

Drilling into Antarctic ice cores - they hold small air bubbles that contain a sample of the atmosphere from thousands of years ago

Question 4

Other observations indicating changing climate

Answer 4

Increase in precipitation since ~1950

More severe weather events (floods, tropical storms, etc.)

Greenland + antarctic ice sheets decreasing

Higher ocean temperatures, higher sea levels

Question 5

Radiation balancing

Answer 5

The gases in the atmosphere let solar radiation in and absorb infrared radiation

Question 6

Current CO2 concentration in atmosphere vs. 1750

Answer 6

Today: 425 ppm
1750: 275 ppm