Climate Science Flashcards
what is a time series?
A time series is a sequence of data points or observations collected or recorded at specific time intervals, typically at equally spaced time points.
what is an anomaly?
An anomaly is a departure of a climate variable (e.g., temperature) from a reference value, usually a long-term average over a defined reference period
name 2 common ways in which se surface temperature (SST) has been measured
and which method led to warmer readings?
- engine intake water
- buckets
engine intake water was a tenth of degree warmer on average
why is the northern hemisphere warmer?
because it has more land, which has a much lower specific heat capacity than water
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) defines climate as:
the 30-year average weather
BUT: the length of averaging to be confident in a long-term change depends on the variability
on a timeseries, what is a hiatus and a surge?
- Hiatus refers to a period within a time series where there is a temporary interruption or pause in the expected or typical trend or pattern.
- A surge in a time series refers to a sudden and significant increase or spike in the data values over a relatively short period.
why is the troposphere warming and the stratosphere cooling?
Troposphere gets warmer because it absorbs the heat from the earth (with the CO2 it contains), this means less heat will reach the stratosphere
Much like when you put a blanket on, you will get warmer but your room will cool down because you are no longer heating it
How do we understand the climate before we had instrumental measurements? provide examples
- Climate proxies
- A climate proxy is a measurable physical or biological indicator that provides information about past climate conditions.
- e.g. tree rings, ice cores, coral, pollen, fossils, sediment cores
what was the medieval warm period?
The Medieval Warm Period, also known as the Medieval Climate Anomaly, occurred roughly from around the 9th century to the 14th century (approximately 950 to 1250 AD).
During this period, parts of the Northern Hemisphere experienced relatively warmer temperatures compared to the preceding and succeeding centuries.
what was the ‘little ice age’?
The Little Ice Age was a cooler climatic period that occurred from roughly the 14th century to the 19th century (approximately 1300 to 1850 AD).
The LIA was characterized by colder temperatures, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, with periods of more frequent and severe cold spells, harsh winters, and glacial advances.
what are the 2 kinds of ‘natural variability’?
- “Internal” variability
Behaviour of Earth’s chaotic system
No long-term trend - Naturally “forced”
Changes in the sun (now getting dimmer), Earth’s orbit (shifts), volcanoes
Can cause long-term trend
advantages and disadvantages of climate proxies
Advantages:
Very long record (potentially millions of years)
Disadvantages:
Often respond to several climate variables in a complex way
May have low resolution (space & time)
Must be preserved (record may be biased or ‘overprinted’)
what were the reconstruction methods for these periods?
- 1979 onwards
- 1850s - present
- 1kyear
- 5 kyear
- 200 kyear
- 800 kyear
- 2Myears
- 1979 onwards = satellite measurements of global temperatures
- 1850s - present = surface thermometers in widespread use
upper air measurements since 1950s - 1kyear = written records
- 5 kyear = tree rings – most trees considerably younger!
-Coral - 200 kyear = ice cores, lake sediments, cave deposits, ice-rafted debris
- 800 kyear = ocean sediment cores
- 2Myears = Quaternary sediments, pollen, etc.
what do tree rings tell us?
Broadly: wide ring = warm days and sufficient water; narrow ring = stressful conditions (e.g., water shortage)
In detail: a mixture of conditions is recorded
depends on what a given tree requires for growth, and what is limiting
More sensitive to summer than winter temperature
Many properties of a ring can be measured
width, density of early wood, density and width of wood grown late in the season
isotope chemistry of the wood composition of the rainfall, rate of photosynthesis, etc.
in the 1960s what happens to tree ring data?
For reasons that are not yet understood, temperatures derived from tree rings started to diverge from measured temperatures
what is the CET? and when did it begin?
Central England Temperature (CET) from 1659 CE until present, so the longest climate record available in the world
what were some characteristics of the medieval climate anomaly?
- Limits of cultivation were higher on hills than in later centuries
- Vineyards in the UK
The upper tree line was higher than earlier or later times - Several periods of prolonged drought
-very narrow tree rings
-evidence suggesting a predominance of “anticyclonic” weather over Northern Europe
is sea level a reliable climate indicator?
Yes, it has a good correlation with reconstructed temperatures and is well recorded geologically
was the latest decade warmer than any multi-century period after the last interglacial, around 125,000 years ago?
yes
climate myth!:
Scientists in the 1970s predicted an ice age
This isn’t exactly a myth – it was a published result from prominent climate scientists, but the research was taken far out of context in media articles, and the consensus amongst scientists was that greenhouse warming was the bigger problem
(because of aerosols, which were delt with in the 80s, potentially preventing this ice age)
how does the mid-pliocene’s (3-3.3 million years ago) climate compare with today’s?
it had similar levels of CO2 (360-400ppm) but was much warmer (3.2 degrees warmer) and had a higher sea level (5-25m), scientists unsure why
how does the cenozoic era’s (last 66M years) climate compare with todays’s?
CO2 up to >5 times present day (7 times pre-industrial)
Reduced through silicate weathering etc.
Global temp. up to 8-10 °C higher than today during ‘Greenhouse’ times
Overall descent into ‘icehouse’
how do the stats of the mid-pliocene (3.3-3M years ago) compare to today’s?
- Atmospheric CO2 estimated to be 360-400 ppm (now 402-420ppm)
- Continental configurations were similar to present
- Many plant and animal species also exist today
- Orbital configuration similar to present (global mean insolation = –0.022 W m–2 relative to present)
- Global mean air temperature 3.2 °C warmer
- Sea level 5-25 m higher
High latitude ocean SSTs were 7 °C higher than 1850-1900 - Tree line 2000 km further north in Canadian Arctic
- High latitude air temperatures 10-20 °C higher
when did the current ice age begin?
The current ice age, known as the Quaternary glaciation, began approximately 2.58 million years ago during the Pleistocene epoch