EARTHSS 15 Midterm: Midterm 2 Study Guide
12 May 2017
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Document Summary
Traditionally, we tend to think of earth"s global surface temperature as the iconic indicator of climate change. However, in a new perspective piece in nature climate change, scientists argue that there is a more fundamental measure of climate variability and the rate of global change: earth"s energy imbalance. All the energy that enters or leaves the climate system does so radiatively at the top of earth"s atmosphere (figure 1). Under an equilibrium climate, the solar radiation absorbed by the earth is balanced by emitted longwave radiation. Increased greenhouse gases reduce the emitted longwave radiation and give rise to earth"s energy imbalance, leading to excess solar energy accumulating in the climate system. Observations and climate model simulations show that the vast majority of the excess energy accumulating in the climate system goes into warming the oceans (figure 2). So measuring the rate of ocean heating is essential to monitor the rate of global climate change.
