GOPH 375 Lecture : Chapter 11.docx
Document Summary
Global warming potential: ability of each gas to trap heat. Tipping point: when small changes produce a large effect. Hydrological cycles are not the cause of the ice age because the cycles determine climate but have nothing to do with ice ages. Cycles happen all the time, ice ages only happens for periods of time. At one point in time we were not in an ice age and h cycles still existed. Drill through polar caps in mars, compare to earths, to see how sun effects climate variation. Usually trade winds push warm water to the west side of the pacific. Ocean (tropics/rain/jungle), leaving cold water on the east side (deserts). Every few years surface currents and winds reverse producing heavy rain in deserts: fig 11. 8 lasts 6-18 months as low latitude (tropical) conditions, largest was 1997-98: drought, fires, cyclone, flooding, snow, tornadoes.
