ATM S 111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Keeling Curve, Outgoing Longwave Radiation, Energy
29 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
Ice age and hot climates of the past like the cretaceous. Weather varies from one day to the next. Climate: averages of the weather over a longer period of time. Both weather and climate can be predicted with some fidelity. Latitude, elevation (mountains, typography), proximity to oceans and large lakes, vegetation, ocean currents. 90% of the mass of the atmosphere is within 16km form the surface, so very thin. A very thin atmosphere means we can change atmospheric composition. Co2 measured at mauna loa, keeling curve first measured by david keeling. Human induced: 90% fossil fuels and 10% deforestation. We are at 400ppm now, natural variations over ice age cycles: 180 - 280 ppm. The sun heats the earth, greenhouse gases cause the. Its warmed 0. 9 degrees on the last 130 years. Northern high latitudes warmed the most and land is warmed more than oceans.
