1 / 25

What is the Greenhouse Effect?

What is the Greenhouse Effect?. How is the temperature of the Earth maintained?. What is the Carbon Cycle?. The Earth’s Energy Balance. Greenhouse effect Our atmospheric gases trap and return a major portion of the heat radiating from the Earth. It is a natural, necessary process.

gin
Download Presentation

What is the Greenhouse Effect?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. What is the Greenhouse Effect? How is the temperature of the Earth maintained? What is the Carbon Cycle?

  2. The Earth’s Energy Balance Greenhouse effect Our atmospheric gases trap and return a major portion of the heat radiating from the Earth. It is a natural, necessary process. 3.1

  3. Data in watts

  4. The infrared spectrum for CO2 Wavenumber (mm–1) =1______ wavelength (mm) 3.4

  5. Climate Forcing/FeedbackHow does Earth stay Comfortable for Us? • Gaia Hypothesis • Biological and Physical Processes Produce Homeostasis • Negative is Good – Feedback control • Positive is Bad – Oscillate out of control

  6. http://www.southtexascollege.edu/nilsson/4_GB_Lecture_figs_f/4_GB_16_Homeostasis_Fig_f/Homeostasis_TempControl.GIFhttp://www.southtexascollege.edu/nilsson/4_GB_Lecture_figs_f/4_GB_16_Homeostasis_Fig_f/Homeostasis_TempControl.GIF

  7. http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/met130/notes/chapter16/graphics/neg_feed.free.gifhttp://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/met130/notes/chapter16/graphics/neg_feed.free.gif Edited DEH

  8. http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/met130/notes/chapter16/graphics/pos_feed.free.gifhttp://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/met130/notes/chapter16/graphics/pos_feed.free.gif

  9. Ice-Albedo Positive Feedback Temperature increases Less Ice on Surface More Solar Energy Absorbed and less Reflected – Albedo lower

  10. The carbon cycle 3.5

  11. CO2 emission sources by end use: 3.5

  12. Ways to reduce CO2 Emissions • Where is the Biggest Target? • Where are the Easy Targets?

  13. Ways to reduce CO2 EmissionsPower Sector • Energy Efficiency – use less • Switch from Coal to Natural Gas -50% red. • Renewable Energy • Solar electric • Solar Thermal • Wind – driven by solar heating of earth • Hydropower – related to solar • BioFuels – solar energy capture • Plant based • Algae based

  14. Combined Heat and Power • Use “waste heat” • 90-95% total efficiency 1/3 the CO2 • Over 200 College and University systems • Yale 60 Megawatt • Electricity • Steam and hot water

  15. How do scientists study climate? • Collect data, historical and paleo- • Consider physical mechanisms at work • Develop models and test them • Limitations of science • Can’t prove a positive • Eliminate possibilities • What remains is accepted

  16. Why is there still a ? • Correlation does not PROVE Causation • Climate Models (GCM’s) Still Imperfect • Cloud Impacts Undertain • Wishful Thinking

  17. Climate Models are used to predict annual global mean surface temperatures. Test Models with Historical Data Blue bands = predicted temperature range using natural processes Pink bands = temperature range including human influence Black line= observed temperature 3.9

  18. Models can also be used to predict future global temperatures. Black line = data for the 20th century Other lines = projected 21st century temperatures based on different socioeconomic assumptions 3.9

  19. Limitations of Models • Assume linear change • Assume same mechanisms of climate continue to function • Role of clouds not known with certainty • Polar Vortex Collapse • Gulf Stream (Thermo-haline circulation) • Air Transport in Troposphere • Convection cell position

  20. Kyoto Protocol –1997 Conference • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) certified the scientific basis of the greenhouse effect. • Kyoto Protocol established goals to stabilize and reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases. • Emission targets set to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases from 1990 levels. (CO2, CH4, NO, HFCs, PFCs, and SF6) • Trading of emission credits allowed. 3.11

  21. The Kyoto mechanisms • Emissions trading – known as “the carbon market"  • Clean development mechanism (CDM) • Polluters can reduce emissions in developing countries and get credit. • Joint implementation (JI). • Eg. USA could buy forests in Brazil and get credit for carbon sinks

  22. The Kyoto mechanisms • Registry System – Record transactions • Annual Reports • Compliance System • Adaptation Fund • Money to help poor countries adapt to Climate Change

  23. Where are we today? (2009) • Copenhagen Meeting • Kyoto expires in 2012 • Kyoto goals not met • US, China, India, and Australia never signed • Need to move forward with new agreement • Can the US-China-India- and Australia join? • Meeting begins with real optimism!

  24. Fairness?

More Related