PHYSICAL WORLD ESCI 243  -  NICHOLS COLLEGE ONLINE COURSE

Professor Mauri S. Pelto, 508-213-2168 peltoms@nichols.edu   

Global Warming

Home Page Plate Tectonic Setting Earthquakes Volcanic Hazards Glaciers-Sea Level Rise Coastal Management
Water Resources Groundwater Management Global Warming Fossil Fuel Resources Alternative Energy Sources River Types-Flooding

Snowpack for November 19th, 2004.  For this date snow has not progressed as far south as usual.  The path of the polar jet stream on average is at the southern margin of the snowpack.

 Our globe is warming.  The amount is noted on the left, the rate is clearly increasing.  The cause?  Climate is controlled by many factors but two standout in the 20th century solar radiation changes and carbon dioxide changes these two account for 94% of the variance in annual temperature for the globe for the 20th century.  Global warming due to carbon dioxide increases is here unlike acid rain and ozone depletion which have both been addressed carbon dioxide  remains a monumental challenge to mankind.

Readings:213-226

Concept questions:

1.  What is the process by which carbon dioxide affects temperature?

2.  What are the historic examples that carbon dioxide impacts temperature, note page 223?

3.  Looking at the graphs below how can we tell that Carbon dioxide is a critical driver of the current global warming?

4.  What have been the consequences of global warming to date globally?  Is the Antarctic Ice Sheet   in trouble?  How is agriculture impacted?

Assignment:  What single impact of global warming is most serious?  Given the impacts of global warming how soon do we need to address this issue.

Below are three graphs showing modeled temperature using only natural solar forcing (a), only man-induced, anthropenic forcing (b) and both forcing's (c).  The more overlapping the lines the better the fit.