Global Warming: Consequence of Fossil Fuel Use

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Global Warming Consequence of Fossil Fuel Use

• Do Now Please copy the following definitions
  into your notes
• Greenhouse Effect The trapping of heat by
  gasses in the Earths atmosphere.
• Radiative forcing A measurement of the amount
  of heat trapped by a certain factor. Units
  Watts / m2
• PPM Parts Per Million. Used to measure the
  concentration of solute in solution (i.e. CO2 in
  the atmosphere)

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Greenhouse Effect The atmosphere retains heat.
How much depends on the chemical properties of
the atmosphere
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Anthropogenic Climate Change

• Anthropogenic human-caused
• The Earths climate changes frequently due to
  many factors
• Solar iradience
• Volcanic eruptions
• Periodic oscillations (like El Nino)
• Anthropogenic Climate Change is the portion of
  climate change due to human behavior.

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Industrialization increases CO2 output
In 1712, humans discovered how to use coal to do
massive amounts of work. Before long, designs
were upgraded, and coal locomotives
revolutionized transportation. Humans have used
ever-increasing amounts of fossil fuels since
around 1850.
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Combustion The Oxidation of Carbon
ENERGY AND CO2 RELEASED (burning, or respiration)
Inorganic Carbon CO2
Organic Carbon (like fossil fuels and biomass)
ENERGY AND CO2 REQUIRED (photosynthesis)
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CO2 is the biggest cause of observed global
warming
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CO2 And Global Temperature a Direct Proportion
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How do we know? Ice CoresA History of Earths
Climate and Atmosphere
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Collecting and Dating
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Analysis of Trapped Air Bubbles
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CONCLUSIONS

• The CO2 produced by the burning of fossil fuels
  is a primary cause of global warming.
• The Earth has not had CO2 levels this high in
  the last 650,000 years or more.

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Analyzing the Situation

• Temperature trend video

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Computer Modeling Digitizing the Atmosphere
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W/m2 map Clouds over Europe
The key point of the methodology is a
cloud-detection and a cloud-clearing algorithms,
which will get estimates of clear sky radiances
at any location so to allow us to obtain cloud
radiative forcing in the longwave region.
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Computer Modeling

• Uses known rules about how Earth systems work.
• how grid cells interact, change
• Can run many (109 ?) simulations and compare
  outcomes.
• Similar to daily weather forecasting in many
  ways.

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Consequences

• Increased extreme weather (floods, droughts,
  storms, heat waves, cold snaps)

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Arctic Ice Melt
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Glacial Ice Melt

• Glaciers across the world have been melting at an
  increasing rate for decades.
• Recent studies indicate the speed is accelerating
• Video tells the story

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Sea Level Rise

• Sea level rise by 2100 will be at least 20 to 60
  cm.
• However, the last time the Earth was as warm as
  it will be by 2100, sea level was 6 7 meters
  higher than it is now.
• High degree of uncertainty.

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The Future Yours to Make