Table of contents | |
Climate vs. Weather | |
Evidence for Global Climate Change | |
Natural Drivers of Climate Change | |
Human-Induced Climate Change | |
Geological Evidence of Climate Change |
Milankovitch Cycles: These cycles describe the effects of slight changes in Earth's orbit on its climate. They operate on timeframes ranging from 19,000 to 100,000 years.
Solar Intensity: Changes in solar intensity, the amount of solar energy emitted by the sun, can directly impact Earth's temperature. There is a direct relationship between solar intensity and temperature.
Volcanic Eruptions: Volcanic eruptions release gases and solids, including carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and more. These events can cause short-term climate changes, typically cooling due to haze-effect.
Greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and ozone, play a crucial role in Earth's climate. They trap heat energy in the atmosphere, similar to the way glass panes in a greenhouse keep heat from escaping.
The more greenhouse gases there are in the atmosphere, the more thermal energy is reflected back to Earth's surface, leading to the greenhouse effect and an increase in global temperatures.
The link between rising atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and global temperature increases. It mentions that the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased significantly since 1950.
Human activities, such as burning fossil fuels (gasoline, coal, natural gas), deforestation, cement manufacturing, animal agriculture, land clearing, and forest burning, release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Methane is another significant greenhouse gas produced by human activities, including bacterial breakdown of organic matter, decomposition in landfills, and methane release from melting clathrates (frozen ice and methane).
The he presence of modern human society is the primary reason for the rapid increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and emphasizes that no other natural driver of climate change has caused such a rapid and significant increase.
The release of greenhouse gases is linked to the accelerated rate of global warming, creating a positive feedback loop.
Glacier Recession in Glacier National Park
Melting Ice Sheets in Greenland and Antarctica
Decreasing Arctic Sea Ice
Factors Influencing Ocean Volume
Impact on Organisms
Historical Climate Variability
Natural Climate Drivers
Human Influence on Climate
Permian Extinction
Contemporary Climate Change Effects on Plants and Animals
180 videos|338 docs
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1. What is the difference between climate and weather? |
2. What are some pieces of evidence for global climate change? |
3. What are the natural drivers of climate change? |
4. How is human activity contributing to climate change? |
5. What geological evidence supports the occurrence of climate change? |
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