Download - Review for Midterm 3
Problem I: Different parts of the world are strongly connected to each other (The “Teleconnection Problem”)
Problem II: Different components of the earth system (atmosphere, land, ocean, ice,
clouds, etc) are strongly interacting with each other
(The “Feedback Problem”)
Problem III: The global climate models divide the earth into many small pixels (called grids), but the earth
system composes of both very big objects (such as the whole Pacific Ocean) and very small objects (such as the cloud droplets), making it very difficult to draw
them on the same page (The “Subgrid-Scale Problem”)
AstronomyMeteorologyAgriculture
FoodWeather
CommunicationTransportationEngineeringMaterialsEnergy
EnvironmentHealth
ComputerMechanicsChemistryPhysics Math
Earth SciBiology
0 500 1500 20001000500BC
Human Needs
Science
Middle Ages
Archimedes
Socrates Galileo
BrunoMadam Curie
Einstein
Time
Spirit of Independent Thinking
Individual Objects
(Analysis)
Organic System
(Synthesis)
RadiationCloud/precipitation
Shallow convection Boundary layer turbulence
Mesoscale convective system ThunderstormTornado
Heat waveMidlatitude cycloneAtmospheric riverTropical cyclone
Diurnal variation
Madden-Julian Oscillation Tropical wavesAnnular modes
100,000yr100yr10yr1yr1mon1day1min1sec10-15sec
Global Climate System
Globe
Continent
State
City
Football field
1 mm
1 m
Spatial Scale
Time Scale
10-4 m Composition
Monsoon
ENSOQBO
Global warmingMulti-decadal Oscillation
Ice ageGlacial cycleAbrupt change
The most common atmospheric circulation
structure
L
H
H
L
HeatingCoolingor No Heating
Imbalance of heating Imbalance of temperature Imbalance of pressure Wind
Three-Cell Model
Hadley Cell (thermal): Heating in tropics forms surface low and upper level high air converges equatorward at surface, rises, and diverges poleward aloft descends in the subtropics
Ferrel Cell (dynamical): Dynamical response to Hadley and polar cells
Polar Cell (thermal): Driven by heating at 50 degree latitude and cooling at the poles
Tropical Walker Circulation andEl Nino/Southern Oscillation
(ENSO)
• Southern Oscillation: The atmospheric oscillation associated with the El Nino-La Nina cycle.
• The whole phenomena is now called El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
• El Nino: Very warm sea surface temperature over central and eastern tropical Pacific, which occurs every 3-7 years. The Walker Circulation becomes disrupted during El Niño events, which weakens upwelling in eastern Pacific.
• La Nina: the opposite condition to El Nino
• A seasonal reversal of wind due to seasonal thermal differences between landmasses and large water bodies
• Orographic lifting often enhances precipitation totals
The Seasonal “Monsoon”
Video: Save our planet
“I don't understand why when we destroy something created by man, we call it "vandalism” but when we destroy something created by nature, we call it progress..” -- by one youtube viewer
The most common atmospheric circulation structure
L
H
H
L
HeatingCoolingor No Heating
Imbalance of heating Imbalance of temperature Imbalance of pressure Wind
Radiation Convection Conduction
Latent/Sensible
BiosphereLand/Ocean/Ice/
Stratosphere Feedback
Greenhouse Gases
Pollution
Clouds Precipitation (Latent heat)
SpiritualSocialHealthEconomy
Observed change of greenhouse gases
Global atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and CH4 have increased markedly as a result of human activities since 1750 and now far exceed pre-industrial values determined from ice core measurements spanning the last 650,000 years!
Greenhouse gas emissions per capita
The developed countries and developing countries contribute almost equally to the emissions of GHGs.
All the ancient civilizations emphasized being in harmony with
nature• Ancient Greece: Pythagoras• Ancient China: Lao Tzu, Taoism• Ancient India: various • Ancient Babylonian and Egypt: All things
are the result of organic evolution