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Introduction: Planetary Climate, Ecosystems and Human Society

Introduction: Planetary Climate, Ecosystems and Human Society. CLIM 101 // Fall 2011 George Mason University. 30 Aug 2011. Our Place in the Universe: You Are Here. American Museum of Natural History Digital Universe Project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U&feature=related.

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Introduction: Planetary Climate, Ecosystems and Human Society

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  1. Introduction: Planetary Climate, Ecosystems and Human Society CLIM 101 // Fall 2011 George Mason University 30 Aug 2011

  2. Our Place in the Universe:You Are Here • American Museum of Natural History Digital Universe Project: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U&feature=related You are here Artist’s conception - Not to scale, orbits are invisible, planetary alignment almost never happens

  3. Our Place in the Universe:Humans on Earth National Geographic Special Issue: 7,000,000,000 People on Earth: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/the-magazine/7-billion/ Run movie Africa India USA

  4. Our Place in the Universe:Habitable Earth U.K. Meteorological Office: Weather and Climate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjwmrg__ZVw

  5. The Global Challenge Global Well-Being sustainability, security and the future of civilization Environmental Degradation Inequality and Extreme Poverty Human Population Growth Courtesy J. Shukla

  6. What is Weather? What is Climate? Weather is what you get, climate is what you expect. E. N. Lorenz Expected Weather Unexpected Weather Weather = + Climate

  7. Questions • What is “expected” weather? Why do we expect one type of weather in one place & different weather elsewhere? • E.g. why does it get cold at night? What determines how cold? • E.g. why is Guam warmer on average compared to Fairbanks? • What is “unexpected” weather? • Why can’t we predict the weather forever? (like the tides or the movement of planets) • How accurate is the weather forecast? • What about the Farmer’s Almanac? • Is the average departure from normal predictable? • What about global warming?

  8. Fairbanks Washington, DC Oklahoma City Guam

  9. Temperature for September 2010 to August 2011

  10. Temperature for September 2010 to August 2011

  11. http://capitalclimate.blogspot.com/

  12. Temperature for September 2010 to August 2011

  13. Temperature for September 2010 to August 2011 GUAM 95F 86F 77F 14F

  14. Local Climate: Features and Factors • Features • Average temperature • Temperature range • Total rainfall • Sunshine/cloudiness • Variability (month to month, year to year) • … • Factors • Location, location, location • Latitude • Altitude • Proximity to ocean • Proximity to mountains • Vegetation

  15. Whence the Seasons?

  16. The Climate of a Planet Depends On … Energy from the Sun (energy from the interior) Planetary Albedo Speed of Planet’s Rotation Mass of the Planet Radius of the Planet Atmospheric Composition Ocean-Land, Topography S (depends on Sun itself and distance from Sun)   M a H2O, CO2, O3, clouds h*

  17. The Climate of a Planet Depends On … Energy from the Sun (energy from the interior) Planetary Albedo Speed of Planet’s Rotation Mass of the Planet Radius of the Planet Atmospheric Composition Ocean-Land, Topography S (depends on Sun itself and distance from Sun)   M a H2O, CO2, O3, clouds h* Albedo and Composition vary from place to place and time to time in response to changes in the weather, climate, ecosystems and human activities 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 cannot be influenced appreciably by weather, climate or life

  18. Weather, Climate and Global Society General Principles

  19. Climate vs. Weather Climate Models Sea level Extreme Events Monitoring climate change Ecosystems Drought, Heat Waves, Fires 21st Century Climate Projections 20th Century Climate Change Snow Pack, Glaciers, Water Supply Hurricanes Climate Impacts Paleoclimate Sensitivity Tipping Points Global Warming Natural Climate Variability Ocean Acidification Feedbacks Greenhouse Effect Vulnerability Costs What is a Greenhouse Gas? Business as usual Adaptation Increasing resilience Buildup of Greenhouse Gases Anthropogenic Sources Natural Sources Societal Choices Changing Practices Costs Migration Personal choices Mitigation Carbon Cycle Energy Efficiency Alternative Energy Sources Carbon Sequestering Geoengineering Conservation Consumption indirect aerosol effect stratospheric aerosols mirrors in space Biofuels, Wind, Solar Photovoltaic, Nuclear Fission, Geothermal, Tidal Nuclear Fusion Fossil fuel reserves Production Oil, Coal, Tar sands, Natural Gas, Methane hydrates Courtesy of Prof. M. Wallace, U. Washington

  20. Organizing Schema Weather Climate Ecosystems Humans

  21. What is an Ecosystem? • A system of living organisms, consisting of all plants, animals and micro-organisms (biotic factors) in an area interacting with each other and their physical environment. • The boundaries of what could be called an ecosystem are somewhat arbitrary, depending on the focus of study, ranging from the very small scale to the entire planet Earth. • Examples: • Coral reef • River catchment • Rain forest • Estuary • Desert • Yellowstone National Park

  22. Example: Hypercycle • Each member of an ecosystem may depend on the presence or actions of another element, so that the members thrive in each others’ presence • For example, fish eat water fleas. Birds eat fish. Birds provide guano, which assists the blooms of algae on which water fleas flourish. feeds feeds guano feeds feeds

  23. Summary(points we’ll take up later) • Global well-being for humans and the rest of Earth’s organisms is challenged by environmental degradation, extreme poverty and human population growth • Weather and climate are related but different • Climate depends on several factors, some of which can be influenced by human activities • Climate, humans and ecosystems interact and influence each other

  24. Reading • Rough Guide • pp3-19 • Atlas of Climate Change • pp 9-13 • pp 17

  25. REMINDER Last Day to Add a Class Or Drop a Class w/o Penalty: 6 September 2011

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