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Sustainability and Globalization

This document delves into the complex interplay of various factors affecting climate control and the implications of global warming on sustainability. It discusses key concepts such as climate, weather, Milankovitch cycles, albedo, solar radiation, volcanic activity, ocean currents, and atmospheric composition. It emphasizes the role of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, in the greenhouse effect and its contribution to rising global temperatures. Understanding these dynamics is crucial to addressing the global challenges posed by climate change and promoting sustainable practices.

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Sustainability and Globalization

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  1. Sustainabilityand Globalization Global Warming

  2. Global Warming • A global issue with regards to sustainability • A world-wide warming of the Earth’s lower atmosphere.

  3. Definitions • Climate: The long term average weather for an area: Months, years, centuries.

  4. Definitions • Climate: The long term average weather for an area: Months, years, centuries. • Weather: the state of atmospheric conditions over a short period of time: Hours or days.

  5. Climate Control • Orbital factors - Milankovitch • Reflectivity of Earth’s surface (Albedo) • Solar radiation • Volcanic activity • Ocean currents • Atmospheric composition

  6. Climate Control • Orbital factors - Milankovitch cycles

  7. Milankovitch cycles • Amount of heat reaching earth from the sun varies due to: • Eccentricity - 100,000 yrs

  8. Eccentricity Fig. 18.39 a-c Tilt W. W. Norton Precession

  9. Milankovitch cycles • Amount of heat reaching earth from the sun varies due to: • Eccentricity - 100,000 yrs • Earth’s tilt - 41,000 yrs

  10. Eccentricity Fig. 18.39 a-c Tilt W. W. Norton Precession

  11. Milankovitch cycles • Amount of heat reaching earth from the sun varies due to: • Eccentricity - 100,000 yrs • Earth’s tilt - 41,000 yrs • Precession - 23,000 yrs

  12. Eccentricity Fig. 18.39 a-c Tilt W. W. Norton Precession

  13. Milankovitch cycles • Amount of heat reaching earth from the sun varies due to: • Eccentricity - 100,000 yrs • Earth’s tilt - 41,000 yrs • Precession - 23,000 yrs • Overall temperature effect +/-4˚C

  14. Fig. 18.39 d W. W. Norton

  15. Climate Control • Orbital factors - Milankovitch • Reflectivity of Earth’s surface (Albedo)

  16. Reflectivity of Earth’s Surface (Abedo)

  17. Reflectivity • Sun’s heat may be reflected back out -thus not absorbed by Earth.

  18. Reflectivity • Sun’s heat may be reflected back out -thus not absorbed by Earth. • Albedo = the degree of reflectivity

  19. Reflectivity • Sun’s heat may be reflected back out -thus not absorbed by Earth. • Albedo = the degree of reflectivity • Albedo increases with: • Increased cloud cover • Increased snow cover • Increased aerosols in atmosphere

  20. Climate Control • Orbital factors - Milankovitch • Reflectivity of Earth’s surface (Albedo) • Solar radiation

  21. Solar radiation • Fluctuates with sunspot activity • Increases in sunspots = increased energy production of sun. • Sunspot cycle is ~9 to 11.5 years

  22. Fig. 19.13 a Courtesy of SOHO/MDI consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA

  23. Climate Control • Orbital factors - Milankovitch • Reflectivity of Earth’s surface (Albedo) • Solar radiation • Volcanic Activity

  24. Volcanic Activity • Sulfur dioxide gas is ejected into the stratosphere, • Combines with water to form an aerosol (mist) of sulfuric acid • Blocks in coming solar radiation • Cools Earth

  25. Climate Control • Orbital factors - Milankovitch • Reflectivity of Earth’s surface (Albedo) • Solar radiation • Volcanic Activity • Ocean currents

  26. Ocean currents • Important system that moves cold and warm water. • Can redistribute heat on earth’s surface

  27. Climate Control • Milankovitz cycles • Reflectivity of Earth’s surface (Albedo) • Solar radiation • Volcanic activity • Ocean currents • Atmospheric composition

  28. Atmospheric composition • Greenhouse gases • Carbon dioxide, methane, CFCs, water vapor

  29. Atmospheric composition • Greenhouse gases • Carbon dioxide, methane, CFCs, water vapor • Earth has a natural Greenhouse Effect • Warmer than moon

  30. Atmospheric composition • Greenhouse gases • Carbon dioxide, methane, CFCs, water vapor • Earth has a Greenhouse Effect • Warmer than moon • Past record shows correlation between composition and temperatures.

  31. Why does CO2 Matter? • Greenhouse Effect: • Naturally occurs • CO2 holds Earth’s heat in

  32. The greenhouse effect • The Sun radiates UV energy towards Earth. • One third of that Ultraviolet energy is simply reflected away from the Earth. • But the rest is absorbed by the Earth. • In response, the Earth radiates IR energy. • This Infrared energy is also known as heat.

  33. The greenhouse effect • Gas molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere absorb the heat (IR energy) that the Earth radiates. • These gases are known as “greenhouse gases”. • The gases then re-emit the IR energy back down towards the Earth, warming the atmosphere.

  34. Why does CO2 Matter? • Greenhouse Effect: • Naturally occurs • CO2 holds Earth’s heat in • Amount of CO2 in atmosphere has increased over past 150 years

  35. Where does CO2 come from? • Short term carbon cycling occurs between plants, animals and the atmosphere through respiration. • Long term cycling occurs when the plant or animal remains are buried with sediments in the crust and cannot decay.

  36. Where does CO2 come from? • Long term cycling occurs when the plant or animal remains are buried with sediments in the crust and cannot decay. • Some of these remains become fossil fuels: • Coal, oil, gas

  37. Where does CO2 come from? • Burning carbon-based fuel (fossil fuels) produces Carbon Dioxide (CO2) fossil fuel + O2 = Heat energy + H2O + CO2

  38. Carbon-based fuels (fossil fuels) • Provide > 40% world’s energy needs • Provides 90% of world’s transportation needs. • Also used to make: plastic, paint, nylon, synthetic rubber, fertilizer.

  39. How do we know the CO2 comes from humans burning fossils fuels? • Climate models • Scientists use what we know about the controls on climate to reproduce the record of past temperatures. • Then look at which controls influence it the most.

  40. Record of past temperatures

  41. Results of Climate Models for last 1000 yrs • Solar and volcanic forcing have been responsible for some of the variations in Northern Hemisphere temperature over the past 1000 years.

  42. Results of Climate Models for last 1000 yrs • Neither solar nor volcanic influence can explain the dramatic warming of the late 20th century. • Influences of solar or volcanic effects during the 20th century would actually have resulted in a small cooling since 1960.

  43. Results of Climate Models for last 1000 yrs • Only by adding the human-caused increase in greenhouse gas concentrations are the models able to explain the unprecedented warmth of the late 20th century.

  44. IPCC: Intergovern-mental Panel on Climate Change

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