Today’s Workshop welcomes two Lamont Researchers to E2C

1. "Could Global Warming Mean Less Sunshine and Less Rainfall" with Beate Liepert, and"The Plumeflow Project" with Martin Stute Earth2Class WorkshopsOriginally Presented 14 Jan 2006

2. Today’s Workshop welcomes two Lamont Researchers to E2C Perhaps at first glance these two titles seem unconnected, but both really involve investigations into CIRCULATION within the EARTH SYSTEM. Today’s introductory PowerPoint provides some background concepts that may be helpful when you hear from the scientists.

3. Dr. Beate Lippert “My general interest is in understanding climate variability from millennial to decadal time scale. My current work focuses on anthropogenic impacts on climate during the last century and natural climate variability.”

4. Some areas she has investigated involve: Effects of aerosols on climate Human health and climate Surface energy budget and the water cycle Solar Dimming General circulation So let’s begin with a look at general atmospheric circulation patterns…

5. The atmospheric circulation results in part from differential heating. http://ess.geology.ufl.edu/ess/Notes/AtmosphericCirculation/solarad.jpeg

7. http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7p.html

8. But there are constant exchanges among the atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere. • The next slide, from NASA’s earth Observatory collection, represents some of these pathways.

9. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/Aerosols/

10. In addition to the exchange of matter, it is, of course, also essential to understand the exchange of energy. • The Sun is the predominant source of energy for surface processes. • The general distribution of INSOLATION can be represented as Earth’s “Energy Budget” in diagrams such as the next slide.

11. http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/EDDOCS/images/Erb/components2.gifhttp://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/EDDOCS/images/Erb/components2.gif

12. Water and Energy • Melting: S + heat  L • Freezing: L  S + heat • Evaporation: L + heat  G • Condensation: G  L + heat • Sublimation: S + heat  G • Deposition: G  S + heat

13. “Latent heat” • The natural movement of water in its various forms transporting energy forms the “Water Cycle” or “Hydrologic Cycle”

14. http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html

15. Of special interest to us today is that portion of the Water Cycle that involves groundwater flow. Three characteristics of substances that enable groundwater flow are: • Porosity • Permeability • Capillarity

16. http://atlas.gc.ca/site/english/maps/freshwater/distribution/groundwater/groundwater_system.gif/image_viewhttp://atlas.gc.ca/site/english/maps/freshwater/distribution/groundwater/groundwater_system.gif/image_view

17. For many of us in the New York City area, groundwater is not as important as elsewhere because we rely on surface sources. The NYC Water System is probably the largest in the world, and involves many reservoirs, water tunnels, and distribution systems Watershed map But there is one section of NYC that draws on groundwater resources NYC Groundwater System

18. Much of northern NJ obtains water from surface reservoirs operated by United Water-NJ, and other private and public utilities Parts of Rockland obtain water from United Water-NY, which draws from both wells and surface supplies Long Island has a long and “interesting” history of water supply, due in part to its location between the salty Atlantic and Long Island Sound, and its population growth

19. Groundwaters are vulnerable to contamination problems http://www.groundwater.org/gi/sourcesofgwcontam.html

20. With these brief introductions to atmospheric and groundwater circulation, we will take a short break and get ready to hear from Beate Lippert and Martin Stute.