Color-coded representation of changes in average annual temperatures
Heat map of isotherms
Area of very fast air movement in the upper atmosphere, the temperature contrast between convection cell and the Coriolis effect; moves west to east
Jet stream
How much energy required to change the temperature of 1 kg by 1 degree
Specific heat capacity
Day to day/ hour to hour changes in atmospheric conditions
Weather
Long-term averaged weather for an area, it is all of our observations of the past weather in a certain area, it can describe what is expected or not (based on an average)
Climate
Factors that have been shown to influence climate, can be global or regional
Climate forcings
Global climate is influenced by these two climate forcings
1- Energy from solar radiation (temperature) 2- Precipitation
The poles are receiving more solar energy since they are more exposed to the sun (by being tilted on an axis) than at the equator; it results in seasons
Temporal variability
Recurring climate pattern (can occur on a range of timescales), not following the seasons necessarily, example: El Niño (ENSO)
Climatic oscillations
Cyclic variations in the sea surface temperatures and convection cells in the equatorial region of the Pacific Ocean, anomalies on sea surface temperature
El Niño
Strengthening of normal westward surface wind associated to a normal pattern without El Niño or this process, cold water shift the jet stream northwards, more upwelling (= more nutrients = fish population increases), more severe Atlantic hurricane season in results; it is more energetic surface winds
La Nina
What differs El Niño from the typical patterns?
1- The warm water shifts eastward towards South America, it isn’t warm water concentrated in the west 2- The convection cell starts more centrally in the ocean 3- Less upwelling 4- Depending on the movement of air: areas dryer than usual
Do we know why El Niño or La Niña start?
It is not clear, we can only track them, a single event can last one year to a few years, they cause short to medium term fluctuations to climate (can then add or mask climatic forcings including anthropogenic forcings)
Most impactful climate forcing
Solar radiation
What are many regional climate forcings that have a greater impact locally than globally
- Buffering effect of water -Ocean currents - Urban heat island effect - Topography - Plants - Flying rivers -Clouds seeding
What regional climate forcing am I defining:
- Water has a very high specific heat capacity, takes also longer to lose heat
- Water loses heat more slowly than land (when air temperature decreases)
- It causes a difference in heating rates between land and water = daily cycle in air movement
- At day: land is heating up faster than water, At night: water warmed is cooling faster than land
The buffering effect of water
What regional climate forcing am I defining:
- Surface ocean currents bringing heat in the water transported from the equator (ex: Gulf Stream)
- They are responsible for warmer temperature in Europe
Ocean currents
What regional climate forcing am I defining:
- High reliefs that are forcing air upwards
- Cooling effect
- The side of relief facing the most the surface winds have a higher rate of precipitation, the other side is dry, and water vapor is lost through condensation
Topography
What regional climate forcing am I defining:
-Low albedo of man-made surfaces, absorbing more natural solar radiation than natural surfaces
- Energy emitted through conduction results in increase in localized temperatures relative to areas with higher albedo
Urban heat island effect
What regional climate forcing am I defining:
- (Aerial river)
- Brings moisture over large areas as a result of wind currents and significant plant transpiration
- When water that falls as precipitation is released back into the atmosphere by plants through transpiration (through plants’ leaves) and when enough plants are in one location, the volume of water released by transpiration can be enough to move water over vast distances
Flying rivers
What regional climate forcing am I defining:
- Plants that release special chemicals seeding cloud formation
- Enough of these trees can produce enough clouds to cause precipitation
Cloud seeding
