Lecture #3_Causes of Climate Change.pdf - Week #3: Causes...

Week #3: Causes of Climate Change

GEOG1003
Week Date Coursework Topics Lectures
1 01-Sep Introduction Introduction to global environmental issues
2 08-Sep
#1 released
(Due 22-Sep)
Climate Change Introduction to climate change
3 15-Sep Climate Change Causes of climate change
4 22-Sep Climate Change Climates of the past
5 29-Sep Climate Change Global atmospheric change
6 06-Oct
Progress Report
(Due 20-Oct)
Climate Change Consequences of climate change
7 13-Oct NO CLASS! Reading Week
8 20-Oct
#2 released
(Due 3-Nov)
Water resources crisis Water resources and pollution
9 27-Oct Overpopulation Overpopulation and urbanization
10 03-Nov Air/land pollution Air pollution, acid deposition, land pollution
11 10-Nov Natural hazards
Earthquake, Tsunami, Thunderstorm and
Tornado
12 17-Nov Energy crisis Energy sources and crisis
13 24-Nov
Final Project
(Due 3-Dec)
Course review Course review
14 01-Dec NO CLASS! Revision Period

Weather vs. Climate
• Weather refers to the state of the atmosphere at a
given time and place. It is constantly changing,
sometimes from hour to hour and other times from
day to day.
• Climate is the average of daily weather parameters
over many years (typically >30yrs) and characterizes
seasons as well as geography.
Climate = What you expect
Weather = What you get
Climatology, Climatologist
Meteorology, Meteorologist
Climate tells what clothes to BUY , but
weather tells you what clothes to WEAR .

Global Warming vs. Climate Change
• Climate change refers to a broad range of global phenomena caused
predominantly by burning fossil fuels, which add heat-trapping
gases to Earth’s atmosphere. These phenomena include
temperature increase described by global warming, and encompass
other changes such as sea level rise, snow/ice melting, more
drought/flood and extreme weather.
• Global warming refers only to the Earth’s rising surface
temperature , while climate change includes warming and the “side
effects” of warming .
• “Climate change” and “global warming” are often used
interchangeably but have distinct meanings .

Forcings of Climate Change
Are they causing global warming?

Variations of the Earth’s surface temperature
for the past 1,000 years
Approx. climate
range over the 900
years up to 1900
Last century
appears
unusual
But the climate variations before the industrial revolution
were almost certainly natural – what caused them?
And could 20 th century warming also be a natural variation?