Climate Change

Earth Is a Greenhouse Planet Earths temperature: Earth’s distance from the sun Changes in the energy output of the sun The presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere Gases Allow sunlight to penetrate atmosphere Trap reradiated energy from earth Greenhouse effect: radiation from a planet's atmosphere warms the planet's surface to a temperature above what it would be without its atmosphere

Vehicle as a greenhouse A car has a greenhouse gas effect Glass windows transmit visible and a small amount of UV from the sun, which is absorbed by the cars interior, which is emitted as long wave radiation Long wave radiation is trapped inside the car

What are the the energy input and outputs? Show how outgoing radiation is accounted for from incoming radiation (show calculations) What part of the energy balance keeps earth warm? Source: Data from Climate Change-State of knowledge. October 1997. Office of Science and Technology Policy, Washington, D.C.

Changes in Average Global Temperatures 1884 2006 Violin representation

Melting sea ice Declining Sea Ice Melting ice 2