“Climate change is real. There will always be uncertainty in understanding a system as complex as the world’s climate. However, there is now strong evidence that significant global warming is occurring. The evidence comes from direct measurements of rising surface air temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures and from phenomena such as increases in average global sea levels, retreating glaciers, and changes to many physical and biological systems. It is likely that most of the warming in recent decades can be attributed to human activities (IPCC 2001).”
With this statement from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) we can justify the need for teaching Climate Change Science, so that future generations will learn main causes of climate change, and be able to take actions that reduce sources of gases which contribute to the warming of the climate system and enhance the mechanisms that remove them from the atmosphere. Modern societies should strive to manage natural resources sustainably, striving to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Understanding natural causes of climate variability will help societies adapt and prepare for mitigation measures that will reduce adverse consequences of climate change.
This book is written as an attempt to provide fundamental principles of Earth’s Climate System to broad range of college students who are interested in Climate Change. Six chapters are designed to fulfill requirements of six weeks long summer semester course. I was privileged to attend three workshops that relate to climate studies sponsored by American Meteorological Society (AMS) and U.S. Ice Drilling Program Office (IDPO). Many photos, slides, lecture materials, and activities from those workshops are incorporated into this book and in accompanied Power Point Lectures.
The following is a brief summary of this book.
Chapter 1. Earth’s Climate System provides fundamental information about five principal components of the Earth’s Climate System: Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Cryosphere, Geosphere, and Biosphere. Throughout the chapter interactions between the five components of the system were emphasized, with a common thread implying that changes in any components of the system inevitably affect all other components of the system. Chapter concludes with discussions about Carbon, common ingredient in all five components of the Earth’s Climate System and its cycling between Earth’s systems.
In Chapter 2. Atmosphere Ocean Interactions emphasis is on understanding physical processes of ocean circulation and movements, which are key for regulating global climate on Earth. Interactions between Ocean and Atmosphere are recognized in many teleconnections, changes that may last from few days to many weeks or months. Brief discussions about ENSO (El Niño – Southern Oscillation), AO (Arctic Oscillation), NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation), PDO (Pacific Decadal Oscillation), PNA (Pacific North American pattern), and MJO (Madden-Julian Oscillation), provide insight in seasonal changes in weather patterns and their causes. Chapter ends with a brief discussion of two major concerns of modern ocean, ocean acidification and sea level rise, both direct consequences of Climate Change.
Chapter 3. is examining natural factors that contribute to changes in global climate, such as variations in Sun’s radiation, changes in the Earth’s orbit around Sun, variations in ocean cycles, and variations in volcanic activity. When all the natural factors are considered, global climate should be cooler than it is, which points to a significant impact of anthropogenic factors that contribute to recent trends in global warming. Concentrations of greenhouse gases increased significantly in past two centuries primarily from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas). In addition to an increase in carbon-dioxide, and methane concentration in the air, there is also an increase in black carbon aerosols in the air, another byproduct from the burning fossil fuels, which also contributes to an increase in global temperatures.
To better understand current trends in climate change we examine paleoclimate proxies in Chapter 4. Paleoclimate Studies, from written records and art, to dendrochronology, palynology, ice cores, sediment cores, speleothems, and corals studies were discussed in this chapter. The Chapter ends with reconstruction of most recent climate extremes, starting with Last Glacial Maximum (LGM – about 21,000 years ago) and finishing with Little Ice Age (LIA – about 500-200 years ago).
Chapter 5. Ice Cores and Sediment Cores and Climate Change is direct result of my participation in the “School of Ice” professional development workshop, sponsored by the U.S. Ice Drilling Program Office (IDPO) and American Meteorological Society (AMS), on 22-26 May 2016, at the National Ice Core Laboratory (NICL) in Denver, CO. What was originally designed as a lecture on Ice Cores grew into a full Chapter and one week Module in Climate Change Science course. The history of Ice Core studies was presented, with emphasis on modern methods of extraction and analysis of air bubbles and stable isotopes trapped in ice. Most recent addition to this chapter is Sediment Cores and their use in Climate studies.
Final Chapter 6. Human and Ecosystem Vulnerabilities due to Climate Change examines most drastic consequences of recent climate changes, such as rise in the global sea level, loss of ice in Antarctica, Greenland and Mountains, warming of the ocean, and their impact on society. These changes directly affect agriculture and food supply, infectious and vector borne diseases. Chapter ends with a brief discussion of possible consequences of climate change in the Great Lakes Region.
Zoran Kilibarda
March 18, 2023