scholarly journals A breviary of Earth’s climate changes using Stephan-Boltzmann law

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermo Nicolás Murray Tortarolo
Keyword(s):  
Climate Changes ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Global Temperature ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Snowball Earth ◽  
Thermal Maximum ◽  
History Of ◽  
Earth’S Climate ◽  
Boltzmann Law

Earth’s surface temperature oscillated greatly throughout time. From near congelation during “snowball Earth” 2.9Gya to an ice-free world in the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal maximum 55Mya. These changes have been forced by internal (e.g. changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere) or external (e.g. changes in solar luminosity) drivers that varied through time. Thus, if we understand how the radiation budget evolved in different times, we can closely calculate past global climate; a fundamental comparison to situate current climate change in the context Earth’s history. Here I present an analytical framework employing a simple energy balance derived from the Stephan-Boltzmann law, that allows for quick comparison between drivers of global temperature and at multiple moments in the history of our planet. My results show that current rates of increase in global temperature are at least four times faster than any previous warming event.

Effects of Continents and Supercontinents on Climate

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. W. Rogers ◽  
M. Santosh
Keyword(s):  
Global Climate ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
The North ◽  
Rock Types ◽  
Control Climate ◽  
The Earth ◽  
History Of ◽  
Earth’S Climate ◽  
Geologic Record

Continents affect the earth’s climate because they modify global wind patterns, control the paths of ocean currents, and absorb less heat than seawater. Throughout earth history the constant movement of continents and the episodic assembly of supercontinents has influenced both global climate and the climates of individual continents. In this chapter we discuss both present climate and the history of climate as far back in the geologic record as we can draw inferences. We concentrate on longterm changes that are affected by continental movements and omit discussion of processes with periodicities less than about 20,000 years. We refer readers to Clark et al. (1999) and Cronin (1999) if they are interested in such short-term processes as El Nino, periodic variations in solar irradiance, and Heinrich events. The chapter is divided into three sections. The first section describes the processes that control climate on the earth and includes a discussion of possible causes of glaciation that occurred over much of the earth at more than one time in the past. The second section investigates the types of evidence that geologists use to infer past climates. They include specific rock types that can form only under restricted climatic conditions, varieties of individual fossils, diversity of fossil populations, and information that the 18O/16O isotopic system can provide about temperatures of formation of ancient sediments. The third section recounts the history of the earth’s climate and relates changes to the growth and movement of continents. This history takes us from the Archean, when climates are virtually unknown, through various stages in the evolution of organic life, and ultimately to the causes of the present glaciation in both the north and the south polar regions. The earth’s climate is controlled both by processes that would operate even if continents did not exist and also by the positions and topographies of continents. We begin with the general controls, then discuss the specific effects of continents, and close with a brief discussion of processes that cause glaciation. The general climate of the earth is determined by the variation in the amount of sunshine received at different latitudes, by the earth’s rotation, and by the amount of arriving solar energy that is retained in the atmosphere.

The Smithian–Spathian boundary in North Greenland: implications for extreme global climate changes

2019 ◽  
Vol 157 (10) ◽  
pp. 1547-1567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofie Lindström ◽  
Morten Bjerager ◽  
Peter Alsen ◽  
Hamed Sanei ◽  
Jørgen Bojesen-Koefoed
Keyword(s):  
Climate Changes ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Seasonal Precipitation ◽  
Northern Margin ◽  
Global Climate Changes ◽  
Thermal Maximum ◽  
Global Cooling ◽  
North Greenland ◽  
Red Bed

AbstractSmithian–lower Anisian strata in Peary Land, North Greenland, were deposited at ∼45° N on the northern margin of Pangaea in offshore to upper shoreface settings. The well-constrained succession (palynology and ammonite biostratigraphy) documents a remarkable shift from lycophyte spore-dominated assemblages in the upper Smithian to gymnosperm pollen-dominated ones in the lower Spathian in concert with a marked shift of +6 ‰ in δ13Corg. Correlation with other Smithian–Spathian boundary sections that record terrestrial floral changes indicates that the recovery of gymnosperms began earlier in the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere. The lycophyte-dominated Late Smithian Thermal Maximum is here interpreted as reflecting dry and hot climatic conditions with only brief seasonal precipitation unable to sustain large areas of gymnosperm trees, but able to revive dehydrated lycophytes. This suggests that the Late Smithian Thermal Maximum was a time of widespread aridity, which is also supported by red bed deposition in many areas globally, even as far south as Antarctica. The shift to gymnosperm-dominated vegetation during the cooling across the Smithian–Spathian boundary reflects a change to seasonally more humid climatic conditions favouring gymnosperm recovery, and could have been initiated by increased albedo over land due to the widespread aridity during the Late Smithian Thermal Maximum. The recovery of gymnosperm vegetation would have helped to draw down CO2 from the atmosphere and exacerbate global cooling.

Erosion of the Himalaya-Karakoram recorded by Indus Fan deposits since the Oligocene

Geology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han Feng ◽  
Huayu Lu ◽  
Barbara Carrapa ◽  
Hanzhi Zhang ◽  
Jun Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Changes ◽  
Middle Miocene ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Erosion And Deposition ◽  
Tectonic Processes ◽  
Erosion History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Climatic Evolution ◽  
Karakoram Mountains ◽  
The Himalaya

The Cenozoic erosion history of the Himalaya-Karakoram, which is a function of tectonically driven uplift and monsoon climatic evolution in South Asia, remains elusive, especially prior to the Miocene. Here, we present a multiproxy geochemical and thermochronological analysis of the oldest samples available from the Arabian Sea, which we used to investigate the erosion history of the Himalayan and Karakoram orogenic system. The Indus Fan records rapid and sustained erosion of the Himalayan-Karakoram mountains from before 24 Ma (ca. 30) to ca. 16 Ma concurrent with changing provenance from the Indian (Himalayan) and Eurasian plates. Our data, combined with previous studies of younger Indus Fan deposits, indicate that the mid-to-late Cenozoic erosion history of the Himalayan-Karakoram mountains is overall consistent with a vigorous monsoonal climate from the late Oligocene to middle Miocene and with changes in global climate in the late Miocene, whereas erosion and deposition are relatively insensitive to changes in sources and rock erodibility. Although tectonic processes were active throughout, we suggest that the erosional signatures of the Himalayan-Karakoram mountains from the Indus Fan largely preserve a record of climate changes since the Oligocene.

scholarly journals The CALIPSO Mission

2010 ◽  
Vol 91 (9) ◽  
pp. 1211-1230 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Winker ◽  
J. Pelon ◽  
J. A. Coakley ◽  
S. A. Ackerman ◽  
R. J. Charlson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Climate ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Atmospheric Measurements ◽  
Joint Project ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
Early Results ◽  
Infrared Spectral ◽  
Passive Sensors ◽  
Earth’S Climate

Aerosols and clouds have important effects on Earth's climate through their effects on the radiation budget and the cycling of water between the atmosphere and Earth's surface. Limitations in our understanding of the global distribution and properties of aerosols and clouds are partly responsible for the current uncertainties in modeling the global climate system and predicting climate change. The CALIPSO satellite was developed as a joint project between NASA and the French space agency CNES to provide needed capabilities to observe aerosols and clouds from space. CALIPSO carries CALIOP, a two-wavelength, polarization-sensitive lidar, along with two passive sensors operating in the visible and thermal infrared spectral regions. CALIOP is the first lidar to provide long-term atmospheric measurements from Earth's orbit. Its profiling and polarization capabilities offer unique measurement capabilities. Launched together with the CloudSat satellite in April 2006 and now flying in formation with the A-train satellite constellation, CALIPSO is now providing information on the distribution and properties of aerosols and clouds, which is fundamental to advancing our understanding and prediction of climate. This paper provides an overview of the CALIPSO mission and instruments, the data produced, and early results.

Global climate changes during the most recent two millennia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah S. Eggleston ◽  
Oliver Bothe ◽  
Nerilie Abram ◽  
Bronwen Konecky ◽  
Hans Linderholm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Climate Science ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Past Climate ◽  
Global Climate Changes ◽  
The Past ◽  
Earth’S Climate

<p>The past two thousand years is a key interval for climate science because this period encompasses both the era of human-induced global warming and a much longer interval when changes in Earth's climate were governed principally by natural drivers. This earlier 'pre-industrial' period is particularly important for two reasons. Firstly, we now have a growing number of well-dated, climate sensitive proxy data with high temporal resolution that spans the full period. Secondly, the pre-industrial climate provides context for present-day climate change, sets real-world targets against which to evaluate the performance of climate models, and allows us to address other questions of Earth sciences that cannot be answered using only a century and a half of observational data. </p><p>Here, we first provide several perspectives on the concept of a 'pre-industrial climate'. Then, we highlight the activities of the PAGES 2k Network, an international collaborative effort focused on global climate change during the past two thousand years. We highlight those aspects of pre-industrial conditions (including both past climate changes and past climate drivers) that are not yet well constrained, and suggest potential areas for research during this period that would be relevant to the evolution of Earth's future climate.</p>

scholarly journals Simulating glacial dust changes in the Southern Hemisphere using ECHAM6.3-HAM2.3

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Krätschmer ◽  
Michelle van der Does ◽  
Frank Lamy ◽  
Gerrit Lohmann ◽  
Christoph Völker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Mineral Dust ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Meridional Transport ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Earth’S Climate ◽  
Long Timescales

Abstract. Mineral dust aerosol constitutes an important component of the Earth’s climate system, not only on short timescales due to direct and indirect influences on the radiation budget, but also on long timescales by acting as a fertilizer for the biosphere and thus affecting the global carbon cycle. For a quantitative assessment of its impact on the global climate, state-of-the-art atmospheric and aerosol models can be utilized. In this study, we use the ECHAM6.3-HAM2.3 model to perform global simulations of the mineral dust cycle for present-day (PD), pre-industrial (PI) and Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) climate conditions. The intercomparison with marine sediment and ice core data as well as other modeling studies shows that the obtained annual dust emissions of 1221, 923 and 5159 Tg for PD, PI and LGM, respectively, generally agree well with previous findings. Our analyses focussing on the Southern Hemisphere suggest that over 90 % of the mineral dust deposited over Antarctica are of Australian or South American origin during both PI and LGM. However, contrary to previous studies, we find that Australia contributes a higher proportion during the LGM, which is mainly caused by changes in the precipitation patterns. Obtained increased particle radii during the LGM can be traced back to increased sulphate condensation on the particle surfaces as a consequence of longer particle lifetimes. The meridional transport of mineral dust from its source regions to the South Pole takes place at different altitudes, depending on the grain size of the dust particles. We find a trend of generally lower transport heights during the LGM compared to PI as a consequence of reduced convection due to colder surfaces, indicating a vertically less extensive Polar Cell.

scholarly journals Report of candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum and Mycoplasma haemocanis canine natural infections in Massambaba restinga, Brazil

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia Gonçalves Miranda ◽  
Bruno Alberigi ◽  
Flavya Mendes-de-Almeida ◽  
Alexandre José Rodrigues Bendas ◽  
Nadia Almosny ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Changes ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
The Other ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Babesia Canis ◽  
Anaplasma Platys ◽  
Babesia Gibsoni ◽  
Global Climate Changes ◽  
History Of ◽  
Healthy Dogs

Background: Tick-borne diseases are frequent in the Southeastern section of Brazil. The most prevalent canine parasites diagnosed are Ehrlichia canis, Babesia gibsoni, Babesia canis and Anaplasma platys, although Mycoplasma haemocanis and candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum have been registered in the country. Methods: When two clinically healthy dogs from a suburban area of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with history of being heavily infested with ticks were examined at Idexx Reference Laboratories, California for tick panel check. Results: One dog harbored DNA of candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum and the other DNA of Mycoplasma haemocanis. Conclusions: These results suggest that monitoring for tick infestations and tick-borne parasites must be permanent in southeastern Brazil, especially due to global climate changes which may contribute to spread and increase the number of infections in the Country.

scholarly journals Report of candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum and Mycoplasma haemocanis canine natural infections in Massambaba restinga, Brazil

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia Gonçalves Miranda ◽  
Bruno Alberigi ◽  
Flavya Mendes-de-Almeida ◽  
Alexandre José Rodrigues Bendas ◽  
Nadia Almosny ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Changes ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
The Other ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Babesia Canis ◽  
Anaplasma Platys ◽  
Babesia Gibsoni ◽  
Global Climate Changes ◽  
History Of ◽  
Healthy Dogs

Background: Tick-borne diseases are frequent in the Southeastern section of Brazil. The most prevalent canine parasites diagnosed are Ehrlichia canis, Babesia gibsoni, Babesia canis and Anaplasma platys, although Mycoplasma haemocanis and candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum have been registered in the country. Methods: When two clinically healthy dogs from a suburban area of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with history of being heavily infested with ticks were examined at Idexx Reference Laboratories, California for tick panel check. Results: One dog harbored DNA of candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum and the other DNA of Mycoplasma haemocanis. Conclusions: These results suggest that monitoring for tick infestations and tick-borne parasites must be permanent in southeastern Brazil, especially due to global climate changes which may contribute to spread and increase the number of infections in the Country.

scholarly journals Deglacial temperature history of West Antarctica

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (50) ◽  
pp. 14249-14254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt M. Cuffey ◽  
Gary D. Clow ◽  
Eric J. Steig ◽  
Christo Buizert ◽  
T. J. Fudge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Models ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Temperature History ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Climate History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Climate Forcings ◽  
Earth’S Climate

The most recent glacial to interglacial transition constitutes a remarkable natural experiment for learning how Earth’s climate responds to various forcings, including a rise in atmospheric CO2. This transition has left a direct thermal remnant in the polar ice sheets, where the exceptional purity and continual accumulation of ice permit analyses not possible in other settings. For Antarctica, the deglacial warming has previously been constrained only by the water isotopic composition in ice cores, without an absolute thermometric assessment of the isotopes’ sensitivity to temperature. To overcome this limitation, we measured temperatures in a deep borehole and analyzed them together with ice-core data to reconstruct the surface temperature history of West Antarctica. The deglacial warming was 11.3±1.8∘C, approximately two to three times the global average, in agreement with theoretical expectations for Antarctic amplification of planetary temperature changes. Consistent with evidence from glacier retreat in Southern Hemisphere mountain ranges, the Antarctic warming was mostly completed by 15 kyBP, several millennia earlier than in the Northern Hemisphere. These results constrain the role of variable oceanic heat transport between hemispheres during deglaciation and quantitatively bound the direct influence of global climate forcings on Antarctic temperature. Although climate models perform well on average in this context, some recent syntheses of deglacial climate history have underestimated Antarctic warming and the models with lowest sensitivity can be discounted.

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