Green House Effect
Green house gasses are the gasses in the atmosphere that maintain a consistent temperature. Because of albedo, 30% of incoming radiation gets reflected back out of the atmosphere, while the other 70% gets trapped in a layer of green house gasses, creating heat. This heat is absorbed by the atmosphere and the surface of the earth. Even some of the 30% that albedo sends out of the atmosphere can get trapped while exiting the atmosphere by the green house gasses. So what are green house gasses?
From the previous entry on albedo we know that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere plays a role in trapping radiation, but some other key components that aren't as well known are methane, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Although green house gasses may seem scary, in moderation they are actually good for the Atmosphere. Without green house gasses the earth's weather conditions would be too drastic for human comfort (and possibly even survival). A carbon source is something in the atmosphere that releases carbon like cars and trees, and a carbon sink is something in the atmosphere that absorbs carbon, like the ocean. When a carbon sink, like the ocean, interacts with carbon, the water and carbon create carbonic acid. This carbonic acid is responsible for ocean acidification, and coral reef bleaching (the carbon actually breaks shells part in the ocean!). When too much carbon is released, the water cannot contain all of it, so it releases the carbon back into the atmosphere. This is because most shells are made out of calcium carbonate (from the natural amount of carbon in the water). When the amount of carbon in the water exceeds the natural amount, the shells cannot contain it, and the water turns it to acid, breaking apart the shells, and producing carbon back into the atmosphere. Trees that are known to absorb carbon are being planted to absorb this access carbon, but at the rate that carbon is pumped into the atmosphere by humans, this will not be enough to prevent climate change. It has been predicted that in the next century, the amount of carbon in the atmosphere will have doubled from the amount it is today. Some scientists argue that this is a regular occurrence and a pattern in increasing carbon can be dated back to paleocene and eocene epoch. There are 6 options for what could have spiked carbon rates back then, most of which can be ruled out. Comet impact, the burning of peat, orbital forcing, methane release, and ocean circulation, have all been studied to see if they could have impacted this carbon spike. None of the options support what could have changed the temperatures so drastically in history except methane. Although the ocean circulation has changed, it has only changed in that it helps maintain a more consistent temperature. Methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) both contain carbon, a pattern we can see from then, to now. In order for methane to actually become a problem, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere must be really high. When the amount of carbon in the atmosphere increases, it begins to change the temperature of the atmosphere, this temperature change activates methane deposits under the ocean and in the arctic (where there is permafrost). |
1. The solar radiation passes through the atmosphere at 343 watt/m^2.
2. Net incoming radiation at 240 watt?m^2. 3. Solar radiation reflected is 103 watt/m^2. 4. Solar energy absorbed by the earth (warming it up) is 168 watt/m^2. 5. Some infrared radiation is absorbed and readmitted by green house molecules, warming the earth's surface and troposphere. 6. Some infrared radiation passes through the atmosphere and is lost in space (approximately 240 watt/m^2)/
Beneath permafrost, methane hydrates can be found, made form the decomposition of organic material mixed with low temperatures and high pressure levels. As small as a change in 1° in temperature can cause the deposits to change into a gas form and release into the atmosphere, as a stronger house gas than carbon. If the carbon in the atmosphere today, continues to increase, trapping radiation and creating heat in the atmosphere, the average temperature on earth (4°C) will begin to increase, causing methane deposits to release. The electromagnetic radiation spectrum measures the frequency of wave lengths. Infrared radiation is a type of electromagnetic radiation from the sun (heat), which can cause green house gasses to be stronger conductors of heat. Green house gasses such as water, carbon, and methane are most effected by infrared radiation, and become much more effective at containing heat. As carbon becomes more efficient at containing heat, causing temperature change, methane will become the most efficient green house gas at containing heat. |
Ocean Gyres and Global Thermohaline Circulation
Ocean gyres are a system of circular ocean current formed by global wind patterns and forces created by earth's circulation. Ocean gyres are the surface currents shown above in pink and blue, pink representing the warmer water and blue representing the colder water. Global thermalhaline circulation is the circulation of water in the ocean due to temperature and saline differences. Salinity is important because the more salt in the water, the denser the water will be, creating a conveyer like effect as water travels up, down, and all around the earth. These currents are below the surface currents and are shown above in green and red. The specific currents on the map, such as the Peru current and Antarctic circumpolar, are paths of local currents.
From the above map it is visible that the warmer waters remain around the equator, where they create the most prominent weather. While warm water is know to create storms and hurricanes, this is not always the case. When disturbances to the pattern above occur, so does weather all over the world. El Niño for example, starts off the coast of Chili and Peru, where amazing fishing is accessible due to the seasonal upwelling of cold water from the lower water column in the ocean. This upwelling brings nutrients to the surface currents, also bringing the fish to the surface of the water. Every so often, this seasonal upwelling does not occur, and this is known as El Niño. It has been discovered that the upwelling doesn't occur when warmer temperatures of water are in that part of the ocean. As that water travels the south pacific gyre towards the equator, it gets even hotter than usual, creating eve more extreme weather conditions. Sometimes it gets caught up in the trade winds and creates massive amounts of rain. This creates an imbalance of water, so the earth's automatic solution is to balance that water back out.
La Niña happens in relation to El Niño, by bringing colder currents to Chili and less weather to the rest of the world (through south pacific gyre, evaporation, and tree winds), creating droughts. Although this may not seem to be an extreme issue because El Niño and La Niña balance each other back and forth, the weather changes are too extreme for humans and the ecosystem. The more energy that gets put into a system, the more drastic the weather conditions will be. So, as this gets stronger from global warming, the repetition of El Niño will increase to approximately every five years. A change as small as one or two degrees in water temperature can cause this "conveyer belt" of currents to change or stop completely.
As if all of this weren't bad enough, the collection of human waste and garbage that is tossed into the ocean, ends up in the center of all of the above gyres, creating huge landfills (some of which are bigger than Texas). Also, in the North Pacific there is global sea ice that has begun to melt since the increase of carbon in the atmosphere. It has been predicted that by 2100 there will be no more sea ice, even in the winter. On the other hand (or should I say hemisphere?), in Antarctica ice that has regularly peaked out of the water, has begun to melt and slide its way into the Atlantic, and rising sea level. Over the next 200 years all of the ice will most likely have melted, and if that is so, the water on earth will have rise 248 feet.
This is so important because El Niño is already increasing, and the effects of the carbon that our current generation has put into the atmosphere will not show visible results for at least 50 to 100 years. If El Niño is already increasing without taking into account the amount of carbon our generation has produced, the results in the future will be phenomenally bad. It is important that humans work on some sort of solution to stop, or maintain not only our carbon output, but also our waste. If the amount of carbon in the atmosphere can be controlled, temperatures will become more steady and the ice in the arctic won't melt as quickly.
From the above map it is visible that the warmer waters remain around the equator, where they create the most prominent weather. While warm water is know to create storms and hurricanes, this is not always the case. When disturbances to the pattern above occur, so does weather all over the world. El Niño for example, starts off the coast of Chili and Peru, where amazing fishing is accessible due to the seasonal upwelling of cold water from the lower water column in the ocean. This upwelling brings nutrients to the surface currents, also bringing the fish to the surface of the water. Every so often, this seasonal upwelling does not occur, and this is known as El Niño. It has been discovered that the upwelling doesn't occur when warmer temperatures of water are in that part of the ocean. As that water travels the south pacific gyre towards the equator, it gets even hotter than usual, creating eve more extreme weather conditions. Sometimes it gets caught up in the trade winds and creates massive amounts of rain. This creates an imbalance of water, so the earth's automatic solution is to balance that water back out.
La Niña happens in relation to El Niño, by bringing colder currents to Chili and less weather to the rest of the world (through south pacific gyre, evaporation, and tree winds), creating droughts. Although this may not seem to be an extreme issue because El Niño and La Niña balance each other back and forth, the weather changes are too extreme for humans and the ecosystem. The more energy that gets put into a system, the more drastic the weather conditions will be. So, as this gets stronger from global warming, the repetition of El Niño will increase to approximately every five years. A change as small as one or two degrees in water temperature can cause this "conveyer belt" of currents to change or stop completely.
As if all of this weren't bad enough, the collection of human waste and garbage that is tossed into the ocean, ends up in the center of all of the above gyres, creating huge landfills (some of which are bigger than Texas). Also, in the North Pacific there is global sea ice that has begun to melt since the increase of carbon in the atmosphere. It has been predicted that by 2100 there will be no more sea ice, even in the winter. On the other hand (or should I say hemisphere?), in Antarctica ice that has regularly peaked out of the water, has begun to melt and slide its way into the Atlantic, and rising sea level. Over the next 200 years all of the ice will most likely have melted, and if that is so, the water on earth will have rise 248 feet.
This is so important because El Niño is already increasing, and the effects of the carbon that our current generation has put into the atmosphere will not show visible results for at least 50 to 100 years. If El Niño is already increasing without taking into account the amount of carbon our generation has produced, the results in the future will be phenomenally bad. It is important that humans work on some sort of solution to stop, or maintain not only our carbon output, but also our waste. If the amount of carbon in the atmosphere can be controlled, temperatures will become more steady and the ice in the arctic won't melt as quickly.