Download Template - Atmospheric and Oceanic Science

HONR 229L: Climate Change: Science, Economics, and Governance
Climate Models: Perspective of a Physical Scientist
Your name here
5 October 2015
Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
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Explain:
a) what is meant by an El Niño event (i.e., physically what happens in the ocean &
where in the ocean does this happen?)
b) the weather related consequences associated with an El Niño event
Also, explain how we are right now in the middle of a huge El Niño event!
Feel free to draw upon material in the reading and to supplement with material off the web
You can ask students about their prior understanding of El Niño & how it was for them to read
through some fairly heavy duty material
Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
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Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
3
Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
4
The reading states "climate can not be described in terms of the atmosphere alone".
Consider devote a fair amount of slides to explain the components needed to predict future
climate.
Also, note which of these components was the last to be added to the computer models that
predict future climate
Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
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Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
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The reading provides more detail, both in terms of quantitative importance of the feedbacks
and the physical processes that govern how the feedbacks work.
First, address the Admission Ticket questions:
a) if the abundance of CO2 were to double and no feedbacks were to occur, how
would global surface temperature respond?
b) if the abundance of CO2 were to double and feedbacks were to occur, according to
our present understanding of how they actually operate, how would global surface
temperature respond?
Then state on a scale of "not important", "moderately important", or "very important", how
important the proper understanding of feedbacks is, if we would like to achieve accurate
projections of climate change
Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
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Then walk the class through the various feedbacks:
a)
b)
c)
d)
water
clouds
ocean-circulation
ice-albedo
Can cover in any order and can provide as much (or as little) detail as you feel comfortable
using
Again, please engage the other students in the discussion: ask them if they understood the
reading, was this new to them, to they trust models either more or less having read this
material, etc
Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
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Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
9
Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
10
Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
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Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
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Challenge to you … see if you can work this table of numbers into the presentation
I’d be delighted to speak with you about the table, should you so desire
Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
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Consider devoting the rest of the summary to a description of climate models are validated
Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
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Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
15
Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
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If you decide to use this figure, be sure to let folks know what tritium
is and also point out the irony that a residue of atmospheric atomic
bomb tests has led to some important science
Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
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I highly suggest
using this figure
in your
summary
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This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
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Consider concluding by summarizing the various IPCC statements regarding human influence
on climate, and asking students if they endorse these statements
Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland.
This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch.
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