Week 14

 What did you do in lab? 

- We watched a few videos. 

- we learned about greenhouse gasses and infrared light. 

- we found the little black bead amongst the million of yellow beads. 

What did you learn in lecture?

- co2 changes, temperature changes

- Sources of natural variability: “solar and volcanic forcing are the two dominant natural contributors to global climate change during the Industrial Era.” And there has been NO significant changes, leaving ONLY human causes. 

- the earth is a giant convection current 

- what is the albedo effect and how does it affect climate? The reflectivity of a surface; how much radiation is reflected vs. absorbed. 

- is the albedo effect a positive or negative feedback loop? Positive

- albedo effect: this is a feedback cycle affecting the ice caps and glaciers. A cycle of cause and effect that can either be amplifying of conditions or minimizing.

- Snowball earth 

What effect does this have on the albedo across the entire planet? High albedo. 

How might the planet warm back up during an ice age? volcanic eruptions sending carbon dioxide into the earth. 

What did you learn from the Pressbook? 

- Melting sea ice affects the entire planet, not just the Arctic. Arctic sea ice acts as Earth’s air conditioner.  and ocean currents carry the ice’s cooling effect to other parts of the planet. As shown in the animation, below, Arctic sea ice has been steadily shrinking for decades.