...The Life and Contributions of Carl Gustaf Rossby Meteorologist and Pioneer in Atmospheric Dynamics ABSTRACT Carl Gustaf Rossby, a Swedish born mathematical physicist and later meteorologist is among the greatest contributors to modern-day meteorology. It was through his extensive research in the general circulations, that modern day weather forecasting has emerged to what it has become today. Rossby had a well-established career in the geosciences, with a broad educational background. It wasn’t until later in his life did he come to publish his greatest works. Rossby published three works in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s that involve potential vorticity, which would help establish the ground work for his most famous work on Rossby waves. The 1936 paper shows the conservation of potential vorticity in a hydrostatic, shallow fluid state, while the 1938 paper is an extension to the highly stratified hydrostatic flow, this time using isentropic coordinates. The term potential vorticity is actually never used until the 1940 paper where it is introduced. The 1939 work by Rossby is considered by some the most famous work contributed by Rossby, as he explains the semipermanent centers of action which would become the well-known Rossby waves. INTRODUCTION When people think of meteorology, the first names to appear are John Dalton, Gabriel Fahrenheit, William Ferrel, and Anders Celsius. These men are...
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...Greenhouse Effect and its Implication on Global Warming Greenhouse effect refers to an atmospheric process by which short wavelenghts of the visible light from the sun pass through the atmosphere where they are absorbed or trapped. However, part of light emitted from the sun in form of longwave is re-radiated from heated obects on the earth’s surface in to the atmosphere. Presence of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere does not allow the radiations to pass through. The greenhouse gas moelecules are more complex than any air molecule and their structure has high heat absorption capacity. The heat radiated back to the earth’s surface to modulate its temperature (Davis, 9). According to Parsons (23), this process is essential in order to support life. if this does not occur, the temperatues on the earth surcface would be below frezing point and plant or animal life would be supported. however, human activtities in the past centuries have increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which inturn have increased the average temperature on the earth’s surface. Greenhouse gases include water vapor, caborndixoide, nitrous oxide and methane. Acording to a report released by IPCC in 2007, there was a significant increase in production of greenhouse gases between the 19th and 20th century (Davis, 11). Increase in population has led to increased transportation and manufacturing. This implies rise in the combustion of fossil fuels including oil, gas and coal...
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...about the Institute and the course dctails 0[' val'ious M.Tech/Ph.D./M.S.(R). pl'Ogrammes plea In case of fulfilment of admission criteria. please complete the application form (may be downloaded/photocopied) and send it to the following. by post (application/documents sent by email will not be entertained), along \vith photocopies of the marks-sheets/ degree celtificates/other relevant documents: The Deputy Registrar (PGS&R), Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas,New Delhi 110016 (India) Please note that Ph.D.admission at liT Delhi Government of India. IS subject to prior cledrLlllce of the ANNEXURE M.Tech. Programmes offered at liT Delhi A. M.Tech Programmes of Deptts.lCentre Programme Code Applied Mechanics 1. Engineering Mechanics 2. Design Engineering AME AMD Applied Research in Electronics 1. Radio Frequency Design and Technology CRF Atmospheric Science 1. Atmospheric-Oceanic Science & Technology AST Chemistry 1 Molecular Engineering; Chemical Synthesis and Analysis CYM Chemical Engineering 1 Chemical Engineering CHE Civil Engineering 1. Construction Engg & Management. 2. Environmental Engineering and Management 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Geotechnical and Geoenviromnemtal Engg Rock Engineering Underground Structure Structural Engineering...
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...• Planting after natural or human-induced forest disturbances to accelerate vegetation growth and minimize soil carbon losses. 4. How much has the amount of C02 in the atmosphere changed in the past? Ice cores have been collected from Antarctica and Greenland which contain information stored in the ice that can be used to reconstruct climates thousands of years ago. As snow accumulates on ice caps and ice sheets where temperatures usually remain below freezing year round, it lays down a record of the environmental conditions at the time of its formation. Over time the snow, buried under further accumulations, is compacted to ice, preserving the climatic information. Air bubbles trapped in the ice can be analyzed to reconstruct the atmospheric composition at the time when the ice formed. Measurements of the amount of greenhouse gases in these bubbles show that the "pre-industrial" amount of CO2 in the atmosphere was about 280 parts per million (ppm), about 100 ppm below today's (2006) value. The figure below show results of CO2 measurements of air trapped in ice cores taken at the Law Dome site in...
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...Science of the Total Environment 502 (2015) 578–584 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Science of the Total Environment journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scitotenv Effects of meteorology and secondary particle formation on visibility during heavy haze events in Beijing, China Qiang Zhang a, Jiannong Quan a, Xuexi Tie b,c,⁎, Xia Li a, Quan Liu a, Yang Gao a, Delong Zhao a a b c Beijing Weather Modification Office, Beijing, China SKLLQG and Key Laboratory of Aerosol Chemistry and Physics, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xian China National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA H I G H L I G H T S • • • • The cases of haze formation in Beijing, China were analyzed. The effects of RH on PM2.5 concentration and visibility were studied. Gas-phase to particle-phase conversion under different visibility was analyzed. With high RH, the conversion SO2 to SO4= accounted for 20%. a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 25 July 2014 Received in revised form 5 September 2014 Accepted 24 September 2014 Available online 7 October 2014 Editor: P. Kassomenos Keywords: Beijing Hazes Visibility PM2.5 PBL Secondary particle formation a b s t r a c t The causes of haze formation in Beijing, China were analyzed based on a comprehensive measurement, including PBL (planetary boundary layer), aerosol composition and concentrations, and several important meteorological parameters such...
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...“George W Bush once said, “How is Global Warming real?” If we wanted to, we could dramatically lower temperature by switching from Fahrenheit to Celsius. On the scientific note, however, the point is not as simple as just changing the unit of measurement. The values of Americans are polluted by the agendas of politics and entertainment. Subconsciously, the values we hold regarding topics such as Global Warming are intertwined with mass media. For example, we look at Carbon Dioxide and only Carbon dioxide as the villain in global warming. Now, instead of being the subjects of our subconscious, let us delve into our conscious mind and obtain the hard facts that are science. Steven Levitt, in Superfreakonomics details an extremely controversial...
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...The Greenhouse Effect Introduction Greenhouse effect refers to an atmospheric process by which short wavelenghts of the visible light from the sun pass through the atmosphere where they are absorbed or trapped. However, part of light emitted from the sun in form of long wave is re-radiated from heated objects on the earth’s surface in to the atmosphere. Presence of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere does not allow the radiations to pass through. The greenhouse gas molecules are more complex than any air molecule and their structure has high heat absorption capacity. The heat radiated back to the earth’s surface to modulate its temperature. According to Parsons, this process is essential in order to support life. if this does not occur, the temperatures on the earth surface would be below freezing point and plant or animal life would be supported. However, human activities in the past centuries have increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which in turn have increased the average temperature on the earth’s surface. Greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. According to a report released by IPCC in 2007, there was a significant increase in production of greenhouse gases between the 19th and 20th century. However, in the context of this paper greenhouse effect will be deciphered via different notions. Discussion Increase in Effect Increase in population has led to increased transportation and manufacturing. This...
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...THE EFFECTS OF INCREASED ATMOSPHERIC CARBON DIOXIDE Research report Student name Institution Introduction Scientific research in relation to global warming and its effects has projected that the year 2020 may be the hottest than any other in the last 1000 years. According to Rozema, Lambers, Geijn & Cambridge, (2012), the incredible increase will be as a result of the increase in the levels of the large amounts of carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere. The use and burning of carbon related fossil fuels to produce energy by industries across the world has been documented as the main source of the large amounts of carbon dioxide. Schafer (2002) describes that carbon dioxide us product released by all the living systems and in most cases,...
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...Science fiction literature usually deals with worlds that are different from our own and the consequences of change as a result of new scientific technologies, discoveries, or different social systems. It is the only genre that shows an outsider’s viewpoint on how a society could run in a different manner, allowing us to envision a desirable future and evaluate ways to work towards it or it advises us of the future we should steer clear of and aids us in ways of avoiding it. Science fiction is often observed in a dystopian setting. A dystopia is an imaginary world that intentionally overstates social problems in order to make a point about society's defects. In particular, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin is a science fiction based short story set in a dystopian society masquerading as a utopian society...
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...purpose as any independent model is unable to sustain the variability of the complexities involved in the earth and ocean sciences, which are gradually converging. It has therefore become imperative to understand the interdependence and coupling of geological sciences and oceanography. The combined approach to earth and ocean sciences is also the key to predicting and managing natural disasters or hazards like earthquakes, cyclones, floods, tsunami, etc. In this context, in a significant development in India, a Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) was formed in July 2006 by restructuring the former Ministry of Ocean Development. The MoES deals with matters relating to meteorology, seismology, climate and environmental science and related earth sciences including ocean science and technology. It facilitates an integrated view of earth systems viz., ocean, atmosphere and land to provide best possible services in respect of ocean resources, ocean state, monsoon, cyclone, earthquake, tsunami, climate change, etc. The MoES oversees research in earth system sciences, forecast monsoons and other climate parameters, ocean state, earthquakes, tsunamis and earth science phenomena. The ministry also supports industry in science, aviation, water resources, aquaculture, agriculture, etc., by disseminating weather information. It also develops and coordinates science and technology related to oceans, Polar Regions besides preserving, assessing and exploiting marine living and non-living...
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...millions of years. In fact, plants were the first species on earth and the first to live on land (“Plant Evolution”, D. Davies, accessed 11/24/12). For 1500 million year’s photosynthetic organisms remained in the sea. This is because, in the absence of a protective ozone layer, the land was bathed in lethal levels of UV radiation. Once atmospheric oxygen levels were high enough the ozone layer formed, meaning that it was possible for living things to venture onto the land (The University of the West Indies. Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences 2003-2012). The seashore would have been enormously important in the colonization of land. In this zone algae would have been exposed to fresh water running off the land (and would have colonized the freshwater habitat before making the move to terrestrial existence). They would also be exposed to an alternating wet and desiccating environment. Adaptations to survive drying out would have had strong survival value, and it is important to note that seaweeds are poikilohydric and able to withstand periods of desiccation (The University of the West Indies. Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences 2003-2012). The earliest evidence for the appearance of land plants, in the form of fossilized spores, comes from the Ordovician period (510 - 439 million years ago), a time when the global climate was mild and extensive shallow seas surrounded the low-lying continental masses. These spores were probably produced by submerged plants...
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...Climate change From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For current and future climatological effects of human influences, see global warming. For the study of past climate change, see paleoclimatology. For temperatures on the longest time scales, see geologic temperature record. [pic] |Atmospheric sciences | |[pic] | |Aerology | |Atmospheric physics | |Atmospheric dynamics (category) | |Atmospheric chemistry (category) | |Meteorology | |Weather (category) · (portal) | |Tropical cyclone (category) | |Climatology | |Climate (category) | |Climate change (category) | |Global warming (category) · (portal) | |v · d · e | Climate change is a long-term change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average (e.g., more or fewer extreme weather events). Climate change may be limited to a specific region or may occur across the whole Earth. |Contents ...
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...The Snowball Earth Hypothesis [pic] FIRST NAME, LAST NAME ID# Course number Contents Introduction 3 Synoptic Description of the Snowball Earth Hypothesis 3 Causes of the Snowball Earth 5 Occurrence of the Snowball Effect 6 Impacts of the Snowball Effect 8 Personal Suggestions 9 Conclusion 10 Works Cited 12 Introduction Massive changes in the earth’s climate are of particular note to environmental studies as they bear the potential to affect life greatly. Such geological and climatological changes are associated with the different ages that the earth has lived through, as well as the extinction and generation of various life forms. The Snowball Earth Hypothesis represents a concept explaining a possible climate and geological change in a past age in which the earth was entirely covered with ice. It explains contemporary observations about rock type distribution such as equatorial sedimentary deposits considered being from glacial origin (Cowen 50-51). This study analyzes the Hypothesis, providing a synoptic distribution, cause explanation, occurrence, and impact, before presenting a personal suggestion based on reflection on the evidence analyzed. Synoptic Description of the Snowball Earth Hypothesis The Snowball Earth Hypothesis focusses on the unparalleled climatic fluctuations that occurred during the Neoproterozoic time, positing that a global ice cover characterized this period. The hypothesis posits that the earth completely...
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...PHIVOLCS builds info portal for quakes and volcanoes | Tuesday, 16 September 2014 04:12 | | | | | The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) introduced the” Information Portal for Philippine Earthquake and Volcano” during a seminar-forum on Sept. 15, 2014 at the institute’s auditorium, Quezon City. Led by its Director, Renato U. Solidum, Jr., the heads of the 4 technical divisions gave brief descriptions on the content of the portal.Following a series of joint meetings with partner-agencies Japan International Cooperation Agency-Japan Science and Technology Agency (JICA-JST) and National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED), PHIVOLCS has come up with a prototype of the Information Portal for Philippine Earthquake and Volcano which will be available for public viewing in the near future. | Continue reading.. | PHIVOLCS and Province of Albay Commemorate 200-years of 1814 Mayon Volcano Eruption, 26-27 June 2014, Legaspi, Albay | Friday, 18 July 2014 06:53 | Legaspi, Albay. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) in partnership with the Province of Albay commemorated the 200-years anniversary of the 1814 Mayon Volcano Eruption on 26-27 June at the La Piazza Hotel, Legaspi, Albay.Eruptions from Mayon Volcano that people remember date back to 1968, 1978, 1984, 1993, 2000-2001, 2006 and 2009. What most people are probably not aware of is that, two hundred years ago, on 01 February...
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...RAPID CLIMATE CHANGE: OCEAN RESPONSES TO EARTH SYSTEM INSTABILITY IN THE LATE QUATERNARY James P Kennett Department of Geological Sciences and Marine Science Institute University of California Santa Barbara and Larry C Peterson Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science University of Miami A RAPID CLIMATE OSCILLATOR IN THE LATE QUATERNARY Until recently most Earth scientists believed that past climate change occurred on relatively long time scales of tens of thousands of years or more Most also thought that climate change was controlled largely by changes in the distribution of solar radiation with Earth's orbital oscillations providing an external forcing to the climate system and pacing the so called Milankovitch cycles However dramatic discoveries during the early s changed this paradigm Climatic records produced from the Greenland ice sheet and in nearby marine sediments of the North Atlantic altered the way Earth scientists thought about the operation of Earth's climate system and the relative sensitivity of this system to major climatic shifts Age (Years before present) 0 cold 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 Paleoclimate studies of Greenland ice cores (Dansgaard et al ) were the first to reveal a remarkable sequence of major rapid millennial scale oscillations in the climate system during the last ice age (Fig ) superimposed on the more gradual orbitally driven insolation cycles Because of high accumulation rates of snow over Greenland ice cores from this...
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