...in which the data provided by dendrochronology can be articulated. Dry periods can be indicated by thin and closely placed growth rings. For instance, tree rings can indicate watershed levels or stream flow of rivers for certain areas before there was any first hand data collection (Harely). The data is so dependable that water management policies can be established from its conclusions. Similar practices and conclusions are made using ice cores, soil cores, and pollen cores. Methods All the following cores were collected in Nacogdoches,...
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...Source:http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2013/02/05/antarctic_ice_core_contains_unrivaled_detail_of_past_climate.html Summary: Retrieved from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), the ice containing the record is known as the WAIS Divide ice core. The cylinders of ice that make up the core contain uniquely detailed information on past environmental conditions such as the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases, surface air temperature, wind patterns, the extent of sea ice around Antarctica, and the average temperature of the ocean. Successfully retrieving the core is the culmination of an eight-year project to obtain a paleoclimate record from one of the remotest parts of the continent. The WAIS Divide research project has taken eight field seasons to prepare the remote field camp and collect the core. The weather and the remoteness of the field site limit field operations to 60 days a year. The unique ice-coring drill was designed and operated by the Ice Drilling Design and Operations group at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, through a collaborative arrangement with the Ice Drilling Program Office. Other ice-coring projects have produced cores of lower temporal resolution, showing that the current level of atmospheric greenhouse gases, which is due to the burning of fossil fuels, is the highest in at least 800,000 years.The ice that is between 30,000 and 68,000 years old--while not containing records with annual resolution--contains a higher time resolution record than previous...
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...amount of greenhouse gases expelled into the environment due to anthropogenic influence likely enhances, or acts as a catalyst, for overall climate change. Numerous studies exist that show increases in carbon dioxide levels throughout history via direct sampling as well as ice core analysis. In 1957, “Charles Keeling began measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide from an observatory on the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii. He soon identified what became known as the ‘Keeling Curve’ – a graph that showed atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide increasing year by year.” (2) A quick view of the Keeling Curve, even by the untrained eye, shows a strong correlation between human industrialization and the sudden increase in greenhouse gases, See Figure 1. While the increases in CO2 alone does not point to human intervention, the clearly recognizable rise in human industrialization gives legitimacy to the claim of anthropogenic induced global climate change. Figure 1. Keeling Curve, Courtesy: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/files/earth501/image/lesson4/maunaloa_co2.jpg Ice core analysis is another area of climate study that supports the notion of anthropogenic influence on global warming. Ice core analysis is past atmospheric composition...
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...outgoing infrared radiation is trapped by this layer of atmosphere and held inside the atmosphere. And that's a good thing because it keeps the temperature of the Earth within certain boundaries, keeps it relatively constant and livable. But the problem is this thin layer of atmosphere is being thickened by all of the global warming pollution that’s being put up there. And what that does is it thickens this layer of atmosphere” He explains using an animated video (on watching which even a layman would understand what global warming is) that greenhouse gases are the main cause of global warming and mocks politicians on their finding shortcuts to tackle global warming and not considering the problem seriously. Using previous years’ data on carbon dioxide levels and global temperature, he also makes it evident that Temperature rise is closely related to Carbon Dioxide levels which are on the rise. To...
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...Climate Change is a Natural Process, not Man-Made Lanson D Owen II Friends University Abstract One of the most important and controversial environmental issues facing the world today is the changing of the climate. Many think it is man-made but fail to understand the fascinating natural cycles of how complex the geological history of planet earth is. It is a difficult subject to take in, so the public has to rely on experts for making the information understandable. The problem with relying on a group of people to make decisions for the public is they have the ability to manipulate the data to back their point of view. It has been scientifically proven and accepted by many scientist that mini global warming and global cooling periods have been present in the earth’s history. These fascinating scientific facts of earth’s history have been totally knocked out by the massive hype that man is responsible for climate change. Overall, climate change tends to be reported as explanations about general tendencies and possible outcomes. Climate Change is a Natural Process, not Man-Made It seems like everyone in the world has an opinion about what might be causing the climate of the world to change. Recently there has been a common scientific consensus that claims to know what is causing the climate to change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is stating carbon dioxide is causing the climate to change, the oceans are warming, and the temperature is rising faster...
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...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 location are able to resolve climate changes occurring within decades or less revealing late Quaternary climate behavior never before observed The initial ice core work demonstrated that the climate oscillations (now known as Dansgaard/Oeschger [D/O] cycles) essentially reflect a “flickering” of the climate system between warm and cold states (Fig ) with air temperature shifts Surface Ocean...
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...change is caused by factors such as biotic processes, variations in solar radiation received by Earth, plate tectonics, and volcanic eruptions. Certain human activities have also been identified as significant causes of recent climate change, often referred to as "global warming". Scientists actively work to understand past and future climate by using observations and theoretical models. A climate record — extending deep into the Earth's past — has been assembled, and continues to be built up, based on geological evidence from borehole temperature profiles, cores removed from deep accumulations of ice, floral and faunal records, glacial and periglacial processes, stable-isotope and other analyses of sediment layers, and records of past sea levels. More recent data are provided by the instrumental record. General circulation models, based on the physical sciences, are often used in theoretical approaches to match past climate data, make future projections, and link causes and effects in climate change. Terminology The most general definition of climate change is a change in the statistical properties of the climate system when considered over long periods of time, regardless of cause. Accordingly, fluctuations over periods shorter than a few decades, such as El Niño, do not represent climate change. The term sometimes is used to refer specifically to climate change caused by human activity, as opposed to changes in climate that may have resulted as part of Earth's natural processes...
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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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...Survey of Science and Technology in Society Global Warming: Crisis or Conspiracy What is global warming? Or climate change for that matter? How did it start? How will it continue? What will happen to humanity? Will it one day be gone, due to our own ignorance? These are some of the questions raised by a percentage of the society who believe in the facts and evidences presented by the scientists and environmentalists. While the other part of the society seem divided over this issue, these groups of skeptic individuals, strongly deny the theory that global warming is a big issue and require urgent attention. Their beliefs are based on scientific facts too. So what’s right and who’s wrong? The debate doesn’t seem to stop. To begin with, Global warming is the continuing rise in the average temperature of the earth’s climate system, forcing it to change. Though change in climate is nothing new for the earth, according to the evidence and facts provided by the article “Global Climate Change” posted in NASA’s official website, the Earth's climate has changed throughout history. Just in the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat. Most of these climate changes are attributed to very small variations in Earth’s orbit that change the amount of solar energy our planet receives. The current warming trend, however, is of particular significance because most of it is very likely human-induced and proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented in...
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...Climate Change and the IPCC o What is the IPCC? - Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change, created in 1988, first assessment report in 1990 launched global awareness of climate change issue. How the IPCC works - Thousands of scientists contribute to writing and reviewing reports. Does not carry out new research or monitor climate related data. There are 3 working groups and a special tasks force. Terminology – 99%-100% (Virtually Certain) 90%-100% (Very Likely) 66%-100 (Likely) 33%-60% (About as likely as not) 0%-33% (Unlikely) 0%-10% (Very Unlikely) 0%-1% (Exceptionally Unlikely) o Causes of climate change Relative forcing components – Long-live greenhouse gases (Global), Ozone (Continental to Global), Stratospheric water vapor from methane (Global), Surface albedo, Aerosol (Direct Affect, Cloud Albedo Affect, Surface to Continental), Linear Contrails (Continental) , Solar irradiance (Global) Earth’s energy budget & human use Quadrillion BTU 100% Incoming Solar Energy Wood 64% - Radiated to space Coal 51% - Absorbed by land and oceans Oil &Gas 23% - Carried to clouds Hydropower &Nuclear (1900-) 20% - Reflected by clouds 16% - Absorbed by atmosphere 15% - Radiation absorbed by atmosphere 7% - Conduction and rising air 6% - Reflected by atmosphere 6% - Radiated directly into space 4% - Reflected from Earth’s surface 3% - Absorbed by clouds Greenhouse gases (types and impact)...
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...assessment of climate change, humans are responsible for the majority of global warming since 1900, including virtually 100% of the warming since 1970 (IPCC, 2007b, p. 39). In the years since Kyoto, there have been major efforts to bring about worldwide agreement to the treaty, including a recent climate summit—much publicized for its failings—held in Copenhagen. But not everyone is going along with the IPCC. Despite a continuing maelstrom of media hype and alarmist politics, the idea that the earth is warming at an unprecedented rate, due primarily to human influence, is quickly losing ground. This global warming backlash is due in large part to a growing chorus of skeptics and climate experts willing to challenge the prevailing science at the core of the movement. Over 31,000 scientists, including over 9,000 PhDs, have raised concerns over the IPCC’s findings. They have signed a petition stating that the organization’s claims are extreme, that the climate system is more complex than what is now known, and that various mechanisms have not yet been included in the models considered to date (Idso & Singer, 2009, p. 739). They have argued that the whole issue should be treated with caution and that we should not jump headfirst into incorrect environmental policies that could be extremely damaging to the economy. Records do show that since the year 1900, global surface temperatures have risen by...
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... | |4.0 Problem Definition |12-13 | |5.0 Data Analysis |14-29 | |6.0 Findings |30 | |7.0 Advantage & Limitations of MR |31-32 | |8.0 Conclusion |33-34 | |9.0 References |35 | 1.0 Executive Summary 1.1 Subject matter This report is to investigate the factors that will affect the choice making of purchasing Magnum ice cream in Tunku Abdu Rahman Tarc College. 1.2 Key findings Our primary objective, we are going to make a test to 30 students to bring prominence of which factors that will affect Tarc College students in choosing the ice cream. Our secondary...
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...Science Seminar Unit 2 Kaplan University The type of measurements that indicate climate change is occurring is the National Climatic Data Center; it contains the instrumental and paleoclimate records that will precisely define the nature climatic fluctuations. Other resources are ships, buoys, weather balloons, weather stations and many climate proxy records like tree rings and ice cores. The National Oceanographic Data Center receives the ocean data that can reveal the way heat is distributed and redistributed over our planet. Climate information goes on for hundreds and thousands of years, the paleoclimatology data helps provide longer term perspectives. Over the years reduced diurmal temperature range (DTR: the difference between daily high or maximum and daily low or minimum temperatures) over 70% of the global land mass since the middle of the 2oth century. The years between 1979-2005, the DTR shows no trend. There are many factors’ that contribute to the change in DTR, on a regional and local basis, which include changes in cloud cover, atmospherics water vapors, land use and urban effects. The challenges they face is trying to figure out if human activities are leading to an enhancement of the greenhouse effect by emission of greenhouse gases through fossil fuel combustion and deforestation. Concentration levels of carbon dioxide have risen since 2000....
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...field of global warming. We are continually bombarded with information that the Earth is experiencing a warming trend, and human activity is to blame. The pollution that man creates is adding to the earth’s greenhouse gases. The resulting affect of global warming is triggering warmer temperatures around the world, and ecosystems are taking the toll. One of the most publicized looming catastrophes is the plight of the polar bears. Once the glaciers are gone, the polar bear will be extinct in the wild. Although, scientists say it is caused by the pollution that humans are creating, global warming is a natural phenomenon. Snow capped mountains are a wondrous sight to behold, and can be found on every continent. But, these massive ice shelf’s have a purpose that many people take for granted. Many people do not realize that glaciers are responsible for part of the world’s water supply. Revkin (2003) states “The melting is likely to threaten water supplies in places like Peru and Nepal” (¶ 19). The result from the melting glaciers will raise water levels and potentially create devastating floods over time. The eventual outcome that these countries will face once the glaciers are gone is drought. Many communities are also dependent on hydroelectric dams and water reservoirs to create electricity. Once the glaciers are gone then what? Scientists think that without water from the glaciers to create electricity, these communities that are so dependent on the hydroelectric...
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...Seismic data from Lake Tana, Ethiopia, has been analysed and the key reflection events have been picked. These have then been dated using an age depth model from previously obtained cores from Lake Tana. The airgun data from Lake Tana aided the identification of the bedrock below the accumulated sediment in the Lake Tana basin. The bedrock was dated to 410 k yr BP ± 22 k yr BP, and this indicates that there is a possible 410 k yr record of lake level fluctuations within the Lake Tana sediment. The Seistec boomer data allowed the identification of many sub-bottom features form 98 k yr BP to present day. The main features are the five P layers which indicate that since 98 k yr BP there have been five major lowstands in Lake Tana. The features that appear between these P layers include less intense desiccation layers, downcutting events, large sand ripples and prograding wedges. These findings are in agreement with those of Bates et al. (2007) and Lamb Bates et al. (2007) who have also used other seismic records to identify lake level fluctuations in Lake Tana. The lake level fluctuations identified in the seismic records from Lake Tana correlate well with many of the lake level fluctuations of other large African lakes, such as Lake Victoria (Johnson et al, 1996), Lake Challa (Moernaut et al., 2010) and Lakes Tanganyika and Malawi (Scholz and Rosendahl, 1988). From 98 k yr BP to 91 k yr BP there are only a few other records...
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