Climate Change -- Ch C

Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter the student should be able to:

explain why climate encompasses both average and extreme weather

define the climatic normal

identify the many integrating factors that shape global climates

describe general global patterns of temperature and precipitation

explain how climates are classified

explain why precipitation is seasonal in many parts of the world

list some of the methods of climate reconstruction

explain how plate tectonics and mountain building could have changed climates in the past

sketch the principal features of the global climatic record of the past 2 million years

explain the significance of polar amplification for future climate change

describe the climatic significance of the Climatic optimum and Little Ice Age

list the principal lessons of the climatic record

describe the short term variations in solar output

explain how the Milankovich cycles might explain large scale fluctuations in glacial ice cover

describe the type of volcanic eruption that is most likely to impact global climate

describe the historic trends in concentration of greenhouse gases.

Summarize the role of human activity in the upward trend of greenhouse gases

explain how an enhanced greenhouse effect and global warming might impact society

describe how aerosols might impact the global radiation budget

explain how changes in the properties of the earth's surface influence climate

discuss the validity of various scenarios of the climatic future