ATM OCN (Meteorology) 100

PALEOCLIMATOLOGY (PAST CLIMATES) &
CLIMATIC CHANGE

Summer 2000

Lecture #29 Scheduled for:

2 AUG 2000 (W)

pages 451-467

Objectives:

To list several situations that provide evidence of recent climatic change.
To sketch the principal features of the earth's climatic record over the past million years.
To list several lessons provided by the climatic past regarding climatic behavior.
To describe the various phenomena that might influence climatic variations.
To evaluate the possible role of human activity in climatic variations.
To distinguish those phenomena that might contribute to short-term climatic fluctuations from those that might cause long-term climatic changes.
To evaluate the interaction of factors in climatic variability.
To discuss the validity of various scenarios of the climatic future.
To list and explain four factors that contribute to the existence of the urban heat island.
To discuss the factors that may lead to increased precipitation in and downwind of cities.
To discuss two lines of evidence that support the idea that cities cause an increase in precipitation.
To summarize the changes in climatic elements, other than temperature and precipitation, caused by cities.
To list some of the reasons that have made climatic change a topical subject.
To describe several ways in which past climate are deciphered.
To describe the basis for each of the major theories of global climatic change, compare the probable time scales over which they operate, and discuss the role, if any, of humans.
Describe different methods used to reconstruct past climates.
Describe major episodes of climatic history throughout geologic time.
Relate climatic change to influences on the development of human cultures.
Describe climatic conditions during the Ice Ages.
Discuss possible causes of the Ice Ages.
Relate projected increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide to possible future climate changes.
Discuss the possible effects of a number of human activities on global climate.

Outline:

A. INTRODUCTION

Historical Aspects of the Theory of Climatic Change
Motivation - The Human Factor

B. CLIMATIC VARIABILITY

Overall Time Scales
Overall Space Scales

C. PALEOCLIMATIC INDICATORS - EVIDENCE from CLIMATE "SENSORS"

Quantitative Instrumental Observational Records
Qualitative Historical Observations
Indirect or Proxy Methods

D. CAUSES FOR CHANGES IN CLIMATE: THEORIES OF CLIMATIC CHANGE

Important Considerations
External Causes

E. CLIMATIC PREDICTIONS AND FORECASTS

F. SOCIETAL IMPACT OF CLIMATIC CHANGE

Links to Other References:

Additional information can be found on the Internet through the following sites:

For K-12 Educational Resource Links

Paleoclimates from NOAA/NESDIS Paleoclimatology Program

Last revision 6 June 2000

Produced by Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D.

Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 53706

hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu

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