Climate Change An Interdisciplinary Approach to Problem Solving

Climate Change: An Inter-disciplinary Approach to Problem Solving (AOSS 480 // NRE 480) Richard B. Rood Cell: 301 -526 -8572 2525 Space Research Building (North Campus) rbrood@umich. edu http: //clasp. engin. umich. edu/people/rbrood Winter 2017 January 12, 2017

Class Information and News • Canvas site: CLIMATE_480_001_W 17 – Record of course • Rood’s Class Media. Wiki Site – http: //climateknowledge. org/classes/index. php/Climate_Change: _The_Move_to_Action • Rood’s Class Tumblr Site: http: //openclimate. tumblr. com

Important, Room Change January 17 • For January 17 only, CLIMATE/NRE 480. 001 will relocate from 1024 Dana to 1033 Dentistry from 10 to 11: 30 am.

Resoures and Recommended Reading • Radiative Balance – Radiative Forcing of Climate Change: Expanding the Concept and Addressing Uncertainties (2005) Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) Chapter 1 • http: //www. nap. edu/books/0309095069/html • From class website – Executive Summary – Chapter 1: Radiative Forcing • Gettelman and Rood Chapters on this website – https: //sites. google. com/a/umich. edu/introductorymaterial/

Outline: Class 3, Winter 2017 • Definition and focus on “systems” – In the language of science – In the language of problem solving • Earth-Sun system • Role of the Atmosphere – Fundamental role of greenhouse gases – Other greenhouse gases of high importance • Past behavior • Carbon dioxide budget

Scientific Investigation OBSERVATIONS THEORY EXPERIMENT Break into pieces “granules” Problem Solving Knowledge Generation Reduction Disciplinary Unification Integration (perhaps not unique)

Problem Solving Brings Focus to System • System (Dictionary Definitions): – a set of connected things or parts forming a complex whole – a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole – has: Structure, Behavior, Interconnection • Systems Engineering: study, understanding (analysis), design, management of systems

Systems, Scientific Method and Earth’s Climate • First steps in studying system – Defining the system – Breaking down the system to allow understanding • We will use principles of scientific investigation to break down into pieces. – Observations – Theory – Prediction – Evaluation … Draw a Picture

Sun-Earth System SUN: ENERGY, HEAT EARTH: ABSORBS ENERGY EARTH: EMITS ENERGY TO SPACE BALANCE

Sun-Earth System SUN EARTH PLACE AN INSULATING BLANKET AROUND EARTH CO 2 is making the blanket thicker FOCUS ON WHAT IS HAPPENING AT THE SURFACE EARTH: EMITS ENERGY TO SPACE BALANCE

The sun-earth system (What is the balance at the surface of Earth? ) SUN If we do an accounting of energy: If the Earth did NOT have an atmosphere, then, the temperature at the surface of the Earth would be about -18 C ( ~ 0 F). Earth But the Earth’s surface temperature is observed to be, on average, about 15 C (~59 F).

Earth and its warmth • That in the absence of the atmosphere the temperature would be about -18 C or 0 F • The atmosphere is hugely important

Greenhouse gases (GHG) • Earth's most abundant greenhouse gases – water vapor (H 2 O) – carbon dioxide (CO 2) – methane (CH 4) – nitrous oxide (N 2 O), commonly known as "laughing gas" – ozone (O 3) – chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) • Ranked by their contribution to the greenhouse effect, the most important ones are: – water vapor, which contributes 36– 70% – carbon dioxide, which contributes 9– 26% – methane, which contributes 4– 9% – ozone, which contributes 3– 7% • What are the atmospheric lifetimes of the GHGs?

Some attributes to hold in mind • We are increasing CO 2 – there is a lot of it and it is easy to release. We like fire. • There is an immense amount of water on Earth and it cycles between its different phases. • There is a lot of methane on Earth. • Nitrous oxide is wrapped up in agriculture and fertilizers. • We manufacture very potent greenhouse gases.

Increase of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO 2) Primary increase comes from burning fossil fuels – coal, oil, natural gas Data and more information

Web links to some CO 2 data • NOAA/ESRL Global Monitoring Division – Carbon Cycle Greenhouse Gas – Mauna Loa Carbon Dioxide • Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center – Recent Greenhouse Gas Concentrations • NOAA/PMEL CO 2 and Ocean

Let’s look to the past • This is called “paleoclimatology. ” – NOAA’s Paleoclimatology Branch • Ice Core Portal • Vostok Data – Petit, Nature, 1999 – Koshland Science Museum

Bubbles of gas trapped in layers of ice give a measure of temperature and carbon dioxide 350, 000 years of Surface Temperature and Carbon Dioxide (CO 2) at Vostok, Antarctica ice cores This has been extended back to > 700, 000 years Ø During this period, temperature and CO 2 are closely related to each other Ø Times of low temperature have glaciers, ice ages (CO 2 <~ 200 ppm) Ø Times of high temperature associated with CO 2 of < 300 ppm

Bubbles of gas trapped in layers of ice give a measure of temperature and carbon dioxide 350, 000 years of Surface Temperature and Carbon Dioxide (CO 2) at Vostok, Antarctica ice cores Ø During this period, temperature and CO 2 are closely related to each other Ø It’s been about 20, 000 years since the end of the last ice age Ø There has been less than 10, 000 years of history “recorded” by humans (and it has been relatively warm)

460 ppm CO 2 2100 390 ppm CO 2 2010 So what are we worried about? 350, 000 years of Surface Temperature and Carbon Dioxide (CO 2) at Vostok, Antarctica ice cores Ø Carbon dioxide is, because of our emissions, much higher than ever experienced by human kind Ø Temperature is expected to follow Ø New regimes of climate behavior? Ø Humans are adapted to current climate behavior. ØThe change is expected to happen rapidly (10 -100 years, not 1000’s)

460 ppm CO 2 2100 360 ppm CO 2 2005 Are we saving civilization? 350, 000 years of Surface Temperature and Carbon Dioxide (CO 2) at Vostok, Antarctica ice cores Ø If the normal pattern were to continue, without additional carbon dioxide, what would we expect?

We have gone through those figures fast • Whoa … • The carbon dioxide and temperature sometimes DO NOT seem perfectly related. In the past the temperature increase started before the carbon dioxide increase. • It’s pretty clear that an ice age is on the way. The climate is clearly periodic, and there is nothing we can do about it. • Other things?

Global cooling? Why do we think that our predictions today are more robust than these predictions from the 1970 s?

From the Ice Core Data: Questions? • We see a relationship between carbon dioxide (CO 2) and Temperature (T) – What is the cause and effect? – Why do we bounce between these two regimes? – Dynamic equilibrium? • Are these oscillations caused by something “external”? – Are there other parameters or attributes which are correlated with this behavior? • What is different from the stock market, where “past behavior does not indicate future performance? ”

Let’s Look at the past 1000 years • We have more sources of observations. • We have better observations. • We have public records and literature and natural history.

Let’s look at just the last 1000 years Surface temperature and CO 2 data from the past 1000 years. Temperature is a northern hemisphere average. Temperature from several types of measurements are consistent in temporal behavior. q Medieval warm period q “Little ice age” q Temperature starts to follow CO 2 as CO 2 increases beyond approximately 300 ppm, the value seen in the previous graph as the upper range of variability in the past 350, 000 years.

Let’s look at just the last 1000 years Surface temperature and CO 2 data from the past 1000 years. Temperature is a northern hemisphere average. Temperature from several types of measurements are consistent in temporal behavior. { Note that on this scale, with more time resolution, that the fluctuations in temperature and the fluctuations in CO 2 do not match as obviously as in the long, 350, 000 year, record. What is the cause of the temperature variability? Can we identify mechanisms, cause and effect? How?

What do we see from the past 1000 years • On shorter time scales the CO 2 and T are not as cleanly related. • Periods on noted warmth and coolness are separated by changes in average temperature of only 0. 5 F. • Changes of average temperature on this scale seem to matter to people. – Regional changes, extremes? • Recent changes in both T and CO 2 are unprecedented in the past several hundred thousands of years. – And the last 10, 000 years, which is when humans have thrived in the way that we have thrived.

Increase of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO 2) Primary increase comes from burning fossil fuels – coal, oil, natural gas Data and more information

What about the CO 2 increase? Concept of “stabilization” CO 2 now Stabilization as we have thought about it in the past may not be possible.

Carbon dioxide budget

What are the mechanisms for production and loss of CO 2? Important things in this figure.

What are the mechanisms for production and loss of CO 2? Enormous amount of carbon dioxide in the ocean.

-2 What are the mechanisms for production and loss of CO 2? Exchange of carbon dioxide between atmosphere and ocean.

What are the mechanisms for production and loss of CO 2? Large amount of carbon dioxide in the “soil” and plants

-1 What are the mechanisms for production and loss of CO 2? Exchange of carbon dioxide between atmosphere and “land. ”

What are the mechanisms for production and loss of CO 2? Large amount of carbon dioxide in coal, oil, gas

Hundreds of Years +5. 5 What are the mechanisms for production and loss of CO 2? Movement of carbon dioxide by burning Millions of Years

+1 What are the mechanisms for production and loss of CO 2? Movement of carbon dioxide by land use changes

Were you counting? • Net sources into the atmosphere 5. 5 + 1 = 6. 5 • Net removal from the atmosphere 2+1 = 3

Another view of CO 2 increase Global Carbon Project

CO 2 from 2012 to 2013 Global Carbon Project

Carbon and Oceanic Exchange

Carbon and Terrestrial Exchange

Summary: Class 3, Winter 2017 • Basic system for framing Earth’s climate is planet that is warmed by the Sun and cools to space and reaches a balance. • The presence of the atmosphere means that energy is held near the Earth’s surface. – Keeping Earth’s surface warmer than it would be if the energy was not stored – About 58 F rather than 0 F

Summary: Class 3, Winter 2017 • Water exists in solid, liquid and gas (vapor). – Water and its phase changes represent energy • Study of past climate reveals variability – Ice – Greenhouse gases – Temperature – Influence on humans – Influence on types of life in general

Summary: Class 3, Winter 2017 • Humans are NOT required for carbon dioxide variability. • CO 2 is increasing in the atmosphere and ocean. – This time it is humans altering the geology of Earth – Anthropocene • For the climate problem CO 2 in the environment is increasing. It takes a long time for it to be removed, there is a lot of cycling between atmosphere, ocean and land. – What happens if ocean gets warmer? • In ocean transfer of CO 2 between CO 2 and calcium carbonate and carbonic acid leads to acidification.

Outline: Class 3, Winter 2017 • Definition and focus on “systems” – In the language of science – In the language of problem solving • Earth-Sun system • Role of the Atmosphere – Fundamental role of greenhouse gases – Other greenhouse gases of high importance • Past behavior • Carbon dioxide budget