ATM S 111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Greenhouse Gas, Shortwave Radiation, Radiative Forcing
6 Feb 2019
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Document Summary
Radiative forcings for shortwave agents in current climate vs preindustrial. The earth has been warming over the last 150 years. Not that hard to say that its due to greenhouse gases. Many of the other climate forcings are much more localized. Soot on snow, land use, aerosols are localized. Hence "climate change" is a better term when using these. Things that change when the climate gets warmer or colder. Feedbacks are of critical importance in determining temperature response to cli. Global warming theory: change to climate forcings change. Lots of positive feedbacks means a very sensitive climate - large. Water vapor is the number one greenhouse gas. Strong positive feedback - because warmer air can hold more moisture. Because cold temperatures mean small water vapor content. A warmer climate means a higher water vapor climate. 20% more humid climate with a 3 degrees c temperature increase.
