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GG140: The Atmosphere, The Ocean, and Environmental Change

Lecture 25 - Ice and climate change. Ice on earth is sensitive to climate change and ice plays a role in climate change processes. Recent trends in the Greenland ice sheet provide an important example. Over the past two decades the extent of surface melt water on the ice sheet has increased. In addition, satellites have detected a decrease in the overall mass of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Paleoclimate is also discussed in this lecture, with a focus on climate over the last 5 million years. The mid-Pliocene was a particularly warm period from 3.3-3 million years before present. The Pleistocene was a more recent cold period ending with the Last Glacial Maximum about 14,000 years before present. In comparison, the Holocene (12,000 years ago to present) has been a relatively warm stable climatic period. Geomorphology is used to determine the extent of continental ice in the past. (from oyc.yale.edu)

Lecture 25 - Ice and climate change

Time Lecture Chapters
[00:00:00] 1. Mountain Glaciers
[00:08:18] 2. Greenland Glacier Trends
[00:11:23] 3. Satellite Measurements of Ice
[00:15:57] 4. Climate of the Last 5 Million Years
[00:34:30] 5. Geomorphology
[00:42:51] 6. Last Glacial Maximum
[00:46:11] 7. Stable Isotopes of Water

References
Lecture 25 - Ice and climate change
Instructor: Professor Ronald B Smith. Resources: Credit List [PDF]. Transcript [html]. Audio [mp3]. Download Video [mov].

Go to the Course Home or watch other lectures:

Lecture 01 - Introduction to Atmospheres
Lecture 02 - Retaining an Atmosphere
Lecture 03 - The Perfect Gas Law
Lecture 04 - Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere; Residence Time
Lecture 05 - Earth Systems Analysis (Tank Experiment)
Lecture 06 - Greenhouse Effect, Habitability
Lecture 07 - Hydrostatic Balance
Lecture 08 - Horizontal Transport
Lecture 09 - Water in the Atmosphere I
Lecture 10 - Water in the Atmosphere II
Lecture 11 - Clouds and Precipitation (Cloud Chamber Experiment)
Lecture 12 - Circulation of the Atmosphere
Lecture 13 - Global Climate and the Coriolis Force
Lecture 14 - Coriolis Force and Storms
Lecture 15 - Convective storms
Lecture 16 - Frontal Cyclones
Lecture 17 - Seasons and Climate
Lecture 18 - Seasons and Climate Classification
Lecture 19 - Ocean Bathymetry and Water Properties
Lecture 20 - Ocean Water Density and Atmospheric Forcing
Lecture 21 - Ocean Currents
Lecture 22 - Ocean Currents and Productivity
Lecture 23 - El Nino
Lecture 24 - Ice in the Climate System
Lecture 25 - Ice and climate change
Lecture 26 - Isotope Evidence for Climate Change
Lecture 27 - Global Warming
Lecture 28 - Global Warming II
Lecture 29 - Global Warming III
Lecture 30 - Climate Sensitivity and Human Population
Lecture 31 - The Two Ozone Problems
Lecture 32 - The Ozone Layer
Lecture 33 - Energy Resources, Renewable Energy
Lecture 34 - Renewable Energy
Lecture 35 - Review and Overview