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GG140: The Atmosphere, The Ocean, and Environmental Change

Lecture 27 - Global Warming. The issue of global warming is discussed. Recent climate change over the last half of the 20th century is thought to be driven largely by greenhouse gas emissions, with carbon dioxide playing a large role. The carbon cycle describes the reservoirs of carbon (atmosphere, terrestrial biomass and ocean) and the exchanges that occur between these reservoirs. Inputs of carbon to the atmosphere include burning of fossil fuels and respiration from biomass. Vegetation also removes carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, and a similar uptake of carbon from the atmosphere occurs in the ocean through biological processes. Residence time for carbon in the atmosphere can be computed and is estimated to be a few hundred years. Atmospheric carbon dioxide has been measured directly since the 1950s, and longer records exist over geologic time from ice core data. (from oyc.yale.edu)

Lecture 27 - Global Warming

Time Lecture Chapters
[00:00:00] 1. Global Warming
[00:08:45] 2. The Carbon Cycle
[00:23:48] 3. Residence Time of Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere
[00:27:31] 4. Carbon Dioxide Concentration Trends
[00:34:40] 5. Carbon Isotopes
[00:40:41] 6. The Holocene as a Climatic Reference Time Period

References
Lecture 27 - Global Warming
Instructor: Professor Ronald B Smith. Resources: Problem Set 7 [PDF]; 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