The Climate
Machine: A coupled system
The Climate is thus an extremely complex system of energy
reservoirs joined together by energy transfer processes
The number of parts that make up
the climate machine is enormous. The key components have already been discussed
and include: the energy reservoirs, material reservoirs, and biogeochemical
cycles.
Critical processes influencing the
flow of energy and climate include:
-
radiative processes (scatter, absorption,
emission)
-
the conduction/turbulent transfer of
heat in soils, oceans and the atmosphere
-
the latent heat properties of water
-
the microphysical behaviour of cloud
particles
-
the dynamic features of the oceans
and atmospheres including turbulence, convection,
jets and waves
-
astronomical processes including the
Sun and the processes that control its output and the processes that affect
the orbit of the Earth around the Sun.
-
chemical processes regarding the production
and destruction of ozone, CO2 and others.
-
biologic processes that modify certain
key components of the climate system
Now we focus on 3 instances of climate change and their causes:
The Faint-Young Sun paradox,
Ice Ages, Volcanic
eruptions.