Burns presentation

Stephen J. BurnsDepartment of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts,

Amherst

The Earth System

Earth is a complex system of interacting physical, chemical and biological processes, and provides a natural laboratory whose experiments have been running since the beginning of time.”

The Earth’s Climate System

Climate Feedback

• External Forcing - Incoming solar energy drives the climate system, volcanoes modify the climate system.

• Internal Forcing - Water vapor and other gases govern how the atmosphere reacts to solar energy, producing the “greenhouse” effect that keeps the Earth habitable.

Forces Acting on Climate Climate

Response

Impact

Components of the Climate System

Earth’s energy balance

The Greenhouse Effect: Feedbacks

68 100

Radiation budget at different latitudes

Climate through

time?

ENSO ImpactsOccur around the worldDroughts (e.g. Australia, Africa, Brazil, Indonesia)Floods (e.g. Peru, southern USA)

Marcott et al,. 2013

Foster and Rahmstorf (2011)