week 2 review

Ice core samples
Snowball earth
Pliocene temperatures and aspects of the climate system then. CO2 levels similar to ours. Rapid rate we're emitting CO2.
Tree rings.

1. What are the most important themes you have learned this week?
2. What aspect of this week did you find difficult? Snowball earth. Also illuminating though in learning about feedbacks.
3. What did you find most interesting? And why? Ice core samples. To think we can go back 800,000 years to look at earth's climate then is mind-boggling.
4. Was there something that you learned this week that prompted you to do your own research? On the Pliocene epoch.
5. Are there any web sites or other online resource that you found particularly useful in furthering your knowledge and understanding? The Keeling Curve; NASA.

Ice core samples

Like marine sediment cores, ice cores can tell scientists a lot as they examine the layers of snow from which the ice cores are taken. Ice core samples can be taken to determine how much carbon dioxide was in the earth's atmosphere at various times in earth's history. In the Antarctica, scientists have been able to measure back as far as 750,000 years. Gases like CO2 and methane are trapped in bubbles in the ice. One of the limitations of this method is that it can only tell us what the atmosphere was like where the ice is. It can hint at global conditions from that information. Mountain glaciers in Peru, Tanzania and other countries have been examined as well.

week 1 review

1. What are the key scientific principles that explain climate change including the greenhouse (blanket) effect? Radiaiton from the sun passes through the atmosphere, is absorbed by the earth and radiates back as infrared heat. GHG's such as CO2 absorb that heat and radiate some of it back, heating the earth's surface.
2. What are the key feedback mechanisms that help to explain why our climate is able to “self-regulate”? Ice/albedo, radiative, and water vapor.
3. How can our climate be conceptualised as a system containing a series of components that interact with one another? The hydrological cycle is part of our climate, where the oceans and atmosphere interact with each other.

Also consider:

1. What are the most important themes you have learned this week? Feedback effects happen between various components of the earth system.
2. What aspect of this week did you find difficult? It was all well explained.
3. What did you find most interesting? And why? The ice albedo effect and other feedbacks, especially water vapor. It helped me conceptualize the interrelatedness of the various factors.
4. Was there something that you learned this week that prompted you to do your own research? At this point I haven't, yet.
5. Are there any web sites or other online resource that you found particularly useful in furthering your knowledge and understanding? The NASA GISS website and NOAA websites.