2-4: Enhanced Greenhouse Climate, Transient Climates

Pre-Class Preparation

Objectives

• To understand how future increases in greenhouse gases will cause temperatures and precipitation patterns to change.
• To understand the range and causes of uncertainty in climate models and how these relate to uncertainties in projections of economic growth.

Procedure

1. Read the learning unit.

   Class images

2. Take the learning unit quiz. Quizzes are available from your portfolio. You may access your portfolio via the list of students participating in this years course, as represented by the icon below.
   
   
3. Additional Required Reading. Although you are not ultimately responsible for content listed in this section, we encourage you to fully explore the links in order to provide a better scope on the upcoming class discussion.

   	How much will the climate change? (From UNEP.)
   	What happens when we double CO2 in a climate model? (From UNEP.)
   	Houghton, J. T., L. G. Meira Filho, B. A. Callander, N. Harris, A. Kattenberg, and K. Maskell, 1996: Climate Change 1995. The Science of Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, 289-305.
   	Houghton, J. T., G. J. Jenkins, and J. J. Ephraums, 1990: Climate Change, The IPCC Scientific Assessment. Cambridge University Press. p.137-154, 179-192. (skim material related to pre-class reading)

Class Discussion

• Problem to ponder...
  

• Class Discussion Summary:

Post-Class Activities

• Participate in the electronic dialog. Use this forum for:
  • continuing class discussion;
  • posing new questions to students or the instructor;
  • responding to issues/questions raised by students in class/electronic dialog.

  Visitor Access (Visitors are welcome to participate in the dialog. Just click on the icon below)	Student Access (Students must post all dialog from their portfolio. Click on the icon below to access the student list.)

• Recommended Reading Materials

  	Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (Through EPA)
  	Why "climate change" and "global warming" are not the same thing. (From UNEP.)
  	Houghton, J.T., G.J. Jenkins, J.J. Ephraums, eds, 1990: 1990 Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press, 137-172 and 179-193.
  	Kirshen, P. H., Fennessey, N. M. 1995: Possible Climate Change Impacts on Water Supply of Metropolitan Boston. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management 121, 61-69.
  	Meehl, G. A., and W. M. Washington, 1993: South Asian Summer Monsoon Variability in a Model with Doubled Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Concentration. Science 260, 1101-1106.
  	Murray, R. J., Simmonds., I. 1995: Responses of Climate and Cyclones to Reduction in Arctic Winter Sea Ice. Journalof Geophysical Research 100, 4791-4806.
  	Rind, D., R. Golberg, and R. Ruedy, 1989: Changes in Climate Variability in the 21st Century. Climate Change 14, 5-37.
  	Watkins, A. B., Simmonds., I. 1995: Sensitivity of Numerical Prognoses to Antarctic Sea Ice Distribution. Journal of Geophysical Research 100, 22,681-22,696.

• References

  Gutowski, William J., G. F. McMahon, S. S Schluchter, and P. H. Kirshen. 1994: Effects of Global Warming on Hurricane-Induced Flooding. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 120, 176-185.