🌡️Intro to Climate Science Unit 7 – Climate Forcings and Feedbacks
Climate forcings and feedbacks are crucial elements in understanding Earth's climate system. These mechanisms drive temperature changes and influence the planet's energy balance, with both natural and human-induced factors playing significant roles.
Positive feedbacks amplify initial changes, while negative feedbacks counteract them. Climate sensitivity measures temperature response to CO2 doubling, and tipping points represent thresholds for rapid, irreversible shifts. Understanding these concepts is vital for predicting and mitigating future climate change impacts.
The net effect of cloud feedback remains a significant source of uncertainty in climate models
Lapse rate feedback: as the atmosphere warms, the rate of temperature decrease with height (lapse rate) changes, affecting heat transfer
Carbon cycle feedbacks: warming can release CO2 from oceans and permafrost, amplifying the initial forcing
Permafrost thaw exposes organic matter to decomposition, releasing CO2 and methane
Warmer oceans absorb less CO2 and can become a net carbon source
Vegetation feedbacks: climate-induced changes in plant growth and distribution can affect albedo, evapotranspiration, and carbon storage
Radiative Forcing and Energy Balance
Earth's energy balance is determined by the difference between incoming solar radiation and outgoing infrared radiation
Radiative forcing is expressed in watts per square meter (W/m^2) and quantifies the change in energy balance due to a specific factor
Positive radiative forcing (greenhouse gases) means more energy is retained in the Earth system, leading to warming
Negative radiative forcing (reflective aerosols) means more energy is reflected back to space, leading to cooling
The current net anthropogenic radiative forcing is estimated to be around +2.3 W/m^2, primarily due to greenhouse gas emissions
Radiative forcing can be used to compare the relative contributions of different climate drivers
CO2 has the largest radiative forcing (+1.68 W/m^2), followed by methane (+0.97 W/m^2) and halocarbons (+0.18 W/m^2)
Aerosols have a net negative forcing (-0.27 W/m^2 for direct effect, -0.55 W/m^2 for indirect cloud effects)
Climate Sensitivity and Tipping Points
Equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS) is estimated to be between 1.5°C and 4.5°C for a doubling of atmospheric CO2
This range reflects uncertainties in climate feedbacks, particularly cloud feedback
A higher ECS means more warming for a given increase in greenhouse gas concentrations
Transient climate response (TCR) is lower than ECS because it doesn't allow the deep ocean to fully adjust
TCR is estimated to be between 1.0°C and 2.5°C for a doubling of CO2
TCR is more relevant for near-term climate projections (decades to a century)
Tipping points are critical thresholds beyond which the climate system undergoes abrupt, often irreversible changes
Examples include the collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the shutdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), and the dieback of the Amazon rainforest
Tipping points are difficult to predict and represent high-impact, low-probability events
The risk of crossing tipping points increases with higher levels of global warming
Limiting warming to 1.5°C or 2°C, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, reduces the likelihood of triggering major tipping points
Measuring and Modeling Forcings and Feedbacks
Radiative forcings can be measured directly (solar irradiance) or estimated from changes in atmospheric composition (greenhouse gases)
Satellites (CERES) measure the Earth's energy balance at the top of the atmosphere
Ice cores provide a record of past greenhouse gas concentrations and climate forcings (volcanic sulfates)
Climate models simulate the complex interactions between forcings, feedbacks, and the climate system
Models range from simple energy balance models to comprehensive Earth System Models (ESMs)
ESMs couple the atmosphere, ocean, land surface, and sea ice components, and include biogeochemical cycles
Models are evaluated against observations and paleoclimate records to assess their performance and reliability
The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) coordinates climate model experiments and projections
The latest generation of models (CMIP6) includes more detailed representations of forcings and feedbacks
Uncertainty in climate projections arises from internal variability, model differences, and future emission scenarios
Internal variability refers to natural fluctuations in the climate system (El Niño-Southern Oscillation)
Model differences reflect the range of climate sensitivities and feedback strengths across models
Emission scenarios (Representative Concentration Pathways) explore different pathways of future greenhouse gas concentrations
Implications for Future Climate Change
The magnitude and rate of future climate change depend on the interplay between forcings, feedbacks, and human actions
Continued greenhouse gas emissions will lead to further warming and increase the likelihood of severe, irreversible impacts
Global temperature is projected to rise by 2.6°C to 4.8°C by 2100 under a high emission scenario (RCP8.5)
Sea level could rise by 0.3 to 1.0 meter by 2100, threatening coastal communities and infrastructure
Positive feedbacks, such as the ice-albedo feedback and permafrost thaw, could amplify warming and accelerate climate change
The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the global average, with summer sea ice projected to disappear by mid-century
Permafrost thaw could release up to 150 billion tons of carbon by 2100, equivalent to 15 years of current human emissions
Tipping points, if crossed, could lead to abrupt, large-scale changes in the climate system
The collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could raise sea level by several meters over centuries to millennia
The shutdown of the AMOC could disrupt global ocean circulation and weather patterns
Mitigating climate change requires reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing carbon sinks
The Paris Agreement aims to limit warming to well below 2°C, with efforts to reach 1.5°C
Achieving these targets requires rapid decarbonization of the energy system and large-scale deployment of negative emission technologies (afforestation, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage)
Adapting to the impacts of climate change is necessary to reduce risks and build resilience
Adaptation measures include coastal protection, water resource management, and climate-resilient infrastructure
Nature-based solutions, such as ecosystem restoration and green infrastructure, can provide multiple benefits for adaptation and mitigation