Intro to Climate Science

🌡️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.

Key Concepts and Definitions

  • Climate forcings are factors that alter Earth's energy balance and drive changes in global temperature
  • Positive forcings warm the climate system while negative forcings cool it
  • Radiative forcing measures the change in energy flux at the top of the atmosphere due to a specific factor
  • Climate feedbacks are processes that amplify or dampen the initial response to a forcing
  • Positive feedbacks enhance the initial change (ice-albedo feedback) while negative feedbacks counteract it (blackbody radiation)
  • Climate sensitivity quantifies the temperature change in response to a doubling of atmospheric CO2 concentration
    • Equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS) refers to the long-term change after the system has reached a new equilibrium
    • Transient climate response (TCR) measures the change at the time of CO2 doubling, before the system has fully adjusted
  • Tipping points are thresholds beyond which the climate system undergoes rapid, irreversible changes (melting of the Greenland ice sheet)

Types of Climate Forcings

  • Greenhouse gases (CO2, methane, water vapor) absorb and re-emit infrared radiation, trapping heat in the atmosphere
  • Aerosols are tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere that can have cooling (sulfates) or warming (black carbon) effects
  • Changes in solar irradiance, such as variations in the 11-year sunspot cycle, affect the amount of energy reaching Earth
  • Volcanic eruptions release sulfur dioxide, which forms reflective aerosols that temporarily cool the climate
  • Land use changes, like deforestation, alter surface albedo and evapotranspiration rates
  • Variations in Earth's orbit (Milankovitch cycles) cause long-term changes in the distribution of solar energy
    • Eccentricity: shape of Earth's orbit around the sun (100,000-year cycle)
    • Obliquity: tilt of Earth's axis relative to its orbital plane (41,000-year cycle)
    • Precession: wobble of Earth's axis (23,000-year cycle)

Natural vs. Anthropogenic Forcings

  • Natural forcings operate independently of human activities and include solar variability, volcanic eruptions, and orbital changes
  • Anthropogenic forcings result from human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels and land use changes
  • Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities have become the dominant forcing since the Industrial Revolution
    • Atmospheric CO2 levels have risen from ~280 ppm in pre-industrial times to over 410 ppm today
    • Methane concentrations have more than doubled due to agriculture, livestock, and fossil fuel extraction
  • Anthropogenic aerosols, while having a net cooling effect, contribute to air pollution and have adverse health impacts
  • Deforestation and urbanization have altered surface properties and regional climate patterns
  • The rate and magnitude of anthropogenic forcings are unprecedented in Earth's recent history

Major Climate Feedback Mechanisms

  • Water vapor feedback: warmer air holds more moisture, enhancing the greenhouse effect
  • Ice-albedo feedback: melting ice and snow expose darker surfaces, absorbing more solar radiation
  • Cloud feedback: changes in cloud cover and properties can have both warming and cooling effects
    • Low, thick clouds reflect sunlight (cooling) while high, thin clouds trap heat (warming)
    • 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


© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.

© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.