How would you compose and explain this to a group of college students about the earth’s climate system?
I. The Earth’s Climate System a) What are some basic details of how the earth’s climate system functions that your audience will need to know?
b) What role do the sun and orbital cycles play in controlling Earth’s climate?
c) How is energy cycled through the earth’s climate system?
d) Discuss some of the possible causes of recent changes in global temperature: energy consumption, greenhouse effect, and radiative forcing.
II. Climactic Impact From Atmospheric Energy and Geologic Events
a) How is energy transported horizontally in the atmosphere?
b) What are the major features of ocean circulation? How is energy exchanged between the atmosphere and oceans? What roles do icecaps and glaciers play in the climate system?
c) How do geologic events like volcanism and tectonism affect the atmosphere and oceans? d) What processes drive short-period climate oscillation?
