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Note: This Wikipedia article is a work in progress. Some terms may be misrepresented. Wikipedia is a Web-based, free-content encyclopedia written collaboratively by volunteers and sponsored by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. ...
Climate forcing is the overall term for the various theories, sometimes called "climate forcing mechanisms" or "species of climate forcing," of the methods by which phenomena exert an effect on a climate. Forcing agents are the physical phenomena which "force," or effect changes on or influences the measure of a climate. Climate forcing can occur due to natural forcing agents such as a change in sunlight intensity (in terms of how much sunlight is being produced by the sun), or man-made agents such as pollution. A phenomenon (plural: phenomena) is an observable event, especially something special (literally something that can be seen from the Greek word phainomenon = observable). ...
Sunlight is also the trade name of the worlds first packaged, branded laundry soap producted by Lever Brothers. ...
Pollution is the release of harmful environmental contaminants, or the substances so released. ...
There are two main types of climate forcing. Climate forcing which results in a change in the amount of energy in the global climate is called radiative forcing. This type of forcing increases or decreases the total energy in the system by changing how much energy is reflected or retained. Climate forcing which influences or change climates significantly, but does not change the total amount of energy in Earth's climate, such as ocean circulation, is not considered a radiative type of forcing. The generalised concept of radiative forcing in climate science is any change in the radiation (heat) entering the climate system or changes in radiatively active gases. ...
The pre-dominant methods of climate forcing on Earth are greenhouse gas forcing (radiative), also called the greenhouse effect, aerosol radiative forcing, and natural circulation within the climate. Climate models attempt to incorporate the methods of climate forcing and forcing agents into mathematical simulations of the global climate system. The greenhouse effect, first discovered by Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier in 1824, is the process by which an atmosphere warms a planet. ...
http://visibleearth. ...
Climate models use quantitative methods to simulate the interactions of the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, and ice. ...
Non-radiative forcing
Non-radiative forcing agents are natural physical phenomena which influence regional climate. They do not change the total energy within global climate system. Some of this type of forcing can be considered global rather than regional, as some of the respective forcing agents influence such a large number of climates. For instance, thermohaline circulation regulates climate across the world. Non-radiative forces can indirectly affect the total energy within the global climate by redistributing energy or substances in such a way that it affects a radiative forcing. The thermohaline circulation is a term for the global density-driven circulation of the oceans. ...
Examples of non-radiative forcing and their respective agents:
An ocean current is any more or less permanent or continuous, directed movement of ocean water that flows in one of the Earths oceans. ...
Hydrothermal circulation in the oceans is the passage of the water through mid-ocean Ridge (MOR) systems. ...
The thermohaline circulation is a term for the global density-driven circulation of the oceans. ...
El Niño is also the nickname of Sergio García. ...
El Niño is also the nickname of Sergio García. ...
Atmospheric circulation is the large-scale movement of air, and the means (together with the ocean circulation, which is smaller [1]) by which heat is distributed on the surface of the Earth. ...
Jet streams are fast flowing, confined air currents found in the atmosphere at around 12 km above the surface of the Earth, just under the tropopause. ...
The westerlies are the prevailing winds in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees latitude, blowing from the high pressure area in the horse latitudes towards the poles. ...
This forcing occurs due to topographic/orographic forcing agents such as mountains. Orographic lift occurs when moisture-carrying clouds floating over lower-elevation terrain move over rising terrain. ...
Orography is the average height of land, measured in geopotential meters, over a certain domain. ...
Radiative forcing Radiative forcing agents influence climate by changing the total amount of energy in the system. Energy is naturally added to the system via the Sun and is naturally lost from the system through heat radiation into space. Forcing agents which can change how much of this energy is added or lost are radiative climate forces. Additionally, stores of the Sun's energy, such as fossil fuels, can also add energy by releasing it into the system through physical processes such as combustion which releases potential chemical energy as heat. While it is technically correct to include fossil fuel combustion in the Earth's energy balance it is negligible as an atmospheric forcing when compared to solar forcing or greenhouse gas forcing [1] (http://mustelid.blogspot.com/2005/04/global-warming-is-not-from-waste-heat.html). The same is true of heating of the surface by conduction from the hot core of the planet. One must always take into account the magnitudes of various forcings. See radiative forcing for more details. A sun is the star at the center of a solar system. ...
Fossil fuels are hydrocarbon-containing natural resources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. ...
Combustion or burning is an exothermic reaction between a substance (the fuel) and a gas (the oxidizer) to release heat. ...
The generalised concept of radiative forcing in climate science is any change in the radiation (heat) entering the climate system or changes in radiatively active gases. ...
Examples of radiative forcing and their respective agents:
The forcing agent is greenhouse gases. The greenhouse effect, first discovered by Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier in 1824, is the process by which an atmosphere warms a planet. ...
Greenhouse gases are gaseous components of the atmosphere that contribute to the greenhouse effect. ...
Forcing mechanisms:
This power plant in New Mexico releases sulfur dioxide and particulate matter into the air. ...
Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forest. ...
A carbon dioxide sink or CO2 sink is the opposite of a carbon source. ...
Burning ice. Methane released by heating burns, water drips. ...
A clathrate or clathrate compound is a chemical substance consisting of a Greek klethra, meaning bars (in the sense of a lattice). ...
The end of the Paleocene (55. ...
Image of the largest antarctic ozone hole ever recorded in September 2000. ...
This article is about volcanoes in geology. ...
The forcing agent is clouds, and the mechanism is the natural circulation in the atmosphere. Cloud forcing is the difference between the radiation budget components for average cloud conditions and cloud-free conditions. ...
Cumulus of fair weather A cloud is a visible mass of condensed water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere above Earths (or another planetary bodys) surface. ...
Some of these forcing agents are: http://visibleearth. ...
Forcing mechanisms: Soot, also called lampblack or carbon black, is a dark powdery deposit of unburned fuel residues, usually composed mainly of amorphous carbon, that accumulates in chimneys, automobile mufflers and other surfaces exposed to smoke—especially from the combustion of carbon-rich organic fuels in the lack of sufficient oxygen. ...
This power plant in New Mexico releases sulfur dioxide and particulate matter into the air. ...
Fire in San Bernardino, California Mountains (image taken from the International Space Station) A wildfire, also known as a forest fire, vegetation fire, grass fire, or bushfire (in Australasia), is an uncontrolled fire in wildland often caused by lightning; other common causes are human carelessness and arson. ...
Artists impression of a major impact event. ...
Nuclear winter is a hypothetical global climate condition that was predicted to be a possible outcome of a large-scale nuclear war. ...
This article is about volcanoes in geology. ...
The forcing agent is solar radiation from the sun. Solar radiation is radiant energy emitted by the sun, particularly electromagnetic energy. ...
Forcing mechanisms:
20 years of solar irradiance data from satellites Solar variation refers to fluctuation in the amount of energy emitted by the Sun. ...
Milankovitch cycles is the name given to the collective effect of changes in the Earths movements upon its climate. ...
Orbital forcing, or Milankovitch theory, describes the effect on climate of slow changes in the tilt of the Earths axis and shape of the orbit. ...
Other radiative forcing
Heat The forcing agent is anything that gives off heat. A red-hot iron rod cooling after being worked by a blacksmith. ...
Forcing Mechanisms:
An urban heat island (UHI) is a metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surroundings. ...
Fire in San Bernardino, California Mountains (image taken from the International Space Station) A wildfire, also known as a forest fire, vegetation fire, grass fire, or bushfire (in Australasia), is an uncontrolled fire in wildland often caused by lightning; other common causes are human carelessness and arson. ...
The forcing agent is the Earth's landscape. The albedo is a measure of reflectivity of a surface or body. ...
†Volcanic activity can release both aerosols and greenhouse gases.
See Also The greenhouse effect, first discovered by Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier in 1824, is the process by which an atmosphere warms a planet. ...
Climate models use quantitative methods to simulate the interactions of the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, and ice. ...
The term climate change is used to refer to changes in the Earths climate. ...
The term climate change is used to refer to changes in the Earths climate. ...
Global warming potential (GWP) is a measure of how much a given mass of greenhouse gas is estimated to contribute to global warming. ...
Global mean surface temperatures 1856-2004 Global warming is a term used to describe an increase over time of the average temperature of Earths atmosphere and oceans. ...
Global cooling is a term used to describe a decrease over time of the average temperature of Earths atmosphere and oceans. ...
A NASA photograph showing aircraft contrails and natural clouds. ...
External Links - Climate Forcing (http://www.cmdl.noaa.gov/climate.html) — Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory
- Climate Forcing Data (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/forcing.html) — National Geophysical Data Center
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