Introduction To Climate Dynamics and Climate Modelling - HTTP://WWW - Climate.be/textbook

Introduction to climate dynamics and climate modelling - http://www.climate.
be/textbook
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
1. Description of the climate system and its components
1.1 Introduction
1.2 The atmosphere
1.2.1 Composition and temperature
1.2.2 General circulation of the atmosphere
1.2.3 Precipitation
1.3 The ocean
1.3.1 Composition and properties
1.3.2 Oceanic circulation
1.3.3 Temperature and salinity
1.4 The cryosphere
1.4.1 Components of the cryosphere
1.4.2 Properties of the cryosphere
1.5 The land surface and the terrestrial biosphere
Cited references and further reading
Exercises
2. The Energy balance, hydrological and carbon cycles
2.1 The Earths energy budget
2.1.1 The heat balance at the top of the atmosphere: a global view
2.1.2 The "greenhouse" effect
2.1.3 Present-day insolation at the top of the atmosphere
2.1.4 The heat balance at the top of the atmosphere: geographical distribution
2.1.5 Heat storage and transport
2.1.6 Heat balance at the surface
2.2 The hydrological cycle
2.3 The carbon cycle
2.3.1 Overview
2.3.2 Oceanic carbon cycle
2.3.3 Terrestrial carbon cycle
2.3.4 Geological reservoirs
Exercises
3. Modelling of the climate system
3.1 Introduction
3.1.1 What is a climate model ?
3.1.2 Types of models
3.2 A hierarchy of model
3.2.1 Energy balance models
3.2.2 Intermediate complexity models
3.2.3 General circulation models
3.3 Components of a climate model
3.3.1 Atmosphere
3.3.2 Ocean
3.3.3 Sea ice
3.3.4 Land surface
3.3.5 Marine biogeochemistry
3.3.6 Ice sheets
iii
Introduction to climate dynamics and climate modelling - http://www.climate.be/textbook
3.3.7 Coupling between the components - Earth system models

3.4 Numerical resolution of the equations
3.4.1 Consistence, convergence and stability
3.4.2 Time and space discretisations using finite differences
3.4.3 Spectral representation and finite element methods
3.5 Testing the validity of models
3.5.1 Verification, validation, testing
3.5.2 Evaluating model performance
Exercises
4. The response of the climate system to a perturbation
4.1 Climate forcing and climate response
4.1.1 Notion of radiative forcing
4.1.2 Major radiative forcings
4.1.3 Equilibrium response of the climate system - a definition of feedback
4.1.4 Transient response of the climate system
4.2 Direct physical feedbacks
4.2.1 Water vapour feedback and lapse rate feedback
4.2.2 Cloud feedback
4.2.3 Cryospheric feedbacks
4.3 Geochemical, biogeochemical and biogeophysical feedbacks
4.3.1 The carbonate compensation
4.3.2 Interaction between plate tectonics, climate and the carbon cycle
4.3.3 Interactions between climate and the terrestrial biosphere
Exercises
5. Brief history of climate: causes and mechanisms
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Internal climate variability
5.2.1 El Nio-Southern Oscillation
5.2.2 The North Atlantic Oscillation
5.2.3 The Southern Annular Mode
5.3 The climate since the Earth's formation
5.3.1 Precambrian climate
5.3.2 Phanerozoic climate
5.3.3 Cenozoic climate
5.4 The last million years: glacial interglacial cycles
5.4.1 Variations in orbital parameters and insolation
5.4.2 The orbital theory of paleoclimates
5.4.3 Glacial-interglacial variations in the atmospheric CO2 concentration
5.5 The Holocene and the last 1000 years
5.5.1 The current interglacial
5.5.2 The last 1000 years
5.5.3 The last century
Exercises
6 Future climate changes
6.1 Emission scenarios
6.1.1 The purpose of the scenarios and scenario development
6.1.2 Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES)
6.1.3 Representative concentration pathways (RCPs)
iv
Introduction to climate dynamics and climate modelling - http://www.climate.be/textbook
6.2 Climate projections for the 21st century

6.2.1 Changes in global mean surface temperature
6.2.2 The spatial distribution of surface temperature and precipitation changes
6.2.3 Changes in the ocean and sea ice
6.2.4 Changes in the carbon cycle and climate-carbon feedbacks
6.3 Long-term climate changes
6.3.1 The carbon cycle
6.3.2 Sea level and ice sheets
Exercises
Symbols and acronyms
Glossary

Introduction To Climate Dynamics and Climate Modelling - HTTP://WWW - Climate.be/textbook

Uploaded by

Introduction To Climate Dynamics and Climate Modelling - HTTP://WWW - Climate.be/textbook

Uploaded by

Introduction to climate dynamics and climate modelling - http://www.climate.

Introduction to climate dynamics and climate modelling - http://www.climate.be/textbook

3.3.7 Coupling between the components - Earth system models

Introduction to climate dynamics and climate modelling - http://www.climate.be/textbook

6.2 Climate projections for the 21st century

You might also like