We're in a giant car heading toward a brick wall and everyone's arguing over where they're going to sit.

~David Suzuki~

Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get

CLIMATE Encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elements.
Recorded in a region over a long period of time. The classical period is 30 years, as defined by the World

Meteorological Organization (WMO).

WEATHER Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy.
Present condition of these same elements and their variations as

climate
Recorded for much shorter period.

Climate change Long-term change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods of time.
Climate change limited to:-

(a) specific region (b) entire world

Climate is an angry beast and we are poking at it with sticks ~Wallace Broecker~

 Milankovitch theory suggest orbital variations in:-

a) Wobble (equinox precision) b) Eccentricity c) Obliquity (Earth tilting)

Today

Future(13 000 years)

 Control shape of earth

orbit ~100 000 years Currently we are in low eccentricity

 The Earth is tilted

perpendicularly in its orientation to the Sun. This tilt varies from 22 to 24.5 on a 41,000 year cycle. The current tilt is 23.3.

 Major component (71%) 2 types:a) surface current b) deep water current Ocean + Atmosphere

= EL-NINO

 Releases:a) sulphur dioxide(SO2) b) ash c) dust Also produces aerosols

Causes cooling effect on

earth.

 Suns energy output - small changes over an extended period of time can lead to climate changes. Little Ice Age- (1650-1750)

 The Earth continents are always drifting

Impact on climatic change:-

a) causes separation of landmasses b) changes the ocean current Alfred Wegener hypothesis Earthquakes and tsunami in Sendai City, Japan (2011)