Module 7.1.

Natural Processes of
Variations in Climate
Inquiry question: How long does it take for the climate to
change naturally and what causes these changes?
Climate variation is primarily
attributed to variations in the
composition of the Earth’s
atmosphere. Energy from the Sun
becomes trapped by particular
gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.
This energy is not heat, rather
forms of electromagnetic radiation
(recall from Module 3.1. Role of
Energy in the Earth’s Processes).
◈ Watch: The greenhouse effect, explained
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYqdKiT0Eqo
The Greenhouse Effect
The basics of the Greenhouse Effect is that
particular wavelengths of electromagnetic
energy emitted by the Sun (such as infrared)
are reflected by certain gases in the
atmosphere.
This prevents the energy from leaving the
Earth’s surface and atmosphere. When it is
absorbed by land or ocean, the surface and
lower atmosphere become warmer.
It is a technical misconception that greenhouse gases trap heat from the Sun. Heat energy travels
through a medium, and so cannot travel through the vacuum of space, or the spaces between
molecules in the atmosphere. What travels is electromagnetic solar radiation.

Bodies such as planets and their

atmospheres heat up when they absorb
EM solar radiation, but they do not
absorb the Sun’s actual heat.
This technicality is an inaccuracy on
most greenhouse models seen online, in
textbooks or in the media.

Source: howstuffworks.com
Greenhouse Gases
The primary greenhouse gases in the
Earth’s atmosphere are:
◈ Water (H2O)
◈ Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
◈ Methane (CH4)
◈ Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
◈ Ozone (O3)
Greenhouse gases cause the
Earth’s surface temperature
range to remain relatively
minimal over the course of a
day or year.
Without these gases, the
Earth’s average temperature
would be similar to that of
the Moon (image on next
page).
Both bodies are a similar
average distance from the
Sun, but the Moon has no
atmosphere, and so no
greenhouse effect.
An Earth without a greenhouse effect would be a very different Earth to the one we know.

Life as we know it relies on a

relatively small temperature
variation over daily or yearly
cycles.
For starters, a living world
without a greenhouse effect
would probably not have life
on land (even disregarding
the exposure to UV radiation
prevented by the presence of
ozone).
A runaway greenhouse effect occurs when there is enough of a greenhouse gas in a planet's
atmosphere such that the gas blocks radiation from leaving the planet, preventing the planet from
cooling
An Earth with a runaway greenhouse effect would also look very different to our current Earth. It
would probably look something like this:
This is the surface of Venus. This planet is almost the same volume and mass of the Earth. But it
has an atmosphere with a significantly higher percentage of greenhouse gases. The average
temperature on Earth is approximately 14oC, while it is closer to 460oC on Venus.

Venus might be also closer to the Sun than the

Earth, but if we compare it to Mercury, which
has no atmosphere (like our Moon) and an
average surface temperature of 167oC, we see
the effects of the runaway greenhouse effect.
By studying the effects of atmospheric
compositions on other planets, we can learn a
lot about our own.

Note N2 is NOT a greenhouse gas

Fun Fact
There are four worlds in the Solar System that have a greenhouse
effect: Venus, Earth, Mars and Titan (largest moon of Saturn).
In fact, Titian also has an anti-greenhouse effect acting in conjunction
with its greenhouse effect. A haze layer that lets in light but reflects
most infrared.
Earth’s Changing Climate
The Earth’s climate has fluctuated and changed due to natural causes over geological history.

Recall the composition of the early

Earth’s atmosphere from Module
1.1. The Early Geosphere,
Atmosphere and Hydrosphere.
This composition and overall
climate has changed through
several forms since the Earth’s
formation. Not as much of a cycle,
but as a response to various natural
phenomena.
Greenhouse gases also are stored in various
forms in many parts of the Earth system.

For example, carbon, in various forms, is stored

in the oceans, in frozen tundra, in vegetation and
soils, in limestone, and in hydrocarbons.
Slight changes in the environment, especially in
temperature and moisture, can lead to changes in
the uptake and/or loss of greenhouse gases.
Higher temperatures can lead to
more CO2 being emitted to the
atmosphere due to feedback
processes. This in turn causes
further warming, and so on.
Cooling reverses this feedback
cycle, which is a major driver of
the long-term fluctuations in
climate in ways that are still the
subject of intense research.
Key Terms
◈ The Greenhouse Effect ◈ Milankovitch Cycle
◈ Greenhouse Gases ◈ Eccentricity
◈ Runaway Greenhouse Effect ◈ Axial Tilt (Obliquity)
◈ Plate Tectonic Supercycle ◈ Axial Precession
◈ Massive Volcanic Eruptions ◈ Apsidal Precession
◈ Bolide Impacts
◈ Ocean Circulation
◈ Solar Activity
◈ Sunspots
The End