Times Talk Topics:Climate Change Photos and Diagrams

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Where Does Carbon Dioxide Go?

"Measurements show that about 40% of the carbon dioxide emitted through fossil fuels and deforestation remains in the atmosphere, while an estimated 30% is absorbed by trees and other plants and another 30% by the oceans. A 2007 study led by NCAR scientist Britton Stephens showed that intact tropical forests played a larger role than previously thought in absorbing carbon dioxide." ~UCAR

Illustration by Steve Deyo.  This work by ©UCAR is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License

Influence of El Nino on Weather & Climate

"When a strong El Niño develops across the tropical Pacific, it can influence weather and climate as far away as the southern polar region. This occurs via a "wave train" of areas with unusually high or low pressure in the upper atmosphere (H's and L's) that leads to warmer-than-normal temperatures in West Antarctica. Bright reds near the equator show the unusually warm sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) associated with an El Niño during 1940-41. There are no SST data for that period for the portions of the Southern Ocean shown here. Analysis of ice cores drilled in West Antarctica (red dots) reveals that air temperatures there warmed by as much as 10° Fahrenheit as this three-year-long El Niño unfolded, then dropped by as much as 13° F afterward." ~UCAR

Illustration by Steve Deyo.  This work by ©UCAR is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License

Frequency of Atlantic Storms, 1900 - 2005

"A recent climate study indicates that hurricanes and tropical storms became more frequent in the Atlantic Ocean during three distinct periods over the last century, as shown in this graphic. The first part of the 20th century (in white) was relatively quiet, with an annual average of 6 observed hurricanes and tropical storms. The annual average increased to 10 after 1930, and then reached 15 from 1995 to 2005 (in darkest shading). This graphic shows both the total number each year (blue line) and the nine-year running average, calculated from four years back through four years ahead of a given year. Called a running mean, this method smoothes out year-to-year variability to reveal the long-term trend. The research associates the increasing storms with rising sea-surface temperatures" ~UCAR

Illustration by Steve Deyo.  This work by ©UCAR is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License

Effects of Ocean Acidification

"Corallium rubrum, one of many species of deep-sea coral that are affected by ocean acidification.

Research has shown that the increasing levels of carbon dioxide accumulating in the atmosphere and moving into marine systems are causing the world's oceans to become more acidic. Animal species from hard corals to pteropods (delicate, butterfly-like planktonic drifters) to the unseen microbes that fuel ocean productivity and influence the chemical functioning of ocean waters are affected by ocean acidification."~National Science Foundation

Image courtesy of the National Science Foundation. Credit: Paolo Montagna

Pedersen Glacier Past and Present

The retreat of Pedersen Glacier, Alaska.  Left: Summer, 1917.  Right:  Summer, 2005. 1917 photo captured by Louis H. Pedersen; 2005 photo taken by Bruce F. Molnia. Credit: The Glacier Photograph Collection, National Snow and Ice Data Center/World Data Center for Glaciology. Downloaded from the NASA State of Flux Image Library.

Glacial Ice Under Polarized Light

"Polarized light reveals the crystalline structure of a thin slice of glacial ice and produces this kaleidoscope of color. Atmospheric scientists analyze the chemical makeup of glaciers in order to infer the state of the atmosphere many thousands of years ago"~UCAR Digital Image Library

This work by ©UCAR is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License

Beetle Kill Near Granby, Colorado

"Trees near Granby, Colorado in the Rocky Mountains show the effects of an attack by the pine bark beetle. A combination of periods of severe drought and a lack of extreme winter cold--weather conditions that are consistent with climate change--have led to an epidemic of damaging beetles in pine forests across much the U.S. West." ~UCAR

Photo by Carlyle Calvin. This work by ©UCAR is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License

Carbon Counter

Carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere are rising. Left: July 2003. Right: July 2007. Both images show the spreading of carbon dioxide around the globe as it follows large-scale patterns of circulation in the atmosphere. The color codes in these two pictures are different in order to account for the carbon dioxide increase from 2003 to 2007. If the color bar for 2003 were to be used for 2007, the resulting 2007 map would be saturated with reddish colors, and the fine structure of the distribution of carbon dioxide obscured.

Images from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL. Downloaded from the NASA State of Flux Image Library.