This video gives an overview of the major factors involved in the warming of the earth as a result of increasing levels of greenhouse gases.
Timing of specific topics:
0:00 Intro: What are global warming, climate change, greenhouse gases, fossil fuels;
3:15 Brief synopsis of how global warming occurs;
5:30 Radiant energy, temperature, and outgoing infrared (IR) emission from the earth versus incoming solar energy;
7:10 Understanding the earth energy balance (equilibrium) using the Stefan-Boltzmann Law and its relationship to the earth’s temperature; this section also introduces (9:35) the concept of albedo (amount of reflected solar energy);
14:10 What is the meaning of the calculated earth surface temperature and its relationship to the actual surface temperature;
15:55 Introduction to greenhouse gases;
19:15 An explanation of heat and its relationship to temperature;
21:05 What is the mechanism for greenhouse gases warming the earth: an explanation of how CO2 is able to absorb and generate infrared radiation, including CO2 vibrational frequencies and their connection to infrared frequencies;
24:25 Significance of CO2’s interaction with infrared: the redistribution of infrared emitted by the earth; 25:55 Relevant features of the atmosphere, tying that back to CO2’s interaction with infrared; 27:15 What is emission height? Its significance to global warming: the consequences of changing emission height via increased CO2 concentration, and its relationship to the earth energy equilibrium;
32:40 An explanation of ‘radiative forcing’, the imbalance between earth’s emitted energy and absorbed solar energy;
35:20 The role of water vapor as a greenhouse gas: the feedback mechanism between water vapor levels and the earth’s temperature, and the feedback between increasing CO2 levels and water vapor level;
39:40 What is the specific mechanism for increasing the earth’s temperature;
41:30 Why does the very tiny proportion of CO2 in the air have such a large impact on temperature?
42:55 Why is a 1C temperature change so significant: a few examples of the effect of increasing temperature on climate.
Sources:
Many thanks to Professor Jack Scheff, Dept of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of North Carolina Charlotte, for much help and guidance. [ Ссылка ]
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. [ Ссылка ]
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. [ Ссылка ]
Climate Change: The Science of Global Warming and Our Energy Future, 2nd Ed., by E.A. Mathez and J.E. Smerdon [ Ссылка ]
American Chemical Society. [ Ссылка ]
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. [ Ссылка ]
