odanny
Diamond Member
Climate change is happening much faster at the polar regions. But why?
scripps.ucsd.edu
Credit here to Richard Crim: (no link, copy and paste)
Because of the axial tilt of the planet, both poles get less energy than the equatorial zone. In fact, both poles actually radiate more energy during their winter phase than they take in during the summer phase.
The poles are the planetary "radiators" of the heat engine that is the Earth.
So, 88% of the energy from the Sun the earth absorbs starts in the equatorial zone. This creates a big temperature difference between the equatorial zone and the polar zones.
Heat flows from hot spots to cold spots. The heat moves from the equatorial zones to the polar zones. It keeps doing this until it reaches an equilibrium. A balance between inflow and outflow of heat.
This is the "bottom line" spot for measuring the Earth’s temperature. It's the point where you can literally see how the planet's heat budget totals up.
If the ice is thicker on a year to year basis - the planet is cooling.
If the ice is thinner on a year to year basis - the planet is warning.
It's the sum of all things in the Earth’s climate system.
Now, think about this.
Why does your car's radiator get hot when you run the engine?
If the heat was going out of the radiator just as fast as it was coming in, it wouldn't get hotter. It's gets hotter because the heat comes in faster than it can go out of the system.
It gets hotter because the heat builds up. That's what's happening in the polar regions of the planet. Heat is coming in faster than the earth can shed it and so it's building up fast.
It will keep building up until a new equilibrium is reached between the equatorial zone and the polar zones.
The paleoclimate evidence suggests that the last time CO2 levels were at 400ppm the equatorial zone was 4C hotter. The polar zones were about 15C hotter.
Birch and Aspen forests were growing in Antarctica and sea level was 76 feet higher.
That's what's going to happen in the far north. After all the trees burn.
FAQ: Climate Change in the Polar Regions
scripps.ucsd.edu
Credit here to Richard Crim: (no link, copy and paste)
Because of the axial tilt of the planet, both poles get less energy than the equatorial zone. In fact, both poles actually radiate more energy during their winter phase than they take in during the summer phase.
The poles are the planetary "radiators" of the heat engine that is the Earth.
So, 88% of the energy from the Sun the earth absorbs starts in the equatorial zone. This creates a big temperature difference between the equatorial zone and the polar zones.
Heat flows from hot spots to cold spots. The heat moves from the equatorial zones to the polar zones. It keeps doing this until it reaches an equilibrium. A balance between inflow and outflow of heat.
This is the "bottom line" spot for measuring the Earth’s temperature. It's the point where you can literally see how the planet's heat budget totals up.
If the ice is thicker on a year to year basis - the planet is cooling.
If the ice is thinner on a year to year basis - the planet is warning.
It's the sum of all things in the Earth’s climate system.
Now, think about this.
Why does your car's radiator get hot when you run the engine?
If the heat was going out of the radiator just as fast as it was coming in, it wouldn't get hotter. It's gets hotter because the heat comes in faster than it can go out of the system.
It gets hotter because the heat builds up. That's what's happening in the polar regions of the planet. Heat is coming in faster than the earth can shed it and so it's building up fast.
It will keep building up until a new equilibrium is reached between the equatorial zone and the polar zones.
The paleoclimate evidence suggests that the last time CO2 levels were at 400ppm the equatorial zone was 4C hotter. The polar zones were about 15C hotter.
Birch and Aspen forests were growing in Antarctica and sea level was 76 feet higher.
That's what's going to happen in the far north. After all the trees burn.
