Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Natural drivers of climate change (Volcanoes (Most of the particles cool…
Natural drivers of climate change
External drivers (changes in radiative forcing at the Earths surface)
Internal drivers (amplification and feedbacks within the climate system)
Sun activity
Changes in the solar irradiance are actually quite small and are not thought to directly affect climate change without internal climate system amplification
Volcanoes
Most of the particles cool the earth by shading incoming solar radiation.
The cooling effect can last for months to tears depending on the characteristics of the eruption
Volcanoes have also caused global warming over millions of years during times in Earths history when extreme amounts of volcanism occurred, releasing greenhouse gases into the atmos
Gases and dust particles thrown into the atmos during volcanic eruptions can influence climate
Orbital "Milankovitch" Cycles
Related to the orbit of the Earth round the sun, the Earths axial tilt and the "wobble" of the Earth on its axis
In combination, and aided by internal feedbacks, responsible for the cyclical glacial-interglacial cycles seen over the Quaternary
Temporal variations in the amount and spatial distribution of solar radiation received by the Earth
Natural climate drivers are too small to have controlled global climate directly
This is to be expected in a complex system with many components with different response times and non-linear interactions
There must be other internal feedbacks and mechanisms that exaggerate/amplify their effect
examples of internal systems
Ice albedo feedback: Initial warming is exacerbated by reduction in ice covered area and corresponding decrease in albedo
Evaporation-water vapour feedback: Atmospheric warming increases evaporation rates which leads to higher conc of water vapour which heighten the greenhouse effect
El Nino: Changes in the sea-surface temp of the tropical pacific ocean which occur every few years and have global consequenceds for climate