Also published at Skeptical Science This is a climate model: T = [(1-α)S/(4εσ)]1/4 (T is temperature, α is the albedo, S is the incoming solar radiation, ε is the emissivity, and σ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant) An extremely simplified climate model, that is. It’s one line long, and is at the heart of every computer [...]
Archive for the ‘Science Lessons’ Category
How do climate models work?
Posted in Science Lessons, tagged arctic, atmosphere, cesm, chemistry, climate change, climate models, education, global warming, IPSL, mathematics, NOAA, ocean, physics, programming, science on January 20, 2012 | 28 Comments »
What Can One Person Do?
Posted in How Science Works, Media and the Public, Mitigation and Policy, Science Lessons, tagged agreement, canada, carbon dioxide, climate change, climategate, communication, CRU, denial, education, environment, global warming, greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, hansen, ice age, IPCC, journalism, media, politics, republican, risk management, science, skeptic, sustainability, united states, youth on May 5, 2011 | 23 Comments »
Next week, I will be giving a speech on climate change to the green committee of a local United Church. They are particularly interested in science and solutions, so I wrote the following script, drawing heavily from my previous presentations. I would really appreciate feedback and suggestions for this presentation. Citations will be on the [...]
An Unmeasured Forcing
Posted in Science Lessons, tagged aerosols, carbon dioxide, climate change, environment, global warming, glory mission, greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, hansen, nasa, science on April 28, 2011 | 7 Comments »
“It is remarkable and untenable that the second largest forcing that drives global climate change remains unmeasured,” writes Dr. James Hansen, the head of NASA’s climate change research team, and arguably the world’s top climatologist. The word “forcing” refers to a factor, such as changes in the Sun’s output or in atmospheric composition, that exerts [...]
Ozone Depletion and Climate Change
Posted in Science Lessons, tagged carbon dioxide, CFCs, climate change, copenhagen, education, environment, global warming, greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, HFCs, kyoto, montreal protocol, ozone depletion, politics, risk management, science, sustainability on March 30, 2011 | 18 Comments »
“Global warming…doesn’t that have something to do with the ozone?” Well, no. Environmental issues are not all the same. It’s common for people to confuse climate change and ozone depletion, but they are separate issues – although they are indirectly connected in some interesting ways. Ozone, which is made of three oxygen atoms stuck together [...]
Extinction and Climate
Posted in Science Lessons, tagged anoxic event, carbon dioxide, climate change, environment, evolution, extinction, global warming, greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, k-t, permian, risk management, science on February 17, 2011 | 79 Comments »
Life on Earth does not enjoy change, and climate change is something it likes least of all. Every aspect of an organism’s life depends on climate, so if that variable changes, everything else changes too – the availability of food and water, the timing of migration or hibernation, even the ability of bodily systems to [...]
What’s the Warmest Year – and Does it Matter?
Posted in News and Reports, Science Lessons, tagged arctic, climate change, education, environment, giss, global warming, hansen, met office, nasa, NOAA, science, statistics on January 26, 2011 | 4 Comments »
Cross-posted from NextGenJournal Climate change is a worrying phenomenon, but watching it unfold can be fascinating. The beginning of a new year brings completed analysis of what last year’s conditions were like. Perhaps the most eagerly awaited annual statistic is global temperature. This year was no different – partway through 2010, scientists could tell that [...]
“It’s Just a Natural Cycle”
Posted in Science Lessons, tagged arctic, carbon dioxide, climate change, education, el nino, enso, environment, global warming, greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, ice age, little ice age, media, medieval warm period, natural cycle, ocean, pdo, science, skeptical science, sun, volcanoes on January 11, 2011 | 10 Comments »
My second rebuttal for Skeptical Science. Thanks to all the folks who helped to review it! Further suggestions are welcome, as always. -Kate “What if global warming is just a natural cycle?” This argument is, perhaps, one of the most common raised by the average person, rather than someone who makes a career out of [...]
Snowstorms and Sea Ice
Posted in Science Lessons, tagged arctic, asia, climate change, cold, environment, europe, global warming, greenhouse effect, media, NAO, science, sea ice, snow, united states, winter on January 11, 2011 | 5 Comments »
Cross-posted from NextGen Journal “That’s some global warming”, Fox News proudly announced. “Rare winter storm dumps several inches of snow across South.” It’s cold outside, and/or it’s snowing, so therefore global warming can’t be happening. Impeccable logic, or rampant misconception? It happened last winter, and again so far this season: unusual snow and extreme cold [...]
Does Breathing Contribute to CO2 Buildup in the Atmosphere?
Posted in Science Lessons, tagged carbon cycle, carbon dioxide, climate change, communication, environment, global warming, greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, photosynthesis, respiration, science, skeptical science on September 27, 2010 | 21 Comments »
I was recently honoured to join Skeptical Science, a comprehensive database of rebuttals to common climate change misconceptions, as an author. Here I am republishing my first article regarding the common myth that breathing out contributes to the buildup of atmospheric carbon dioxide. It is the Intermediate version, and I have also written a very similar [...]
A Fabulous Contribution
Posted in Other Advocates, Science Lessons, tagged anthony watts, carbon dioxide, climate change, communication, credibility, dana1981, denial, education, environment, global warming, greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, IPCC, journalism, science, skeptical science on September 12, 2010 | 19 Comments »
I’ve really been enjoying the Advanced versions of Skeptical Science’s rebuttals to common misconceptions about climate change. So far, they have all been written by someone going by the name of dana1981, who I would like to give a huge shout-out to. I am a new B.Sc. student who is interested in pursuing a career [...]
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