Climate System Overview Quiz

Climate Change and Water Management

• The course is titled "Climate Change and Water Management" and is part of a program called "Earth Climate" (Ch [01]).
• The course is taught by Dr. Mohamed A. Elsayad, Dr. Hassan Ahmed, and Dr. Ayman Mohamed, of the Construction & Building Engineering Department at AASTMT, Cairo Campus.

Why Study Climate?

• Climate is crucial for determining the type and location of human-managed ecosystems, like agricultural land.
• It affects the rate of rock weathering, soil formation, and soil type.
• Climate directly impacts human society.
• Climate helps determine the amount and quality of water available for human use.
• It is a key factor in the severity of droughts, storms, and floods.
• Climate influences major terrestrial ecosystems (biomes) and their plant communities.

Biodiversity Conservation

• A visual representation (eco-wheel) shows the interconnectedness of natural resources, habitat, biodiversity, and related benefits.
• Factors like rare ecosystems, connectivity, protected lands, land management, invasive species, and pollution are shown as drivers of change from one aspect to another within the eco-wheel .
• The graphic represents different benefits and drivers of change that influence biodiversity conservation.

Earth's Climate Processes

• The diagram shows various interconnected processes influencing Earth's climate, including air temperature, precipitation, erosion, sedimentation, burial, weathering, volcanic activity, mountain building, and the uplift of land.
• Productivity and biomass, soil quality, and nutrient levels are strongly influenced by these processes.
• These processes play a vital role in influencing soil quality, nutrient levels and the development of plate tectonics.

Images on Climate Impacts

• A collection of images demonstrating various climate-related impacts, such as drought, wildfires, floods, storms (hurricanes), and other extreme weather events.

Biomes

• The presentation depicts different terrestrial biomes, including rainforest, temperate forest, taiga, grassland, desert, tundra, freshwater, and marine.

Climate Definition

• Climate is defined as the average of weather conditions over a period of time.
• It includes the variability of temperature and precipitation.
• More variables may include factors like wind, cloudiness, sunshine, pressure, visibility, and humidity.
• Extremely cold or hot temperatures, and severe storms are included.
• A statistical description, considering variability, is used in the definition.
• A typical data collection period to define climate is 30 years.

Weather vs. Climate

• Weather describes atmospheric conditions at a single point in time.
• Climate considers the average weather conditions over a period.
• Climate involves the likelihood of various weather patterns.

Meteorology

• Meteorology is the study of weather, focusing on the troposphere.
• Advances in satellite monitoring and supercomputers have greatly improved meteorological science and applications.

Meteorology Focus

• Meteorology concentrates on atmospheric processes and energy interactions with the surface.
• Its goal includes predicting future atmospheric conditions for human comfort and activities.

Climatology

• Climatology examines the long-term patterns of weather variables (temperature, precipitation, wind).
• Climatology is distinct from meteorology as it examines larger time frames.
• Examples include the climates of Antarctica, the Sahara Desert, and the Amazon River basin.

Examples of Temperature and Precipitation Data

• Presented are example tables illustrating hourly temperature records and precipitation records during a specific day.

Egypt's Climate Characteristics

• The climate of Egypt is identified as arid.
• Monthly rainfall and average temperatures are shown, and the months with highest and lowest rainfall are noted.
• Geographical variations in rainfall and temperature within Egypt.
• Climatic impacts such as sandstorms, fog, heatwaves, and high rainfall events.

Climate System Components

• The climate system includes the atmosphere, hydrosphere (water), biosphere (living things), geosphere (solid earth part), and cryosphere (frozen water).
• These components interact and collectively determine Earth's current climate.

Earth's Climate System Diagram

• A diagram illustrates the various interactions within Earth's climate system. (Components like solar radiation, climate variability, atmospheric composition, ecosystems, carbon cycle, and land-use changes).

Earth's Environmental Spheres

• Showing the different interacting spheres of Earth including atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and lithosphere,
• Illustrating how they all interact with each other within the earth's system.

Earth Climate System Components (detailed overview)

• The atmosphere is made up of gases.
• The hydrosphere is the collection of water bodies (oceans, rivers).
• The geosphere is the solid part of the earth (composition of the earth).
• The cryosphere includes ice.
• The biosphere contains living organisms.

Earth's Natural Climate Cycle

• Earth's rotation and axial tilt, alongside aspects of its orbital changes, significantly influence the Earth's climate.
• Earth's rotation and axial tilt have regular cycles that affect climate.
• Variations in the Earth's orbit also impact climates resulting in consistent patterns over time.

Global Energy Flows

• The presentation reveals the dynamic flow of energy within Earth's system.

Earth's Natural Climate Cycle (Atmospheric Circulation)

• The presentation displays Earth's general atmospheric circulations, featuring diagrams of varying air pressure and wind patterns.
• Patterns of air movement, including polar, Hadley, and Ferrel cells.
• The connection to the various climate conditions and variability around the world.

Earth's Natural Climate Cycle (Ozone, Cirrus Clouds, Acid Rain)

• The presentation includes a diagram outlining the ozone destruction and cloud formation processes in the stratosphere.

Earth's Natural Climate Cycle (Ocean Circulation)

• Ocean circulation significantly impacts climate patterns and variability.
• Oceans play a role in the current climate, and a significant role in changes to it from human activity.
• Oceans hold a significant amount of heat compared to the atmosphere.

Earth's Natural Climate Cycle (Vegetation - Carbon Cycle)

• Diagram showing how the carbon cycle is influenced by plants.
• The presentation explains how the carbon cycle functions inside the spheres of Earth.

Earth's Natural Climate Cycle (Snow and Ice)

• The amount of snow and ice significantly influences the Earth's energy balance through reflections to and from the sun.
• Loss of snow and ice accelerates warming trends.

Earth's Natural Climate Cycle (Solar Energy)

• Charts and images highlighting variations in solar energy over time and their potential influence on global climate.

Climate Variability

• Climate variability describes the variations in the climate mean state.
• Statistics and other trends in extremes are also aspects of climate variability.
• Variability can be due to climate systems and external forces causing change.

Thank You

• A thank you message concludes the presentation.