Mesospheric Ice Clouds as Indicators of Upper Atmosphere Climate Change: Workshop on Modeling Polar Mesospheric Cloud Trends; Boulder, Colorado, 10–11 December 2009

Eos ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 91 (20) ◽  
pp. 183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Thomas ◽  
Dan Marsh ◽  
F.-J. Lübken
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Ice Clouds

scholarly journals Influence of gravity waves on the climatology of high-altitude Martian carbon dioxide ice clouds

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erdal Yiğit ◽  
Alexander S. Medvedev ◽  
Paul Hartogh
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Gravity Waves ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Ice Clouds ◽  
Ice Cloud

Abstract. Carbon dioxide (CO2) ice clouds have been routinely observed in the middle atmosphere of Mars. However, there are still uncertainties concerning physical mechanisms that control their altitude, geographical, and seasonal distributions. Using the Max Planck Institute Martian General Circulation Model (MPI-MGCM), incorporating a state-of-the-art whole atmosphere subgrid-scale gravity wave parameterization (Yiğit et al., 2008), we demonstrate that internal gravity waves generated by lower atmospheric weather processes have wide reaching impact on the Martian climate. Globally, GWs cool the upper atmosphere of Mars by ~10 % and facilitate high-altitude CO2 ice cloud formation. CO2 ice cloud seasonal variations in the mesosphere and the mesopause region appreciably coincide with the spatio-temporal variations of GW effects, providing insight into the observed distribution of clouds. Our results suggest that GW propagation and dissipation constitute a necessary physical mechanism for CO2 ice cloud formation in the Martian upper atmosphere during all seasons.

scholarly journals Drivers of Upper Atmosphere Climate Change

Eos ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Stanley
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Earth’S Magnetic Field ◽  
Temperature Trends ◽  
Earth's Magnetic Field ◽  
New Research

New research confirms the influence of carbon dioxide on long-term temperature trends in the upper atmosphere, but changes in Earth’s magnetic field also play a key role.

scholarly journals Reconciliation of essential process parameters for an enhanced predictability of Arctic stratospheric ozone loss and its climate interactions

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 30661-30754 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. von Hobe ◽  
S. Bekki ◽  
S. Borrmann ◽  
F. Cairo ◽  
F. D'Amato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ozone Depletion ◽  
Stratospheric Ozone ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Ice Clouds ◽  
Ozone Loss ◽  
Process Studies ◽  
Polar Ozone

Abstract. Significant reductions in stratospheric ozone occur inside the polar vortices each spring when chlorine radicals produced by heterogeneous reactions on cold particle surfaces in winter destroy ozone mainly in two catalytic cycles, the ClO dimer cycle and the ClO/BrO cycle. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are responsible for most of the chlorine currently present in the stratosphere, have been banned by the Montreal Protocol and its amendments, and the ozone layer is predicted to recover to 1980 levels within the next few decades. During the same period, however, climate change is expected to alter the temperature, circulation patterns and chemical composition in the stratosphere, and possible geo-engineering ventures to mitigate climate change may lead to additional changes. To realistically predict the response of the ozone layer to such influences requires the correct representation of all relevant processes. The European project RECONCILE has comprehensively addressed remaining questions in the context of polar ozone depletion, with the objective to quantify the rates of some of the most relevant, yet still uncertain physical and chemical processes. To this end RECONCILE used a broad approach of laboratory experiments, two field missions in the Arctic winter 2009/10 employing the high altitude research aircraft M55-Geophysica and an extensive match ozone sonde campaign, as well as microphysical and chemical transport modelling and data assimilation. Some of the main outcomes of RECONCILE are as follows: (1) vortex meteorology: the 2009/10 Arctic winter was unusually cold at stratospheric levels during the six-week period from mid-December 2009 until the end of January 2010, with reduced transport and mixing across the polar vortex edge; polar vortex stability and how it is influenced by dynamic processes in the troposphere has led to unprecedented, synoptic-scale stratospheric regions with temperatures below the frost point; in these regions stratospheric ice clouds have been observed, extending over >106km2 during more than 3 weeks. (2) Particle microphysics: heterogeneous nucleation of nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) particles in the absence of ice has been unambiguously demonstrated; conversely, the synoptic scale ice clouds also appear to nucleate heterogeneously; a variety of possible heterogeneous nuclei has been characterised by chemical analysis of the non-volatile fraction of the background aerosol; substantial formation of solid particles and denitrification via their sedimentation has been observed and model parameterizations have been improved. (3) Chemistry: strong evidence has been found for significant chlorine activation not only on polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) but also on cold binary aerosol; laboratory experiments and field data on the ClOOCl photolysis rate and other kinetic parameters have been shown to be consistent with an adequate degree of certainty; no evidence has been found that would support the existence of yet unknown chemical mechanisms making a significant contribution to polar ozone loss. (4) Global modelling: results from process studies have been implemented in a prognostic chemistry climate model (CCM); simulations with improved parameterisations of processes relevant for polar ozone depletion are evaluated against satellite data and other long term records using data assimilation and detrended fluctuation analysis. Finally, measurements and process studies within RECONCILE were also applied to the winter 2010/11, when special meteorological conditions led to the highest chemical ozone loss ever observed in the Arctic. In addition to quantifying the 2010/11 ozone loss and to understand its causes including possible connections to climate change, its impacts were addressed, such as changes in surface ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the densely populated northern mid-latitudes.

scholarly journals Advances in Understanding of the Martian Climate

2002 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 637
Author(s):  
Mark I. Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Thermal Emission ◽  
Change Orders ◽  
Ice Clouds ◽  
Annual Cycles ◽  
Water Ice ◽  
Northern Summer ◽  
Rich Data ◽  
Viking Orbiter

AbstractData collected by the Viking mission to Mars resulted in a picture of the Martian climate which stood largely unmodified for over a decade. When a challenge did come in the mid-1990’s it resulted from ground-based and HST observations which suggested lower global-average temperatures and dust opacities, and more atmospheric water ice than inferred from Viking. These observations prompted suggestions of climate change orders of magnitude larger and faster than anything contemplated for the Earth. A combination of new data from the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) and reanalysis of Viking-era data have resulted in a new picture of the Martian climate. It is now clear that no significant climate change has occurred and that the “cooler and cloudier” conditions observed in the 1990’s for northern summer applied equally well to the Viking era. TES observations have provided detailed information on the cycle of air temperature and water ice clouds which support and extend the ground-based and HST observations. The disagreement with Viking observations has been found to result from faults in the Viking Orbiter Infrared Thermal Mapper (IRTM) 15µm channel, the lack of analysis of IRTM data applicable to water ice, and the misinterpretation of Viking Lander opacity measurements. The TES observations provide a rich data base which is now allowing a new picture of the Martian climate to be constructed in which water vapour and water ice clouds may play a significant role in modulating the annual cycles of dust and air temperature.

scholarly journals An Observational Gap at the Edge of Space

Eos ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Mlynczak ◽  
Jia Yue ◽  
John McCormack ◽  
Ruth Liebermann ◽  
Nathaniel Livesey
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Upper Atmosphere

Ongoing climate change in Earth’s middle and upper atmosphere will affect the rapidly expanding space and telecommunications sectors. Maintaining observations of this region is more crucial than ever.

scholarly journals Influence of gravity waves on the climatology of high-altitude Martian carbon dioxide ice clouds

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1631-1646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erdal Yiğit ◽  
Alexander S. Medvedev ◽  
Paul Hartogh
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Gravity Waves ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Upper Atmosphere ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Ice Clouds ◽  
Ice Cloud

Abstract. Carbon dioxide (CO2) ice clouds have been routinely observed in the middle atmosphere of Mars. However, there are still uncertainties concerning physical mechanisms that control their altitude, geographical, and seasonal distributions. Using the Max Planck Institute Martian General Circulation Model (MPI-MGCM), incorporating a state-of-the-art whole atmosphere subgrid-scale gravity wave parameterization (Yiğit et al., 2008), we demonstrate that internal gravity waves generated by lower atmospheric weather processes have a wide-reaching impact on the Martian climate. Globally, GWs cool the upper atmosphere of Mars by ∼10 % and facilitate high-altitude CO2 ice cloud formation. CO2 ice cloud seasonal variations in the mesosphere and the mesopause region appreciably coincide with the spatio-temporal variations of GW effects, providing insight into the observed distribution of clouds. Our results suggest that GW propagation and dissipation constitute a necessary physical mechanism for CO2 ice cloud formation in the Martian upper atmosphere during all seasons.

Averting robo-bees: why free-flying robotic bees are a bad idea

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 723-729
Author(s):  
Roslyn Gleadow ◽  
Jim Hanan ◽  
Alan Dorin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Food Security ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Plant Interactions ◽  
Plant Insect Interactions ◽  
Native Habitat ◽  
Insect Pollinators ◽  
Insect Interactions

Food security and the sustainability of native ecosystems depends on plant-insect interactions in countless ways. Recently reported rapid and immense declines in insect numbers due to climate change, the use of pesticides and herbicides, the introduction of agricultural monocultures, and the destruction of insect native habitat, are all potential contributors to this grave situation. Some researchers are working towards a future where natural insect pollinators might be replaced with free-flying robotic bees, an ecologically problematic proposal. We argue instead that creating environments that are friendly to bees and exploring the use of other species for pollination and bio-control, particularly in non-European countries, are more ecologically sound approaches. The computer simulation of insect-plant interactions is a far more measured application of technology that may assist in managing, or averting, ‘Insect Armageddon' from both practical and ethical viewpoints.

Modelling ecosystem adaptation and dangerous rates of global warming

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Millington ◽  
Peter M. Cox ◽  
Jonathan R. Moore ◽  
Gabriel Yvon-Durocher
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Diffusion Rate ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Genetic Evolution ◽  
Rates Of Change ◽  
Rapid Climate Change ◽  
Warming Climate ◽  
Intraspecies Competition ◽  
High Trait

Abstract We are in a period of relatively rapid climate change. This poses challenges for individual species and threatens the ecosystem services that humanity relies upon. Temperature is a key stressor. In a warming climate, individual organisms may be able to shift their thermal optima through phenotypic plasticity. However, such plasticity is unlikely to be sufficient over the coming centuries. Resilience to warming will also depend on how fast the distribution of traits that define a species can adapt through other methods, in particular through redistribution of the abundance of variants within the population and through genetic evolution. In this paper, we use a simple theoretical ‘trait diffusion’ model to explore how the resilience of a given species to climate change depends on the initial trait diversity (biodiversity), the trait diffusion rate (mutation rate), and the lifetime of the organism. We estimate theoretical dangerous rates of continuous global warming that would exceed the ability of a species to adapt through trait diffusion, and therefore lead to a collapse in the overall productivity of the species. As the rate of adaptation through intraspecies competition and genetic evolution decreases with species lifetime, we find critical rates of change that also depend fundamentally on lifetime. Dangerous rates of warming vary from 1°C per lifetime (at low trait diffusion rate) to 8°C per lifetime (at high trait diffusion rate). We conclude that rapid climate change is liable to favour short-lived organisms (e.g. microbes) rather than longer-lived organisms (e.g. trees).

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