Global Warming 101

1/8 (MONDAY!!) Global Warming 101 – or Everything you wanted to know about our changing climate (But were too afraid to ask) Presented by Mike Adler, Geologists of Jackson Hole.

Earth’s climate has changed dramatically, and frequently through its ~4.6 billion year history. Geology documents this, and has begun to understand possible reasons for changes from a “tropical hot-house” earth to one locked in global glaciers – and back. Life on earth has survived, and will survive future changes, no matter their nature, no matter their cause. But humankind has developed our global society during a rather stable time (climate-wise), and one that is therefore “just right” for us. How humankind will manage when climate changes is a much more important question for the 7.5 billion headed to 9 billion citizens of our earth.

Mike Adler’s talk will review the latest facts about what nearly all scientists agree is a changing climate. He will use easily understood models to help explain global warming and the greenhouse effect. The models will be applied to the four terrestrial planets comparing measured data with these simple models; why Venus is a hellish greenhouse planet, why Mars is bitterly cold and has lost most of its atmosphere are important to our understanding of why earth is so clement and NOT like its neighbor planets. Data will then be presented on the various measures of climate change on earth such as land and sea temperatures, sea level, and ice extent. The latest earth system climate models will be described and then compared with these data showing the extremely good agreement that has been achieved by the models with actual data. The components driving climate change will be described: greenhouse gases, clouds, air pollution, ozone, and changes in land use. Finally, predictions will be made about future climate change based on various scenarios relative to efforts to better control greenhouse gases and air pollution. These modeling results give us insight to possible future conditions for everyone on earth. Slides Video