Climate dynamics why does climate vary

Figure 5. For each of them, we have plotted here an indicative range. However, because of mutual interactions, they can exhibit variability on nearly all the timescales. For instance, orbital forcing could influence the distribution of temperature and precipitation at the Earth surface and then induce variations of the oceanic circulation and ENSO on multi-millennial timescales.

Next: 5. Brief history of Previous: 5. Home Contents Preface 1. Climate system 2. Energy balance 3. Modelling 4. Change 12 , 25—40 Article Google Scholar. Diaz, D. Change 7 , — Barrage, L. Change Econ. Download references. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar.

Correspondence to Richard S. Reprints and Permissions. Do climate dynamics matter for economics?. Download citation. Published : 30 September Issue Date : October Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:. Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Sensitivity of tropical cyclone surge risk to changes in sea level and sea surface temperature. Predicting Winter Using Siberian Snowcover. The response of damaging winds of a simulated tropical cyclone to finite amplitude perturbations of different variables.

We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to place cookies on your device. Climate Dynamics. Climate variability AER efforts to diagnose the general circulation are concerned with quantifying the changing heating processes that drive the atmosphere' s energy cycle. Regional climate fluctuations We analyze the climate of specific regions and determine how a variety of models best describe those regional climate fluctuations including hydrological variability.

In general, the less the difference between the two periods, the longer is the time needed to be able to identify with confidence any changes in the climate between them Figure 1. Reproduced with permission.

We must also take into account the fact that the state of the atmosphere, used in the definition of the climate given above is influenced by numerous processes involving not only the atmosphere but also the ocean, the sea ice, the vegetation, etc. Climate is thus now more and more frequently defined in a wider sense as the statistical description of the climate system. This includes the analysis of the behaviour of its five major components: the atmosphere the gaseous envelope surrounding the Earth , the hydrosphere liquid water, i.

We will use this wider definition when we use the word climate. The following sections of this first chapter will provide some general information about those components.

Note that the climate system itself is often considered as part of the broader Earth System , which includes all the parts of the Earth and not only the elements that are directly or indirectly related to the temperature or precipitation.