Climate Science 101

Did you know that Earth is one big convection oven? Because it is curved, more sunlight reaches the tropics than the poles. Heat accumulates in the atmosphere at the equator, rises, gathers water vapour, then moves toward the poles, where it gets cooler, denser, and sinks.

There are actually three zones or "cells" in which this heating and cooling happens, called “Hadley”, “Ferrel”, and “Polar” Cells.

They regulate weather for entire regions. They are the reason why there is always so much moisture all around the equator, but deserts dominate in sub-tropical regions, rainforests rule in temperate regions, and polar air is not only freezing but very dry on both ends of the Earth, north and south.

Extra heating from excess CO2 in the atmosphere shifts these air currents, with important consequences for humankind and all species on Earth. Precipitation patterns can change and areas that depend on rain will get none, while others flood.

Did you know that everything on earth is carbon based? Humans, animals, plants, rocks, and the ocean!

Take this diagram of the global carbon cycle. What happens when carbon makes its way through these "reservoirs"?

Carbon that is normally stored in the earth's crust, also known as "fossil fuel", gets pumped out to provide around 80% of the energy we use globally in industry and our daily lives today. The carbon in this reservoir has to go somewhere so it ends up in the other main reservoirs, most problematically the atmosphere and the ocean. And it's doing that at a rate we haven't seen in 800,000 years. That's around the time the sabretooth tiger roamed the earth!

Between the mid-1700s, when we first started to extract fossil fuel during the Industrial Revolution, and today, the amount of carbon (CO2) in the atmosphere has skyrocketed from 280 to 408 parts per million. CO2 and heat are closely correlated so more CO2 means more heat.

Image credit: skepticalscience.com

Scientists are concerned that many species, including our own, cannot  adapt quickly enough to survive this fast warming in such a short span of time.

Keeping on with a business-as-usual approach is not an option, given the science. Luckily, practical solutions are here already. We just need to find the political will to tell our governments and corporations to convert as much as possible to renewable energy like wind, solar, tidal, and geothermal, and to incentivize those who make the switch, and we can get the carbon cycle back in balance.

When the people lead, governments and corporations will follow! Vote for politicians who understand the carbon cycle. Vote every day with your dollar. 

As an individual, fly less, buy an electric or fuel-efficient car, eat less meat. Be the change you want to see in the world!

Climate Science 101: Earth is one big convection oven! 🌍 Because the Earth is curved, more sunlight ☀️ reaches the tropics 🏝 than the poles 🥶. Heat accumulates in the atmosphere at the equator, rises, gathers water vapour 💦, then moves toward the poles, where it gets cooler, denser, and sinks. ⬇️ There are actually three zones or "cells" in which this heating and cooling happens, called “Hadley”, “Ferrel”, and “Polar” Cells. They regulate weather for entire regions. 😮 They are the reason why rainforests exist all around the equator, deserts dominate in sub-tropical regions, rainforests rule in temperate regions, and polar air is not only freezing ❄️ but very dry on both ends of the Earth, north and south. 🌍 Extra heating from excess CO2 in the atmosphere can shift these currents, with important consequences for humankind and all species on Earth. Precipitation patterns can change and areas that depend on rain will get none, while others flood. 💧