Climate system - Revision history

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	[[Category:Done ~~2016~~-04-30]]		[[Category:Done 2026-07-01]]
	<onlyinclude>The '''climate system''' is the highly complex global system consisting of 5 major components: the [[atmosphere]], the [[ocean]]s, the [[cryosphere]] (snow and ice), the land surface, the [[biosphere]], and the interactions between them.</onlyinclude><ref name=IPCC_SRREN> Verbruggen, A., W. Moomaw, J. Nyboer, 2011: Annex I: Glossary, Acronyms, Chemical Symbols and Preﬁxes. In IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation [O. Edenhofer, R. Pichs- Madruga, Y. Sokona, K. Seyboth, P. Matschoss, S. Kadner, T. Zwickel, P. Eickemeier, G. Hansen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow (eds)], Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.</ref> The interactions of these components determine not only day-to-day [[weather]], but also long-term averages that we refer to as the [[climate]].<Ref name=gc>Government of Canada Climate Change. (Accessed July 5, 2016). ''The Climate System'' [Online], Available: http://climatechange.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=EEFC609C-1</ref>		<onlyinclude>The '''climate system''' is the highly complex global system consisting of 5 major components: the [[atmosphere]], the [[ocean]]s, the [[cryosphere]] (snow and ice), the land surface, the [[biosphere]], and the interactions between them.</onlyinclude><ref name=IPCC_SRREN> Verbruggen, A., W. Moomaw, J. Nyboer, 2011: Annex I: Glossary, Acronyms, Chemical Symbols and Preﬁxes. In IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation [O. Edenhofer, R. Pichs- Madruga, Y. Sokona, K. Seyboth, P. Matschoss, S. Kadner, T. Zwickel, P. Eickemeier, G. Hansen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow (eds)], Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.</ref> The interactions of these components determine not only day-to-day [[weather]], but also long-term averages that we refer to as the [[climate]].<Ref name=gc>Government of Canada Climate Change. (Accessed July 5, 2016). ''The Climate System'' [Online], Available: http://climatechange.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=EEFC609C-1</ref>

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	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist}}
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Jmdonev at 00:46, 18 September 2016

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	File:atmosphere_moon.jpg\|[[Atmosphere]].<ref>Wikimedia Commons [Online], Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ISS-42_Moon_on_the_Earth%27s_atmosphere.jpg</ref>		File:atmosphere_moon.jpg\|[[Atmosphere]].<ref>Wikimedia Commons [Online], Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ISS-42_Moon_on_the_Earth%27s_atmosphere.jpg</ref>
	File:cryospheresnow.png\|[[Cryosphere]].<ref>Wikimedia Commons [Online], Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Tour_of_the_Antarctic_Cryosphere_NASA.jpg</ref>		File:cryospheresnow.png\|[[Cryosphere]].<ref>Wikimedia Commons [Online], Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Tour_of_the_Antarctic_Cryosphere_NASA.jpg</ref>
	File:Clouds_over_the_Atlantic_Ocean ~~(1)~~.jpg\|[[Ocean]].<ref>Wikimedia Commons [Online], Available: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Clouds_over_the_Atlantic_Ocean.jpg</ref>		File:Clouds_over_the_Atlantic_Ocean.jpg\|[[Ocean]].<ref>Wikimedia Commons [Online], Available: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Clouds_over_the_Atlantic_Ocean.jpg</ref>
	File:grasslands.jpg\|[[Biome#Grassland\|Land masses]].<ref>Geograph (Accessed Sept. 1, 2015) [Online], Available: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1360416</ref>		File:grasslands.jpg\|[[Biome#Grassland\|Land masses]].<ref>Geograph (Accessed Sept. 1, 2015) [Online], Available: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1360416</ref>
	File:butterfly.jpg\|[[Biosphere]].<ref>Thomas Galvez - Flickr [Online], Available: https://www.flickr.com/photos/togawanderings/14755883015</ref>		File:butterfly.jpg\|[[Biosphere]].<ref>Thomas Galvez - Flickr [Online], Available: https://www.flickr.com/photos/togawanderings/14755883015</ref>

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Jmdonev at 20:23, 22 July 2016

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[[Category:Done 2016-04-30]]
<onlyinclude>The '''climate system''' is the highly complex global system consisting of 5 major components: the [[atmosphere]], the [[ocean]]s, the [[cryosphere]] (snow and ice), the land surface, the [[biosphere]], and the interactions between them.</onlyinclude><ref name=IPCC_SRREN> Verbruggen, A., W. Moomaw, J. Nyboer, 2011: Annex I: Glossary, Acronyms, Chemical Symbols and Preﬁxes. In IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation [O. Edenhofer, R. Pichs- Madruga, Y. Sokona, K. Seyboth, P. Matschoss, S. Kadner, T. Zwickel, P. Eickemeier, G. Hansen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow (eds)], Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.</ref> The interactions of these components determine not only day-to-day [[weather]], but also long-term averages that we refer to as the [[climate]].<Ref name=gc>Government of Canada Climate Change. (Accessed July 5, 2016). ''The Climate System'' [Online], Available: http://climatechange.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=EEFC609C-1</ref>

<gallery caption="Earth's Climate System" mode=packed heights=110px>
File:atmosphere_moon.jpg|[[Atmosphere]].<ref>Wikimedia Commons [Online], Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ISS-42_Moon_on_the_Earth%27s_atmosphere.jpg</ref>
File:cryospheresnow.png|[[Cryosphere]].<ref>Wikimedia Commons [Online], Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Tour_of_the_Antarctic_Cryosphere_NASA.jpg</ref>
File:Clouds_over_the_Atlantic_Ocean (1).jpg|[[Ocean]].<ref>Wikimedia Commons [Online], Available: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Clouds_over_the_Atlantic_Ocean.jpg</ref>
File:grasslands.jpg|[[Biome#Grassland|Land masses]].<ref>Geograph (Accessed Sept. 1, 2015) [Online], Available: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1360416</ref>
File:butterfly.jpg|[[Biosphere]].<ref>Thomas Galvez - Flickr [Online], Available: https://www.flickr.com/photos/togawanderings/14755883015</ref>
</gallery>

==Components and their interactions==
The '''atmosphere''' is the most unstable and rapidly changing of the 5 components. Its composition has changed many times throughout the history of the Earth, and it currently is made up primarily of [[nitrogen]] (78.1%) and [[oxygen]] (20.9%). These [[gas]]es have limited interactions with incoming [[sunlight]], and do not interact with the [[infrared radiation]] emitted by the Earth. There are a number of trace gases present in the atmosphere that ''do'' interact with this light however, notably [[carbon dioxide]] (CO<sub>2</sub>) and [[methane]] (CH<sub>4</sub>) which are referred to as [[greenhouse gases]]. The section below discusses the effects these gases have on the global climate system.

The '''cryosphere''' impacts the climate system greatly through its high [[albedo]] (reflectivity), its low [[thermal conductivity]], and most importantly its critical role in driving deep ocean water circulation.<ref name=ipcc>IPCC. (Accessed July 6, 2016). ''The Climate System'' [Online], Available: https://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/tar/wg1/040.htm</ref> Also, because the [[ice melt|ice sheets]] store a large amount of [[water]], variations in their [[volume]] contribute to [[sea level rise]].

There are numerous '''interactions''' between the components of the climate system, as they are all open systems with the freedom to exchange [[mass]], [[heat]] and [[momentum]] with one another. An example of an interaction is the ocean-atmosphere system, which is a strongly-coupled system exchanging [[water vapour]] and heat through [[evaporation]], among other things. This is part of the [[hydrologic cycle]] which leads to [[condensation]], [[cloud formation]], and [[precipitation]], while also supplying energy to weather systems. The ocean-atmosphere system also exchanges gases like [[carbon dioxide]], where the ocean acts as a large [[carbon sink]].

==Balance of the system==
The climate system is driven by [[energy]] that is received from the [[sun]]. Some of this energy is reflected back into space, while the rest is absorbed by the land and ocean and re-emitted as [[radiant heat]]; this is known as the '''[[Earth's heat balance|heat balance of the Earth]]'''. Not all of the energy that is reflected or re-emitted by the land and ocean makes it back into space however, as the Earth's [[greenhouse effect]] acts to trap in some of the light. This heat balance is what determines the [[temperature of the Earth]].<ref name=gc/>

This balance is not so simple, however. One important complication stems from the uneven heating of the Earth, as the Equator and the Poles do not receive the same amounts of energy from the sun. This non-uniform heating leads to [[temperature]] differences throughout the globe, which the atmosphere and ocean act to reduce by [[heat transfer|transporting heat]] from the warm tropics to the cool poles. This heat transportation is what gives rise to ocean currents, [[wind]], [[evaporation]], [[precipitation]], and global weather patterns.<Ref name=gc/>

===Changes in the balance===
The [[carbon cycle]] of the Earth is constantly added to by humans through the burning of [[fossil fuel]]s which emit [[greenhouse gases]]. The [[greenhouse gas emission|emission of greenhouse gases]] alters the balance of heat on the Earth, as it enhances the greenhouse effect which traps [[infrared radiation]]. Land-use change by [[deforestation]] and agriculture practices also influences the climate system.<Ref name=tar>A.P.M. Baede, E. Ahlonsou, Y. Ding and D. Schimel in the IPCC Third Assessment Report. (Accessed July 5, 2016). ''The Climate System: an Overview'' [Online], Available: http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg1/pdf/tar-01.pdf</ref>

When the balance of incoming and outgoing energy is altered (see [[radiative forcing]]), the amount of [[heat]] at different points in the climate system is changed and therefore so are the heat transport processes. These changes have a potential impact on regional and global climate.<ref name=tar/> They can also result in [[extreme weather events]], but even minor changes in global weather patterns have far-reaching consequences.<ref name=gc/>

==References==
{{reflist}}