Earth-Based, Nonatmospheric Controls of Climate

Jackie Green

Overview of Topic



Earth's climate is dynamic and ever-changing.  Atmospheric climate controls
and non-atmospheric climate controls are independant and also dependant on
one another.  The individual factors within non-atmospheric climate control
work in the same manner; for example, if winds over the Pacific Ocean
falter (as in an El Nino event), ocean water temperatures will change,
which will affect the precipitation levels. The factors of non-atmospheric
climate controls in any particular region are briefly explained in the
following table:


Elevation:The higher the elevation, the cooler the temperature.
Lattitude:The further away from the equator, the cooler the
 temperature.
Mountains:Dry on the lee side, moist on the windward side.
Pressure:High pressure yields little precipitation, and vice-versa.
Wind:Wind from land will be dry, wind from oceans will be moist,
causing precipitation.
Ocean:Wind over warm oceans will be moist, wind over cooler oceans will
be drier.


Catastrophic events can also affect the climate on a large-scale basis.  A
volcanic eruption, for example, can send volcanic ash into the atmosphere
around the world, blocking the sun and thereby changing earth's
temperatures and weather patterns.  One team of scientists, Robert C.
Balling, Jr. and Randall S. Cerveny, also suggest that the phase of the
moon accounts for a global temperature change of about 0.02 to 0.03 degrees
Celsuis.
The Atmospheric Research and Information Centre has an excellent web site
for information on global climate change, that ranges from very general to
specific topics.  They can be found at:

ARIC

One popular example of the effects of nonatmospheric climate events is that
of El Nino.  The past twenty years has brought about seven El Ninos with
effects on the world that in many places were devastating.  The 1982-1983
El Nino event has been held accountanble for severe storms that caused
approximatley $8 billion damage worldwide.  Floods and droughts cause
agricultural as well as economic damage, and the change in ocean
temperatures in areas like Peru have a profound effect on the fishing
industry.  A good place to find an overview of El Nino events, as well as
how it is linked to global warming can be found at:
 
El Nino

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