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More generally, an increase by a factor c/c 0 gives: ln(c/c 0)*5 W/m 2. These results are close to the approximation of a more elaborate yet simplified model giving ln(c/c 0)*5.35 W/m 2, [4] and the radiative forcing due to CO 2 doubling with much more complicated models giving 3.1 W/m 2.
Factors that can shape climate are called climate forcings or "forcing mechanisms". [9] These include processes such as variations in solar radiation , variations in the Earth's orbit, variations in the albedo or reflectivity of the continents, atmosphere, and oceans, mountain-building and continental drift and changes in greenhouse gas ...
A subarctic climate, for instance, shows daylight time and temperature fluctuations as most important factors, while in rainforest climate, the most important factor is characterized by the stable high precipitation rate and high average temperature that doesn't fluctuate a lot.
An environmental gradient, or climate gradient, is a change in abiotic (non-living) factors through space (or time). Environmental gradients can be related to factors such as altitude, depth, temperature, soil humidity and precipitation.
Diagram of factors that determine climate sensitivity. After increasing CO 2 levels, there is an initial warming. This warming gets amplified by the net effect of climate feedbacks. Climate sensitivity is a key measure in climate science and describes how much Earth's surface will warm for a doubling in the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ...
The 2019 IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate defines a tipping point as: "A level of change in system properties beyond which a system reorganises, often in a non-linear manner, and does not return to the initial state even if the drivers of the change are abated. For the climate system, the term refers to a ...
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In the 1980s, the terms global warming and climate change became more common, often being used interchangeably. [ 29 ] [ 30 ] [ 31 ] Scientifically, global warming refers only to increased surface warming, while climate change describes both global warming and its effects on Earth's climate system , such as precipitation changes.