Climate Change - How much do you 'believe' and how much do you understand?
Instructor: Dr. David Faulkner
As a Delegate attending NOC and OC&I you are likely to be well-versed in the basics of optical physics. You may also have some interest in climate change either because it is affecting you personally or because it is increasingly impacting the ICT industry.
The aim of this short course is to bring you up to date with some of the best publications on the topic together with some of the basic theory. With this background you will be better placed to judge whether humans really are causing the climate to change and what research is needed to improve our understanding and make more accurate predictions.
This short course is based upon David Faulkner’s own research on the topic over the last 4 years and comes in two parts. Each part includes a lecture lasting approximately 1 hour and time for discussion.
Part 1 "Understanding Climate Change".
- Where do we get our information from?
- What do we know about the sun's and earth's radiation?
- How do we calculate the surface temperature?
- What is the role of greenhouse gases and cloud?
- How much do we 'believe' and how much do we understand?
- What more can be done to reduce the risks?
Part 2 "Climate Change and the Stratosphere".
- Why is the stratosphere important for our climate?
- Which gases are climate forcers and where do they come from?
- How important is stratospheric water vapour?
- What is the impact of cirrus cloud on climate?
- Most of the flights we make today reach the lower stratosphere where the air is thin and dry. What happens to the exhaust gases and how could they impact the climate?
This presentation describes some of the climate impacts on the stratosphere, and explores some of the consequences.
Join us to find out more, followed by a lively discussion.
Technical Co-Sponsorship
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