Like everything in life, climate change is
about balance. Or rather a lack thereof. The Earth receives a
steady supply of incoming radiation from the sun, which is
eventually absorbed or reflected back out to space.
Simultaneously, the planet emits thermal radiation out to
space. When the incoming and outgoing energy is in balance,
the climate is stable. Currently it's not, so the planet is
warming.
In this colloquium we explore how NASA observations tell us
humans are contributing to climate's growing energy imbalance,
using measurements from across the Earth Observing System to
diagnose present day radiative forcing and feedbacks on
surface temperature and the hydrological cycle. We'll then
discuss what climate models tell us about the future of the
energy budget, highlighting new work that suggests carbon
dioxide will become a more potent greenhouse gas as the
background climate continues to change.
About the Speaker:
Ryan Kramer is an assistant research
scientist in the Climate and Radiation Lab (613) at NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center through University of Maryland,
Baltimore County. Born and raised in the DC area, he is on his
second stint at GSFC after spending a summer as an
undergraduate intern in 618 a decade ago. Dr. Kramer received
his PhD at the University of Miami in 2018 and studies
radiative forcings and feedbacks, the global hydrological
cycle, and land-atmosphere interactions.