Cloudy climate change: How clouds affect Earth's temperature - Jasper Kirkby
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As the Earth’s surface temperature gradually rises, it has become vital for us to predict the rate of this increase with as much precision as possible. In order to do that, scientists need to understand more about aerosols and clouds. Jasper Kirkby details an experiment at CERN that aims to do just that.
A certain climate model calculates a climate sensitivity of 0.8 Celsius per Watt/m2. (1 Watt/m2 = 1 Watt per square metre; a candle is about 40 Watt so 1 Watt/m2 is equivalent to the energy of one candle spread over 40 square metres.) What global temperature rise is predicted by this model for a doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (radiative forcing = 3.7 Watt/m2), which is a level that may be reached during the second half of the 21st century?
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Jasper Kirkby
- Director Cedric Richer
- Sound Designer Igor Comes
- Narrator Jasper Kirkby
