Climate commitment: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:29, 22 November 2024

Revision as of 21:09, 14 January 2025

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== Basic idea ==

[[File:Earth's Heat Accumulation.png|thumb|right|upright=1.2|The accumulation of [[ocean heat content|excess heat in the ocean]], at ever greater depths, measures global warming that has already become "irreversible" in the near term<ref name=EarthSysSciData_20200907>{{cite journal |last1=von Schuckmann |first1=K. |last2=Cheng |first2=L. |last3=Palmer |first3=M. D. |last4=Hansen |first4=J. |last5=Tassone |first5=C. |last6=Aich |first6=V. |last7=Adusumilli |first7=S. |last8=Beltrami |first8=H. |last9=Boyer |first9=T. |last10=Cuesta-Valero |first10=F. J. |display-authors=4 |title=Heat stored in the Earth system: where does the energy go? |journal=Earth System Science Data |date=7 September 2020 |doi=10.5194/essd-12-2013-2020 |doi-access=free |volume=12 |issue=3 |page=2013-2041 |bibcode=2020ESSD...12.2013V |hdl=20.500.11850/443809 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>]]

If a [[wiktionary:perturbation|perturbation]] — such as an increase in greenhouse gases or [[solar variation|solar activity]] — is applied to Earth's [[climate system]] the response will not be immediate, principally because of the large [[heat capacity]] (i.e.,and [[Volumetric heat capacity#Thermal inertia|thermal inertia]]) of the [[ocean]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Abraham |first1=John |last2=Cheng |first2=Lijing |last3=Mann |first3=Michael E. |last4=Trenberth |first4=Kevin |last5=von Schuckmann |first5=Karina |title=The ocean response to climate change guides both adaptation and mitigation efforts |journal=Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters |volume=15 |number=100221 |pages=1-9 |date=1 July 2022 |doi=10.1016/j.aosl.2022.100221 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

:''As an analogue, consider the heating of a thin metal plate (by the sun or by a flame): the plate will warm relatively quickly. If a thick metal block is heated instead, it will take much longer for the entire block to reach [[Thermodynamic equilibrium|equilibrium]] with the imposed heating because of its higher heat capacity.''