A Pedagogical "Toy" Climate Model
Physics and Society
2012-06-15 v1 Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
Abstract
A "toy" model, simple and elementary enough for an undergraduate class, of the temperature dependence of the greenhouse (mid-IR) absorption by atmospheric water vapor implies a bistable climate system. The stable states are glaciation and warm interglacials, while intermediate states are unstable. This is in qualitative accord with the paleoclimatic data. The present climate may be unstable, with or without anthropogenic interventions such as CO emission, unless there is additional stabilizing feedback such as "geoengineering".
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1002.1672,
title = {A Pedagogical "Toy" Climate Model},
author = {J. I. Katz},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1002.1672},
year = {2012}
}
Comments
7 pp., 1 fig