Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Posted by Lisa Haderlein at 6/3/2007 8:57 AM 
Categories: greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, Global Warming, Other Links
Categories: greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, Global Warming, Other Links
What is the IPCC?
It was formed in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), and is open to all members of both organizations.
According to their website: "The role of the IPCC is to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. The IPCC does not carry out research nor does it monitor climate related data or other relevant parameters. It bases its assessment mainly on peer reviewed and published scientific/technical literature. Its role, organisation, participation and general procedures are laid down in the "Principles Governing IPCC Work""
I started going through the site, and soon found that there is so much information there - much of it very technical - that I could spend days. One section includes dozens of graphics that they have developed to help illustrate different things - these are available as power point and JPEG images so that anyone can download them for use in their own presentation.
For example, this graphic shows the commonly accepted indicators of human influence on the atmosphere from about the year 1,000 until present. The numbers escalate rapidly starting at the time of the Industrial Revolution (the 1800's).
Now, my first question was: how do they know what was in the atmosphere in the year 1,000? No one was taking measurements then?
Scientists can measure temperature, CO2 and methane levels over time by analyzing ice core samples taken from Antarctica. The deeper they go, the further back in time they go, because the ice accumulates each year, and within the ice are trapped gases that indicate the relative concentrations of various atmospheric gases at the time that ice formed.
A study of the Vostok Glacier Ice Core Samples went down over 2 miles, which represents a trip back in time over 400,000 years! What the research shows is that during the last 150 years, the atmospheric level of CO2 has risen to a level that is 130% higher than it has been at any other time during those 400,000+ years. Atmospheric methane levels today are 230% higher than they ever were during those previous 400,000+ years.
Over those 400,000+ years, the scientists observed four distinct warming and cooling cycles. Warming positively correlates with the increase in CO2 and methane levels in the atmosphere.
It was formed in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), and is open to all members of both organizations.
According to their website: "The role of the IPCC is to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. The IPCC does not carry out research nor does it monitor climate related data or other relevant parameters. It bases its assessment mainly on peer reviewed and published scientific/technical literature. Its role, organisation, participation and general procedures are laid down in the "Principles Governing IPCC Work""
I started going through the site, and soon found that there is so much information there - much of it very technical - that I could spend days. One section includes dozens of graphics that they have developed to help illustrate different things - these are available as power point and JPEG images so that anyone can download them for use in their own presentation.
For example, this graphic shows the commonly accepted indicators of human influence on the atmosphere from about the year 1,000 until present. The numbers escalate rapidly starting at the time of the Industrial Revolution (the 1800's).
Now, my first question was: how do they know what was in the atmosphere in the year 1,000? No one was taking measurements then?
Scientists can measure temperature, CO2 and methane levels over time by analyzing ice core samples taken from Antarctica. The deeper they go, the further back in time they go, because the ice accumulates each year, and within the ice are trapped gases that indicate the relative concentrations of various atmospheric gases at the time that ice formed.
A study of the Vostok Glacier Ice Core Samples went down over 2 miles, which represents a trip back in time over 400,000 years! What the research shows is that during the last 150 years, the atmospheric level of CO2 has risen to a level that is 130% higher than it has been at any other time during those 400,000+ years. Atmospheric methane levels today are 230% higher than they ever were during those previous 400,000+ years.
Over those 400,000+ years, the scientists observed four distinct warming and cooling cycles. Warming positively correlates with the increase in CO2 and methane levels in the atmosphere.
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