By Daniel Brouse
October 27, 2024
The Philadelphia area is currently experiencing a severe drought, which is exacerbating the region’s vulnerability to extreme weather events. Recently, the area has also seen a significant increase in the intensity and frequency of severe rainstorms. This pattern of extended drought followed by intense rainfall events can be particularly harmful to soil health. During prolonged dry periods, soil becomes compacted and loses organic matter, reducing its ability to absorb water. When intense rains finally occur, water tends to run off rather than being absorbed, causing erosion, flooding, and even more severe damage to the soil structure.
The primary drivers of changing climate patterns, intensifying droughts, and increasing atmospheric rivers are the effects of climate change on the jet stream and ocean circulation. Rising global temperatures are disrupting these systems in several ways.
First, the warming Arctic is reducing the temperature difference between the poles and the equator, causing the jet stream to become weaker and more meandering. This leads to more extreme weather as these waves in the jet stream can lock weather patterns in place for longer periods, resulting in prolonged droughts or heavy rainfall over specific areas.
Second, warming oceans alter ocean currents, especially the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which influences weather patterns across North America and Europe. Changes in ocean temperatures are also fueling stronger atmospheric rivers, which are narrow, moisture-rich air currents that deliver heavy rainfall to areas that are often unprepared for such intense downpours. This combination of changes in atmospheric and oceanic circulation is creating more volatile and unpredictable weather patterns, which can lead to significant regional climate shifts and amplify the frequency and severity of extreme weather events.
Healthy soil plays a critical role in regulating temperatures and reducing atmospheric carbon by acting as a natural carbon sink. However, when soil is degraded by cycles of drought and extreme rainfall, its capacity to sequester carbon decreases, contributing to a feedback loop that accelerates climate change. As soil loses organic matter and structure from extreme weather patterns, it becomes less capable of absorbing carbon and water, increasing runoff and erosion. This degradation not only perpetuates the problem of atmospheric carbon but also amplifies climate-driven soil and ecosystem instability, further impacting biodiversity and agriculture.
Chaos Theory and Climate Systems
Global warming is caused by an increase in thermal energy in the climate system. The Earth is a climate system. Many subsystems make up our climate. Chaos theory emphasizes the complexity and nonlinearity of dynamic systems, and this complexity is inherent in the interactions between soil, atmosphere, and oceans in the Earth’s climate system.
Atmospheric circulation together with ocean circulation is how thermal energy is redistributed throughout the world. Chaos theory offers insights into the complex, nonlinear dynamics of climate systems role in the redistribution of thermal energy. The Earth’s climate is a highly complex and dynamic system, influenced by various factors such as ocean currents, atmospheric circulation, and feedback loops.
General Circulation Models for the earth climate are nonlinear and teleconnected. That means a small change in temperature or pressure or humidity in one small area on the globe can cause _large_ changes in conditions _anywhere_ on the globe. This is sometimes called the Butterfly effect. The complexity of these models can lead to chaotic behavior. Climate science must grapple with these models and extract results in spite of the mathematical difficulties, and there have been remarkable successes in some cases and sad failures in others. Nevertheless we must proceed.
Soil-Atmosphere Interaction:
- Thermal Energy Exchange:
- Soil plays a crucial role in the exchange of thermal energy with the atmosphere. The temperature of the soil surface affects the transfer of heat to the atmosphere through processes such as conduction and convection. The thermal properties of soil, including its composition and moisture content, influence this energy exchange.
- Carbon Storage and Cycling:
- Soil acts as a reservoir for carbon in the form of organic matter. This carbon storage is dynamic and involves complex interactions between plants, microorganisms, and the soil matrix. Soil organic carbon contributes to the global carbon cycle, affecting atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
- Feedback Mechanisms:
- Nonlinear feedback mechanisms between soil and atmosphere can influence climate dynamics. For example, changes in temperature and precipitation patterns may impact soil moisture, affecting vegetation growth and altering the surface energy balance.
Soil-Ocean Interaction:
- Carbon Storage and Sequestration:
- Oceans play a crucial role in global carbon storage. Dissolved carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean, forming carbonic acid. Additionally, organic matter from marine life contributes to carbon storage in ocean sediments. The exchange of carbon between soil and oceans is interconnected and can influence atmospheric CO2 levels.
- Thermal Inertia:
- Oceans have a high thermal inertia, meaning they can absorb and store large amounts of heat. This property moderates temperature extremes, influencing atmospheric temperature patterns. Changes in ocean temperatures can, in turn, impact regional and global climate dynamics.
- Ocean Circulation and Climate:
- Ocean circulation patterns, such as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), play a role in redistributing heat around the globe. Changes in ocean circulation can have cascading effects on atmospheric circulation patterns, influencing climate on a large scale.
Atmosphere-Soil-Ocean Coupling:
- Teleconnections:
- Chaos theory recognizes the concept of teleconnections, where seemingly unrelated events in one part of the Earth system influence conditions in another. For instance, changes in sea surface temperatures (linked to ocean dynamics) can affect atmospheric circulation patterns, leading to variations in precipitation and temperature on land.
- Climate Variability:
- The complex interactions between soil, atmosphere, and oceans contribute to climate variability. Chaos theory helps to understand the sensitivity of the climate system to initial conditions and how small perturbations in one component can lead to significant and sometimes unpredictable outcomes.
Chaos theory underscores the intricate, nonlinear, and interconnected nature of the relationships between soil, atmosphere, and oceans in the context of thermal energy and carbon storage. These interactions contribute to the Earth’s climate system’s complexity, and understanding these dynamics is crucial for accurately modeling and predicting climate changes. In addition, thermal energy and carbon are redistributed throughout the world.
Circulation systems of air and/or water include:
* doldrums, trade winds, horse latitudes, prevailing westerlies, polar front zone, and polar easterlies
* each hemisphere has three cells — Hadley cell, Ferrel cell and Polar cell in which air circulates through the entire depth of the troposphere
* usually each hemispheres has two jet streams — a subtropical jet stream and a polar-front jet stream
* waves, tides, currents, downwelling, upwelling move water
* there are over 24 currents — Benguela Current, California Current, Falkland Current, Labrador Current, Brazil Current, Florida Current, Gulf Stream, West Australian Current, Canary Current, Kuroshio Current, North Pacific Current, Somali Current, Antarctic Circumpolar Current, Antarctica Current, Antilles Current, Mozambique Current, North Atlantic Drift, Norwegian Current, Oyashio Current, West Wind Drift, Agulhas Current, South Equatorial Current, Humboldt or Peruvian Current, Monsoon Current
* five major ocean-wide gyres — the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, and Indian Ocean
* thermohaline (temperature and salinity) circulation systems — Gulf Stream, Atlantic Meridional Overturning circulation (AMOC), Pacific Meridional Overturning Circulation (PMOC)
* ocean-atmosphere oscillations — La Nina / El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Antarctic Oscillation (AAO), Arctic Oscillation (AO), Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO),
Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO), North Pacific Oscillation (NPO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), Pacific-North American (PNA) Pattern
What you can do today. How to save the planet.
Create a sustainable and climate-resilient environment in and around your home by providing wind breaks, shade, moisture retention, climate control, and preventing soil degradation.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The Philadelphia Experiment: a Study on the Reign of Violent Rain