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Changing atmosphere and climate change
- Greenhouse gas
- SLCF
- meteorological processes
The following topics will be covered for an understanding of the scientific basis of the climate and its change:
1. An overview of the Earth climate system.
2. Solar and terrestrial radiation and the greenhouse effect.
3. Greenhouse gases and their natural and anthropogenic sources..
4. Changes of greenhouse gas concentrations and equations for predicting their change. .
5.Short-lived climate Pollutant/Forcers and their effects. .
6. Meteorological processes and its modulation by climate change..
7. Role of the oceans in climate and their modulation by climate change
8. Role of the cryosphere in climate and its modulation by climate change.
9. The role of land surfaces and land use in climate and their modulation by climate change..
10. Cutting-edge research on atmospheric and climate changes to predict and respond to climate change
©Ibaraki University. Last Update 2025-10-01
Content／学習内容
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General Feature of the climate system
- Extreme events
- History of the climate change
- Climate system components
Defining of the climate, overview of past and on-going climate change, and introduction of important climate components and their roles in the radiative balance are presented.
Videos
／学習動画
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What’s the climate and what’s the climate change?
Defining the ‘climate’ and, on this basis, understand how climate change can be viewed. Also understand the relationship between extreme events (abnormal weather events) and climate change.
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Overview of past and on-going climate change with CO2 change
Overviewing past and on-going climate change and think relation between these changes and CO2 change
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Earth climate system and its components
Overviewing the Earth climate system and discussing roles of its main components.
Lecturers
／講師
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Kazuyuki KITA
Professor, Faculty of Basic Natural Science, Domain of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University
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Earth Ground Temperature and Radiation Process
- Earth radiation
- Laws of radiation
Explain the radiative process, an important process that determines surface temperature
Videos
／学習動画
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1: Solar Radiation, Earth radiation and Black body radiation
In this chapter, “What is the radiation and How can the radiation transfer heat?”, “Plank’s radiation law” and ” Solar radiation and Earth radiation” are presented.
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2: Radiation Laws
In this chapter, “The radiation laws: Wien’s displacement law, Stefan–Boltzmann law and Kirchhoff’s law of thermal radiation”, “Energy of Solar radiation and Earth radiation” and “Atmospheric absorption efficiency and emissivity” are presented.
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3: Framework for Regulating Global Temperature: Radiation Equilibrium
In this chapter, “The Solar radiation and its absorption in the atmosphere”, “Earth radiation and its absorption in the atmosphere, emitting the atmospheric radiation” and “Radiative equilibrium equations” are presented.
Lecturers
／講師
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Kazuyuki KITA
Professor, Faculty of Basic Natural Science Domain of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University
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Radiation Equilibrium Temperature
- Albedo
- Radiative equilibrium
Explain the framework of radiative equilibrium that determines surface temperature and its elements
Videos
／学習動画
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1: Solar constant
In this chapter, “The Solar radiation energy reaching Earth”, “Solar constant and its variability” and “Total Solar radiation energy incident on Earth” are presented.
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2: Earth Albedo
In this chapter, “The surface albedo in various surface conditions”, “Average albedo and contribution by clouds” and “Change in albedo values by human activities” are presented.
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3: Radiation Equilibrium Temperature ~ if the atmosphere had no greenhouse gases
In this chapter, “Earth’s Radiation equilibrium if the atmosphere is transparent (or if the atmosphere has no greenhouse gases)”, “Radiation equilibrium equation” and “Radiation equilibrium temperature derived by solving this equation” are presented.
Lecturers
／講師
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Kazuyuki KITA
Professor, Faculty of Basic Natural Science Domain of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University
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Greenhouse Effect and Earth radiation budget
- Radiation balance model
- Sensible heat and latent heat
- Radiation budget in the Earth surface
Explain the greenhouse effect and the mechanism of the resulting temperature increase
Videos
／学習動画
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1: 1-layer atmosphere radiative equilibrium model
In this chapter, “1-layer atmosphere radiative equilibrium model”, “Radiative equilibrium equations in this model” and “Increase of radiative equilibrium temperature by the greenhouse effect” are presented.
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2: Greenhouse effect and other effects on climate
In this chapter, ”How Greenhouse effect increase Surface Temperature”, “Why and how the greenhouse effect raises the surface temperature” and “Climate forcing factors affecting radiative balance” are presented.
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Earth’s radiation budget
In this chapter, “Processes ignored in the 1-layer atmosphere”, “Sensible heat and latent heat” and “Radiation and heat budget of the earth” are presented.
Lecturers
／講師
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Kazuyuki KITA
Professor, Faculty of Basic Natural Science Domain of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University
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Natural cycles of greenhouse gases
- CH4
- N2O
- Carbon cycle
- Nitrogen cycle
Explain the major greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane, and dinitrogen monoxide and their balance of payments under natural conditions
Videos
／学習動画
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1: Carbon dioxide and carbon cycle
In this chapter, “Evolution of atmospheric CO2 during the Earth history of 450 Myr”, “Slow and Fast carbon cycles” and “Fast carbon cycle of land vegetation and of ocean with the atmosphere” are presented.
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2: Natural cycles of Methane and Nitrous oxide
In this chapter, “Natural greenhouse gases, CH4 and N2O, and their radiative forcing and global warming potential”, “Their evolution in the Earth history of 800 thousand years” and “Natural cycles of CH4 and N2O between land biosphere and atmosphere” are presented.
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3: Response of natural GHG cycles to climate changes
In this chapter, “Rapid response of CO2, CH4 and N2O to temperature change” and “Feedback from response of natural cycles of CO2, CH4 and N2O” are discussed.
Lecturers
／講師
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Kazuyuki KITA
Professor, Faculty of Basic Natural Science Domain of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University
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Increase of greenhouse gases and anthropogenic sources
- CH4,
- N2O,
- Anthropogenic sources
- Inventory
Explain the increase in atmospheric concentrations of the major greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane, and dinitrogen monoxide and their anthropogenic sources
Videos
／学習動画
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1: Recent increase of CO2 and its anthropogenic sources
In this chapter, “Increase of CO2, CH4 and N2O from 1850 to the present”, “Anthropogenic CO2 sources and their changes since 1850” and “Usage of fossil fuels” are presented.
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2: Recent increase of CH4 and its anthropogenic sources
In this chapter, “Increase of CH4 since 1990 and its seasonal and latitudinal variations” and “Anthropogenic CH4 sources and their contributions” are presented.
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3: Recent increase of N2O and other GHGs and their anthropogenic sources
In this chapter, “Increase of N2O from 1850 and its anthropogenic sources”, “Biogeochemical feedbacks of CO2, CH4, and N2O in the climate change” and “Human-made greenhouse gases” are presented.
Lecturers
／講師
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Kazuyuki KITA
Professor, Faculty of Basic Natural Science Domain of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University
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Evaluation of increase of greenhouse gases
- Absorption,
- Equation of continuity
Explain the equations and data needed to predict changes in greenhouse gases in climate models
Videos
／学習動画
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1: Equation of continuity
In this chapter, “Equation of continuity”, “Terms in Equation of continuity” and “Solution in a simple case” are presented.
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2: Evaluation of GHG increase
In this chapter, “Mass balance equation, simplified version of equation of continuity”, “Estimation of GHG increase rate with mass balance equations” and “Comparison with the observed increase rates” are presented.
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3: Inventories of GHGs and related gases
In this chapter, “What is the GHG inventory”, “How to evaluate Emission factor” and “How to evaluate Activity data” are presented.
Lecturers
／講師
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Kazuyuki KITA
Professor, Faculty of Basic Natural Science Domain of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University
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Short lived climate forcers and aerosols
- Tropospheric ozone
- Black carbon aerosol
- Methane
Explain what short-lived climate impact substances (SLCFs) are, why they are important, and their main sources
Videos
／学習動画
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1: Short lived climate forcers and their importance
In this chapter, “Short-lived Climate forcer (SLCF) and short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP)”, “Radiative forcing of direct and indirect SLCFs” and “Why is the reduction of SLCF essential for the climate change mitigation?” are presented.
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2: Tropospheric ozone and its precursors
In this chapter, “Tropospheric ozone and its production process”, “Ozone precursor gases (indirect SLCFs)” and “Climate effects of tropospheric ozone increase” are presented.
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3: Black carbon and other aerosols
In this chapter, “Various aerosols”, “Aerosol direct and indirect (through cloud formation) effects on climate” and “Climate effects of black carbon aerosol” are presented.
Lecturers
／講師
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Kazuyuki KITA
Professor, Faculty of Basic Natural Science Domain of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University
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Meteorological phenomena
- Westerlies and trade winds
- Asian monsoon
Explain how weather is established in the mid-latitudes to the tropics (Asia)
Videos
／学習動画
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Global atmospheric circulation, westerlies, and trade winds
It explains the characteristics of large-scale atmospheric circulation from the tropics to the mid-latitudes from the perspective of meridional heat transport. In the mid-latitudes, it broadly explains the features of the westerlies that arise from the meridional temperature gradient.
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Weather and climate in mid-latitudes and tropics, Monsoon and ENSO
This chapter explains the weather and climate of the mid-latitudes by discussing the relationship between the meandering of the westerlies and the movement of high- and low-pressure systems, as well as monsoons and climate classifications. In the tropics, it briefly describes ENSO, including phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña.
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Weather and climate in Asia
This chapter explains the weather and climate characteristics from East Asia, including Japan, to South Asia by relating them to monsoons and ENSO.
Lecturers
／講師
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Yasutaka Wakazuki
Associate Professor, Faculty of Basic Natural Science Domain of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University
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Modulation of the Weather Due to Global Warming
- East/southeast Asia,
- Temperature
- Precipitation
Explain changes in climatic conditions around the world and in East to Southeast Asia due to climate change
Videos
／学習動画
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Climate change in temperature distribution 1
Based on the IPCC reports, the chapter explains the past changes and future projections of global temperatures. Additionally, it briefly introduces the characteristics of changes in the distribution of global temperatures along with the underlying mechanisms.
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Climate change in precipitation distribution 2
Based on the IPCC reports, the chapter explains the changes in past global precipitation and soil moisture, among other factors, along with their future projections. In addition, it briefly introduces the mechanisms behind the increasing extremes in precipitation.
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Changes in weather conditions in East and Southeast Asia
Based on Japan’s Climate Change 2020, the chapter explains the past changes and future projections of Japan’s weather and climate. In particular, it introduces relatively clear prediction items such as extreme high temperatures, extreme precipitation, and tropical cyclones.
Lecturers
／講師
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Yasutaka Wakazuki
Associate Professor, Faculty of Basic Natural Science Domain of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University
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Climate modulation in ocean states and circulations
- Sea level rise
- Acidification
Explain the role of the oceans in climate change and the changes currently seen with climate change
Videos
／学習動画
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1: Ocean circulation under the changing climate
The chapter explains the characteristics of global ocean circulation (both ocean currents and thermohaline circulation) from the perspective of meridional heat transport. It also touches on projections for changes in ocean circulation based on the IPCC reports.
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2:Changes in sea temperature and sea level
The chapter explains past and future changes in seawater temperature and sea levels based on the IPCC reports and other sources. It also briefly explains the mechanisms behind these changes.
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3:Sea acidification on marine ecosystems
Based on the IPCC reports and other sources, the chapter explains ocean acidification. It also briefly touches on the ecosystem changes caused by rising sea water temperatures and acidification.
Lecturers
／講師
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Yasutaka Wakazuki
Associate Professor, Faculty of Basic Natural Science Domain of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University
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Climate change in Cryosphere
- Snow albedo
- Arctic ice
- Permafrost
Explain the effects of climate change and changes in albedo in the cryosphere and the effects of increased and decreased snowmelt
Videos
／学習動画
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1: Role of cryosphere in the climate change
In this chapter, “Cryosphere and its components”, “Roles of cryosphere in earth system and in the climate” and “Risks due to cryosphere response to the climate change” are presented.
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2: Change in mountainous glaciers and permafrost
In this chapter, “Changes in mountain Cryosphere (snow cover and glacier)”, “Changes in permafrost” and “Impacts of changes in mountain cryosphere and permafrost” are presented.
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3: Change in sea ice and ice sheets
In this chapter, “Changes in Arctic and Antarctic sea ice”, “Changes in ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica” and “Impacts of sea ice and ice sheet decline” are presented.
Lecturers
／講師
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Kazuyuki KITA
Professor, Faculty of Basic Natural Science Domain of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University
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Interaction of land and its use with the climate change
- land use change
- Albedo
- land degradation and desertification
- Biomass burning
Explain the role of land surface conditions and land use in climate and the effects of climate change, and the increase in forest fires and their impacts
Videos
／学習動画
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1: Role of ground surface and land-use in the climate
In this chapter, “Exchanges of CO2, CH4 and N2O and SLCFs between the land and the atmosphere”, “Evapotranspiration and Albedo effect on the climate” and “Land responses to the climate change” are presented.
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2: Climate interaction with land-use change, land degradation and desertification
In this chapter, “Impacts of global land cover changes on the climate change”, “Interactions between land degradation and the climate change” and “Feedback between desertification and the climate change” are presented.
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3: Changes in biomass burning and their effects on the climate
In this chapter, “Impacts of biomass burning on the climate change”, “The climate effects on the biomass burning” and “Changes in the biomass burning in some regions” are presented.
Lecturers
／講師
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Kazuyuki KITA
Professor, Faculty of Basic Natural Science Domain of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University
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Observation of GHGs and SLCPs for climate research
- Greenhouse gas
- SLCP
- Remote sensing
To describe examples of research using state-of-the-art observations that capture atmospheric modulations to predict and respond to climate change
Videos
／学習動画
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Observation of GHGs and SLCP concentrations for climate and atmospheric researches
In this chapter, “GAW Monitoring of GHGs and related species”, “Ice core sampling for measuring GHGs in the past air” and “Aircraft and ground-based observation of SLCP in southeast Asia” are presented.
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Observation of GHG flux from areal sources and sinks
In this chapter, “How to measure the GHG flux with container technique”, “Measurement principle of the eddy covariance method” and “Global flux observation network (FLUXNET)” are presented.
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Remote sensing of GHGs and top-down GHG budgets
In this chapter, “Top-down approach to understand the GHG budget”, “Remote sensing of CO2 and CH4 by GOSAT(-2)” and “New satellite mission, GOSAT-GW, and NO2 measurement” are presented.
Lecturers
／講師
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Kazuyuki KITA
Professor, Faculty of Basic Natural Science Domain of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University
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Frontier of Atmospheric and Climate Change Researchers (Modeling)
- Downscaling
- Ensemble modeling
Explain what climate models are and what research is being done on temperature and precipitation changes and their effects due to climate change
Videos
／学習動画
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What are climate models?
This chapter provides a brief overview of the climate models used in numerical simulations to predict future environmental conditions, outlining their underlying mechanisms and fundamental concepts.
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Future climate prediction using climate models
This chapter explains the scenarios for future greenhouse gas emissions assumed in numerical simulations using climate models. In addition, it presents calculation results demonstrating that global warming is due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and it introduces examples of future projections from the IPCC.
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Regional climate prediction using downscaling of climate model simulations
The chapter introduces the downscaling technique of climate models, which allows for the estimation of regional-scale high-resolution climate change and presents an example of regional climate change predictions for Japan using this technique.
Lecturers
／講師
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Yasutaka Wakazuki
Associate Professor, Faculty of Basic Natural Science Domain of Earth Sciences, Ibaraki University
Staff／スタッフ
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Kazuyuki KITAIbaraki University Faculty of Basic Natural Science, Domain of Earth SciencesProfessorCareer2010- Professor, Faculty of Science, Ibaraki University
2018 – Present Co-director, Vietnam Japan University, Master’s Program in Climate Change and Development.
2002-2010 Associate Professor, Faculty of Science, Ibaraki University -
Yasutaka WakazukiIbaraki University Faculty of Basic Natural Science Domain of Earth SciencesAssociate ProfessorCareer
2016- Present Associate Professor, Faculty of Science, Ibaraki University
2018 – Present Visiting Lecturer, Master’s Program in Climate Change and Development, Master’s Program in Climate Change and Development,Vietnam Japan University
2012-2016 Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba.
2007-2012 Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.
2002-2007 Advanced Earth Science and Technology Organization
Competency／コンピテンシー
Course Objectives
1. Studying basic knowledge of atmospheric science, develop understanding how climate is formed and varies.
2. Stimulate a scientifically based attitude towards climate change, its prediction and response.
Learning Outcomes
Expected achievements shown in the followings will be tested and assessed using a rubric.
1. Understanding the scientific basis of climate processes.
2. Understanding the processes behind changes in greenhouse gases and short-lived climate forcings (SLCFs) and apply them to mitigation measures.
3. Understanding the processes behind the various climate changes that are currently occurring.
Information／その他の情報
References
IPCC (2021)Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC.
Andreas Schmittner(2017), Introduction to Climate Science – 1st Edition, Oregon State University
Contact／お問合せ先
tenkai@m.ibaraki.ac.jp
