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The lecture discusses planetary evolution, focusing on climate history revealed by ice cores, the modern rise in CO₂ levels, and the potential for a runaway greenhouse effect similar to Venus. It also covers radiometric dating methods, particularly U-Pb dating in zircons, to determine the age of Earth and meteorites, indicating the solar system's age is approximately 4.53–4.58 billion years. Additionally, it highlights Earth's climate system, including energy distribution, forcings, feedbacks, and the impact of Milankovitch cycles on climate changes.

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2 views

adada

The lecture discusses planetary evolution, focusing on climate history revealed by ice cores, the modern rise in CO₂ levels, and the potential for a runaway greenhouse effect similar to Venus. It also covers radiometric dating methods, particularly U-Pb dating in zircons, to determine the age of Earth and meteorites, indicating the solar system's age is approximately 4.53–4.58 billion years. Additionally, it highlights Earth's climate system, including energy distribution, forcings, feedbacks, and the impact of Milankovitch cycles on climate changes.

Uploaded by

arnestuddin002
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lecture 18: Planetary Evolution – Climate, Runaway Greenhouse, and Radiometric Dating

🌡️ Understanding Past & Future Climate


●​ Ice Cores reveal:​

○​ Greenhouse gas history (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O)​

○​ Isotope ratios → past temperatures​

○​ ~100,000-year cycles: temp, CO₂, ice sheet size​

○​ Past CO₂ never >270 ppm (2025: ~426 ppm)​

●​ Modern CO₂ Rise:​

○​ Driven by fossil fuel combustion & volcanism​

○​ Directly linked to global temperature rise​

●​ Climate Feedbacks:​

○​ Ice-albedo amplifies warming​

○​ More solar energy → ↑ weathering → ↓ CO₂​

○​ Eventually, weathering outpaces volcanic CO₂ → atmospheric CO₂ ~ 0​

●​ Runaway Greenhouse:​

○​ As temps rise, H₂O reaches upper atmosphere​

○​ UV breaks H₂O → H lost to space​

○​ Loss of water = loss of Earth’s thermostat​

○​ CO₂ builds up again → Venus-like future

🕒 Radiometric Dating & Planetary Evolution


(1) Basics of Radioactive Decay

●​ Not all nuclides are stable​

○​ Parent atoms decay → daughter atoms over time​

○​ Decay constant: λ​

○​ Decay law:​
N=N0e−λtN = N_0 e^{-λt}N=N0​e−λt
○​ Half-life t1/2t_{1/2}t1/2​: time for half of parent atoms to decay​

●​ Age Equation (if initial daughter = 0):​


t=1λln⁡(DN+1)t = \frac{1}{λ} \ln\left(\frac{D}{N} + 1\right)t=λ1​ln(ND​+1)

(2) U-Pb Dating in Zircons

●​ Zircons (ZrSiO₄):​

○​ Resist erosion/metamorphism​

○​ Incorporate U (but not Pb) during crystallization​

●​ Uranium decay chains:​

○​ 235U→207Pb{}^{235}U → {}^{207}Pb235U→207Pb, t1/2≈700t_{1/2} ≈ 700t1/2​≈700 Myr​

○​ 238U→206Pb{}^{238}U → {}^{206}Pb238U→206Pb, t1/2≈4.5t_{1/2} ≈ 4.5t1/2​≈4.5 Gyr​

●​ Jack Hills Zircons (Australia):​

○​ Oldest known Earth materials (~4.4 Ga)​

(3) Meteorites & Early Solar System


●​ Carbonaceous Chondrites: samples of early solar system dust​

●​ Radiometric dating of meteorites:​


→ Solar System age = 4.53–4.58 billion years

Lecture 17: Planetary Climate – Thermostats, Feedbacks & Energy Transport

●​ Earth’s CO₂ Thermostat:​

○​ Balance between volcanic CO₂ input and removal via weathering.​

○​ ↑ Volcanism → ↑ CO₂ → ↑ Temp → ↑ Weathering → ↓ CO₂ → system re-stabilizes.​

○​ Weathering is temp-dependent, but slow (~200,000 yrs).​

○​ CO₂ (pre-1700s): ~280 ppm | CO₂ (Jan 2025): ~426 ppm.​

●​ Thermostat Failure:​

○​ Needs liquid water to operate (carbonate-silicate cycle).​

○​ Venus: no water → CO₂ builds up → 470°C.​

○​ Mars: small, cold, lost atmosphere.​

○​ Earth: stable climate due to active thermostat & water.​

☀️ Solar Influence & Runaway Greenhouse


●​ Sun’s luminosity increases over time (due to core H/He fusion).​

●​ Long-term → ↑ solar input → ↑ temps → water loss → runaway greenhouse.​

●​ Without water: weathering halts → volcanic CO₂ accumulates → Earth may resemble Venus.

🌎 Earth’s Climate System


1.​ Energy Distribution & Transport​

○​ Planetary energy balance:​


Sr(1−A)=4σT4S_r(1-A) = 4σT^4Sr​(1−A)=4σT4
○​ Earth’s shape → equator receives more energy than poles.​

○​ Heat Redistribution:​

■​ Atmosphere: Hadley/Ferrel/Polar cells; warm air rises, cool air sinks.​

■​ Oceans: surface currents (e.g. Gulf Stream), deep-water circulation ("ocean conveyor").​

■​ Controls local climates, carbon storage in deep ocean.


2.​ Forcings & Feedbacks​

○​ Forcing = external change (e.g., solar radiation, orbit)​

○​ Feedback = internal response amplifying or reducing effect (e.g., ice-albedo feedback)​

3.​ Milankovitch Cycles:​

○​ Obliquity (tilt, ~41 kyr): affects seasonal contrast​

○​ Eccentricity (orbit shape, ~100 kyr): affects distance from Sun​

○​ Precession (axis wobble, ~23 kyr): affects timing of seasons​

○​ Drive glacial-interglacial cycles, esp. at high latitudes​

3.​ Past & Future Climate from Ice Cores​

●​ Ice cores show temp & greenhouse gas fluctuations over 100 kyr cycles.​

●​ CO₂ & temp tightly linked; past CO₂ never >270 ppm.​

●​ Current levels (426 ppm) far exceed natural variations.​

●​ Ice-albedo feedback amplifies changes (melting reduces reflectivity → more warming).​

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