Abstract: Global warming since the industrial revolution on Earth is almost certainly due to anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases − the underlying climate science is well- founded in the physics of the 19th and early 20th centuries. However, there are still significant uncertainties in projections of how the Earth's climate will evolve under feasible socioeconomic scenarios, and these uncertainties become very pronounced as the climate is pushed beyond its current regime of operation. Is it possible that the Earth's climate could "runaway" or flip to a new "hothouse" stable state under scenarios of increased greenhouse gas emissions? The rapidly emerging science of Exoplanets has the potential to help by providing information on a spectrum of planetary climates spanning a wide range in atmospheric composition and orbital parameters. Equally, the science of climate change may cast light on important processes on Exoplanets, such as the processes controlling planetary energy balances (including greenhouse gases and atmospheric aerosols), and pole-to-equator transfer of heat. This talk will attempt to highlight important potential synergies between the sciences of climate change and Exoplanets, drawing on the results presented at this conference.

Additional materials: PDF of slides | Earth monitoring from space | Earth future temperature variations

ExoClimes 2010, Exeter, Friday 10^th September 2010