Types of Climate Variation

Climate, although very slowly, keeps evolving. There are many causes behind variation in climate.

Climate variations can be categorized into two broad contexts.

Natural Climate Variation: There are several natural causes that force climate to change across time and scale. It can be further drilled down into the following categories.
- Natural Forcings of the Climate System
  - The Sun and the Global Energy Balance
  - Radiative Forcing
  - Greenhouse Effect
- Natural Variability of the Climate
  - Externally and Internally Induced Climate Variability
  - Feedback
  - Global and Hemispherical Variability
  - Regional Variability

Human-induced Climate Variation: Human activities also influence the climate. The major human-induced causes include changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations, changes in aerosol levels, and changes in land use and land cover.
- Enhanced Greenhouse Effect