Climate and Global Environmental Change

Climatic change, now more than ever in this age of global warming, is seen as fundamental to the study of the environment. This text examines the importance of climate as one of the major forcing functions in the global environmental change process. It emphasizes both human-induced climatic change and natural climatic change, providing a comprehensive historical context and important projections for the future. It offers a thorough, up-to-date, critical overview of the physical science behind global warming concerns.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [215]-234) and index.

PART I INTRODUCTION

1. Climate Change and Variability - Past, Present, and Future

2. The Climate System and Climatic Change

3. Factors Driving Anthropogenic Emissions to the Atmosphere

4. Observed Changes in the Climatic System and Sea Level During the Recent Past

PART II CLIMATIC CHANGE: FROM EMISSIONS TO CLIMATE SYSTEM RESPONSE

5. Models Used in Projecting Future Climatic Changes and Sea Level Rise

6. The Physics of the Greenhouse Effect Radiative Forcing, and Climate Sensitivity

7. Response of the Carbon Cycle and other Biogeochemical Cycles: Translating Emissions of GHGs and Aerosols into Concentrations and Radiative Forcing

8. The Regional Equilibrium Response to a Doubling of the Atmospheric Concentration of Carbon Dioxide

9. The Transient Climatic Response and the Detection of Anthropogenic Effects and Climate

10. Sea Level Rise

PART III THE SCIENCE-POLICY INTERFACE

11. Scenarios of Future Climatic Change.

Glossary.

References.

Web Sites Used.

Index