Climate Change: A Multidisciplinary Approach, 2nd edition

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Preface to the second edition......Page 11
1 Introduction......Page 15
1.2 What do we mean by climate variability and climate change?......Page 16
1.3 Connections, timescales and uncertainties......Page 20
1.4 The big picture......Page 22
Further reading......Page 24
2.1 Solar and terrestrial radiation......Page 25
2.1.1 Radiation laws......Page 26
2.1.3 Terrestrial radiation......Page 30
2.1.4 The energy balance of the Earth......Page 37
2.2 Solar variability......Page 45
Further reading......Page 48
3.1 The atmosphere and oceans in motion......Page 50
3.2 Atmospheric circulation patterns......Page 53
3.3 Radiation balance......Page 63
3.4 The hydrological cycle......Page 68
3.5 The biosphere......Page 69
3.6 Sustained abnormal weather patterns......Page 70
3.7 Atmosphere–ocean interactions......Page 75
3.8 The Great Ocean Conveyor......Page 87
3.9 Summary......Page 92
Further reading......Page 94
4.1 In situ instrumental observations......Page 95
4.2 Satellite measurements......Page 101
4.3 Re-analysis work......Page 106
4.4 Historical records......Page 107
4.5 Proxy measurements......Page 109
4.5.1 Tree rings......Page 110
4.5.2 Ice cores......Page 112
4.5.3 Ocean sediments......Page 117
4.5.4 Pollen records......Page 121
4.5.5 Boreholes......Page 123
4.5.6 Speleothems......Page 124
4.6 Dating......Page 125
4.7 Isotope age dating......Page 129
4.8 Summary......Page 132
Further reading......Page 133
5 Statistics, significance and cycles......Page 135
5.1 Time series, sampling and harmonic analysis......Page 136
5.2 Noise......Page 141
5.3 Measures of variability and significance......Page 142
5.4 Smoothing......Page 153
5.5 Wavelet analysis......Page 157
5.6 Multidimensional analysis......Page 160
5.7 Summary......Page 162
Further reading......Page 163
6.1 Autovariance and non-linearity......Page 165
6.2 Atmosphere–ocean interactions......Page 168
6.3 Ocean currents......Page 171
6.4 Volcanoes......Page 173
6.5 Sunspots and solar activity......Page 177
6.6 Tidal forces......Page 189
6.7 Orbital variations......Page 194
6.8 Continental drift......Page 199
6.9 Changes in atmospheric composition......Page 200
6.10 A belch from the deep......Page 204
6.11 Catastrophes and the 'nuclear winter’......Page 205
6.12 Summary......Page 211
Further reading......Page 212
7.1 Greenhouse gas emissions......Page 214
7.2 Dust and aerosols......Page 217
7.3 Desertification and deforestation......Page 220
7.4 The ozone hole......Page 222
7.5 Summary......Page 224
Further reading......Page 225
8 Evidence of climate change......Page 226
8.1 Peering into the abyss of time......Page 227
8.2 From greenhouse to icehouse......Page 238
8.3 Sea-level fluctuations......Page 241
8.4 The ice ages......Page 245
8.5 The end of the last ice age......Page 253
8.6 The Holocene climatic optimum......Page 259
8.7 Changes during times of recorded history......Page 261
8.8 The medieval climatic optimum......Page 266
8.9 The Little Ice Age......Page 270
8.10 The twentieth-century warming......Page 275
Questions......Page 282
Further reading......Page 283
9.1 Geological consequences......Page 284
9.2 Flora and fauna......Page 286
9.3 Mass extinctions......Page 290
9.4 Sea levels, ice sheets and glaciers......Page 293
9.5 Agriculture......Page 296
9.6 The historical implications of climatic variability......Page 302
9.7 Spread of diseases......Page 305
9.8 The economic impact of extreme weather events......Page 308
Questions......Page 315
Further reading......Page 316
10 Modelling the climate......Page 317
10.1 Global circulation models......Page 318
10.2 Simulation of climatic variability......Page 322
10.3.1 Clouds......Page 326
10.3.2 Tropical storms......Page 328
10.3.3 Land-surface processes......Page 329
10.3.4 Winds, waves and currents......Page 330
10.3.5 Other greenhouse gases......Page 331
10.4 Summary......Page 332
Further reading......Page 333
11 Predicting climate change......Page 335
11.1 Natural variability......Page 336
11.2 Predicting global warming......Page 338
11.3 The predicted consequences of global warming......Page 341
11.4 Doubts about the scale of global warming......Page 347
11.5 What can we do about global warming?......Page 350
11.6 The Gaia hypothesis......Page 355
Questions......Page 357
Further reading......Page 358
Glossary......Page 359
Bibliography......Page 373
Index......Page 381