Composed of two extensive sections, this book surveys important work in
climate change science, mainly in the United States, and introduces
contributions to the body of science that have arrived on the scene
between January 2013 and February 2014.
The opening section offers a broad examination of contemporary climate
change science, with subsections on the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC); Earth's energy imbalance and energy flow; carbon
dioxide's role in the greenhouse effect; climate forcing, and climate
feedbacks; Charles David Keeling and the Keeling Curve; the interfaces
of atmosphere with oceans and land; paleoclimates and paleoclimatology;
rising sea level; melting glaciers; deforestation; desertification; more
violent storms, animal and human migration, extinction of species and
more.
The second section reviews and assesses the newest contributions to the
body of research. Among the topics discussed are current and recent
research on rising temperatures; the BEST study; the Global Historical
Climatology Network (GHCN) and the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC);
current and recent research on climate models, new research on global
warming 56 million years ago; ecosystem impacts, projections of future
climate and more.
This book can be considered a bridge between the volumes of Farmer and
Cook's Climate Change Science: A Modern Synthesis, as it arrives between
the release of the first volume on the Physical Climate (2013) the
second, on Earth's climate history, which is now in preparation.
The book benefits a wide audience as its survey of the science of
climate change provides an introduction to the subject and a discussion
of current research in the field. The book may be used as a refresher
for those who have had prior courses in climate science and related
fields. Each chapter includes a comprehensive list of references for
subjects discussed in the text.
