Radiative Forcing of Climate Change

Radiative Forcing of Climate Change PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309133505
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
Changes in climate are driven by natural and human-induced perturbations of the Earth's energy balance. These climate drivers or "forcings" include variations in greenhouse gases, aerosols, land use, and the amount of energy Earth receives from the Sun. Although climate throughout Earth's history has varied from "snowball" conditions with global ice cover to "hothouse" conditions when glaciers all but disappeared, the climate over the past 10,000 years has been remarkably stable and favorable to human civilization. Increasing evidence points to a large human impact on global climate over the past century. The report reviews current knowledge of climate forcings and recommends critical research needed to improve understanding. Whereas emphasis to date has been on how these climate forcings affect global mean temperature, the report finds that regional variation and climate impacts other than temperature deserve increased attention.

A Plan for a Research Program on Aerosol Radiative Forcing and Climate Change

A Plan for a Research Program on Aerosol Radiative Forcing and Climate Change PDF Author: Panel on Aerosol Radiative Forcing and Climate Change
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309588871
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
This book recommends the initiation of an "integrated" research program to study the role of aerosols in the predicted global climate change. Current understanding suggest that, even now, aerosols, primarily from anthropogenic sources, may be reducing the rate of warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to specific research recommendations, this book forcefully argues for two kinds of research program integration: integration of the individual laboratory, field, and theoretical research activities and an integrated management structure that involves all of the concerned federal agencies.

Radiative Forcing of Climate Change

Radiative Forcing of Climate Change PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309133505
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 222

Get Book Here

Book Description
Changes in climate are driven by natural and human-induced perturbations of the Earth's energy balance. These climate drivers or "forcings" include variations in greenhouse gases, aerosols, land use, and the amount of energy Earth receives from the Sun. Although climate throughout Earth's history has varied from "snowball" conditions with global ice cover to "hothouse" conditions when glaciers all but disappeared, the climate over the past 10,000 years has been remarkably stable and favorable to human civilization. Increasing evidence points to a large human impact on global climate over the past century. The report reviews current knowledge of climate forcings and recommends critical research needed to improve understanding. Whereas emphasis to date has been on how these climate forcings affect global mean temperature, the report finds that regional variation and climate impacts other than temperature deserve increased attention.

Aerosol Forcing of Climate

Aerosol Forcing of Climate PDF Author: R. J. Charlson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 460

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Book Description
Global climate change as a consequence of anthropogenic changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere poses scientific questions of a nature and interdisciplinary scope that are unprecedented. Uncertainties in the climate forecast are large and thus far have hampered the establishment of a clear world plan for preventing or mitigating against unacceptable effects. The forecast of global and regional climate changes depends upon the development of a sound understanding of the factors that change the global heat balance and thus influence the climate. Changes in heat balance due to anthropogenic or externally imposed changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere are referred to as forcings. While the uncertainties in the global mean greenhouse-gas forcing are not negligible (??? 15%), uncertainties in forcings by changes in the atmospheric aerosol and in clouds are much larger, and in some cases even include uncertainty in the sign of the forcing. Reductionist science, with its compartmentalized disciplines, has not coped effectively with the scientific problems of aerosols and their effects, largely because of a need for simultaneous consideration of chemical processes, chemical properties, physical properties, and a wide variety of physical processes and consequences. In the case of natural aerosols and their effects on clouds, it is even necessary to include studies of microbiology and of biochemistry. This volume ? the record of intense, interdisciplinary debate between atmospheric chemists, meteorologists, physicists, and biogeochemists - considers the subset of climate forcings due to atmospheric aerosols, with particular emphasis on integrating the necessary disciplinary components. It is truly unique in its interdisciplinary approach. The information contained in the overview papers and summary reports will be of interest to policymakers and scientists alike. Goal of this Dahlem Workshop to assess the controlling factors, geographic and temporal variations of the radiative properties of atmospheric aerosols, and to examine the extent to which their forcing through direct and indirect effects counteracts greenhouse-gas forcing on regional and global climate.

Aerosols and Climate

Aerosols and Climate PDF Author: Ken S. Carslaw
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0128231726
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 856

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Book Description
The ever-diversifying field of aerosol effects on climate is comprehensively presented here, describing the strong connection between fundamental research and model applications in a way that will allow both experienced researchers and those new to the field to gain an understanding of a wide range of topics. The material is consistently presented at three levels for each topic: (i) an accessible "quick read" of the essentials, (ii) a more detailed description, and (iii) a section dedicated to how the processes are handled in models. The modelling section in each chapter summarizes the current level of knowledge and what the gaps in this understanding mean for the effects of aerosols on climate, enabling readers to quickly understand how new research fits into established knowledge. Definitions, case studies, reference data, and examples are included throughout. Aerosols and Climate is a vital resource for graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, senior researchers, and lecturers in departments of atmospheric science, meteorology, engineering, and environment. It will also be of interest to those working in operational centers and policy-facing organizations, providing strong reference material on the current state of knowledge. - Includes a section in each chapter that focuses on the treatment of relevant aerosol processes in climate models - Provides clear exposition of the challenges in understanding and reducing persistent gaps in knowledge and uncertainties in the field of aerosol-climate interaction, going beyond the fundamentals and existing knowledge - Authored by experts in modeling and aerosol processes, analysis or observations to ensure accessibility and balance

Surface Temperature Reconstructions for the Last 2,000 Years

Surface Temperature Reconstructions for the Last 2,000 Years PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309102251
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
In response to a request from Congress, Surface Temperature Reconstructions for the Last 2,000 Years assesses the state of scientific efforts to reconstruct surface temperature records for Earth during approximately the last 2,000 years and the implications of these efforts for our understanding of global climate change. Because widespread, reliable temperature records are available only for the last 150 years, scientists estimate temperatures in the more distant past by analyzing "proxy evidence," which includes tree rings, corals, ocean and lake sediments, cave deposits, ice cores, boreholes, and glaciers. Starting in the late 1990s, scientists began using sophisticated methods to combine proxy evidence from many different locations in an effort to estimate surface temperature changes during the last few hundred to few thousand years. This book is an important resource in helping to understand the intricacies of global climate change.

Mixed-Phase Clouds

Mixed-Phase Clouds PDF Author: Constantin Andronache
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 012810550X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 302

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Book Description
Mixed-Phase Clouds: Observations and Modeling presents advanced research topics on mixed-phase clouds. As the societal impacts of extreme weather and its forecasting grow, there is a continuous need to refine atmospheric observations, techniques and numerical models. Understanding the role of clouds in the atmosphere is increasingly vital for current applications, such as prediction and prevention of aircraft icing, weather modification, and the assessment of the effects of cloud phase partition in climate models. This book provides the essential information needed to address these problems with a focus on current observations, simulations and applications. - Provides in-depth knowledge and simulation of mixed-phase clouds over many regions of Earth, explaining their role in weather and climate - Features current research examples and case studies, including those on advanced research methods from authors with experience in both academia and the industry - Discusses the latest advances in this subject area, providing the reader with access to best practices for remote sensing and numerical modeling

Climate Change Science

Climate Change Science PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309075742
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 41

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Book Description
The warming of the Earth has been the subject of intense debate and concern for many scientists, policy-makers, and citizens for at least the past decade. Climate Change Science: An Analysis of Some Key Questions, a new report by a committee of the National Research Council, characterizes the global warming trend over the last 100 years, and examines what may be in store for the 21st century and the extent to which warming may be attributable to human activity.

Atmospheric Aerosol Properties

Atmospheric Aerosol Properties PDF Author: Kirill Ya. Kondratyev
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540376984
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 595

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Book Description
This book provides the first comprehensive analysis of how aerosols form in the atmosphere through in situ processes as well as via transport from the surface (dust storms, seas spray, biogenic emissions, forest fires etc.). Such an analysis has been followed by the consideration of both observation data (various field observational experiments) and numerical modeling results to assess climate impacts of aerosols bearing in mind that these impacts are the most significant uncertainty in studying natural and anthropogenic causes of climate change.

Climate Intervention

Climate Intervention PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309314852
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 270

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Book Description
The growing problem of changing environmental conditions caused by climate destabilization is well recognized as one of the defining issues of our time. The root problem is greenhouse gas emissions, and the fundamental solution is curbing those emissions. Climate geoengineering has often been considered to be a "last-ditch" response to climate change, to be used only if climate change damage should produce extreme hardship. Although the likelihood of eventually needing to resort to these efforts grows with every year of inaction on emissions control, there is a lack of information on these ways of potentially intervening in the climate system. As one of a two-book report, this volume of Climate Intervention discusses albedo modification - changing the fraction of incoming solar radiation that reaches the surface. This approach would deliberately modify the energy budget of Earth to produce a cooling designed to compensate for some of the effects of warming associated with greenhouse gas increases. The prospect of large-scale albedo modification raises political and governance issues at national and global levels, as well as ethical concerns. Climate Intervention: Reflecting Sunlight to Cool Earth discusses some of the social, political, and legal issues surrounding these proposed techniques. It is far easier to modify Earth's albedo than to determine whether it should be done or what the consequences might be of such an action. One serious concern is that such an action could be unilaterally undertaken by a small nation or smaller entity for its own benefit without international sanction and regardless of international consequences. Transparency in discussing this subject is critical. In the spirit of that transparency, Climate Intervention: Reflecting Sunlight to Cool Earth was based on peer-reviewed literature and the judgments of the authoring committee; no new research was done as part of this study and all data and information used are from entirely open sources. By helping to bring light to this topic area, this book will help leaders to be far more knowledgeable about the consequences of albedo modification approaches before they face a decision whether or not to use them.

Atmospheric Aerosols

Atmospheric Aerosols PDF Author: Claudio Tomasi
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 3527336451
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 706

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Book Description
Ein Blick auf die morphologischen, physikalischen und chemischen Eigenschaften von Aerosolen aus den unterschiedlichsten natürlichen und anthropogenen Quellen trägt zum besseren Verständnis der Rolle bei, die Aerosolpartikel bei der Streuung und Absorption kurz- und langwelliger Strahlung spielen. Dieses Fachbuch bietet Informationen, die sonst schwer zu finden sind, und vermittelt ausführlich die Kenntnisse, die erforderlich sind, um die mikrophysikalischen, chemischen und Strahlungsparameter zu charakterisieren, die bei der Wechselwirkung von Sonnen- und Erdstrahlen so überaus wichtig sind. Besonderes Augenmerk liegt auf den indirekten Auswirkungen von Aerosolen auf das Klima im Rahmen des komplexen Systems aus Aerosolen, Wolken und der Atmosphäre. Auch geht es vorrangig um die Wirkungen natürlicher und anthropogener Aerosole auf die Luftqualität und die Umwelt, auf die menschliche Gesundheit und unser kulturelles Erbe. Mit einem durchgängig lösungsorientierten Ansatz werden nicht nur die Probleme und Gefahren dieser Aerosole behandelt, sondern auch praktikable Lösungswege aufgezeigt.