Carbon dioxide : current views and developments in energy/climate research : 2nd course of the International School of Climatology, Ettore Majorana Centre for Scientific Culture, Erice, Italy, July 16-26, 1982

The International School of Climatology of the "Ettore Majo­ rana Centre for Scientific Culture" at Erice was founded in 1979, with the aim of organising advanced courses and highly specialized seminars on current problems in the field of climatology. The first course, in March 1980, was devoted to climatic varia­ tions and variability, the understanding of which lies at the roots of modern climatological research. The publicity given to recent extremes of climate, which have had serious consequences for local populations, has led to an increased awareness of the practical importance of researching the causes and nature of climatic changes on all temporal and spatial scales. In recent decades it has become apparent that man himself is capable, mostly through industrial and agricultural activities, of causing climatic perturbations on both the local and global scales. Although these influences are as yet difficult to detect, it is clear that increasing release of C02 through the expanding use of fossil fuels for energy production is one activity that could lead to significant climatic change. Indeed, by this means, energy use has the potential of being the major influence on climate over the next century, so the choice of this aspect of climate-ener­ gy interactions as the topic of the Second Course of the Interna­ tional School of Climatology was an obvious one. It took place from 16 - 26 July, 1982. The International School of Climatology of the "Ettore MajoƯ rana Centre for Scientific Culture" at Erice was founded in 1979, with the aim of organising advanced courses and highly specialized seminars on current problems in the field of climatology. The first course, in March 1980, was devoted to climatic variaƯ tions and variability, the understanding of which lies at the roots of modern climatological research. The publicity given to recent extremes of climate, which have had serious consequences for local populations, has led to an increased awareness of the practical importance of researching the causes and nature of climatic changes on all temporal and spatial scales. In recent decades it has become apparent that man himself is capable, mostly through industrial and agricultural activities, of causing climatic perturbations on both the local and global scales. Although these influences are as yet difficult to detect, it is clear that increasing release of C02 through the expanding use of fossil fuels for energy production is one activity that could lead to significant climatic change. Indeed, by this means, energy use has the potential of being the major influence on climate over the next century, so the choice of this aspect of climate-enerƯ gy interactions as the topic of the Second Course of the InternaƯ tional School of Climatology was an obvious one. It took place from 16 - 26 July, 1982 Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Monitoring the Atmospheric CO 2 Concentration....Pages 3-29 The Role of the Oceans in the Carbon Cycle....Pages 31-56 Modelling the Oceanic CO 2 Uptake and Future CO 2 Levels....Pages 57-92 The Role of the Biosphere in the Carbon Cycle and Biota Models....Pages 93-144 Record of Past Atmospheric CO 2 from Tree-Ring and Ice Core Studies....Pages 145-176 Front Matter....Pages 177-177 Simple Climate Models and the Greenhouse Effect....Pages 179-218 Increased Carbon Dioxide Concentrations and Climate: The Equilibrium Response....Pages 219-258 Increasing Carbon Dioxide Concentrations and Climate: The Transient Response....Pages 259-279 Modelling the Cryospheric Response....Pages 281-297 Major Climatic Events Expected during a CO 2 -Induced Warming....Pages 299-314 Climatic Variability within the Modern Instrumentally-Based Period....Pages 315-336 On the Detection of CO 2 -Induced Climatic Change....Pages 337-352 Climatic Impact of Trace Gases, Aerosols, Land-Use Changes, and Waste-Heat Release....Pages 353-376 Front Matter....Pages 377-377 Impacts of a CO 2 -Induced Climate Change....Pages 379-413 Strategic Issues and the CO 2 Environmental Problem....Pages 415-460 Carbon Dioxide/Climate Threat: Fate or Forebearance?....Pages 461-509 Back Matter....Pages 511-525