Modern Climate Change Science: An Overview of Today’s Climate Change Science (SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science)

"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." Preface 7 Contents 9 Figures 12 Tables 18 Acronyms and Abbreviations 19 1 Overview of Climate Change Science 24 Abstract 24 1.1 Introduction 25 1.2 Weather and Climate 28 1.3 The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 28 1.4 Representative Concentration Pathways 31 1.5 Radiative Forcing 32 1.6 Earth’s Energy Imbalance and Energy Flow 33 1.7 Rising Temperature 35 1.8 Solar Irradiance 37 1.9 Carbon Dioxide’s Role in the Greenhouse Effect 38 1.10 Carbon Dioxide and Carbon 39 1.10.1 The Enhanced Greenhouse Effect 41 1.10.2 Climate Sensitivity 41 1.10.3 Carbon Capture and Sequestration 42 1.10.4 Tipping Points 43 1.11 Climate Forcing, and Climate Feedbacks 45 1.11.1 Climate Forcing 46 1.11.2 Climate Feedbacks 46 1.11.3 Charles David Keeling and the Keeling Curve 47 1.12 Climate Models 47 1.13 Earth’s Atmosphere 49 1.14 Land Surface 50 1.15 The World Ocean 51 1.16 Ocean-Atmosphere Interface 51 1.17 Ocean Acidification 53 1.18 Land-Atmosphere Interface 55 1.19 Paleoclimates and Paleoclimatology 56 1.20 Rising Sea-Level 56 1.21 The Cryosphere and Melting Glaciers 58 1.21.1 Glaciers 59 1.21.2 Greenland Ice Sheet 59 1.22 More Violent Storms 60 1.23 Deforestation 61 1.24 Desertification 61 1.25 Species Migration 62 1.26 Species Extinctions 62 1.27 Changing Seasons and Disruption of Life Cycles 63 References and Additional Reading 63 2 Status of Climate Change Research 66 Abstract 66 2.1 Introduction 66 2.2 Research in Weather and Climate 67 2.3 The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 68 2.4 Representative Concentration Pathways 68 2.5 Radiative Forcing 69 2.5.1 Research in Radiative Forcing 69 2.6 Earth’s Energy Imbalance and Energy Flow 70 2.6.1 Research into Earth’s Energy Imbalance and Energy Flow 70 2.7 Earth’s Rising Temperatures 71 2.7.1 Current and Recent Research 72 2.7.2 The BEST Study 73 2.7.3 The Global Historical Climatology Network 74 2.7.4 National Climatic Data Center 74 2.7.5 The Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, U.K. 75 2.7.6 The “Hockey Stick” 75 2.8 Solar Irradiance 76 2.8.1 Research in Solar Irradiance 76 2.9 Carbon Dioxide’s Role in the Greenhouse Effect 77 2.9.1 Research in Carbon Dioxide and Other Greenhouse Gases 77 2.10 Carbon Dioxide and Carbon 80 2.10.1 The Carbon Cycle 80 2.10.2 Current and Recent Research on Carbon 80 2.10.3 The Enhanced Greenhouse Effect 82 2.10.4 Climate Sensitivity Research 82 2.10.5 Carbon Capture and Sequestration or Carbon Capture and Storage 84 2.10.6 Tipping Points 85 2.11 Climate Forcing and Climate Feedbacks 85 2.11.1 Research into Climate Forcing and Climate Feedbacks 86 2.12 Climate Models 86 2.12.1 Current and Recent Research 87 2.13 Earth’s Atmosphere 89 2.14 Earth’s Land Surface 90 2.15 The World Ocean 91 2.16 Atmosphere-Land Surface-Ocean Interfaces 91 2.16.1 Current and Recent Research 91 2.16.2 Ocean Acidification 93 2.16.3 Ocean Acidification Research 93 2.16.4 The “Pause” in Surface Temperature 94 2.17 The Cryosphere—Current and Recent Research 95 2.17.1 Sea Ice 96 2.17.2 Current and Recent Research 97 2.17.3 Ice Shelves 98 2.17.4 Icebergs 99 2.17.5 Current and Recent Research 99 2.17.6 Permafrost 100 2.17.7 Current and Recent Research 101 2.18 Rising Sea Level 101 2.19 The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum 103 2.19.1 Global Warming 56 Million Years Ago 105 2.19.2 PETM Versus Modern Greenhouse Gas Emissions 106 2.19.3 PETM Warming Versus Current Warming 106 2.19.4 PETM Ocean Circulation 106 2.19.5 PETM Sea Level Rise 107 2.19.6 PETM Permafrost and Methane Hydrates 107 2.19.7 PETM Ocean Acidification 107 2.20 Species Extinction 107 2.21 Deforestation 108 2.22 Ecosystem Impacts 109 2.23 Research Programs 110 2.24 Status of Climate Change Science—End of February 2014 110 2.25 Projections of Future Climate 119 References and Additional Reading 120 Appendix A Geologic Time 123 Appendix B The Metric System 127 Front Matter....Pages i-xxv Overview of Climate Change Science....Pages 1-42 Status of Climate Change Research....Pages 43-99 Back Matter....Pages 101-106