Understanding the earth system
Subtitle: global change science for application
By: [edited by] Sarah Cornell and I. Colin Prentice ; with Joanna House and Catherine Downy
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Cambridge
Language: eng
Number of pages: 267
ISBN-13: 9781107009363
Subjects: Dynamic meteorology; Dynamic climatology; SCIENCE / Earth Sciences / Meteorology & Climatology
Description: "Explaining the what, the how and the why of climate science, this multidisciplinary new book provides a review of research from the last decade, illustrated with cutting-edge data and observations. A key focus is the development of analysis tools that can be used to demonstrate options for mitigating and adapting to increasing climate risks. Emphasis is given to the importance of Earth system feedback mechanisms and the role of the biosphere. The book explains advances in modelling, process understanding and observations, and the development of consistent and coherent studies of past, present and 'possible' climates. This highly-illustrated, data-rich book is written by leading scientists involved in QUEST, a major UK-led research programme. It forms a concise and up-to-date reference for academic researchers or students in the fields of climatology, Earth system science and ecology, and also a vital resource for professionals and policymakers working on any aspect of global change"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: List of editors, scientific editorial team and contributing authors; Foreword / Sir John Lawton; Preface; Acknowledgements; List of notation; 1. Earth system science and society: a focus on the Anthroposphere / Sarah Cornell, Cat Downy, Evan Fraser and Emily Boyd; 2. Fundamentals of climate change science / I. Colin Prentice, Peter G. Baines, Marko Scholze and Martin J. Wooster; 3. How has climate responded to natural perturbations? / Eric W. Wolff, Sandy P. Harrison, Reto Knutti, Maria Fernanda Sanchez-Goñi, Oliver Wild, Anne-Laure Daniau, Valérie Masson-Delmotte, I. Colin Prentice and Renato Spahni; 4. The Earth system feedbacks that matter for contemporary climate / Pierre Friedlingstein, Angela V. Gallego-Sala, Eleanor M. Blyth, Fiona E. Hewer, Sonia Seneviratne, Allan Spessa, Parvadha Suntharalingam and Marko Scholze; 5. Earth system models: a tool to understand changes in the Earth system / Marko Scholze, Icarus Allen, Bill Collins, Sarah Cornell, Chris Huntingford, Manoj Joshi, Jason Lowe, Robin Smith and Oliver Wild; 6. Climate change impacts and adaptation: an Earth system view / Richard A. Betts, Nigel W. Arnell, Penelope Boorman, Sarah Cornell, Joanna House, Neil Kaye, Doug McNeall, Michael Sanderson and Andrew Wiltshire; 7. Mitigating climate risks by managing the biosphere / Joanna House, Jessica Bellarby, Hannes Böttcher, Matthew Brander, Nicole Kalas, Peter Smith, Richard Tipper and Jeremy Woods; 8. How our Earth system science understanding shapes society's options : key findings, implications and a forward look / Sarah Cornell and I. Colin Prentice; List of acronyms; Glossary; Index.