Global Climate: Current Research and Uncertainties in the Climate System - Hardcover

Rodo, Xavier; Comin, Francisco

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 3540438203 ISBN 13: 9783540438205

Publisher: Springer, 2002

Synopsis

Uncertainty for Everyone The one thing that is certain about the world is that the world is uncertain. I have here, the question that apart of the matter, living matter, has to resolve in each and every one of its moments of existance. The environment of a living being is apart of the living being where it turns out, the rest of the living beings live. This is the drama of life on earth. Every living individual debates with his environment, exchanging matter, energy and information in the hope of staying alive, the same as all living beings who share that same environment. The adven­ ture of a living being (of all living beings ) is to maintain reasonable independ­ ence in face ofthe fluctuations ofuncertainty within the environment. The range of restrictions and mutual relationships is colossal. How is the tran­ seendental pretension of staying alive regulated? There is an equation imposed by the laws ofthermodynamics and the mathematical theory ofinformation about the interaction ofa living being with his environment which we could state like this: The complexity 01 a living individual plus his capacity for anticipation in re­ spect to his environment is identical to the uncertainty of the environmentplus the capacity of that living being to change the environment.

About this title

Review

From the reviews:

"The book comprises 11 essays in 2 parts written by a total of 13 authors. The rational for editing another collection on the basic problems of our climate system is the dramatic change that climate research has undergone in the last decade. ... The book reaches its goal in that a couple of hot spots are identified and professionally discussed ... . it is a valuable voice in the growing global choir of climate researchers who seek for a consensus ... ." (M. Hantel, Meteorologische Zeitschrift, Vol. 14 (1), 2005)

"This book provides detailed views of ‘hot spots’ in the dynamics of our climate system. The eleven chapters are well written by international experts in different areas. The aim of the book is to give a brief overview of recent advances in climate research ... . The book is very readable and provides information overviews and glimpses that serve as appetizers to a wide range of environmental-science topics with great relevance to understanding past, present, and future climates." (Derek Winstanley, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, January, 2004)

Synopsis

Throughout the Earth's history, the climate and biosphere have evolved together through a complex chain of interactions, making possible the extraordinary variety of ecosystems and life. These interactions also largely determine the response of the atmosphere to increasing quantities of greenhouse gases caused by human activity. Since the climate system has great inertia, this means that we will have to long bear the consequences of our past and present actions, perhaps in the form of unprecedented climate change. In this book, opinions from experts in different areas provide a detailed snapshot of the current "hotspots" in the mechanisms affecting climate system on our planet. By addressing and clarifying key topics of current climate research, it contributes to a clearer understanding of the factors underlying the debate over global warming

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3540438203
• ISBN 13: 9783540438205
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 306