Tropical forests affect climate, and the removal of the forests will change climate. Or not? This book discusses basic questions on how far, if at all, tropical deforestation leads to climatic change. The question of this uncertainty is particularly addressed. One important consequence of the uncertainties of whether deforestation affects climate is how scientific findings best illuminate the policy-making process.

This book presents the application of a comparatively simple nonparametric regression algorithm, known as the multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) surrogate model, which can be used to approximate the relationship between the inputs and outputs, and express that relationship mathematically. The book first describes the MARS algorithm, then highlights a number of geotechnical applications with multivariate big data sets to explore the approach's generalization capabilities and accuracy. As such, it offers a valuable resource for all geotechnical researchers, engineers, and general readers interested in big data analysis.

The objective of the book is to make a comprehensive documentation of the observed variability and change of the regional climate system over the Indian region using the past observed data. The book addresses all the important parameters of regional climate system so that a physically consistent view of the changes of the climate system is documented. The book contains 16 chapters written by the subject experts from different academic and research institutes in India. The book addresses all important components/parameters of the climate system, like rainfall, temperature, humidity, clouds, moisture, sea surface temperature and ocean heat content, sea level, glaciers and snow cover, tropical cyclones and monsoon depressions, extreme rainfall and rainstorms, heat waves and cold waves, meteorological droughts, aerosols, atmospheric aerosols, ozone and trace gases and atmospheric radiative fluxes. One chapter deals with the past monsoon using monsoon proxy data. The last chapter deals with the future climate change projections over the Indian region (rainfall and temperature) made using coupled climate models. Most of the analyses (especially on rainfall, temperature, extreme rainfall, sea surface temperature, meteorological droughts) are based on the data for a longer period of 110 years, 1901-2010. For some other parameters like moisture, clouds, heat waves and cold waves, atmospheric aerosols, ozone and trace gases and radiative fluxes, data of shorter period have been used. The articles documented inter-annual and decadal variability in addition to documenting long term trends of different parameters. The trends have been tested for statistical significance using standard techniques. It is expected that the present book will be an excellent reference material for researchers as well as for policy makers. These results will be useful in interpreting future climate change scenarios over the region being projected using coupled climate models. Further analysis of these results is required for attributing the observed variability and change to natural and anthropogenic activities.

Future Forests: Adaptation to Climate Change provides background on forests as natural and social systems, the current distribution and dynamics based on major biomes that set the stage for their role of forests in global systems, the nature of climate change organized by biomes, and detailed descriptions of mitigation and adaptation strategies. This book forms presents a foundational summary of the feedback between the effect of climate change on forests and the converse effects of forests on climate, leading to conclusions on how forest management needs to be dictated by climate change. The book will be ideal for readers in the fields of climate change science, forest science and conservation biology, helping them develop a thorough understanding on the broad perspective of climate change on forests, the response of forests to these changes, and other climate-forest interaction potentials.

The climate change problem can only be effectively dealt with if global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can be reduced substantially. Since the emission of such gases is closely related to the economic growth of countries, a critical problem to be addressed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) is: how will the permissible emission levels be shared between industrialised (ICs) and developing countries (DCs)? The thesis of this book is that the long-term effectiveness of the FCCC runs the risk of a horizontal negotiation deadlock between countries and the risk of vertical standstill within countries if there is little domestic support for the domestic implementation of measures being announced in international negotiations. The research question is: Can one observe trends towards horizontal deadlock and vertical standstill and if yes, how can the treaty design be improved so as to avoid such potential future bottlenecks? The research focuses on the perspectives of domestic actors on the climate convention and related issues in four developing countries: India, Indonesia, Kenya and Brazil. The following key findings emerge from the research: 1. Handicapped negotiating power: The common theme of the foreign policy of DCs is that ICs are responsible for the bulk of the GHG emissions and need to take appropriate domestic action.

Developments in three-dimensional cloud radiation over the past few decades are assessed and distilled into this contributed volume. Chapters are authored by subject-matter experts who address a broad audience of graduate students, researchers, and anyone interested in cloud-radiation processes in the solar and infrared spectral regions. After two introductory chapters and a section on the fundamental physics and computational techniques, the volume extensively treats two main application areas: the impact of clouds on the Earth's radiation budget, which is an essential aspect of climate modeling; and remote observation of clouds, especially with the advanced sensors on current and future satellite missions.

Proceedings of a Symposium Organized by the Commission of the European Communities, Directorate-General for Science, Research and Development, and held in Brussels from November 3--5, 1986

This book provides an updated discussion of snow and glacier hydrology, drawing on the results of recent investigations. It serves as a source of reference at the senior undergraduate or beginning graduate level and stimulates further interest in this important part of the hydrologic cycle.

Aristotle's "Meterology Book 4" provides an account of the formation of minerals, metals and other homogeneous stuffs. In doing so, this text argues, it offers us fresh and important insights into Aristotle's conception of matter. The 15,000 pages of the ancient Greek commentators on Aristotle, written mainly between 200 and 600 AD, constitute the largest corpus of extant Greek philosophical writing not translated into English or other European languages. This is a new series of translations, planned in 60 volumes which fills an important gap in the history of European thought.

This book presents a flavour of activities focussed on the need for sustainably produced biomass to support European strategic objectives for the developing bioeconomy. The chapters cover five broad topic areas relating to the use of perennial biomass crops in Europe. These are: 'Bioenergy Resources from Perennial Crops in Europe', 'European Regional Examples for the Use of Perennial Crops for Bioenergy', 'Genotypic Selection of Perennial Biomass Crops for Crop Improvement', 'Ecophysiology of Perennial Biomass Crops' and 'Examples of End-Use of Perennial Biomass Crops'. Two major issues relating to the future use of biomass energy are the identification of the most suitable second generation biomass crops and the need to utilise land not under intensive agricultural production, broadly referred to as 'marginal land'. The two main categories of plants that fit these needs are perennial rhizomatous grasses and trees that can be coppiced. The overarching questions that are addressed in the book relate to the suitability of perennial crops for providing feedstocks for a European bioeconomy and the need to exploit environments for biomass crops which do not compete with food crops. Bioenergy is the subject of a wide range of national and European policy measures. New developments covered are, for example, the use of perennial grasses to produce protein for animal feed and concepts to use perennial biomass crops to mitigate carbon emissions through soil carbon sequestration. Several chapters also show how prudent selection of suitable genotypes and breeding are essential to develop high yielding and sustainable second generation biomass crops which are adapted to a wide range of unfavourable conditions like chilling and freezing, drought, flooding and salinity. The final chapters also emphasise the need to be kept an eye out for potential new end-uses of perennial biomass crops that will contribute further to the developing bioeconomy.

This book presents a summary of the lectures given at the NATO Advanced Science Institute (ASI) which took place at Val Morin, Quebec, Canada, 4-15 September, 1995. This summer school offered an excellent opportunity to discuss key scientific questions related to the stratosphere and its importance for the climate system. Approximately 85 students and 15 lecturers from 19 nations attended the ASI which was sponsored by SPARC (Stratospheric Processes and Their Role in Climate), a project of the World Climate Research Programme. The purpose of the ASI was to present truly tutorial lectures rather than highly specialized or technical talks. At the conference, mornings were devoted to fundamental presentations while short illustrative talks were given in the afternoon. The book presents a summary of the two types of lectures. We were fortunate to enlist the participation of outstanding experts in the field of atmospheric science and excellent teachers. Students were strongly encouraged to actively participate in various activities during the summer school; for example, the students were asked to summarize the lectures given by the teachers, and in most cases, the chapters presented in this book were written by small groups of students and reviewed by the lecturers. During the school, students had also the opportunity to present posters that described their personal research. These lecture notes are divided into three major parts.

This handy reference manual puts a wealth of ready-to-use information, data, and practical procedures within immediate reach of geo-engineers and technicians, whether they be in the field or office. It assembles and organizes the most-needed set of equations, tables, graphs and check-lists on six major subfields of geo-engineering: investigations, testing, properties, hazards, structures and works. This practical reference for the professional and others interested in the subject of ground engineering skips lengthy definitions to highlight best practice and methods proven most effective. While reflecting codes and standards, it also fills the gaps with non-standard approaches when existing ones are skimpy on practical details or agreement. Enhanced by 146 illustrations and 83 tables, the Practical Guide to Geo-Engineering points users to supporting information and data through its extensive reference list. Audience: This book is of interest to everyone involved in practical geo-engineering.

The book gives a first consistent overview of methods and applications of ocean forecasting around the world. This sector of marine science and technology is developing rapidly due to the increasing need for reliable, multidisciplinary information about the marine system, allowing the sustainable usage of coastal resources and the mitigation of global change effects. Several chapters are devoted to the conceptual and theoretical bases of ocean forecasting, ranging from the design of observational and modelling systems, data assimilation techniques and numerical ecosystem modelling. The book also includes examples of modelling/forecasting systems currently in use or being set-up in the ocean for different space and time scales. The book is useful for advanced graduate students as well as scientists in related disciplines, as it enables them to understand the present level of knowledge and performance of existing forecasting systems.

The Geo-Sciences Panel is a synonym for the Special Programme on Global Transport Mechanisms in the Geo-Sciences. This Programme is one of the special programs established by the NATO Science Committee to promote the study of a specific topic using the usual NATO structures, namely, Advanced Research Workshops, Advanced Study Institutes, Conferences, Collaborative Research Grants, Research-Studies and Lecture Visits. The aim of the Programme is to stimulate and facilitate international col laboration among scientists of the member countries in selected areas of global transport mechanisms in the Earth's atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and asthenosphere, and the interactions between these global transport processes. Created in 1982, the Geo-Sciences Panel followed the Air Sea Interactions Panel which was very successful in reviewing mechanisms at the air-sea-ice interface. Initially the Geo-Sciences Panel recognized the importance of magma chambers, ore deposits, geochemical cycles, seismic activity and hydrological studies. However, the Panel was rap idly convinced that the climate system is one of the most important sys tems in which to promote research on global transport mechanisms. Consequently, the Panel welcomed the organization of a course on Physically Based Modelling and Simulation of Climate and Climatic Change. This course was launched in Belgium in 1984 during both the Liege colloquium on Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere tlodels and the Louvain-Ia Neuve General Assembly of the European Geophysical Society. Rapidly scientists recognized that this course was timely and would be well received by the climate community, especially by junior researchers in this multi- and inter-disciplinary field."

Did you know that: * Deserts provide food for fish? * 70% of all birds on the planet are chickens? * Climate change was the reason why humans began to talk? * Cows emit harmful methane when they burp or fart? Filled to the brim with 123 astonishing facts about the environment and climate, this accessible book explores the history of climate change and offers suggestions on how we can keep our planet liveable.

Boundary layer meteorology is the study of the physical processes that take place in the layer of air that is most influenced by the earth's underlying surface. This text gives an uncomplicated view of the structure of the boundary layer, the instruments available for measuring its mean and turbulent properties, how best to make the measurements, and ways to process and analyse the data. The main applications of the book are in atmospheric modelling, wind engineering, air pollution, and agricultural meteorology. The authors have pioneered research on atmospheric turbulence and flow, and are noted for their contributions to the study of the boundary layer. This important work will interest atmospheric scientists, meteorologists, and students and faculty in these fields.

The issue of climate change is now widely recognised as one of the major challenges for mankind in the 21st century, not only because it may ultimately affect many areas of our environment, nature and human activity but also because its mitigation may have far reaching consequences for almost all sectors of the economy where energy conversion takes place. Although climate change is firmly positioned on the political agenda and some initial targets have been agreed within a global framework, we are still far away from a mature political and practical policy which may deliver timely and appropriate results .to tum the tide. This is partly due to the complex nature of a possible global climate change regime, the still early stage of the development of effective and efficient instruments and the wide variety of possible ramifications for individual countries and economic sectors. But it is also due to the complexity of the negotiation process, and the lack of effective international or even global governance and leadership to tackle a multi-dimensional problem of this size and nature. This book is the first broad attempt to address the issue of leadership by one of the major parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in the ongoing international debate and negotiations towards such a policy which inevitably has to be constructed on a global scale.

Dust storms are a vital component of the environment. This book explores and summarises recent research on where dust storms originate, why dust storms are generated, where dust is transported and deposited, the nature of dust deposits and the changing frequency of dust storms over a range of time-scales. It is the first global study of causes and effects of dust storms, which are one of the increasing nature catastrophes.

This is an introductory textbook on global spectral modeling designed for senior-level undergraduates and possibly for first-year graduate students. This text starts with an introduction to elementary finite-difference methods and moves on towards the gradual description of sophisticated dynamical and physical models in spherical coordinates. Computational aspects of the spectral transform method, the planetary boundary layer physics, the physics of precipitation processes in large-scale models, the radiative transfer including effects of diagnostic clouds and diurnal cycle, the surface energy balance over land and ocean, and the treatment of mountains are some issues that are addressed. The topic of model initialization includes the treatment of normal modes and physical processes. A concluding chapter covers the spectral energetics as a diagnostic tool for model evaluation. This revised second edition of the text also includes three additional chapters. Chapter 11 deals with the formulation of a regional spectral model for mesoscale modeling which uses a double Fourier expansion of data and model equations for its transform. Chapter 12 deals with ensemble modeling. This is a new and important area for numerical weather and climate prediction. Finally, yet another new area that has to do with adaptive observational strategies is included as Chapter 13. It foretells where data deficiencies may reside in model from an exploratory ensemble run of experiments and the spread of such forecasts.

Telegraph Best Books of 2021 'A wonderfully enthusiastic guide to how we can all learn how to understand the weather simply by looking and feeling, smelling and touching... scientifically rigorous and accessible' Observer 'Gooley marshals a riveting compendium of weather-reading skills . . . he has plenty of facts at his fingertips with which to excite' The Times The weather changes as we walk around a tree or turn down a street. There is a secret world of weather - one that we all live in, but very few see. Each day we pass dozens of small weather signs that reveal what the weather is doing all around us - and what is about to happen. The clues are easy to spot when you know how, but remain invisible to most people. In The Secret World of Weather you'll discover the simple rules that explain the weather signs. And you'll learn rare skills that enhance every minute you spend outdoors, whether you are in a town, on a beach or in a wilder spot. As the author of the international bestsellers The Walker's Guide and How to Read Water, Tristan Gooley knows how to de-code the phenomena and signs to look for. As he says, 'I want you to get to know these signs as I have, as characters. By studying their habits and behaviours, the signs come to life and the meaning reveals itself. From this flows an ability to read what is happening and what is about to happen.' This is the ultimate guide to exploring an undiscovered world, one that hides in front of our eyes. 'A sensitive study that combines theoretical physics with beautiful nature writing' Telegraph 'This breezy new book reveals how to read nature's very own weather forecast . . . full of fascinating trivia' Daily Mail

Evapotranspiration and its components (evaporation and transpiration) as a process is one of the basic terms of Earth's water balance; its importance is accented by the fact that transpiration is the vital element of the biomass production process. The second important property of evapotranspiration is its extreme consumption of solar energy, thus controlling the temperature of the atmosphere and creating favourable conditions for life. Evapotranspiration as an energy consuming process is also the connection between the energy and mass cycles of the Earth. Evapotranspiration is a process performing in the Soil-Plant -Atmosphere System (SPAS); therefore this book is presenting and quantifying it as a catenary process, describing transport of water in the soil, including root extraction patterns and methods of its evaluation. Transport of water through the plant and from the canopy to the atmosphere is also described and quantified. A variety of evapotranspiration (and its components evaporation and transpiration) calculation methods are described, starting from empirical methods up to the most sophisticated ones based on the solution of the transport equations of water and energy in the SPAS. The most important (and widely used) calculation method - modified Penman-Monteith method is described in details, ready to be used with data in the book only. Water balance method of evapotranspiration estimation as well as sap flow method description can be found in the book as well. The book can be used by hydrologists, biologists, meteorologists and other specialists as well as byecology students.

Key themes: soil hydrology - evapotranspiration - hydropedology- plant physiology -water movement in soils -evaporation -transpiration

Dr. Viliam Novak isa water resources scientist at the Institute of Hydrology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava (Slovakia)."

This book presents in a concise way the Mie theory and its current applications. It begins with an overview of current theories, computational methods, experimental techniques, and applications of optics of small particles. There is also some biographic information on Gustav Mie, who published his famous paper on the colour of Gold colloids in 1908. The Mie solution for the light scattering of small spherical particles set the basis for more advanced scattering theories and today there are many methods to calculate light scattering and absorption for practically any shape and composition of particles. The optics of small particles is of interest in industrial, atmospheric, astronomic and other research. The book covers the latest developments in divers fields in scattering theory such as plasmon resonance, multiple scattering and optical force.

The thermodynamics of the atmosphere is the subject of severai chapters in most textbooks on dynamic meteorology, but there is no work in English to give the subject a specific and more extensive treatment. In writing the present textbook, we have tried to fiII this rather remarkable gap in the literature related to atmospheric sciences. Our aim has been to provide students of meteorology with a book that can play a role similar to the textbooks on chemical thermodynamics for the chemists. This implies a previous knowledge of general thermodynamics, such as students acquire in general physics courses; therefore, although the basic principles are reviewed (in the urst four chapters), they are only briefly discussed, and emphasis is laid on those topics that wilI be useful in later chapters, through their application to atmospheric problems. No attempt has been made to introduce the thermodynamics ofirreversible processes; on the other hand, consideration of heterogeneous and open homogeneous systems permits a rigorous formulation of the thermodynamic functions of c10uds (exclusive of any consideration of microphysical effects) and a better understanding of the approx imations usually implicit in practical applications."