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On decadal time scales, climate change may result not only from man-made causes, but also from natural processes. This book brings together theoretical conceptions of the physical mechanisms of climate change with observational evidence of these changes. The following key topics are included: Observed Climatic Variability, Predictability of the Atmosphere and Oceans from Days to Decades, and Mechanisms for Decadal to Centennial Climate Variability. Further, there are specialised contributions on the role of the oceanic circulation in climate change. The authors are renowned for their pedagogical skills, and the book is primarily designed for beginners in the field, who have a background in physical science. In addition, it is an invaluable source of information for scientists seeking an overview on climate dynamics.
The ocean plays a central role in determining the climate of the
earth. The oceanic circulation largely controls the temporal
evolution of cli mate changes resulting from human activities such
as the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and also
affects the magnitude and regional distribution of those changes.
On interannual and longer time scales the ocean is, through its
interaction with the atmosphere, a source of important natural
climate variations which we are only now beginning to recognise but
whose cause has yet to be properly determined. Chem ical and
biological processes in the ocean are linked to climate change,
particularly through interaction with the global carbon cycle. A
quantitative understanding of the oceanic role in the climate
system requires models which include many complex processes and
interactions, and which are systematically verified with
observations. This is the ob jective of global research programs
such as TOGA, WOCE, and JGOFS. Coupled numerical models of the
oceanic and atmospheric circulation constitute the basis of every
climate simulation. Increasingly it is recog nized that in addition
a biological/chemical component is necessary to capture the
pathways of carbon and other trace gases. The development of such
coupled models is a challenging task which needs scientists who
must be cognizant of several other disciplines beyond their own
specialty."
On decadal time scales, climate change may result not only from
man-made causes, but also from natural processes. This book brings
together theoretical conceptions of the physical mechanisms of
climate change with observational evidence of these changes. The
following key topics are included: Observed Climatic Variability,
Predictability of the Atmosphere and Oceans from Days to Decades,
and Mechanisms for Decadal to Centennial Climate Variability.
Further, there are specialised contributions on the role of the
oceanic circulation in climate change. The authors are renowned for
their pedagogical skills, and the book is primarily designed for
beginners in the field, who have a background in physical science.
In addition, it is an invaluable source of information for
scientists seeking an overview on climate dynamics.
Originally formed around a set of lectures presented at a NATO
Advanced Study Institute (ASI), this book has grown in scope and in
aspiration to become organised and presented rather more as a
textbook than as a standard collection of proceedings. The lack of
a unified reference textbook covering both the science of seasonal
to interannual predictions and real-world uses of the forecasts was
the main driver for the effort placed into writing an amalgamated
introductory book, each chapter of which has been thoroughly peer
reviewed. Throughout, our objective has been to present a book
accessible to people from diverse disciplines, both scientific and
social, interested in this intriguing and fast emerging area.
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