Committee on Challenges in Representing Physical Processes in Coupled Atmosphere-Land-Ocean Models; Board on Atmospheric Science National Academies Press (2005) Pehmeäkantinen kirja
Board on Earth Sciences & Resources; Board on Atmospheric Sciences & Climate; Computer Science and Telecommunications Board; Nat National Academies Press (2003) Pehmeäkantinen kirja
Board on Atmospheric Sciences & Climate; Environment and Resources Commission on Geosciences; Division on Earth and Life Studie National Academies Press (1997) Pehmeäkantinen kirja
National Research Council; Division on Earth and Life Studies; Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate; Polar Research Board National Academies Press (2002) Kovakantinen kirja
National Research Council; Division on Earth and Life Studies; Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate; Board on Environmental National Academies Press (2004) Kovakantinen kirja
Changes in climate are driven by natural and human-induced perturbations of the Eartha (TM)s energy balance. These climate drivers or "forcings" include variations in greenhouse gases, aerosols, land use, and the amount of energy Earth receives from the Sun. Although climate throughout Eartha (TM)s history has varied from "snowball" conditions with global ice cover to "hothouse" conditions when glaciers all but disappeared, the climate over the past 10,000 years has been remarkably stable and favorable to human civilization. Increasing evidence points to a large human impact on global climate over the past century. The report reviews current knowledge of climate forcings and recommends critical research needed to improve understanding. Whereas emphasis to date has been on how these climate forcings affect global mean temperature, the report finds that regional variation and climate impacts other than temperature deserve increased attention.
