The Sun and Climate Change. Books. Sources. Bibliography

The sun

Alfred W. Crosby. Children of the Sun: A History of Humanity’s Unappeasable Appetite for Energy, W.W. Norton and Company, US, 2006, 0393059359, -A master historian's spirited survey of humanity's strategies for tapping sun energy, past and future. We don't often recognize the humble activity of cooking for the revolutionary cultural adaptation that it is. But when the hearth fires started burning in the Paleolithic, humankind broadened the exploitation of food and initiated an avalanche of change. And we don't often associate cooking with drilling for oil, but both are innovations that allow us to tap the sun energy accumulated in organic matter. Alfred W. Crosby, a founder of the field of global history, reveals how humanity's successes hinge directly on effective uses of sun energy. More

Steele Hill and Michael Carlowicz. The Sun , Harry N. Abrams Inc, US, 2006, 0810955229,- Awe-inspiring and familiar, comforting yet sometimes frightening, the sun is the center around which all life revolves. Now, an expert on solar images teams up with a noted science writer to present a photographic book devoted entirely to the sun, illustrating the star we know and revealing recent discoveries. Dramatic images from photographers, observatories, and satellites are organized as viewed first from the ground, then from earth's atmosphere and the edge of space, and finally from the surface of the sun itself. Through these images and a clear, precise text, the authors explore the intricate dance between the sun and earth, examining this relationship in both mythical and scientific terms. Perhaps best of all, the book's compact, square size makes "The Sun" as inviting to hold as it is to read. More

Douglas V. Hoyt and Kenneth H. Shatten. The Role of the Sun in Climate Change, Oxford University Press, US, 1997, 019509414X, -The luminosity of the sun governs the temperature of the planets. And the solar forcing, or driving, of climate, primarily due to changes insolar radiation, is an idea whose history has not been well documented in a book. Recent satellite measurements have shown that solar radiation varies as a function of wavelength - a concept that for the past two centuries scientists have claimed would be proved. Now, with all of the attention being given to global warming, this topic has again become timely. The book will review the physics of the concept of solar forcing in manageable terms, tracing its history from its beginnings in the early 1800s toits apparent success in the 1920s, to its near demise in the 1950s and its resurrection in recent years. Emphasis will be on solar variation as a driver for climate change, with only a brief discussion of other mechanisms - thus assuring the book a clear focus. More

Kenneth Lang. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the Sun, Cambridge University Press, 2001, 0521780934, -Everything you ever wanted to know about the sun, the powerhouse of our galaxy, sustaining life on earth, driving the weather, providing warmth and light--and, directly or indirectly, almost all the energy that plants and animals use.

Less a classic encyclopedia than a topic-by-topic textbook introducing readers to all things solar, astronomer Lang's compendium offers the very latest scientific views on a range of matters, from fundamental constants to the composition of sunlight, from the role of sunspots in terrestrial weather and human history to the methods scientists use to forecast such phenomena today, from the origins of the universe to days to come--when, 7 billion years from now, the "aging Sun will swell up to become a giant star," one that will spread to occupy the space the earth now occupies, and far beyond. Abundant photographs, charts, and line drawings, all very well made, accompany the text, which also includes a recent bibliography and a glossary of current terms.

Highly useful for students of astronomy and space science, this attractive volume will require little updating for years to come, and it serves as the best single general reference work on the subject. --Gregory McNamee More

The atmosphere

R. G. Barry. Atmosphere, Weather and Climate, Routledge, 8th revised edition, 2003, 0415271711, -Atmosphere, Weather and Climateis the essential introduction to weather processes and climatic conditions around the world, their observed variability and changes, and projected future trends. Extensively revised and updated, this eighth edition retains its popular tried and tested structure while incorporating recent advances in the field. From clear explanations of the basic physical and chemical principles of the atmosphere, to descriptions of regional climates and their changes,Atmosphere, Weather and Climatepresents a comprehensive coverage of global meteorology and climatology. More

Guy P. Brasseur, Susan Solomon. Aeronomy of the Middle Atmosphere: Chemistry and Physics of the Stratosphere and Mesosphere (Atmospheric and Oceanographic Sciences Library), Springer, 2005, 1402032854, Since the Industrial Revolution the chemical composition of the atmosphere has changed at a rate unprecedented in recent history. Ozone depletion emerged as one of the most important environmental issues of the 20th century as evidence grew for substantial human influences on the atmospheric ozone abundances over much of the globe. The science of the ozone layer and its interactions with halogenated chemical compounds are the primary subjects of this book. The volume provides a comprehensive view of the chemical, dynamical, and radiative processes that affect ozone and other chemicals in the stratosphere and mesosphere. Over recent decades our understanding of these processes has increased dramatically. The discovery of the Antarctic More

Guy P. Brasseur, John J. Orlando, Geoffrey S. Tyndall. Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Change , Oxford University Press, USA, 1999, 0195105214, -Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Change presents an integrated examination of chemical processes in the atmosphere, focusing on global-scale problems and their role in the evolution of the Earth system. Taking a largely interdisciplinary approach, it features the collective efforts of a group of scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), as well as other experts from several universities and national laboratories. Topics discussed include the fundamental physical, chemical, and biological processes that affect the atmospheric composition; the chemical mechanisms that More

Henry F. Diaz, Raymond S. Bradley. The Hadley Circulation: Present, Past and Future, Springer 2005, 1402029438, The Hadley and Walker Circulations are fundamental regulators of the Earth's energy budget. Although the Hadley Circulation is a well-known concept, surprisingly little attention has been paid to understanding both short and long-term variability of the system. This book reviews current knowledge of Hadley and Walker circulation dynamics and their interactions with the major global monsoon systems, and evaluates paleoclimatic records within the domain of the Hadley Circulation that shed light on past variability of climate over the last 1000 years, the Holocene (the last 11,500 years), glacial periods, and warm climate periods in the past.nbsp; The book examines potentially important factors that may have affected More

K. G. Labitzke, Hendrik Willem van Loon. The Stratosphere: Phenomena, History and Relevance, Springer-Verlag, 1999, 3540657843, This book describes the discovery of the stratosphere itself and of various unexpected phenomena in the stratosphere: e.g., a manned balloon flight in 1901 as high as 11 km; an expedition to Lake Victoria in Africa in 1908 which found inexplicable west winds in the stratosphere above the equator; and the discovery of the ozone layer in the 1930s, the Berlin Phenomenon in 1952, the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation in 1960, the influence of volcanic eruptions in 1970, the ozone hole in 1984, and the influence of the 11-year solar cycle in 1987. The book also describes how these phenomena are connected with each other and how they create variability in the climate system, in addition to man-made changes, such as the decrease in ozone. We use the stratosphere as one example of Nature's complexity and of how often discoveries are ignored because they do not fit prevalent concepts. More

Michael B McElroy. The Atmospheric Environment: Effects of Human Activity, Princeton University Press, 2002, 0691006911, -This comprehensive introduction to the physics and chemistry of Earth's atmosphere explains the science behind some of the most critical and intensely debated environmental controversies of our day. In it, one of the world's leading experts on planetary environments presents the background necessary to assess the complex effects of human activity on our atmosphere and climate.Unique in its breadth and depth of coverage, The Atmospheric Environment includes a survey of Earth's climatic history to provide a context for assessing the changes underway today. It is written for--and will be of lasting value to--a varied audience, . More

John H. Seinfeld, Spyros N. Pandis. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Polution to Climate Change, Wiley-Interscience , 2006, 0471720186, -
The Second Edition of this internationally acclaimed text presents the latest developments in atmospheric science. It continues to be the premier text for both a rigorous and a complete treatment of the chemistry of the atmosphere, covering such pivotal topics as:
* Chemistry of the stratosphere and troposphere
* Formation, growth, dynamics, and properties of aerosols
* Meteorology of air pollution
* Transport, diffusion, and removal of species in the atmosphere
* Formation and chemistry of clouds
* Interaction of atmospheric chemistry and climate
* Radiative and climatic effects of gases and particles
* Formulation of mathematical chemical/transport models of the atmosphere More

Marvin S. Soroos. The Endangered Atmosphere: Preserving Global Commons, University of South Carolina Press, 1997, 1570032033, -With the Earth's atmosphere increasingly being used as a convenient sink for myriad pollutants, humanity faces the daunting problem of conserving a vital resource that, like the oceans, outer space, and Antarctica, defies geographical boundary. In this comprehensive look at the atmosphere's deterioration - an issue that has emerged as a leading international concern - Marvin S. Soroos considers how it is being altered and degraded by a rapidly growing and industrializing human population and what is being done to preserve it. More

Richard P. Turco, Carl Sagan. Earth under Siege: From Air Pollution to Global Change, 2002, 0195142748, -We urgently need a comprehensive and comprehensible book on the dangers to the environment. That need has now been supplied in the present book by Richard Turco." --the Foreword by Carl Sagan This acclaimed book examines one of the most important problems facing our modern technological age: environmental pollution. Written to inform general readers--including future policy makers, business administrators, and political leaders--the text offers a comprehensive description of environmental systems, providing a basic understanding of how the world around us works and how human activities affect it. Building on a popular course he taught at UCLA, Richard Turco clearly explains underlying environmental principles and processes including the role of evolutionary forces in shaping the environment, Earth's energy balance, and biogeochemical cycles. More

Gabrielle Walker. An Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere, Bloomsbury, April 2007, 0747581908, -In 1960 Captain Joseph Kittinger fell to earth from the edge of space and survived. He stepped from the basket of a gigantic helium balloon into an appalling, hostile environment which, without the protection of a pressure suit, would have simultaneously frozen his body and boiled away his blood. And yet it is the air that Kittinger fell through that makes our lives on earth possible. We not only live in the air, we live because of it. And air is about much more than just breathing. At ground level air transforms miraculously into solid food, and without it every creature on earth would starve; it wraps our planet in a blanket of warmth; radio signals bounce off a floating mirror of metal in the air to travel round the world; and the outer layer of our atmosphere soaks More

Richard P. Wayne. Chemistry of Atmospheres: An Introduction to the Chemistry of the Atmospheres of Earth, the Planets, and Their Satellites, Oxford University Press, 3rd edition,Oxford University Press, 019850375X,-Like its highly successful predecessor, this new edition lays down the principles of atmospheric chemistry and provides the necessary background for more detailed study. The text has been thoroughly revised and expanded throughout to take into account recent advances in atmospheric science that include a host of new atmospheric measurements, extended laboratory experiments, ever more sophisticated models, and ingenious interpretations of the phenomena. Heterogeneous processes are now known to be of great significance in the chemistry of the Earth's atmosphere, and new sections of the book discuss the influence of such processes on both the stratosphere and the troposphere. A major eruption, that of Mount Pinatubo, has highlighted how volcanoes can influence 'natural' atmospheric chemistry, and the opportunity is taken to examine the effects of the gases More

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Aviation and the global atmosphere, Cambridge University Press, 1999, 0521664047 -This Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report is the most comprehensive assessment available of the effects of aviation on the global atmosphere. The report considers all the gases and particles emitted by aircraft into the atmosphere and the role which they play in modifying the chemical properties of the atmosphere and initiating the formation of contrails. The report then considers how all this can modify the radiative properties of the atmosphere, leading to climate change, and can modify the ozone layer, leading to changes in ultraviolet radiation reaching the Earth. The report also considers how More

Tapio Schneider and Adam H. Sobel (eds). The Global Circulation of the Atmosphere, Princeton University Press, 2007, 9780691121819,

-Review
This edited volume, derived from a three-day conference held in 2004, includes 12comprehensive chapters covering various aspects of the global circulation. The authors are experts in their respective fields; hence the chapters are very informative.
(S.C. Pryor Choice )

[This book] represents an outstanding aggregation of science at the forefront written by leading experts of the field. It is hard to imagine someone reading it without enhancing their insight into the fascinating field of the general circulation of the atmosphere.
(Thomas Birner Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society )

Review
This is an authoritative status report on the current theoretical understanding of the general circulation of the atmosphere, one that will be of value for many years to come.
(John M. Wallace, University of Washington ) More

Greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect

S. L. Baggott, L. Cardenas et al. Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland 1990-2004, AEA Technology plc, 2006, 0954713613, More

Personal Travel and Climate Change: Exploring climate change emissions from personal travel activity of individuals and households (Paperback) by Christian Brand - Greenhouse gas emissions

from personal transport have risen steadily in the UK and elsewhere. Yet, surprisingly little is known about who exactly is contributing to the problem and the extent to which different groups of the population will be affected by any policy responses. A case study application of a newly developed methodology and travel emissions evaluation tool provides an improved understanding of the extent to which individual and household travel activity patterns, choice of transport mode, geographical location, socio-economic and other factors impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Air and car travel dominate overall emissions. There is a highly unequal distribution of emissions amongst the population, independent of the mode of travel, location and unit of analysis. The top 10% of emitters are responsible for 43% of emissions and the bottom More

J. Takahashi, B. A. Young, C. R. Soliva and M. Kreuzer. Greenhouse Gases and Animal Agriculture, Elsevier, 2002, 0444522484, -The major theme of this book is environmental preservation by controlling release of undesirable greenhouse gases to realize the sustainable development of animal agriculture. Technology exists for the effective collection of methane generated from anaerobic fermentation of animal effluent and its use as a biomass energy source. Fossil fuel consumption can be reduced and there can be increased use of locally available energy sources. In addition, promoting environmentally-conscious agriculture which does not rely on the chemical fertilizer can be realized by effective use of animal manure and compost products. More

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. J.T. Houghton et al. Climate Change 1994: Radiative forcing of Climate Change and and evaluation of the IPCC IS92 emission scenarios: Reports of Working groups I and III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, forming part of the IPCC Special Report to the first session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN framework Convention on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press, 1995, 0521559626, OOP, -The United Nations Environment Program and the World Meterological Organization set up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988 to provide an authoritative international consensus of scientific opinion on climate change. This report, prepared by IPCC Working Groups I and II, reviews the latest scientific evidence on the following key topics: radiative forcing of climate change; the latest values of global warming potential (used to compare the potential effect on future climate of different anthropogenic factors); the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere; and an evaluation More