
Introduction to Climate Science - 1st Edition
Andreas Schmittner, Oregan State University
Copyright Year: 2017
Last Update: 2018
Publisher: Oregon State University
Language: English
Conditions of Use
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
CC BY-NC-SA
Reviews
Very comprehensive treatment of a complex subject. I was especially impressed with the currency of the information, including reference to the Corona Virus we are currently experiencing. My only disappointment was in the omission of any discussion... read more
Very comprehensive treatment of a complex subject. I was especially impressed with the currency of the information, including reference to the Corona Virus we are currently experiencing. My only disappointment was in the omission of any discussion of hydrothermal vents in the discussion of the ocean's effect on climate.
The book is filled with links to external sources from government resources and formulas to explain various processes.
The inclusion of the mention of the Corona Virus indicates that the discussions in the book are timely and relevant.
The book clearly explains climate processes in a forthright manner.
Because the chapters were written by different authors/sets of authors, the chapters are noticeably different in their tone and substance.
The chapter divisions make it easy to use relevant material from one chapter without relying on information from another chapter.
I thought the organization was comprehensive and clear. It is easy to find information on a single aspect of climate science without interference from other sections.
Each chapter is a stand-alone text for the discrete subject, including references and footnotes.
I found a few spelling/grammatical errors, but they were minor.
The book clearly has a liberal bias, and I found it absurd to include a quote from a twelve-year-old about climate in what otherwise is an erudite book.
Overall, very comprehensive treatment of climate science.
Table of Contents
- 1. Weather
- 2. Observations
- 3. Paleoclimate
- 4. Theory
- 5. Carbon
- 6. Processes
- 7. Models
- 8. Impacts
- 9. Economics
- 10. Ethics
- 11. Solutions
About the Book
This book describes how Earth's climate is changing, how it has been changing in the recent geological past and how it may change in the future. It covers the physical sciences that build the foundations of our current understanding of global climate change such as radiation, Earth's energy balance, the greenhouse effect and the carbon cycle. Both natural and human causes for climate change are discussed. Impacts of climate change on natural and human systems are summarized. Ethical and economical aspects of human-caused climate change and solutions are presented.
About the Contributors
Author
Andreas Schmittner, Oregan State University