Human Impacts on Weather and Climate

Description

This 2007 edition of Human Impacts on Weather and Climate examines the scientific and political debates surrounding anthropogenic impacts on the Earth's climate and presents the most recent theories, data and modeling studies. The book discusses the concepts behind deliberate human attempts to modify the weather through cloud seeding, as well as inadvertent modification of weather and climate on the regional scale. The natural variability of weather and climate greatly complicates our ability to determine a clear cause-and-effect relationship to human activity. The authors describe the basic theories and critique them in simple and accessible terms. This fully revised edition will be a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate courses in atmospheric and environmental science, and will also appeal to policy makers and general readers interested in how humans are affecting the global climate.

William Cotton is a Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University. He is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA). Roger Pielke is a Senior Research Associate in the Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Senior Research Scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado-Boulder, and an Emeritus Professor of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University. He is also a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and of the American Meteorological Society.

'Contents-wise this is an excellent book ... It is written with great honesty and courage, attacking many of the sacred tenets of weather modification and of climatic doomsday predictions.' Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics 'I can recommend the book to anyone concerned to understand the present debates with regard to climate change on both a local and global scale. The style of writing makes for easy reading, and the layout of the book is such that sections of particular interest can be found easily.' Open University Geological Society Journal '... offers a valuable perspective that will be useful particularly for undergraduate courses in earth and atmospheric sciences. Students without a strong grounding in mathematics and physics will find this straightforward account quite approachable and welcome.' International Journal of Climatology ' ... a comprehensive, well-written, and highly interesting book. I strongly recommend it to all atmospheric scientists, to students in the atmospheric sciences, and to those in the environmental sciences interested in understanding weather and climate issues.' Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 'This books ranks as one of the most informative and satisfying books I have ever read. ...The honest, unbiased assessments of the myriad conflicting views about weather modification and global climate change simply cannot be found elsewhere in a single document. I strongly recommend this book to all atmospheric scientists - it is a must read! ... it will serve as an excellent textbook.' American Meterological Society