Research Catalog

Title

Long-term climate monitoring by the Global Climate Observing System / edited Thomas R. Karl.

Publication

Dordrecht ; Boston : Kluwer Academic, [1996], ©1996.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Additional Authors

Karl, Thomas.

Description

iv, 518 pages : illustrations, maps; 25 cm

Summary

• Is the climate warming? Is the hydrological cycle intensifying? Is the climate becoming more variable or extreme? Is the chemical composition of the atmosphere changing? Is the solar irradiance constant? Answers to these questions are fundamental to understanding, predicting, and assessing climate from weeks to century time scales.
• Atmospheric, oceanic, and environmental scientists have primarily relied on an ad-hoc collection of disparate environmental observing and data management systems to address these problems. These systems were not designed to measure climate variations. As a result, our knowledge of changes and variations of the earth system during the instrumental climate record is far from unequivocal.
• This book develops a framework from which a Global Climate Observing System, now being discussed in international forums, can be implemented to monitor changes and variations of climate. It is intended for administrators, policy makers, professionals, graduate students, and others interested in learning how we can ensure a long-term climate record for application to national economic development and understanding ecosystem dynamics.

Subjects

• Global Climate Observing System
• Climatic changes > Research > International cooperation

Note

• "Reprinted from Climatic Change, volume 31, nos. 2-4, 1995."

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references.

Contents

• Foreword / Thomas Karl -- The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). An Editorial / Thomas Spence and John Townshend -- Long-Term Climate Monitoring by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). An Editorial / Thomas Karl, Francis Bretherton, William Easterling, Chris Miller and Kevin Trenberth -- Long-Term Climate Monitoring by the Global Climate Observing System. Report of Breakout Group A - Climate Forcings and Feedbacks. An Editorial / Christopher Miller and Francis Bretherton -- Long-Term Climate Monitoring by the Global Climate Observing System. Report of Breakout Group B - Climate Responses and Feedbacks. An Editorial / Kevin E. Trenberth -- Long-Term Climate Monitoring by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). Report of Breakout Group C - Climate Impacts. An Editorial / William E. Easterling --
• Critical Issues for Long-Term Climate Monitoring / Thomas R. Karl, Vernon E. Derr, David R. Easterling, Chris K. Folland, David J. Hofmann, Sydney Levitus, Neville Nicholls, David E. Parker and Gregory W. Withee -- Toward a Scientific Centered Climate Monitoring System / J. D. Mahlman -- Long-Term Climate Monitoring and Extreme Events / Neville Nicholls -- Low-Cost Long-Term Monitoring of Global Climate Forcings and Feedbacks / J. Hansen, W. Rossow, B. Carlson, A. Lacis, L. Travis, A. Del Genio, I. Fung, B. Cairns, M. Mishchenko and M. Sato -- Regional Climate Changes as Simulated in Time-Slice Experiments / U. Cubasch, J. Waszkewitz, G. Hegerl and J. Perlwitz -- Monitoring Changes of Clouds / William B. Rossow and Brian Cairns -- On Detecting Long-Term Changes in Atmospheric Moisture / William P. Elliott -- Long-Term Observations for Monitoring of the Cryosphere / John E. Walsh --
• Satellite Monitoring of Global Land Cover Changes and Their Impact on Climate / Ramakrishna R. Nemani and Steven W. Running -- Long-Term Observations of Land Surface Characteristics / Chester F. Ropelewski -- Atmospheric Circulation Climate Changes / Kevin E. Trenberth -- Temperature above the Surface Layer / John R. Christy -- An Ocean Observing System for Climate. The Conceptual Design / Neville R. Smith and George T. Needler / The Ocean Observing System Development Panel -- Observational Evidence of Interannual to Decadal-Scale Variability of the Subsurface Temperature-Salinity Structure of the World Ocean / Sydney Levitus and John Antonov -- Monitoring Sea Level Changes / Vivien Gornitz -- Land Surface Temperatures - Is the Network Good Enough? / P. D. Jones -- Marine Surface Temperature: Observed Variations and Data Requirements / D. E. Parker, C. K. Folland and M. Jackson --
• Documenting and Detecting Long-Term Precipitation Trends: Where We Are and What Should Be Done / Pavel Ya. Groisman and David R. Legates -- Indexes of Leading Climate Indicators for Impact Assessment / W. E. Easterling and R. W. Kates.

ISBN

0792338561 (alk. paper)

LCCN

95048009

OCLC

• 33969751
• ocm33969751

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries