Based on the author's highly successful undergraduate course taught at the University of Chicago, Global Warming presents the processes of climate change and climate stability. Drawing on a wide range of disciplines, this Second Edition not only summarizes scientific evidence, but also presents economic and political issues related to global warming.
Online Models v
Preface vii
1 Humankind and Climate 1
Part I The Greenhouse Effect 7
2 Blackbody Radiation 9
3 The Layer Model 19
4 Greenhouse Gases 29
5 What Holds the Atmosphere Up? 43
6 Weather and Climate 57
7 Feedbacks 73
Part II The Carbon Cycle 87
8 Carbon on Earth 89
9 Fossil Fuels and Energy 103
10 The Perturbed Carbon Cycle 119
Part III The Forecast 133
11 The Smoking Gun 135
12 Potential Climate Impacts 153
13 Decisions, Decisions 173
Glossary 191
Index 197
