Book Review: The solar engine and its influence on terrestrial atmosphere and climate. NATO ASI...
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY Int. J. Climatol. 10: 1165–1166 (1998) BOOK REVIEWS THE SOLAR ENGINE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON TER- RESTRIAL ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE. NATO ASI SERIES I: GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, Vol. 25. Nesme-Ribes, E. (ed), Springer-Verlag (Berlin), 1994. No. of pages: xii +561. Price: DM 298.00. ISBN 3-540-58417-X. This book consists of papers and proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on the solar engine and its influence on terrestrial atmosphere and climate, held at the Observatoire de Paris in October, 1993. The topic under discussion was Sun – climate interactions over a period of the order of a century. The Sun does not rotate like a solid body. Solar magnetic activity derives its energy from the non-unifor- mity of solar rotation, thus sunspots come and go periodically in 11- and 80-year cycles, and possibly other periodicities too. In particular climatologists wish to know more about the mechanism behind such phenomena as the Maunder sunspot minimum and its consequences in terms of solar energy output. In 35 chapters the book ranges over such topics as the reconstruction of solar activity from 1610, the relation of the Maunder minimum to solar activity, proxy indicators of solar variability and climate change, and the sensitivity of climate to long-term variations of the solar output. The conclusion of the volume is that there is evidence, albeit mostly circumstantial, that there have been variations in solar irradiance which have contributed to the observed historical temperature changes. There is little or no support for the theory that the Sun has been the controlling influence on climate in the last 100 years, with the greenhouse effect playing a smaller role. While this book contains some extremely interesting papers, it does not contradict the view that climatic variations and changes over the last 100 years are mostly the result of internal oscillations of the atmosphere – ocean system, and also increasing concen- trations of both greenhouse gases and anthropogenic sulphate aerosols. J.G. LOCKWOOD Uni6ersity of Leeds APPLIED CLIMATOLOGY, PRINCIPALS AND PRAC- TICE. Russell D. Thompson and Allen Perry (eds), Routledge (London), 1997. No. of pages: xxiii +352. Price: £60.00. ISBN 0415 14100 1X(Hb). £18.99. ISBN 0415 14101X(Pb). This book consists of 25 chapters written by 27 people, and the editors are to be applauded for producing a new under- graduate textbook which ‘explores the complex climate – envi- ronment relationships’. John Hobbs defines the subject and writes a useful historical account of the emergence of applied climatology particularly after the Second World War. It is in this introductory chapter that the reader is made aware that many practitioners consider themselves specialists in other fields, but are brought together by their need to consider the way in which climate has an effect upon, and in recent years has been affected by, humankind and most of its activities. Both he and the editors, in their final overview chapter, utilise a diagram based on Changnon to explain the ‘field’ of applied climatology. This consists of a core surrounded by two con- centric circles, which can just as easily be depicted as a system with negative feedback: Collection, archiving and accessing climate dataUinterpretation and generation of climatic infor- mationUutilisers of climate data. The rest of the book is divided into four Parts, which cover these three basic aspects of the subject. In Part 1, there are four chapters on data. Ian Strangeways briefly compares old instruments dependent on human observ- ers to the new automatic instruments based on data loggers and the remote sensing of climate data from satellites. Scott Robeson discusses data manipulation in terms of time series and spatial analysis, as well as the identification of errors and uncertainty inherent in such techniques. He also makes the valid point (often forgotten by many climatologists and statis- ticians) that a statistically significant result is not always a scientifically important result. The third chapter, by Ann Henderson-Sellers and Kendal McGuffie, describes the devel- opment of global climate models and their offspring — climate impact models and integrated assessment models. These writ- ers are to be congratulated on the fact that 80% of their references are in the 1990’s. The final chapter in this data section is on atmospheric resource management by Ian Burton and Marjorie Shepherd. They remind us that the atmosphere is a ‘free good’ that can only be managed if there is collective action — the recent (1997/’98) forest fires in Indonesia and the lack of success of the Montreal Protocol (1987) bring this point home. The six chapters of Part 2 are concerned with the interaction between climate and the physical/biological environments. Paul Whitehead discusses hydrological processes and the im- pact of changing climate on river flows and water quality in a United Kingdom setting, and Russell Thompson explains pos- sible effects on glaciers and ice sheets. A much longer time span is necessary for Edward Derbyshire in his discussion of geomorphic processes and landforms. His tentative conclusion is that the current astronomically forced trend towards cli- matic deterioration (so that landforms most likely to be influ- enced are low-lying coastlines and desert and mountain margins) counterbalances anthropologically induced increases in global temperature. Michael Bridges, Antoinette Mannion and Bernard Stonehouse consider soils, vegetation and ani- CCC 0899–8418/98/101165 – 02$17.50 © 1998 Royal Meteorological Society
Transcript of Book Review: The solar engine and its influence on terrestrial atmosphere and climate. NATO ASI...
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY
Int. J. Climatol. 10: 1165–1166 (1998)
BOOK REVIEWS
THE SOLAR ENGINE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON TER-RESTRIAL ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE. NATO ASISERIES I: GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, Vol.25. Nesme-Ribes, E. (ed), Springer-Verlag (Berlin), 1994. No.of pages: xii+561. Price: DM 298.00. ISBN 3-540-58417-X.
This book consists of papers and proceedings of the NATOAdvanced Research Workshop on the solar engine and itsinfluence on terrestrial atmosphere and climate, held at theObservatoire de Paris in October, 1993. The topic underdiscussion was Sun–climate interactions over a period of theorder of a century. The Sun does not rotate like a solid body.Solar magnetic activity derives its energy from the non-unifor-mity of solar rotation, thus sunspots come and go periodicallyin 11- and 80-year cycles, and possibly other periodicities too.In particular climatologists wish to know more about themechanism behind such phenomena as the Maunder sunspotminimum and its consequences in terms of solar energyoutput.
In 35 chapters the book ranges over such topics as thereconstruction of solar activity from 1610, the relation of theMaunder minimum to solar activity, proxy indicators of solarvariability and climate change, and the sensitivity of climate tolong-term variations of the solar output. The conclusion of thevolume is that there is evidence, albeit mostly circumstantial,that there have been variations in solar irradiance which havecontributed to the observed historical temperature changes.There is little or no support for the theory that the Sun hasbeen the controlling influence on climate in the last 100 years,with the greenhouse effect playing a smaller role. While thisbook contains some extremely interesting papers, it does notcontradict the view that climatic variations and changes overthe last 100 years are mostly the result of internal oscillationsof the atmosphere–ocean system, and also increasing concen-trations of both greenhouse gases and anthropogenic sulphateaerosols.
J.G. LOCKWOOD
Uni6ersity of Leeds
APPLIED CLIMATOLOGY, PRINCIPALS AND PRAC-TICE. Russell D. Thompson and Allen Perry (eds), Routledge(London), 1997. No. of pages: xxiii+352. Price: £60.00. ISBN0415 14100 1X(Hb). £18.99. ISBN 0415 14101X(Pb).
This book consists of 25 chapters written by 27 people, andthe editors are to be applauded for producing a new under-graduate textbook which ‘explores the complex climate–envi-ronment relationships’. John Hobbs defines the subject and
writes a useful historical account of the emergence of appliedclimatology particularly after the Second World War. It is inthis introductory chapter that the reader is made aware thatmany practitioners consider themselves specialists in otherfields, but are brought together by their need to consider theway in which climate has an effect upon, and in recent yearshas been affected by, humankind and most of its activities.Both he and the editors, in their final overview chapter, utilisea diagram based on Changnon to explain the ‘field’ of appliedclimatology. This consists of a core surrounded by two con-centric circles, which can just as easily be depicted as a systemwith negative feedback: Collection, archiving and accessingclimate dataUinterpretation and generation of climatic infor-mationUutilisers of climate data. The rest of the book isdivided into four Parts, which cover these three basic aspectsof the subject.
In Part 1, there are four chapters on data. Ian Strangewaysbriefly compares old instruments dependent on human observ-ers to the new automatic instruments based on data loggersand the remote sensing of climate data from satellites. ScottRobeson discusses data manipulation in terms of time seriesand spatial analysis, as well as the identification of errors anduncertainty inherent in such techniques. He also makes thevalid point (often forgotten by many climatologists and statis-ticians) that a statistically significant result is not always ascientifically important result. The third chapter, by AnnHenderson-Sellers and Kendal McGuffie, describes the devel-opment of global climate models and their offspring—climateimpact models and integrated assessment models. These writ-ers are to be congratulated on the fact that 80% of theirreferences are in the 1990’s. The final chapter in this datasection is on atmospheric resource management by Ian Burtonand Marjorie Shepherd. They remind us that the atmosphere isa ‘free good’ that can only be managed if there is collectiveaction—the recent (1997/’98) forest fires in Indonesia and thelack of success of the Montreal Protocol (1987) bring thispoint home.
The six chapters of Part 2 are concerned with the interactionbetween climate and the physical/biological environments.Paul Whitehead discusses hydrological processes and the im-pact of changing climate on river flows and water quality in aUnited Kingdom setting, and Russell Thompson explains pos-sible effects on glaciers and ice sheets. A much longer timespan is necessary for Edward Derbyshire in his discussion ofgeomorphic processes and landforms. His tentative conclusionis that the current astronomically forced trend towards cli-matic deterioration (so that landforms most likely to be influ-enced are low-lying coastlines and desert and mountainmargins) counterbalances anthropologically induced increasesin global temperature. Michael Bridges, Antoinette Mannionand Bernard Stonehouse consider soils, vegetation and ani-
CCC 0899–8418/98/101165–02$17.50© 1998 Royal Meteorological Society
