BOOK COVER -- TITLE -- COPYRIGHT -- CONTENTS -- INTRODUCTION -- CHAPTER 1 CLIMATE -- SOLAR RADIATION AND TEMPERATURE -- THE DISTRIBUTION OF RADIANT ENERGY FROM THE SUN -- THE EFFECTS OF THE ATMOSPHERE -- AVERAGE RADIATION BUDGETS -- SURFACE-ENERGY BUDGETS -- TEMPERATURE -- THE GLOBAL VARIATION OF MEAN TEMPERATURE -- DIURNAL, SEASONAL, AND EXTREME TEMPERATURES -- TEMPERATURE VARIATION WITH HEIGHT -- CIRCULATION, CURRENTS, AND OCEAN-ATMOSPHERE INTERACTION -- SHORT-TERM TEMPERATURE CHANGES -- ATMOSPHERIC HUMIDITY AND PRECIPITATION -- ATMOSPHERIC HUMIDITY -- PRECIPITATION -- ATMOSPHERIC PRESS URE AND WIND -- ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE -- WIND -- MONSOONS -- UPPER-LEVEL WINDS -- CHAPTER 2 CLIMATIC CLASSIFICATION -- APPROACHES TO CLIMATIC CLASSIFICATION -- GENETIC CLASSIFICATIONS -- EMPIRICAL CLASSIFICATIONS -- THE WORLD DISTRIBUTION OF MAJOR CLIMATIC TYPES -- TYPE A CLIMATES -- TYPE B CLIMATES -- TYPE C AND D CLIMATES -- TYPE E CLIMATES -- TYPE H CLIMATES -- CHAPTER 3 CLIMATE AND LIFE -- THE GAIA HYPOTHESIS -- THE EVOLUTION OF LIFE AND THE ATMOSPHERE -- THE ROLE OF THE BIOSPHERE IN THE EARTH-ATMOSPHERE SYSTEM -- THE BIOSPHERE AND EARTH'S ENERGY BUDGET -- THE CYCLING OF BIOGENIC ATMOSPHERIC GASES -- BIOSPHERE CONTROLS ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE ATMOSPHERE -- BIOSPHERE CONTROLS ON THE PLANETARY BOUNDARY LAYER -- BIOSPHERE CONTROLS ON MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES BY EVAPORATION AND TRANSPIRATION -- BIOSPHERE CONTROLS ON MINIMUM TEMPERATURES -- CLIMATE AND CHANGES IN THE ALBEDO OF THE SURFACE -- THE EFFECT OF VEGETATION PATCHINESS ON MESOSCALE CLIMATES -- BIOSPHERE CONTROLS ON SURFACE FRICTION AND LOCALIZED WINDS -- BIOSPHERE IMPACTS ON PRECIPITATION PROCESSES -- CLIMATE, HUMANS, AND HUMAN AFFAIRS -- CHAPTER 4 CLIMATE CHANGE -- THE EARTH SYSTEM -- EVIDENCE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE -- CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE -- SOLAR VARIABILITY -- VOLCANIC ACTIVITY -- TECTONIC ACTIVITY.

ORBITAL (MILANKOVITCH) VARIATIONS -- GREENHOUSE GASES -- FEEDBACK WITHIN THE EARTH SYSTEM -- HUMAN ACTIVITIES -- CLIMATE CHANGE WITHIN A HUMAN LIFE SPAN -- SEASONAL VARIATION -- INTERANNUAL VARIATION -- DECADAL VARIATION -- CLIMATE CHANGE SINCE THE EMERGENCE OF CIVILIZATION -- CENTENNIAL-SCALE VARIATION -- MILLENNIAL AND MULTIMILLENNIAL VARIATION -- CLIMATE CHANGE SINCE THE EMERGENCE OF HUMANS -- RECENT GLACIAL AND INTERGLACIAL PERIODS -- GLACIAL AND INTERGLACIAL CYCLES OF THE PLEISTOCENE -- THE LAST GREAT COOLING -- CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH GEOLOGIC TIME -- CENOZOIC CLIMATES -- PHANEROZOIC CLIMATES -- THE CLIMATES OF EARLY EARTH -- ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGES IN EARTH HISTORY -- CHAPTER 5 GLOBAL WARMING -- CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING -- THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT -- RADIATIVE FORCING -- THE INFLUENCES OF HUMAN ACTIVITY ON CLIMATE -- NATURAL INFLUENCES ON CLIMATE -- FEEDBACK MECHANISMS AND CLIMATE SENSITIVITY -- CLIMATE RESEARCH -- MODERN OBSERVATIONS -- PREHISTORICAL CLIMATE RECORDS -- THEORETICAL CLIMATE MODELS -- POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING -- SIMULATIONS OF FUTURE CLIMATE CHANGE -- ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF GLOBAL WARMING -- SOCIOECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF GLOBAL WARMING -- GLOBAL WARMING AND PUBLIC POLICY -- THE IPCC AND THE SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS -- THE UN FRAMEWORK CONVENTION AND THE KYOTO PROTOCOL -- FUTURE CLIMATE-CHANGE POLICY -- PUBLIC AWARENESS AND ACTION -- GREEN ARCHITECTURE -- ELECTRIC AND HYBRID VEHICLES -- BIOFUELS -- CONCLUSION -- GLOSSARY -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- CLIMATE -- CLIMATIC CLASSIFICATION -- CLIMATE AND LIFE -- CLIMATE CHANGE -- GLOBAL WARMING SCIENCE -- GLOBAL WARMING POLICY -- INDEX -- BACK COVER.