National Academies Press: OpenBook
« Previous: Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Statement of Task." National Research Council. 2005. Radiative Forcing of Climate Change: Expanding the Concept and Addressing Uncertainties. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11175.
×

B
Statement of Task

This study will examine the current state of knowledge regarding the direct and indirect radiative forcing effects of gases, aerosols, land-use, and solar variability on the climate of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere and it will identify research needed to improve our understanding of these effects. Specifically, this study will:

  1. Summarize what is known about the direct and indirect radiative effects caused by individual forcing agents, including the spatial and temporal scales over which specific forcing agents may be important;

  2. Evaluate techniques (e.g., modeling, laboratory, observations, and field experiments) used to estimate direct and indirect radiative effects of specific forcing agents;

  3. Identify key gaps in the understanding of radiative forcing effects on climate;

  4. Identify key uncertainties in projections of future radiative forcing effects on climate;

  5. Recommend near- and longer-term research priorities for improving our understanding and projections of radiative forcing effects on climate.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: Statement of Task." National Research Council. 2005. Radiative Forcing of Climate Change: Expanding the Concept and Addressing Uncertainties. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11175.
×
Page 197
Next: Appendix C: Glossary and Acronyms »
Radiative Forcing of Climate Change: Expanding the Concept and Addressing Uncertainties Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $50.00 Buy Ebook | $40.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

Changes in climate are driven by natural and human-induced perturbations of the Earth's energy balance. These climate drivers or "forcings" include variations in greenhouse gases, aerosols, land use, and the amount of energy Earth receives from the Sun. Although climate throughout Earth's history has varied from "snowball" conditions with global ice cover to "hothouse" conditions when glaciers all but disappeared, the climate over the past 10,000 years has been remarkably stable and favorable to human civilization. Increasing evidence points to a large human impact on global climate over the past century. The report reviews current knowledge of climate forcings and recommends critical research needed to improve understanding. Whereas emphasis to date has been on how these climate forcings affect global mean temperature, the report finds that regional variation and climate impacts other than temperature deserve increased attention.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!