Assessing Climate Change - Rapp, Donald

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Résumé :
This updated and revised new edition of Assessing Climate Change deals with the full gamut of essential questions in relation to global warming and climate change, uniquely providing a balanced and impartial discussion of this controversial subject. It shows that most of what is ?known?about the Sun, historical climates and projections for the future lacks foundation and leaves great room for doubt. Assessing Climate Change (3rd Edition) examines the credibility of the global climate models which accuse greenhouse gases of causing the temperature rise of the 20th century, and provides a better understanding of the uncertainties regarding what might lie ahead in the future. Carefully considering the ?evidence? brought forward by both alarmists and skeptics, this book: ? has been brought completely up to date to end 2013; ? examines the measurements of near surface temperatures on Earth and how much we can rely on them; ? includes hundreds of graphs showing the data; ? compares the current global warming trend with past climate fluctuations; ? provides a systematic review of climate change in nearly all of its aspects; ? expands the discussion of potential impacts of global warming (from whatever cause); ? includes nearly 1000 references specific to the climate literature.

Biographie:
Donald Rapp was manager of the Mars Exploration Technology Program at JPL for a period, and he was manager of the In Situ Propellant Production (ISPP) task in this Program. He wrote a landmark report on converting Mars resources into usable propellants for return to Earth. He wrote the Mars Technology Program Plan in 2001. During the period 2001-2002, he played an important role in JPL efforts in developing concepts for utilization of extraterrestrial resources in Mars missions. In 2002 he wrote the NASA Office of Space Science Technology Blueprint for Harley Thronson, NASA Technology Director, a 100-page assessment of technology needs and capabilities for future missions. In the period 2003-2006, he prepared a revised and expanded version of the Technology Blueprint for Harley Thronson at NASA HQ. In 2004, he was Proposal Manager for a proposal for a ground-penetrating radar experiment for the Mars Science Laboratory. In the period 2004-2006, he concentrated on mission design for Mars and lunar human missions. This work led to his writing the book Human Missions to Mars that was published by Praxis/Springer in 2007. This is a major work, comprising 520 pages with over 200 figures. It includes a chapter on in situ resource utilization (ISRU) on Mars. He was the lead person at JPL for ISRU technology for several decades. In this role, he carried out research and analysis leading to a number or reports and publications through the 1980s, 1990s and into the 2000s....

Sommaire:
1. The climate debate.- 2. Variability of climate over the past few thousand years.- 3. Global scares.- 4. Earth temperatures over the past two hundred years.- 5. Carbon dioxide through the ages.- 6. The Earth's heat balance and the greenhouse effect.- 7. Energy and climate in the 21st century.- 8. Impacts of global warming.- 9. The Kyoto Protocol.- 10. Final remarks.