The Discovery of Global Warming    CLIMATE CHANGE

A hypertext history of how scientists came to (partly) understand what people are doing to cause climate change.

This Web site created by Spencer Weart supplements his much shorter book, which tells the history of climate change research as a single connected narrative. On this Web site you will find a fuller history (about 250,000 words). Or see what critics say about the book and then order it from Harvard University Press or Amazon.com. Information on translations here.

If you want a quick look at basic facts, or detailed current technical information, you might do better using the links page. For a five-minute opinion summary on the current situation see my personal note.


climate change : global warming discovery book

Basic navigation: On the right of each essay are links to essays about other topics. Follow forward an arrow to see how the events that you are reading about gave something => TO the other topic. Follow back an arrow to track influence <= FROM the other topic. Double arrow <=> shows MUTUAL interaction.

Click on a numbered note, e.g., (12) for references. Some notes, indicated thus: (12*) have additional text. In the note, click on a reference to reach the bibliography—use your browser's Back button to return.

Contents/Site Map                 June 2006 version
About this site: TOP OF PAGE        
Summary of the History of Climate Change Science           SEARCH all the essays

Climate data
The Modern Temperature Trend
Past Cycles: Ice Age Speculations
     Temperatures from Fossil Shells
Rapid Climate Change
     Uses of Radiocarbon Dating
     Greenland Ice Drilling (J. Genuth)
 
Influences on climate
The Carbon Dioxide Greenhouse Effect
     Roger Revelle's Discovery
     Other Greenhouse Gases
Aerosols: Effects of Haze and Cloud
Biosphere: How Life Alters Climate
Changing Sun, Changing Climate?
     Interview with Jack Eddy
Ocean Currents and Climate

Theory
Simple Models of Climate Change
     Chaos in the Atmosphere
     Venus & Mars
General Circulation Models
     Basic Radiation Calculations
     Arakawa's Computation Device 
     GCM Family Tree (P. Edwards)

About this site
History in Hypertext  - Methodology & Sources
List of illustrations
Please contribute comments, corrections.
Author, Spencer Weart

Social relationships
The Public and Climate Change (1)  (2)
     Wintry Doom
     Ice Sheets and Rising Seas
Government: The View from Washington
     Climate Modification Schemes
     Money for Keeling: Monitoring CO2 Levels
International Cooperation
     Climatology as a Profession

Reflections on the Scientific Process

A Personal Note

     Talking Points (pdf)

Reference/Utilities
Timeline of milestones
List of external influences
Developments after 1988 (links to essays)

BIBLIOGRAPHY by author
     Bibliography by year

DOWNLOAD entire site (Zip file)
PDF files
(to download and print)
Order on CD-ROM  

*SEARCH all the essays

*LINKS to basic and current information

For search engines: Abrupt Aerosol Biota Government GCM International Oceans Public Public2 Rapid Abrupt


This is mounted on the Web site of the Center for History of Physics of the American Institute of Physics.
Discovery of Global Warming
site created by Spencer Weart with support from the American Institute of Physics, the National Science Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Copyright © 2003-2006 Spencer Weart and the American Institute of Physics
.
Index terms: climate change, global warming, greenhouse effect, temperature change, history, science, geophysics, meteorology, computer models, aerosols, ice. Book cover photo by Frank Cezus © Getty Images.

history of global warming - history of climate science - greenhouse effect history

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