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It is well known that the ozone layer protects the Earth and its life from the harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation of the sun. It has also been discovered that this layer was being depleted to the extent that holes were appearing in it by several substances (such as CFCs) which have since been banned. Despite this action recent studies have shown that the ozone layer is still being depleted at a rapid rate and that holes are now beginning to appear over areas which are quite densely populated. Atmospheric Ozone Variability examines the potential problems that depletion of ozone causes in relation to climate change, human health and the ecosystem. It also examines the ways in which ozone is formed and depleted as being fundamental to the debate. ... Read more

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In the stratosphere, ozone performs a vital role by absorbing ultraviolet (UV) radiation and acting as a protective layer for life on Earth. Ultraviolet Reflections: Life Under a Thinning Ozone Layer examines the effects of increasing UV radiation on people, plants and animals. It takes the reader on a journey from the Antarctic ozone hole to the Arctic birch forest, to see how plankton and plants will fare against increasing UV radiation. We know the dangers for skin cancer, but this book also raises intriguing questions about the evolution of our immune system and uncovers scientific controversy in the discussion of eye disease. The accessible style of this book gives readers at all levels an insight into the complexities of how life has evolved to deal with the destructive power of the sun. Moreover, it gives the reader a chance to follow international policy, as well as current research in the field. The book is aimed at those who do not have time to follow the scientific literature in all the fields, but who are not satisfied with simple answers: science teachers trying to convey basic ideas about the environment, students who want to know things that you cannot find in the text books, environmentalists and policy makers needing more than statements of scientific consensus. Most of all it is written for anyone ready to reflect on one of the major environmental issues of today. ... Read more

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Tropospheric ozone is a regionally distributed air pollutant that adversely affects both humans and vegetation. Surface-Level Ozone Exposures and Their Effects on Vegetation focuses on the formation, distribution, and transport of surface-level ozone; the characterization of its exposures; the mechanisms and processes involved in its deposition and uptake by plants; and its effects on the growth of crops and forest trees. State-of-the-art information is presented and the methodology for studying its effects on vegetation is critically reviewed. This background material leads to a discussion of the approaches for developing an air quality standard that will provide protection from the adverse effects of ozone, as well as suggestions for future research directions. Researchers and professionals in the utility industry, oil industry, and government environmental agencies; university instructors; and students will find that this book is filled with information that can be used on a daily basis in their work and studies. ... Read more

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Describes the ozone layer and its ongoing destruction and explains what can be done to help solve the problem. ... Read more

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This text presents the latest results regarding the environmental effects of depletion of the ozone layer on the geosphere and biosphere. Topics covered include: tropospheric air quality; ozone reduction; solar UB measurements; UV-B mapping; biological effects on humans, animals, plants and aquatic organisms; and predicted implications of a UV-stressed biosphere and geosphere. ... Read more

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It is now possible to determine concentrations of trace constituents and pollutants in the lower atmosphere from space, a development which heralds a new era for tropospheric chemistry. The authors describe how to develop and validate methods for determining tropospheric trace constituents from satellite data, to encourage the use of these data by atmospheric chemists, and to explore the undoubted synergism which will develop between satellite and ground-based measurements, and will eventually give rise to a permanent observation system for the troposphere. The book comprises several comprehensive overviews, prepared by acknowledged experts in the field, together with a series of individual reports from investigators whose work represents the cutting edge of the subject. A variety of results, giving global distributions of several species and their modelling are reported. Most results stem from ESA satellite data, but there is also a account of the North American work in this field which has mainly concentrated on global distributions of ozone. It is fair to say that the field, as it develops, will revolutionize the way in which atmospheric chemistry is done. This timely book provides a good introduction for anyone with an interest in the future of the troposphere. ... Read more

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This text focuses on the atmosphere and how it works as a global entity to maintain a given global climate or ozone shield and how it is influenced by human activity. A complete reference for students of environmental science and related fields, it introduces aspects of global change from a meteorological perspective. An accompanying guide to the Internet helps keep readers up to date on the latest information in the field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent technical introduction to global climate change
Whether you are entering a geophysical academic field or just interested in the process of global climate change and whether or not it is happeing, this book provides an excellent introduction to what is really going on in the atmosphere.
Covering not only global warming, but also long term climate change (ice ages), El Nino Southern Oscillation, the ozone hole, and changes in the carbon cycle, this book uses less than 150 pages to provide the reader a strong grasp of how the atmosphere might be changing.
What is missing from the book?Attention is focused only on the technical mechanisms of the role of the atmosphere in global climate change.The book does not address the role of human activites and hence is able to mostly maintain balance.Thus, it is a must read no matter which side of the global warming debate you stand on. ... Read more

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The main focus of this book is the study of environmental dynamics in the Arctic, coupled with ecosystem dynamics. Particular emphasis has been placed on problems of the Arctic atmosphere composition, including minor gases, aerosols and clouds, as well as changes in the composition due to human impacts. Analysis of observational data and numerical modelling results which characterize the Arctic basin pollution dynamics and its impact on ecosystems is also provided. Other topics covered include problems of general circulation in the atmosphere and oceans - beginning with the 1930s when the Arctic was regarded as the kitchen of global weather and climate, moving on to today when modern observational data and numerical modelling make for a more balanced view. ... Read more

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Richard Benedick, who was the chief US negotiator for the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, offers an insider's view of the politics, the economics, the science, and the diplomacy surrounding efforts to protect the ozone layer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Pretty Good Condition for an Excellent Price
Condition of the book was amazing considering the price I paid.Took a little longer than expected to ship, but still within the companies guarantee date.Very polite and pleasant follow up e-mail.All in all, I am very pleased and would definetly buy from the company again.

Stripping away the sheen
This book is one of a handful that have appeared in the years since the Montreal Protocol that have addressed the motivations behind those that acted to bring the protocol into being.It questions the simple thesisthat it was simply an attempt to introduce environmental protection for oneof the Earths damaged resources, suggesting instead that the primarymotivation was more economically defined.the primary actors each hadsomething to be gained in seeing a ban on CFC's in favour of their(generally more expensive) alternative. In this regard it presents a massof evidence thatmight come as a surprise to those who believed that thetreaty was a hopeful first step towards international agreements to benefitthe Earth's environment, and it is a surprise that is unlikely to be apleasant one.It does no-one any good to hide from the truth however, andthe volume is thus a worthwhile read, as well as a useful pointer towardsfurther reading around this area. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council in 1966 in 36 pages; Original Identifier: NAP:12746; Subjects: Ozone; Atmospheric ozone; Science / Chemistry / General; Science / Environmental Science; Science / Earth Sciences / Meteorology ... Read more

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The Forgiving Air is an authoritative, up-to-date handbook on global change. Written by a scientist for nonscientists, this primer humanizes the great environmental issues of our time--the hole in the ozone layer, the greenhouse effect, acid rain, and air pollution--and explains everything in accessible prose. This fully updated and revised edition takes into account the latest developments in climate research and policy. Highlighting the interrelatedness of human activity and global change, Richard Somerville stresses the importance of an educated public in a world where the role of science is increasingly critical. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

True Understanding of Climate Change
This second edition of Richard Somerville's The Forgiving Air. Understanding Environmental Change is the necessary next step in understandingthe key environmental issue of our time - climate change. An internationally renowned atmospheric scientist, Somerville brilliantly enlightens readers of any level about the greenhouse effect, the ozone hole, air pollution, acid rain and other issues that will affect our lives for decades to come.The impact is all the more powerful given the author's principal role in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, work which led to IPCC sharing of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with, among others, Al Gore.Dr. Somerville treats the science and its implications in an objective and easily comprehensible manner, including discussions of the policy ramifications of solutions to these extreme environmental problems.

Somerville embarks on this scholarly journey with a thorough coverage of the issue of the Antarctic ozone hole, broadening the discussion to the stratospheric ozone layer in general, skillfully separating natural effects from those induced by human activities. But the dominant subject of this book is climate and climate change.Illuminating the science behind computer-based weather and climate simulations, the author clearly describes the difference between weather and climate without resorting to obtuse scientific jargon or impenetrable mathematics.This book is written in plain English with the goal to communicate with all readers while assuming no prior knowledge of the topic.The Forgiving Air also contains a useful glossary and annotated bibliography.I highly recommend this book as an introduction to this most pressing global environmental issue and as a guide to policymakers and the greater public.

Climate Change
Has helped me to understand that there is more to climate change than CO2.I am afraid that man is going to screw up the climate by placing too much emphasis on CO2.

A Very Interesting Book on Global Warming by a Scientist
Do you know that the atmosphere remembers our past behavior? And there is a limit to the forgiveness of the air. Another popular question is whether we can say that people are changing the climate? The actual language on the December 1995 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports is that "The balance of evidence suggests that there is a discernible human influence on global climate." Another common question is that suppose human beings are warming the Earth, what should we do? Richard C.J. Somerville's "The Forgiving Air: Understanding Environmental Change" suggests the following: (1) stabilizing and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, (2) developing renewable forms of energy, and (3) protecting the atmosphere. The world population is another factor.

My primary interest on the book is weather computing. According to the author, computing weather is a calculus problem. To be specific, it is an initial value problem. Many problems involving calculus are too complicated to be solved exactly. Fortunately, there exists method to find an approximate solution.

We can predict weather for three days or up to a week now. The limit on weather prediction is about three weeks due to the system is sensitive dependence on initial conditions. Thunderstorms and hurricanes are still too small to be resolved by the weather model's grids. A weather service would reduce the grid size of its model for better predictions when a faster computer is available. But models are not yet realistic enough to reproduce droughts or monsoons.

Predicting climate is a new field. We don't even know what is predictable. Climate prediction may be a boundary-value problem. Anyway, temperature is the single most important indicator to represent all the complexity and severity of climate change. However, scientific research is time consuming. On the other hand, the second edition of the book is available. There may be good news on predicting climate.

The Forgiving Air, Understanding Environmental Change, Second Edition
A very readable book for anyone trying to understand and sort through the misinformation surrounding climate change.It explains The Ozone Hole, The Greenhouse Effect, Acid Rain, El Nino and a host of other climate related events, and their outcomes both actual and predicted. Be sure to get the updated second edition.

BORING!!!!
In The Forgiving Air: Understanding Environmental Change, Richard C.J. Sommerville provides readers with a better comprehension of our environment "because we're less likely to do serious and irreversible damage to it if we understand it better."Sommerville is optimistic and feels that "humankind, when confronted with serious global environmental problems, is capable of acting rationally and cooperatively for the benefit of all life on Earth."Sommerville acknowledges various threats to our environment such as the growing hole in the ozone, the greenhouse effect, global change, air pollution, and other problems caused by numerous manmade forces. Sommerville's faith and optimism in the goodness of mankind is generous, but potentially hopeless; he neglects to acknowledge the successes and failures of the 1992 Earth Summit held in Brazil.Deforestation, pollution, and resource degradation decreased for a short time after the conference, but later escalated to higher than average levels. Sommervilles sees hope and acknowledges the difficulties of cleaning our environment, especially in developing countries.China, for example, perceives environmental sanctions as a threat to their industrialization and modernization and has also accused developed nations of trying to suppress developing countries;Many other developing nations are not willing to sacrifice their means of economic subsistence for the sake of the Earth's atmosphere.During the 1997 Earth Summit the developing third world countries deflected the finger of blame for the ecological problems. Sommerville does have good reason to have a positive attitude towards the improvement of the environment; the growing awareness of the problem and the United States and the United Kingdom proposed a clean development fund, in which wealthier nations would provide technical assistance to countries that need it to develop CFC substitutes and to implement the technologies as long as the third world would also accept some of the costs and reduce the amount of harmful pollutants they submit into the atmosphere.People do want to make a difference, and Sommerville exemplifies this with the case of Susannah Beg; Beg was only seventeen when she spoke on behalf of the Australian Conservation Foundation Youth Delegation at a London environmental conference attended by representatives from around the world to alleviate environmental problems.Beg spoke with eloquent words demanding that the representatives make a decision that would result in a safe environment for future generations.Sommerville does succeed in informing the reader of atmospheric problems, the causes, and potential consequences of mankind's continuous disregard for the environment, but his efforts can only be compared to a cigarette smoker being told not to smoke.No matter what the consequences, whether it be sun burn or skin cancer, people aren't just going to drop their air conditioners, they're not going to resort to non-motorized or even public transportation.It will be a long and arduous process before people get the message that they need to give up some of the luxuries of life for a global cause. The Forgiving Air makes reference to technology that is both helpful and harmful.Sommerville comments on Thomas Midgley's discovery of tetraethyl lead that helped mankind drive faster, but the lead was harmful to the environment. Midgley also invented chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) to make refrigerators safer and have numerous other uses, but CFC's destroy the ozone.It's ironic that two inventions with so many great benefits came from the same inventor and both are so harmful to our environment. In general, Sommerville's The Forgiving Air is very informative, but most the facts in this book are things most of society already knows, but hasn't cared to either acknowledge or understand the full depth of the consequences. Maybe people know there's a problem, but they think they can't make a difference; this is another negative aspect of The Forgiving Air, Sommerville offers solutions in on a global level, but not a personal level.I think if people knew what to do they would at least try. ... Read more

Product Description
In this book, a specialist in atmospheric research describes the causes of acid rain, ozone depletion and global warming and the evidence for each one's recent acceleration. He also provides practical and long-range suggestions for controlling these and other forms of atmospheric deterioration. The author discusses how the emission of sulphur and nitrogen substances into the air leads to acid rain, how the release of chlorine-bearing gases into the air causes destruction of ozone in the high atmosphere, and how the addition of infrared trapping gases to the atmosphere restricts the loss of radiation from the earth and thus leads to a heating of the climate. He argues that although it is almost impossible to bring the spread of chemicals into the air to a complete halt, steps to slow air pollution are technically feasible and in many cases economically beneficial. He describes these strategies, cautioning that they must be co-ordinated with a larger goal of lessening the total impact human activities have on the earth.According to the author, we can work towards this goal by attempting to stabilize populations (in the developed as well as the developing world), protect forests, encourage the use of modern energy-efficient technology in Third World countries (and the United States) and reduce poverty worldwide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Book!
This book is excellent! Great for science lovers, environment lovers, and great book lovers. It teaches us to learn about and appreciate our currently decaying environment. I strongly recommend that you buy it! ... Read more

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This text, written from the perspective of international relations, explores how the international community has responded to the novel challenges posed by anthropogenic change of the atmosphere. It contrasts the comparative sucess of moves to set up an international regime to prevent ozone depletion with the inefficiancy of attempts to address the problem of climate change. The author begins with an explanation of the theory of international co-operation, and then moves on to examine the scientific evidence for ozone depletion and climate change that has prompted international action. He explores the special interests which have influenced the formulation of internationl policy on these issues, and the equity considerations which have affected both the Montreal Protocol and UNCED negotiations. A final section examines the political catalysts such as NGOs which are driving moves towards binding international policies. ... Read more