Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast (Paperback)

by David Archer (Author)
Key Phrases: skin altitude, anthropogenic climate forcings, outgoing energy flux, North Atlantic, United States, Year Fig (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"This book is highly valuable for its description of the physics and chemistry involved in climate change." (Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, September 2008)

"A useful addition to any science library in this country." (International Journal of Meteorology)

Review
Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2007

"Rigorous but rewarding, David Archer's book takes us through the science of global warming so that we can more effectively assess where the world may be heading."
–Andrew S. Goudie, University of Oxford

"David Archer's book is an accessible, entertaining, but detailed account of how scientists are trying to predict future climate change. It is an excellent book and should be the first port of call for anyone wanting to delve deeper into exactly what goes into those global warming forecasts."
–Mark Maslin, University College London, author of Global Warming: A Very Short Introduction, OUP (2004)

"David Archer has provided a masterful and lucid explanation of a complex environmental problem. This is all you need to understand the issues."
–Professor Ray Bradley, University of Massachusetts

"This is a wonderful book. Between the covers of a surprisingly slim paperback, David Archer has distilled nearly everything a concerned undergraduate student could wish to know about the workings of the climate system...overall, this book perfectly hits its target audience." –Keith Alverson, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, Environmental Conservation, August 2007

"...a tour de force of elegant explanation and didactic brilliance...I cannot recommend this book too highly; it is a well-written, evocative exposition of one of the most important issues of our time."
–Howard Falcon-Lang, University of Bristol, Geology Today, August 2007

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (December 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405140399
• ISBN-13: 978-1405140393
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #461,154 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book For Anyone! , September 20, 2006

By	Emily O'Donnell "ebo" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

I honestly believe that after reading this book, anyone will be able to confidently discuss global warming topics from an objective viewpoint.

Dr. Archer wrote this book after teaching a course with the same title for several years. His writing style is as great as his lecture style - non-intimidating, humorous, well-explained examples and analogies, and he teaches the science behind the famous words "global warming". There is no arm-waving or magical answer. The descriptive text encourages the reader to find answers themselves via simple calculations. In addition, several fun and relevant web-based models are included. For example, in one model, you can calculate how the earth's temperature may change if you increase the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere. In another, you can play with the supply of fossil fuels and predict how long it will be before we run out.

I've been a teaching assistant to Dr. Archer for two years, and his lectures, which this book is partially based on, have helped students with no previous background understand the science behind global warming, and enjoy themselves while doing it. But as a graduate student, I still find myself consulting his book for general facts about the carbon cycle or atmosphere. It truly is a book that can be enjoyed at any level of background, especially today, when global warming is such a hot (no pun intended) topic. I've read the book each year, and look forward to reading it again. Definitely a great buy!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The next best thing to enrolling at U. of Chicago, February 24, 2007

By	raypierre (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

I wish to commend this wonderful book written by my colleague, David Archer. The class upon which this book is based is a runaway success, and each year it seems they need to find a bigger lecture hall. When you have read the books like "The Weather Makers," and "Field Notes from a Catastrophe," and are ready for something more quantitative but still fairly gentle on the math, this is the one for you. I think it's the best source around for people who want to get a true scientific understanding of the physics and chemistry of climate change.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Basic mechanisms demystified, May 22, 2007

By	Geoffrey J. Russell (Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are some annoying typographical errors in this book, otherwise I would give
it five stars --- visit the book's website for a list of errata.

Plenty of books tell you about global warming, but this book really does
dymystify the nuts and bolts of how climate scientists know what they
say they know. The book says it is based on a course for non-scientists and
it shows --- the explanations are clearly honed from experience of explaining
scientific concepts to non-scientists. It is always difficult for scientists
in any field to convey the depth of knowledge which has accumulated over
a long period of time to people coming from other disciplines, but this book
does a pretty good job.