Global Change and the Earth System: A Planet Under PressureThe interactions between environmental change and human societies have a long, complex history spanning many millennia, but these have changed fundamentally in the last century. Human activities are now so pervasive and profound that they are altering the Earth in ways which threaten the very life support system upon which humans depend. This book describes what is known about the Earth System and the impact of changes caused by humans. It considers the consequences of these changes with respect to the stability of the Earth System and the well-being of humankind; as well as exploring future paths towards Earth System science in support of global sustainability. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 83
Page v
... human existence on the planet , interaction with the environment has taken place at the local , or at most the regional , scale , except perhaps for one example in which regional - scale human activities were repeated to create global ...
... human existence on the planet , interaction with the environment has taken place at the local , or at most the regional , scale , except perhaps for one example in which regional - scale human activities were repeated to create global ...
Page viii
... Human Activities 3.3.2 The Atmosphere as Transformed by Human Activities 3.3.3 The Hydrological Cycle as Transformed by Human Activities 3.3.4 Coastal and Marine Environments as Transformed by Human Activities 3.3.5 Biological Diversity ...
... Human Activities 3.3.2 The Atmosphere as Transformed by Human Activities 3.3.3 The Hydrological Cycle as Transformed by Human Activities 3.3.4 Coastal and Marine Environments as Transformed by Human Activities 3.3.5 Biological Diversity ...
Page 1
... human activities are now so pervasive and profound in their consequences that they affect the Earth at a global scale in complex, inter- active and apparently accelerating ways; humans now have the capacity to alter the Earth System in ...
... human activities are now so pervasive and profound in their consequences that they affect the Earth at a global scale in complex, inter- active and apparently accelerating ways; humans now have the capacity to alter the Earth System in ...
Page 4
... human activities are strong . It is clear that the Earth System is being subjected to an ever - increas- ing diversity of new planetary - scale forces that origi- nate in human activities . Primarily , it is these activities that give ...
... human activities are strong . It is clear that the Earth System is being subjected to an ever - increas- ing diversity of new planetary - scale forces that origi- nate in human activities . Primarily , it is these activities that give ...
Page 6
... human activities is intensifying sharply ( Crutzen 2002 ; McNeill 2001 ) ( Fig . 1.7 ) . The manner in which human activities are bringing about change include the facts that : ▫ while petroleum was only discovered in the last 150 ...
... human activities is intensifying sharply ( Crutzen 2002 ; McNeill 2001 ) ( Fig . 1.7 ) . The manner in which human activities are bringing about change include the facts that : ▫ while petroleum was only discovered in the last 150 ...
Contents
1 | |
6 | |
Harvard University USA The University of Newcastle | 60 |
Claussen Martin | 75 |
How Humans are Changing the Earth System | 81 |
3 | 109 |
Magnitudes Rates and Significance of Human Changes | 131 |
4 | 142 |
Department of Geosciences Harvey Nick | 166 |
5 | 203 |
NASA Headquarters Washington DC USA Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research | 234 |
Dalhousie University Canada Scholes R | 251 |
References | 299 |
Mitra A | 305 |
Acknowledgements | 307 |
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aerosol aerosol particles Africa agricultural anthropogenic areas Asia atmos atmospheric CO2 Berlin Heidelberg biodiversity Biogeochem Cy biological biomass biosphere Cambridge carbon cycle century chemical climate change climate system CO₂ coastal zone complex concentration decades deforestation dynamics Earth System functioning ecosys ecosystems effects emissions ENSO environment environmental estimated example extinction feedbacks fertilisation flux forcing forest fossil fuel Gaia Geophys Res glacial Greenland growth Heidelberg New York Holocene human activities human-driven hydrological hydrological cycle ice core IGBP IGBP Global Change impacts important increase influence interactions IPCC land-cover Lovelock marine natural nitrogen North Atlantic nutrients ocean organic ozone past patterns perturbation photosynthesis phytoplankton plant population processes production radiative forcing record regions responses river role scale Science sediment significant simulations soil solar species surface temperature terrestrial ecosystems Tg N yr–1 thermohaline circulation tion transport trends tropical tropospheric variability vegetation warming Younger Dryas