Perspectives on the Atmosphere

Abstract

The most striking aspect of the development of atmospheric research over the last decade has been the widening interest in problems relating to climate on all time- and space-scales. This is reflected in the increased number of scientific journals publishing climate research studies and of specialised textbooks. The topics of interest range from questions of mesometeorological and topoclimatic scale (urban climates and mountain/valley circulations) to global problems concerning increases in atmospheric aerosols, trace gases and CO₂; from historical impacts of climate on society, to possible human-induced desertification effects on climate and ‘nuclear winter’ scenarios; and from observational studies of climate variability to paleoclimatic reconstructions using numerical climate models. The roots of this revitalisation of climatology can be traced to the Global Atmospheric Research Programme (GARP) of the World Meteorological Organisation (see their Publication No. 16 of 1975). A report prepared in conjunction with the GARP focused on the physical basis of climate and climate change. It documented the nature and scope of ‘the climate system’ which encompasses not only the atmosphere but also the oceans, biosphere, cryosphere and lithosphere. Factors internal to this system produce weather and climate variability on an interannual time-scale, while other factors external to it may account for longer term changes in climate.