Our interests gain impetus from the fact that human activity is amplifying the atmosphere’s greenhouse effect, making it imperative to know how this change will affect Earth’s climate. That it will cause the surface to warm is well documented and not disputed. Much less clear, and far more interesting, is how much warming will arise from a given increase in the emission of the gases that cause the amplified greenhouse effect. Where will these gases go? How rapidly will the warming establish itself? And what are the consequences of the warming for weather patterns? Looking further afield, when and where will these changes impact the ability of eco-systems, including human systems, to inhabit the planet? And how might changes in these systems feedback on the ultimate causes of warming, human activity? Answering these types of questions demands a deep understanding of how the climate system works.
