Beyond Global Warming

Book by Syukuro Manabe & Anthony J. Broccoli (2021)

Syukuro Manabe is senior meteorologist in the Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at Princeton University, he is also a leading pioneer in modern climate simulation. In 1967, Manabe and his colleague Richard Wetherald published what is regarded as the cornerstone of contemporary climate modelling, creating the first computer simulation to represent the major radiative forcings (energy flows) and key feedback elements of Earth’s systems. In writing ‘Beyond Global Warming’ Manabe is joined by Anthony J. Broccoli, Professor of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University.

The book provides great insight into the early developments of climate science as far back as the 19th century, an in-depth take on Manabe’s ground breaking work on modern computer-based climate models in the 1970’s, and it brings the reader into the present day by explaining the cutting edge developments in Earth science and simulation.

‘Beyond Global Warming’ provides a comprehensive account of the fundamental physics of the greenhouse effect and how the pioneers of climate science pieced together the maths to create a simplified ‘radiative-convective’ model of global warming with estimates not so far from the best supercomputers of today. The book shows how these simplified ‘one-layer’ models have been extended into modern three dimensional ‘General Circulation Models’ that simulate the Earth’s atmosphere, land, ocean, and ice. And importantly, what these models tell us about the future of temperature rise, changing weather, and melting ice.

The information is presented in a clear, concise fashion with plenty of diagrams and explanation. The book is accessible to all readers though some grounding in science, technology, engineering or maths will certainly help with the more complex concepts.

*Cover Image by Chris Ferrante

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