Book contents
- Quaternary Climate Dynamics
- Reviews
- Quaternary Climate Dynamics
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Boxes
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Prologue
- 1 Fundamentals of Climate Dynamics
- 2 Methods of Empirical Paleoclimatology
- 3 Modeling Past Climates
- 4 Pre-Quaternary Climates
- 5 Quaternary Glacial Cycles
- 6 Abrupt Glacial Climate Changes
- 7 Interglacials
- 8 Anthropocene
- Epilogue
- References
- Index
1 - Fundamentals of Climate Dynamics
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 December 2025
Book contents
- Quaternary Climate Dynamics
- Reviews
- Quaternary Climate Dynamics
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Boxes
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Prologue
- 1 Fundamentals of Climate Dynamics
- 2 Methods of Empirical Paleoclimatology
- 3 Modeling Past Climates
- 4 Pre-Quaternary Climates
- 5 Quaternary Glacial Cycles
- 6 Abrupt Glacial Climate Changes
- 7 Interglacials
- 8 Anthropocene
- Epilogue
- References
- Index
Summary
The chapter describes the basic terminology used in the book, the composition of the Earth system and the principles of climate dynamics. It details the main components of the Earth system (atmosphere, ocean, hydrosphere, cryosphere, biosphere and solid Earth) and processes relevant to understanding climate dynamics. The concepts of climate, climate variability and climate change are discussed in the context of Quaternary climate dynamics. The global cycles of energy, water and carbon and their importance for climate evolution and variability are presented. The chapter introduces the mechanisms behind different types of radiative forcing, climate feedbacks and climate sensitivity. The difference between equilibrium and transient climate responses to different climate forcings is specified. The frameworks of stability and instability are introduced and discussed in application to climate. The relationship between the stochasticity of the Earth system and the predictability of climate change is presented.
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- Quaternary Climate DynamicsIntegrating Paleoclimate Data, Modeling and Theory, pp. 1 - 39Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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