Climate change: outline of topics

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Listed here are major topic areas in climate change science and policy. Titles with links are existing contributions from EoE authors. Titles with no links form a "Wanted Articles " list for which we seek authors. If you are interested in contributing, and/or want to suggest new topics, please contact Stephen Nodvin or Maggie Walser. Please consult the How to Contribute page for more information.

Climate and climate change science overview

  1. Global warming
  2. The climate system
    1. Earth's energy balance
      1. Solar radiation
      2. Earth-sun relationships
      3. Albedo
      4. Atmospheric effects on incoming solar radiation
      5. Radiative forcing & damping
    2. The greenhouse effect
    3. Hydrological cycle
    4. Biogeochemical cycles
      1. Carbon cycle
        1. Oceanic carbon
      2. Sulfur cycle
      3. Nitrogen cycle
    5. The atmosphere
      1. Layers of the atmosphere
      2. Atmospheric composition and structure
        1. Composition
        2. Greenhouse gases
        3. Aerosols
      3. Atmospheric circulation
      4. Air pollution
      5. Local and regional air pollution effects
    6. Oceans
      1. Ocean circulation
    7. Glaciers
  3. Past climates
    1. History of climate change and variability
    2. Palaeoclimate
      1. Palaeoclimatic methods
      2. Pre-quaternary climates
      3. Glacial-Interglacial variability and dynamics
      4. The current Interglacial
      5. The last 2,000 years
  4. History of climate change science
    1. Scientific disciplines
      1. Planetary studies
    2. People
      1. James Croll
      2. Charles Keeling
      3. Roger Revelle
  5. Modeling climate
    1. Advances in modeling
      1. Modeling atmospheric processes
      2. Modeling ocean processes
      3. Modeling terrestrial processes
      4. Modeling cryospheric processes
      5. Aerosol modeling and atmospheric chemistry
      6. Coupled models
        1. Atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (AOGCM)
    2. Climate sensitivity and feedbacks
    3. Thresholds and abrupt change
    4. Evaluation of contemporary climate as simulated by coupled global models
    5. Evaluation of large-scale climate variability as simulated by coupled global models
    6. Modeling extremes

Causes of climate change

  1. Overview
  2. Frequently asked questions
  3. Natural causes
    1. Changes in composition of Earth’s atmosphere
    2. Changes in topography, land-sea geography, and bathymetry
    3. Changes is solar luminosity
    4. Changes in Earth’s orbit
    5. Volcanic activity
    6. Internal variability
  4. Human causes
    1. Chemically and radiatively important gases
      1. Carbon dioxide
        1. Mauna Loa curve
      2. Methane
      3. Nitrous oxide
      4. Montreal Protocol gases
      5. Ozone
      6. Statospheric water vapor
      7. Greenhouse gas emissions
    2. Changes in aerosol concentrations
    3. Changes in surface albedo
      1. Land-use change
      2. Deforestation
        1. South America
        2. Other regions
  5. Global warming potentials
  6. Relative magnitudes of natural and human causes of climate change

Surface and atmospheric changes

  1. Changes in surface temperature
    1. Surface and surface-air temperature records
    2. Balloon-based temperature records
    3. Satellite-based proxy records
    4. Ground temperature profiles
  2. Long proxy temperature records
    1. Documentary and historical evidence
    2. Tree rings
      1. Arctic tree rings
    3. Marine records
      1. Corals
      2. Marine sediments
    4. Ice core measurements
    5. Glacier length and mass balance
    6. Boreholes
    7. Multiproxy reconstruction techniques
  3. Changes is large-scale precipitation
  4. Changes in evapotranspiration
  5. Changes in soil moisture, drought, runoff, and river discharge
  6. Changes in the troposphere and stratosphere
  7. Changes in water vapor
  8. Changes in clouds
  9. Changes in radiation
  10. Changes in atmospheric circulation
    1. Storm tracks
    2. The stratosphere
    3. Winds, waves, and surface fluxes
  11. Patterns of atmospheric circulation variability
    1. Teleconnections
    2. El Nino/La Nina
    3. Pacific Decadal Variability
    4. North Atlantic Oscillation and Northern Annular Mode
    5. Southern Hemisphere and Southern Annular Mode
    6. Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation
  12. Changes in extreme events
    1. Changes in tropical storms
    2. Changes in extratropical storms
  13. Changes in alpine glaciers

Changes in snow, ice, and frozen land

  1. Changes in seasonal snow cover
  2. Changes in river and lake ice
  3. Changes in sea ice
  4. Changes in glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, and ice shelves
    1. Glaciers and ice sheets in the Arctic
  5. Changes in frozen ground
    1. Permafrost in the Arctic
  6. Changes in the length of the North American growing season
  7. Changes in the distribution of plants and animals
  8. Trends in precipitation, storminess, and El Nino
    1. Mean annual precipitation
    2. Heavy precipitation
    3. Snowfall in Antarctica and Greenland
    4. Tropical cyclones
    5. Extratropical cyclones

Oceanic climate change and sea level

  1. Changes in global scale temperature and salinity
    1. Ocean heat content
    2. Ocean salinity
    3. Air-sea fluxes and meridional transport
  2. Regional changes in ocean circulation and water masses
    1. Atlantic and Arctic Oceans
    2. Pacific Ocean
    3. Indian Ocean
    4. Southern Ocean
  3. Ocean biogeochemical changes
    1. Carbon
    2. Oxygen
    3. Nutrients
  4. Changes in sea level
    1. Observations of sea level changes
    2. Ocean density changes
    3. Ocean mass change
    4. Total budget of the global mean sea level change

Understanding climate changes in the Industrial Era

  1. Changes in climate during the Industrial Era
  2. Temperature
  3. Ocean climate change
  4. Atmospheric circulation change
  5. Precipitation
  6. Sea level
  7. Cryosphere changes

Couplings between changes in the climate system and biogeochemistry

  1. Land climate system
  2. Carbon cycle and the climate system
    1. Ocean acidification
  3. Reactive gases and the climate system
  4. Aerosol particles and the climate system

Global climate projections

  1. Overview
  2. Projected changes in emissions, concentrations, and radiative forcing
  3. Projected changes in the physical climate system
  4. Changes associated with biogeochemical feedbacks and ocean acidification
  5. Quantifying the range of climate change projections
  6. Sea level change in the 21st century
  7. Long term climate change and commitment

Regional climate projections

  1. Africa
  2. Europe and the Mediterranean
  3. Asia
  4. North America
  5. Central and South America
  6. Australia and New Zealand
  7. Polar regions
    1. Arctic
      1. 21st century climate change scenarios
      2. Improving projections
      3. Projections for four Arctic regions
      4. Statistical downscaling approach
    2. Antarctic
  8. Small islands

Impacts of climate change on systems and sectors

  1. Overview
  2. Overview of economic impacts
  3. Observed changes and responses in natural and managed systems
    1. Methods of detection
    2. Observed, climate-related changes
  4. Fresh water resources
    1. Overview
    2. Key impacts and vulnerabilities
      1. Surface waters
      2. Groundwater
        1. Saltwater intrusion
      3. Floods and droughts
      4. Water quality
      5. Erosion and sediment transport
    3. Costs and other socio-economic aspects
  5. Ecosystems
    1. Deserts
    2. Grasslands and savannas
    3. Mediterranean ecosystems
    4. Forests and woodlands
    5. Tundra and Arctic/Antarctic ecosystems
      1. Overview
      2. Regional processes and feedbacks
      3. Species adaptation
      4. Genetic responses in species
      5. Arctic bird species
      6. Forest distribution
      7. Insects as a forest disturbance
      8. Tree growth
      9. Caribou
      10. Wildlife management
        1. Overview
        2. Critical issues
        3. Alaskan Arctic
        4. Arctic
        5. Canadian north
        6. Fennoscandian north
        7. Russian Arctic and sub-Arctic
        8. Marine mammals and seabirds
    6. Mountains
    7. Freshwater wetlands, lakes and rivers
    8. Oceans and shallow seas
      1. Coral reefs: coral bleaching and coral growth
    9. Impacts on biodiversity
      1. Birds
  6. Food, forests and fisheries
    1. Importance of agriculture, forestry and fisheries
    2. Current sensitivity, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity
    3. Assumptions about future trends
    4. Future impacts
      1. Primary effects
      2. Food-crop farming
      3. Pastures and livestock
      4. Industrial crops and biofuels
      5. Forestry
      6. Aquaculture
  7. Coastal systems and low-lying areas
    1. Natural coastal ecosystems
    2. Human utilization of the coastal zone
    3. External terrestrial and marine influences
    4. Socio-economic impacts of climate change
  8. Industry, settlement and society
    1. Key impacts and vulnerabilities
    2. Overview of market impacts
    3. Overview of non-market impacts
    4. Human vulnerability
    5. Specific impacts
      1. Industry
      2. Services
      3. Utilities/Infrastructure
      4. Human settlement
      5. Social Issues
        1. Economic issues
  9. Human health
    1. Overview of U.S. federal research
    2. Heat and cold health effects
    3. Winds, storms and floods
    4. Drought, nutrition and food security
    5. Food safety
    6. Water and disease
    7. Air quality and disease
    8. Aeroallergens and disease
    9. Vector-borne, rodent-borne, and other infectious diseases
    10. Occupational health
    11. Ultraviolet radiation and health

Regional impacts of climate change

  1. Africa
    1. Overview
    2. Future trends
      1. Climate change scenarios
      2. Socio-economic scenarios
    3. Impacts
      1. Water
      2. Energy
      3. Health
      4. Agriculture
      5. Ecosystems
      6. Coastal zones
      7. Tourism
      8. Settlements, industry and infrastructure
  2. Europe and the Mediterranean
    1. Future trends
      1. Climate change scenarios
      2. Socio-economic scenarios
    2. Impacts
      1. Water resources
      2. Coastal and marine systems
      3. Mountains and sub-Arctic regions
      4. Forests, shrublands and grasslands
      5. Wetlands and aquatic ecosystems
      6. Biodiversity
      7. Agriculture and fisheries
      8. Energy and transportation
      9. Tourism and recreation
      10. Human health
      11. Property insurance
  3. Asia
    1. Future trends
      1. Climate change scenarios
      2. Socio-economic scenarios
    2. Impacts
      1. Agriculture and food security
      2. Hydrology and water resources
      3. Coastal and low-lying areas
      4. Natural ecosystems and biodiversity
      5. Human health
  4. North America
    1. Future trends
      1. Climate change scenarios
      2. Socio-economic scenarios
    2. Impacts
      1. Freshwater resources
      2. Ecosystems
      3. Coastal regions
      4. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
      5. Human health
      6. Human settlements
      7. Tourism and recreation
      8. Energy, industry and transportation
      9. Property insurance
  5. Central and South America
    1. Future trends
      1. Climate change scenarios
      2. Socio-economic scenarios
    2. Impacts
      1. Natural ecosystems
      2. Agriculture
      3. Water resources
      4. Coasts
      5. Human health
  6. Australia and New Zealand
    1. Future trends
      1. Climate change scenarios
      2. Socio-economic scenarios
    2. Impacts
      1. Freshwater resources
      2. Natural ecosystems
      3. Agriculture
      4. Forestry
      5. Coasts
      6. Fisheries
      7. Settlements, industries and societies
      8. Indigenous people
      9. Tourism and recreation
      10. Energy
      11. Human health
  7. Polar regions (Arctic/Antarctic)
    1. Projected changes
    2. Indigenous communities
      1. Overview
      2. Indigenous observations
      3. Renewable resource use
      4. Aleutian and Pribilof Islands
      5. Arctic Athabaskan Council
      6. The Dene Nation
      7. Inuit
      8. Canadian Inuit
      9. Inuvialuit
      10. Kola
      11. Nunavut
      12. Qaanaaq
      13. Qikiktagrugmiut
      14. Peoples of the Russian north
      15. Saami
      16. Sapmi
      17. Yamal Nenets
    3. Impacts
      1. Overview
      2. Overview of impacts in Alaska
      3. Fire
      4. Carbon uptake
      5. Freshwater systems and ocean processes
      6. Terrestrial ecosystems and their services
      7. Marine ecosystems
      8. Human health and well being
      9. Coastal zone and small islands
        1. Sea level rise
  8. Small islands
    1. Future trends
      1. Climate change scenarios
      2. Socio-economic scenarios
    2. Impacts
      1. Water resources
      2. Coastal systems and resources
      3. Agriculture, fisheries, and food security
      4. Biodiversity
      5. Human settlements
      6. Economic, cultural, and socio-economic impacts
      7. Infrastructure and transportation

Climate change adaptation

  1. Adapting to climate change
  2. Industry, settlement and society
    1. Industry
    2. Services
    3. Utilities/Infrastructure
    4. Human settlement
    5. Social Issues
  3. Regional adaptation strategies
    1. Africa
    2. Europe and the Mediterranean
    3. Asia
    4. North America
    5. Central and South America
    6. Australia and New Zealand
    7. Polar regions
      1. Arctic
      2. Antarctic
    8. Small islands

Responses to climate change impacts

  1. Adaptation practices, options, constraints, and capacity
    1. Adaptation practices in the financial sector
    2. Elements of adaptive capacity
    3. Gender aspects of vulnerability and adaptive capacity
    4. Limits and barriers to adaptation
  2. Inter-relationships between adaptation and mitigation
    1. Decision processes, stakeholder objectives, and scale
    2. Adaptation, mitigation, and damages avoided
    3. Response capacity and development pathways
  3. Key vulnerabilities and risks from climate change
    1. Global social systems
    2. Regional vulnerabilities
    3. Ecosystems and biodiversity
    4. Geophysical systems
    5. Extreme events
  4. Climate change and sustainability
    1. Impacts and adaptation in the context of multiple stresses
    2. Global and aggregate impacts
    3. Regional, sub-regional, local, and sectoral development

Climate change mitigation

  1. Energy supply
    1. Status of energy sector emissions
    2. Mitigation technologies and strategies
      1. Fossil fuels
        1. Fuel taxes
      2. Nuclear energy
      3. Renewable energy
      4. Energy carriers
      5. Combined heat and power
      6. Carbon capture and storage
        1. Reclamation of mine soils (RMS)
      7. Transmission, distribution and storage
      8. Decentralized energy
      9. Recaptured energy
    3. Mitigation costs and potentials of energy supply
    4. Energy policy
  2. Transport and infrastructure
    1. Status of transportation sector emissions
    2. Mitigation technologies and strategies
      1. Road
      2. Rail
      3. Aviation
      4. Shipping
    3. Mitigation costs and potentials of transportation
    4. Transportation policy
  3. Residential and commercial buildings
    1. Status of building sector emissions
    2. Mitigation technologies and strategies
      1. Heating and cooling
      2. Building energy management systems
      3. Hot water systems
      4. Lighting
    3. Buildings policy
  4. Industry
    1. Status of industry emissions
    2. Mitigation technologies and strategies
      1. Energy efficiency
      2. Fuel switching
      3. Heat and power recovery
      4. Renewable energy
      5. Materials efficiency and recycling
      6. Carbon capture and storage
    3. Mitigation issues of specific processes
      1. Iron and steel
      2. Non-ferrous metals
      3. Chemicals and fertilizers
      4. Petroleum refining
      5. Minerals
      6. Pulp and paper
      7. Food
      8. Other industries
    4. Industry policy
  5. Agriculture
    1. Status of agricultural emissions
    2. Mitigation technologies and strategies
      1. Global and regional estimates of agricultural greenhouse gas mitigation potential
      2. Bioenergy feedstocks
      3. Implications of mitigation for sustainable development
    3. Agricultural policy
  6. Forestry
    1. Status of forestry management
    2. Mitigation technologies and strategies
      1. Reducing deforestation
      2. Increasing afforestation
      3. Improving forest management
    3. Forestry policy
  7. Waste management
    1. Status of waste and wastewater generation
    2. Mitigation technologies and strategies
      1. Methane management at landfills
      2. Waste-to-energy processes
      3. Biological treatment
      4. Waste reduction
      5. Wastewater and sludge treatment
    3. Waste management policy
  8. Cross-sectoral perspectives
    1. Business strategies
    2. Overall mitigation potential and costs
    3. Macro-economic effects
    4. Technology and costs of mitigation
    5. Mid- and long-term costs
    6. International spill-over effects
  9. Sustainable development
  10. Regional strategies
    1. Africa
    2. Europe and the Mediterranean
    3. Asia
    4. North America
      1. Northeastern North America
      2. U.S. business strategies
    5. Central and South America
    6. Australia and New Zealand
    7. Polar regions (Arctic/Antarctic)
    8. Small islands

Reports, agreements, and international organizations

    1. Arctic Climate Impact Assessment
      1. Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA)
      2. Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (full report)
    2. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
      1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
      2. Fourth Assessment Report
      3. Third Assessment Report
        1. IPCC Third Assessment Report – Climate Change 2001
        2. IPCC: Scientific Basis Summary
        3. IPCC: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability Summary
        4. IPCC: Mitigation Summary
    3. Kyoto Protocol
      1. Kyoto Protocol
      2. Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (full text)
      3. Kyoto Protocol and the United States
      4. Canada, Kyoto, and the conservatives
    4. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
      1. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (full text)
    5. United Nations Human Development Programme
      1. UNDP Human Development Report 2007/2008 Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world

Legislation and Policy

    1. Climate change policy overview
    2. Major scientific and policy issues
    3. Foreign policy
    4. National strategies
      1. United States
        1. 109th Congress
        2. 110th Congress
        3. Greenhouse gas reduction bills
        4. Greenhouse gas reduction laws
        5. Climate policy
      2. Mexico
        1. Climate policy
      3. Other nations

Citizen Action

      1. United States universities and colleges
      2. Communication issues
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