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THE GLOBAL CLIMATE SYSTEM: PATTERNS, PROCESSES AND TELECONNECTIONS Howard A. Bridgman and John E. Oliver, 2006, 331 pp., $70.00, hardbound, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-82642-X
The science of climatology has changed dramatically over the last few decades, moving from defining the climate of distinct climatic zones during my school days to the modern perception of climate as a globally linked atmospheric consequence of complex interactions within the Earth system. The Global Climate System: Patterns, Processes and Teleconnections aims to give a modern account of the climate system, but still seen from the perspective of climatology. The book therefore has chapters discussing the climate of particular zones on the planet-the tropics, midlatitudes, and polar regions-but it also explores oscillations within the climate system and teleconnections between different regions. The book is focused on the modern world and the future of climatology. The historical perspective of climate change is set within the chapter on postglacial climate variability. The impact of climate change during this period, and today, is given in chapters on urban climate and case studies of the response of humans to climate change. The emphasis turns finally to the future, where climate modeling plays a major role in...