Abrupt Climate Change: Inevitable Surprises (Electronic book text)

The climate record for the past 100,000 years clearly indicates that the climate system has undergone periodic-and often extreme-shifts, sometimes in as little as a decade or less. The causes of abrupt climate changes have not been clearly established, but the triggering of events is likely to be the result of multiple natural processes. Abrupt Climate Change looks at the current scientific evidence and theoretical understanding to describe what is currently known about abrupt climate change. It identifies critical knowledge gaps concerning the potential for future abrupt changes and outlines a research strategy to close those gaps.