Beyond Global Warming: How Numerical Models Revealed the Secrets of Climate Change

by Syukuro Manabe, Anthony J. Broccoli

A definitive account of how we have come to understand the fundamental processes behind global warming



Syukuro Manabe is perhaps the leading pioneer of modern climate modeling. Beyond Global Warming is his compelling firsthand account of how the scientific community came to understand the human causes of climate change, and how numerical models using the world's most powerful computers have been instrumental to these vital discoveries.

Joined by atmospheric scientist Anthony Broccoli, Manabe shows how climate models have been used as virtual laboratories for examining the complex planetary interactions of atmosphere, ocean, and land. Manabe and Broccoli use these studies as the basis for a broader discussion of human-induced global warming--and what the future may hold for a warming planet. They tell the stories of early trailblazers such as Svante Arrhenius, the legendary Swedish scientist who created the first climate model of Earth more than a century ago, and they provide rare insights into Manabe's own groundbreaking work over the past five decades. Expertly walking readers through key breakthroughs, they explain why increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide has caused temperatures to rise in the troposphere yet fall in the stratosphere, why the warming of the planet's surface differs by hemisphere, why drought is becoming more frequent in arid regions despite the global increase in precipitation, and much more.

Authoritative and illuminating, Beyond Global Warming is an invaluable insider's look at some of today's most cutting-edge Earth science, and a rare window into a brilliant scientific mind.

Genres: Science, Climate Change, Environment

216 pages, Paperback

Published January 14, 2020

Reviews

[Maxim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beyond Global Warming - Manabe is one of the fathers of modern climate science / modelling. He recounts how the greenhouse effect and ultimately the Earth’s while climate system where modelled by climate physicists and what we can learn from it, other than just warming of the planet (hence the title). Partly technical with a few equations.

4/5

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

decades of research explaining how models were able to predict climate change, methodically broken down and delivered in a scientific paper kind of narrative. but upon careful and attentive reading, it is care that the models were eventually proven right and are now showing where the planet's climate is really going. also tells us in detail how the models generalizes regions, so exact weather cannot be forecast in this way.

[Roy Van Den Brande · Rating 2 out of 5]

As you can see in my read books, I read a lot about climate change. I like to understand every aspect of it. So I started this book, hoping to frame the statistics better. But you practically need a PhD to understand the book. The subtitle sounded so "popular sciency" but it is a serious book for serious scientists.

[Josh Preuss · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good reference for a blog post I'm writing, but I realized that I need to understand basic atmospheric science before really diving into this guy. Definitely I don't recommend until you have a good grasp on things like longwave radiation and RCE, because the book kind of sort of expects you to understand this level of phenomena already.

[Hind · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s hard to get much out of this as an audiobook, so listening to it was really my fault.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beware this is not a popular science book but rather technical. Good intro to how modeling developped and understand why uncertainty exists in predictions.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very useful for me to learn about the history of climate research at GFDL and beyond. But I think it is too specific to Manabe's work to be a general survey of the field. And it is not too up to date to the current development. Also, it is a bit too techical as a general audience book.