Climate research examines the structure and dynamics of Earth’s complex atmospheric, oceanic and planetary systems. It draws on observational data and theory from a broad range of disciplines, including meteorology, geosciences, oceanography, physics, and chemistry. The field has evolved significantly since its inception in the second half of the twentieth century. At the time it was known as climatology, but its current name reflects a broader approach to understanding and managing the global climate system.
A key challenge is discerning human influence from natural variations. One powerful way to do this is to “fingerprint” climate change. For example, a sudden increase in greenhouse gas levels has a very different pattern of atmospheric temperature change than does an El Nino Southern Oscillation or volcanic eruption.
The challenge is further complicated by the complexities of the data available. To construct global temperature datasets, millions of individual weather station records must be digitized, merged, subjected to quality control procedures, homogenized and transformed to a grid. These processes are prone to error and require constant improvements.
Scientists are also concerned about potential “tipping points” in the climate system, such as polar ice sheet collapse, permafrost thawing or monsoon disruptions that could cause rapid planetary change. Moreover, the sensitivity of many climate-sensitive species to temperature change has not been well understood (e.g., bird and fish migrations). The extinction of many organisms is already occurring as shifts in their preferred temperatures accelerate biodiversity loss.
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