Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC)

Understanding Atmospheric Change -
State of the Environment Report No. 95-2

Table of Contents

1. Preface
2. Summary
3. Acknowledgements
4. Introduction
5. Chapter 1 - Earth's Natural Climate
1. The natural global climate system
1. The global heat engine
2. Incoming solar radiation
3. Outgoing heat radiation
2. Climatic balance
3. Climates of the past
1. Reconstructing climate
2. The past million years
3. The last millennium
4. Climates of Canada’s past
6. Chapter 2 - Enhancing the Greenhouse Effect
1. Carbon dioxide
2. Methane
3. Other greenhouse gases
4. Other human influences
7. Chapter 3 - Predicting Climate Change
1. Mathematical climate models
2. Model experiment results
3. Is the Earth getting warmer?
8. Chapter 4 - A Warmer World
1. Natural unmanaged ecosystems
2. Agriculture
3. Coastal regions
4. Other impacts
5. Implications for global security
9. Chapter 5 - A Warmer Canada
1. Canada’s forests
2. Agriculture
3. Water resources
4. Snow and ice
5. Coastal flooding
6. Other effects
10. Chapter 6 - Ozone Layer Depletion
1. The chemistry of the ozone layer
2. Changing the ozone layer
3. Effects of ozone layer depletion
11. Chapter 7 - How do we Respond?
1. Dealing with scientific uncertainty
2. Towards an international consensus
3. The global response
4. The Canadian response
5. The role of the citizen
12. Protecting the atmosphere: a personal agenda
13. Source references for figures and tables
14. For further reading
15. State of the Environment Series

List of boxes

1. Canada’s changing climate
2. Greenhouse gases: a comparison
3. The Canadian GCM
4. Carbon dioxide and plants
5. Climate change and extreme weather
6. Measuring ozone concentrations
7. The National Action Program on Climate Change

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