Climate science in 2009

Uncertainty in climate science and climate policy

This essay, written by a statistician and a climate scientist, describes our view of the gap that exists between current practice in mainstream climate science, and the practical needs of policymakers charged with exploring possible interventions in the context of climate change. By ‘mainstream’ we mean the type of climate science that dominates in universities and research centres, which we wi...

PREFACE Science ’ s gem : diamond science 2009

Marshall Stoneham London Centre for Nanotechnology and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, 17–19 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AH, UK Natural diamond has been valued for its appearance and mechanical properties for at least two thousand years. As a gem stone diamond is unsurpassed. However, scientific work, especially in the last 20 years, has demonstrated that diamond...

Climate Lecture 2009 : " The Economics of Climate Change " In Recognition

A cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde’s bon mot expresses how some environmentalists and philosophers view the guild of climate economists. Admittedly, this perception is an exaggeration and in many cases misleading. Nevertheless there lies some truth in it. At first glance, climate economists focus primarily on the costs of emission reduction and underesti...

Statistical Modelling in Climate Science

When it comes to modelling in atmospheric and climate science, the two main types of models are taken into account – dynamical and statistical models. The former ones have a physical basis: they utilize discretized differential equations with a set of conditions (boundary conditions + present state as an initial condition) and model the system’s state by integrating the equations forward in tim...

Climate Change Science Compendium