A detailed discussion of the greenhouse effect and its impact on Earth's climate. We begin with a discussion of Earth’s energy budget, the various greenhouse gases and their interactions with longwave radiation, and a summary of major sources of greenhouse gas emisions. We then examine the...

An overview of the natural mechanisms by which climate changes over time. Beginning with an introduction to the concepts of radiative forcing and climate sensitivity, we then discuss solar forcing, orbital changes, volcanic eruptions, and silicate weathering, covering how each process operates...

A journey through the history of Earth's changing climate, in which we explore how Earth's climate has fluctuated over the past billion years. After reviewing the various temperature proxies used to estimate past climactic conditions, we discuss the varying hothouse and icehouse periods of...