The Science of Abrupt Climate Change and the Implications for Public
Policy
AGU Special Session at Fall AGU Meeting
10-14 December 2001
San Francisco, CA
Conveners:
Richard Alley (Pennsylvania State University, 204A Deike Building,
University Park, PA 16804-3000, Phone: 814/863-1700,
ralley [at] essc.psu.edu)
Alexandra R. Isern (National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard,
Arlington, VA 22230, Phone: 703/292-8582, aisern@nsf)
In the past few decades, the research community has focused great
attention on gradual physical changes in climate. Recently, however,
there has been a growing awareness that the earth's climate system can
shift abruptly from one climate state to another. Significant attention
is now being focused on this issue, but many major gaps in the
understanding of abrupt climate change still exist. The rate, magnitude,
and regional extent of these abrupt transitions to different climate
states could have far-reaching implications for society and ecosystems.
This potential provides strong motivation to better understand the
impacts of abrupt climate change and to establish the need for
modifications of public policy to deal with the results of these
changes. This session will bring together a broad range of scientists
investigating abrupt climate change as well as those investigating the
societal and ecological impacts of these changes to discuss the current
understanding of abrupt climate change, assess proposed mechanisms for
such changes, and discuss their potential impacts on society.
For more information on the Fall AGU Meeting, see the AGU web site at:
http://www.agu.org/meetings/meetings.html