I don't know if I've ever mentioned this before, but if you're looking for a quick but firm introduction to the science of climate change, the best six pages I know of are Raymond Pierrehumbert's 2011 article in Physics Today, "Infrared Temperatures and Planetary Tempertures."It's his book boiled down to the basics. To really understand it you'll need to understand college freshman-level physics, but if you do, or you know anyone in that situation who is looking for a succinct but accurate introduction, this is what you should give them, in my opinion. Others will get good things out of it too.
Excellent recommendation. For other branches of geophysics, I would also point out Pierrehumbert's piece in Slate from a few years ago -- "The Myth of Saudi America"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/02/u_s_shale_oil_are_we_headed_to_a_new_era_of_oil_abundance.html