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Climate Change Science An Analysis of Some Key Questions (2001) / Chapter Skim
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5. Observed Climate Change During the Industrial Era
Pages 16-17

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From page 16...
... THE OCCURRENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE A diverse array of evidence points to a warming of global surface air temperatures. Instrumental records from land stations and ships indicate that global mean surface air temperature warmed by about 0.4-0.8°C (0.7-1.5°F)
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From page 17...
... THE EFFECT OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES Because of the large and still uncertain level of natural variability inherent in the climate record and the uncertainties in the time histories of the various forcing agents (and particularly aerosols) , a causal linkage between the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the observed climate changes during the 20th century cannot be unequivocally established.
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Key Terms

  • temperature trends
  • northern hemisphere
  • observed climate
  • surface air
  • air temperature

  • global mean
  • sulfate aerosols
  • excess warming
  • aerosols due
  • indicate relatively

  • troposphere temperature
  • atmospheric variability
  • sulfur coal
  • observed warming
  • snow cover

  • bear watching
  • tree ring
  • exact correspondence
  • climate models
  • primarily due

  • variability triggered
  • forcing agents
  • mean surface
  • hole temperature
  • necessarily expect

  • time scale
  • atlantic sector
  • local temperature
  • century time
  • summer continental


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