Conclusions and the future of climate research - The Global Climate System: Patterns, Processes, and Teleconnections - page 317

Chapter 10
Conclusions and the future
of climate research
10.1 Introduction
We have emphasized in this topic the importance of considering climate, climate
change, and climate variability in terms of interacting components of a system,
with many different, often simultaneous, impacts. This chapter describes some
of the important research areas for the future which should lead to better under-
standing of the climate system.
The climate system can be considered complex, highly non-linear, and
chaotic, with variations consisting broadly of two types. The first is longer-
term transition changes, such as some of those described in Chapter 6 , relating
to forces such as polar wandering, changes in the Earth's tilt, changes in the
Earth's orbit around the Sun, and the ice ages. The second is short-term abrupt
changes, relating to rapid variations in forcing functions, such as the radiative
output from the Sun and particulate matter from volcanic eruptions. The most
recent short-term forcing function is human activity and its impact on the
atmosphere.
10.1.1 Programs and organizations
Over the past three decades, there have been major advances in understanding
how the climate system operates. These include improvements in forecasting,
understanding of the role of sea ice, interactions between the atmosphere and
ocean, the role of atmospheric chemistry, and so forth. The more we learn, the
more we seem to need to know. Over the past 20 years, the study of the climate
system has moved strongly onto the international stage. Table 10.1 presents a
summary of major organizations and projects that cover a wide range of climate
and related research. The scientific activities can be divided into government and
non-government organizational components. The non-government components
operate under the broad goals and coordination of ICSU, the International
Council for Science. The atmosphere and climate make up only one component
of ICSU, which represents the scientific community in global affairs, supports a
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