circulation, 46, 54, 78, 80-86

(passim), 87

general circulation models (GCMs), 83, 92, 97, 99-100, 101, 103, 104

modeling, other, 75

clouds, 71, 73, 80, 83-84, 85, 86, 87

committee research recommendations, 3

fires, 3, 9, 135, 136, 141, 158, 164, 166

ice core evidence, 6, 19, 25-30, 36, 66, 135-136, 162

Eemian climate change, 39

Holocene rapid climate change, 42

Younger Dryas interval, 25-30, 32

ozone layer depletion, 58

water vapor, 71, 83-84

B

Biodiversity, 17, 108, 128, 136-137, 138, 141, 147, 157

Boreholes, 21, 22

C

Carbon dating, see Radiocarbon measurements

Carbon dioxide, 22, 77, 80, 83, 89, 111, 114, 131-132, 138, 143, 144, 150-151

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 158

Central America and the Caribbean, 31-32, 34-35

Chaotic processes, 2, 3, 14, 73, 74, 75, 76, 91, 92, 94, 99, 107, 120, 121, 135, 145, 146, 149, 154, 155, 158, 165

Chlorofluorocarbons, 47, 66, 165

Clouds, 71, 73, 80, 83-84, 85, 86, 87

Coastal zones, 3, 47, 72

“no-regrets” strategies, 8-9, 166

socioeconomic impacts of sea-level rise, 129-131, 133

Younger Dryas in Europe, 31

D

Dansgaard/Oeschger oscillations, 36-37, 74, 77, 83, 89

Decadal variations, 6, 48, 46, 52, 153

see also El Niño/Southern Oscillation

droughts, 43-44, 53-55

forest dieback, 134-135

global warming, 116

Holocene droughts, 40, 43, 44, 45, 74, 119, 144

Definitional issues

abrupt climate change, general, 14-15

climate, general, 72

Dendrochronology, 19-20, 21, 24, 42, 135

droughts, 19, 135

Developing countries, 8, 140-141, 164-165, 167

Diseases, see Health effects

Droughts, 1, 15-16, 19, 20, 53-55, 57, 70, 108, 118-119, 128, 133, 134, 135-136, 143-144, 148, 152

Dust Bowl, 43-44, 53-55

Holocene period, 40, 43, 44, 45, 74, 119, 144

tree ring evidence, 19, 135

wetlands, 139

Dust, 21, 25, 27, 30, 36, 80, 83, 86, 144

Dust Bowl, 43-44, 53-55

E

Ecological impacts, 6, 15-17, 118, 120-141, 154-155

committee research recommendations, 2-3, 154-155, 157-159, 161, 162

definitional issues, 14

forests, 3, 84, 86, 128, 129, 133-136

(passim), 138, 142-144

modeling, 4, 159, 160-161

“no-regrets” strategies, 8-9, 164-166

US National Assessment, 11

wetlands, 25, 136, 139, 163

Economic factors, 6, 16-17, 60, 118-152, 154-155, 167

agriculture, 17, 53, 57, 114, 119, 123-125, 128, 133, 137, 138, 141-142, 143, 145, 148, 152;

see also Drought

coastal zones, 129-131, 133

committee research recommendations, 2-3, 4, 154-155, 157-159, 160, 161, 162

Front Matter (R1-R14)

Executive Summary (1-9)

1 Introduction to Abrupt Changes in the Earth's Climate (10-18)

2 Evidence of Abrupt Climate Change (19-72)

3 Processes that Cause Abrupt Climate Change (73-106)

4 Global Warming as a Possible Trigger for Abrupt Climate Change (107-117)

5 Economic and Ecological Impacts of Abrupt Climate Change (118-152)

6 Findings and Recommendations (153-167)

References (168-200)

Appendix A Committee and Staff Biographies (201-207)

Appendix B Board Rosters (208-211)

Appendix C Workshop Agenda (212-213)

Appendix D Workshop Participants (214-215)

Appendix E Impacts Workshop Program (216-217)

Appendix F Impacts Workshop Participants (218-219)

Appendix G Acronym List (220-222)

Index (223-230)

Color Plates (231-238)