Biotic Feedbacks in the Global Climatic System: Will the Warming Feed the Warming?

Global warming is among the more pressing issues in ecology and environmental science. Until now, the important issue of the role of biotic feedback has not been addressed in one volume. Changes in biotic processes create feedback into the climate which has implications for global climatic change. Important biogenic gases and the feedback generated by them from the warming of the earth, biospheric changes of forest regions and the feedback caused by disturbance to these forests, and biofeedback in the ocean caused by overall climatic changes, are all part of the biotic processes which affect global climatic change. George Woodwell is a leading worker on global warming, and one of the most influential environmental scientists, and has drawn together a superb group of authors to present the current scientific understanding of this issue in one volume.

Table of Contents:
PART I: Global Warming: Perspectives form Land and Sea 1: G.M. Woodwell: Biotic Feedbacks from the Warming of the Earth 2: F.T. Mackenzie: Global Climatic Change: Climatically Important Biogenic Gases and Feedbacks PART II: Biotic Processes and Potential Feedbacks A. Plants and Plant Communities 3: L.H. Allen and J.S. Amthor: Plant Physiological Responses to Elevated CO2, Temperature, Air Pollution, and UV-B Radiation 4: S.D. Wullschleger, W.M. Post, and A.W. King: On the Potential for a CO2 Fertilization Effect in Forests: Estimates of the Biotic Growth Factor, Based on 58 Controlled-Exposure Studies 5: G.C. Jacoby and Rosanne D. D'Arrigo: Indicators of Climatic and Biospheric Change: Evidence from Tree-Rings 6: W.A. Kurz et al.: Global Climate Change: Disturbance Regimes and Biospheric Feedbacks of Temperate and Boreal Forests 7: A.A. Velichko et al.: Permafrost and Vegetation Response to Global Warming in North Eurasia B. Soils 8: W.H. Schlesinger: Soil Respiration and Changes in Soil Carbon Stocks 9: E. Gorham: The Biogeochemistry of Northern Peatlands and Its Possible Responses to Global Warming 10: E.G. Nisbet and B. Ingham: Methane Output form Natural and Quasi-Natural Sources: A Review of the Potential for Change and for Biotic and Abiotic Feedbacks 11: E. A. Davidson: Linkages Between Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling and Their Implications for Storage of Carbon in Terrestrial Ecosystems C. Oceans and Estuaries 12: G.T. Rowe and F.G. Baldauf: Biofeedback in the Ocean in Response to Climate Change 13: S.V. Smith: Net Carbon Metabolism of Oceanic Margins and Estuaries: Estimates of Steady-State Conditions, and Speculations about Anthropomorphic Perturbations of that Steady State 14: R.J. Carlson: Biogenic Dimethyl Sulphide, Marine Aerosol and Climate: Evidence For and Against the Existence of a Climate-Stabilizing Feedback Mechanism 15: R.C. Smith: Implications of Increased Solar UVB for Aquatic Ecosystems PART III: Global Carbon Budgets, Models, and Geophysical Constraints A. Terrestrial and Oceanic Interactions 16: R.D. Luxmoore and D.D. Baldocchi: Modelling Interactions of Carbon Dioxide, Forests, and Climate 17: I.C. Prentice and M.T. Sykes: Vegetation Geography and Global Carbon Storage Changes 18: I.G. Enting: CO2-Climate Feedbacks: Aspects of Detection B. Modelling the Carbon Sink 19: R.A. Houghton: Effects of Land-use Change, Surface Temperature, and CO2 Concentration on Terrestrial Stores of Carbon 20: P.P. Tans, I.Y. Fung, and I.G. Enting: Storage Versus Flux Budgets: The Terrestrial Uptake of CO2 During the 1980s 21: I.Y. Fung: Perturbations to the Biospheric Carbon Cycle: Uncertainties in the Estimates PART IV: Biotic Feedbacks in the Global Climatic System 22: W.D. Billings: What We Need to Know: Some Priorities for Research on Biotic Feedbacks in a Changing Biosphere 23: G.M. Woodwell and R.T. Mackenzie: Will the Warming Feed the Warming?

Review :
"The 23 authoritative papers. . .are aptly enhanced by graphs, tables, and bibliographies." --"Choice "This book presents a multiauthored review of various aspects of the global carbon cycle, primarily contemporary but also ranging over recent earth history. The book consists of 23 chapters and emphasizes how climate change from increasing greenhouse gases, especially CO2 might affect the carbon cycle and feedbacks on atmospheric carbon dioxide. This focus is indicated by the book's subtitle, 'Will the Warming Feed the Warming?' This book is of unusually high quality for a compilation of workshop papers...[recommended] to anyone who would want to read it as a still largely up-to-date summary of the issues that must be considered to understand the global cazrbon cycle and its response to climate change."--Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society "A colorful, inspiring variety [of topics], fully preserving contrasts among experts. . . .If you wish to learn about the origins and the diversity of arguments in this controversy, read this book." --Journal of Environmental Quality "The 23 authoritative papers. . .are aptly enhanced by graphs, tables, and bibliographies." --"Choice "This book presents a multiauthored review of various aspects of the global carbon cycle, primarily contemporary but also ranging over recent earth history. The book consists of 23 chapters and emphasizes how climate change from increasing greenhouse gases, especially CO2 might affect the carbon cycle and feedbacks on atmospheric carbon dioxide. This focus is indicated by the book's subtitle, 'Will the Warming Feed the Warming?' This book is of unusually high quality for a compilation of workshop papers...[recommended] to anyone who would want to read it as a still largely up-to-date summary of the issues that must be considered to understand the global cazrbon cycle and its response to climate change."--Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society "A colorful, inspiring variety [of topics], fully preserving contrasts among experts. . . .If you wish to learn about the origins and the diversity of arguments in this controversy, read this book." --Journal of Environmental Quality