The causative parameter is the unusual and quick rise in surface temperature of the globe due to increase in greenhouse gases from increased human activities like use of fossil fuels etc. Climate change is forced by this change over the last century or so. Again, since the increase in temperature is non-uniform over the globe due to all kinds of non-linear positive feedbacks, the climate change too is quite complex and difficult to ascertain. Now the answer to your question - measurement of any of the basic climatic parameters like temperature, humidity etc. would be useful. But to know whether the climate of a particular place or a region is showing signs of change, one has to have long 20-30 years of such well calibrated measurements. This is so since, climate itself is defined as such long term averages.
The causative parameter is the unusual and quick rise in surface temperature of the globe due to increase in greenhouse gases from increased human activities like use of fossil fuels etc. Climate change is forced by this change over the last century or so. Again, since the increase in temperature is non-uniform over the globe due to all kinds of non-linear positive feedbacks, the climate change too is quite complex and difficult to ascertain. Now the answer to your question - measurement of any of the basic climatic parameters like temperature, humidity etc. would be useful. But to know whether the climate of a particular place or a region is showing signs of change, one has to have long 20-30 years of such well calibrated measurements. This is so since, climate itself is defined as such long term averages.
Common menace to climate change are temperature and precipitation. This are the most common parameters. If we go by sector, such as in health, economic, social and etc. These have their own climatic variables. Thus, becoming more complex.
I think Marlon has the only answer that can be used. The "menace" is difficult to assess as you can't really do a controlled experiment on climate change in an ecosystem; you can measure the species ranges, and do population studies, but isolating the effect of climate change from other effects is non-trivial.
The above replies are mostly for terrestrial purposes. For marine biota affected by climate change, deep sea sediments tell a lot about climate change over the range of millions of years especially studies of microfossils preserved in the sediments.
Climate change has become one of the most important issues discussed and debated both in international and national levels. Climate change in fact is a human creation, as said by some of our friends. the parameter to be apply to mitigate the climate change may not be same ever where because the impact of climate change differed from one region to another region. The International organization should keep in mind while making a policy and guidelines for climate change that LDC are less contributor to climate change but they are the most affected by the policy and climate change.
I think Temperature is the most important parameter that should be kept in mind. Just think of the climatic changes in Europe happening due to the negative feedback caused by the eruption of the volcano in Island a couple of years ago. Temperature changes can be spotted not only in plant-growth on terrestrial areas but also from fossils in marine sediments as suggested above. If temperature rises or decreases then you have changes in rainfall, drought, cloud cover, wind intensity etc, even from a more localized scale to a global one. Plus, land-air temperature changes have an effect on sea-temperature, thus the ocean heat content etc!!
i believe climate change solution is just within the corner. it just take a deeper observation around and be involve in grassroots activities who are striving to survive from climate change variabilities. We all know, solution is just around.
Land use means use of land by humans for their own needs such as conversion of wilderness or natural ecosystem to grazing lands ,settlements,agriculture lands etc and land use change is how such land is converted to previously mentioned things and its impacts such as land with settlements are turning to "heat islands" and more.
climate change is related with atmosphere composition changes, thus variuos related anthropogenic factors (GHG emission, etc.) in different fields of human activity will be investigated.
A request to Dr. Satyendra Bhandari. Could you please elaborate more on the topic. I understand that temperature is non-uniform over the globe. I also understand that the climate change is quite complex and difficult to ascertain. But since one has to have 20-30 years data for the same, isn't there any other probable possibility of measuring climate change accurately for short span of time?
I also would like to know whether Climate Change and Global Warming are absolutely related? History talks of heating and cooling of the globe at various ages, ofcourse taking TIME as a total entity.
i would like compare 10yrs rainfall data when monsoon get started and what is the effects or influence temperature on RF. i tried the RF data as week, month or monsoon mean and avg, but its mislead the interpretation. pls help me on this regards, how can i compare RF & Temp to be use to assess the climate change?
The spatial distribution of the RF and its intensity and duration of raining have widely changed in this era due to climate change I think. If you give importance to the pattern of rainfall in a particular area with respect to temperature using short time mean ( daily mean rainfall) probably your query may get answered
The unusual pattern of rainfall, early onset of winter (2011), heavy snow fall in Shimla, India and in few parts of USA seems to indicate the menace of climate change. Its time to involve all the people of this universe. Let us not blame and keep mum. Look forward to save this earth as we may live happily and peacefully. Climate change may bring temporary relief in some parts of the world with above average rainfall, but it is temporary. Thailand experienced one of the worst floods which the people may take a decade to forget. All these abnormalities are the menace of climate change.
This year in particular, the activities of flooding (Thailand, Nigeria, China, Gabon and other) and torrential rainfall are strong indicators of climate change.
Change in weather occurence and duration, changee in temperature and persistent natural disasters like flooding, erosion and decrease in water level of seas are examples of climatic change menaces.
increased temperature in general, warming of sea surface, calamities like floods in thailand, China, hurricanes in USA, abnormal rainfall in varied countries, decrease/increase in snowfall, earlier onset of spring, lesser production in agriculture, etc
please google into the "City Biodiversity Index" or "Singapore Index "designed in the C.O.P.of C.B.D.meeting held at Singapore .One of the 23indicator for the City Biodiversity Index speaks of the assessment . The Forum for Hyderabad Biodiversity Index formed on 1st Nov 2011(A.P.State Formation Day ) is championing for the Index which speaks of positive ameliorative measures through the vegetation in the city /urban areas .Any other Indian City can initiate such activity to be the Second Indian City after Hyderabad.
Kudos to V.B.Ramanamurthy for his excellent contribution for Hyderabad Biodivesity index, infact it is an eye opener for others to follow and initiate similar action for their cities.
Yes you are right , but the scientific community and business cannot act quickly enough by it self despite the huge investments and the outcomes are not certain, so we must transform the way we use natural resources by reforming the tax systems so a tax on natural resources will replace all existing taxes!
other than these factors there are some factors in ocean also.... the ENSO & IOD (Indian Ocean Dipole) also plays a vital role in climate change.... the IOD was discovered in later 1970's... from den it started...
Several parameters are now reported on the Earth's clouds, ocean, land-use, biosphere and cryosphere aided by recent advances in the detail of Earth Observation data. Many of these climate parameters are non-linearly related to temperature, yet are highly sensitive to human greenhouse gas emissions, intensive agricultural practices or over-population. Many of these more creative parameters will become more widely used in future attribution reports. Apart from the obvious temperature records, that are often subject to uncertainties, parameters such as plant-stress (detected by spectral changes in the reflectivity of vegatation), de-greening of the Earth's land relating to loss of vegatation and regional transitions of climate. There are also other parameters that could detect desertification of the oceans (such as chlorophyll levels e.g. UK Plymouth Marine Laboratory) and ground water changes via satellite altimetry and thermal emission. This wealth of data could all be combined to give a more complete picture of how humans are changing our landscape.
Remember, we can correlate the variables but this didn't mean they're causing it. Some reference about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causation