Includes bibliographical references and index.

THE IMPACTS OF INCREASING CARBON DIOXIDE: AN OVERVIEW: Climate and carbon dioxide in historical perspective -- Measured changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide -- Fuel sources of carbon -- The carbon cycle mystery -- Future carbon levels in the atmosphere -- Climate changes from increased levels of carbon dioxide -- Impacts of changing concentrations of carbon dioxide -- CARBON DIOXIDE FROM BURNING OF FUELS: Carbon dioxide from conventional fuels -- Carbon dioxide from production of electricity -- Carbon dioxide from synthetic fuels -- Carbon dioxide from oil shale -- Advanced coal power cycles for electricity -- Energy from biomass -- Summary of carbon dioxide released by various fuels and advanced fuel systems -- Carbon dioxide control -- Future inputs of carbon into the atmosphere from the use of carbon-based fuels -- BALANCE SHEETS OF THE CARBON AND OXYGEN CYCLES: Balance sheet of the carbon cycle -- Balance sheet of the oxygen cycle -- Raman scattering: a possible high-precision measurement of the oxygen-nitrogen ratio in air -- THE OCEANS AS A SINK FOR CARBON DIOXIDE: Cold ocean sinks -- A pipe model of the oceans -- Mathematical treatment of the pipe model -- FUTURE CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS IN THE ATMOSPHERE: Historical extrapolation -- Future carbon dioxide level: atmosphere-biosphere-oceanic interactions -- Possible feedback from large carbon reservoirs -- RADIATIVE LIMITS ON CLIMATE: Changes in the planetary heat balance with chemical changes in the atmosphere -- The quasi-gray model -- Earth's infrared absorption -- Variation of ground temperature with CO2 abundance -- Radiative effects of minor constituents -- Zonal energy balance -- The change in CO2 content -- Water opacity versus ground temperature -- Feedback from change in water opacity due to change in CO2 content -- CLIMATIC EFFECTS OF TRACE CONSTITUENTS OF THE ATMOSPHERE: Trace constituents -- Summary of thermal effects of trace gases -- A SIMPLE BAND MODEL FOR INFRARED EMISSION FROM THE TERRESTRIAL ATMOSPHERE: Model description -- Effective temperature calculations -- Temperature profile -- Comparison and observations -- Radiated infrared flux from the "average atmosphere" and its implications for climatic effects of increased atmospheric CO2 -- Infrared flux f(t) radiated to space as a function of surface temperature t for various atmospheric conditions -- Linear approximations to f(t) -- Other estimates of surface temperature changes due to increasing carbon dioxide -- JASON CLIMATE MODELS: Energy budget climate models -- Description of the time dependent JASON climate model -- Discussion of energy budget climate models -- Time dependent energy budget models: seasonal variations in climate -- Comments on various approaches to modeling the earth's climate -- CARBON DIOXIDE ATMOSPHERIC MODELING AND CLIMATE PREDICTION: Atmospheric feedback sensitivities -- CO2 model predictions -- CO2 effects in latitude, seasons, and polar regions -- Climate predictions -- DEEP OCEAN CURRENTS AND POLAR WARMING: Deep ocean flows -- Formation of dense surface waters -- Environmental consequences of the vertical flows -- Vulnerability of the deep water pumps to polar warming -- EFFECT OF CLIMATIC WARMING ON WEST ANTARCTIC ICE SHEETS: The Antarctic ice cover -- Creep models of ice stream flow -- Mass-conservation model of ice-sheet disintegration -- Additional considerations in ice sheet flow -- Possible consequences of a warming in west Antarctica -- Recent instabilities of Antarctic ice -- Effect of disintegration of west Antarctica on climate -- Creep and flow of ice -- Basic equation -- Example: a floating ice shelf -- IMPACT OF INCREASED CARBON DIOXIDE ON THE BIOSPHERE: Nonclimatic effects of CO2 on the biosphere -- Impact on the biosphere of climatic shifts -- RESEARCH NEEDS: Role of the biosphere in the carbon cycle -- Role of large carbon reservoirs -- Modeling of climate change -- Trace compounds in the atmosphere -- Determining trends in climate -- International nature of the carbon dioxide question.