Written from a multidisciplinary perspective by one of the field’s preeminent researcher/instructors, Earth’s Climate: Past and Future became a classroom favorite by providing an expert summary of climate change past, present, and future. The text worked equally well as either a nonmajors introduction to Earth system science or climate change, or as an upper-undergraduate-level overview of the processes and techniques in climate science.
The new edition incorporates coverage of climatological events and research discoveries in the seven years since the first edition, most importantly the now broadly accepted understanding that humans play a major role in warming the planet. It also incorporates changes designed to make the material more accessible to an introductory-level audience.
WILLIAM F. RUDDIMAN retired from the University of Virginia at an early age and has since devoted his time to research, writing, and lecturing. He has written trade books and numerous journal articles. While at Virginia, he taught an introductory climate course on a regular basis, therefore much of the work in the book reflects lessons learned through his own experiences.