Global Greenhouse Studies: Need for a New Approach to Ecosystem Manipulation

As time progresses, the world is changing in ways that are describable, but we are still unable to predict these changes with any degree of accuracy. Radiative and chemical properties of the atmosphere, global climate, and global ecology are dynamic and measurable, but they are also linked to each other in complex and poorly understood ways. While many of the physical and biological sub-processes are understood and modeled in great detail, predictive capabilities are poor if the linkages are not understood. Fortunately, linking of complex models across scientific disciplines (e.g., atmospheric chemistry-climate-agronomy-economics) to analyze large scale interactions has begun. 54 refs.