Interesting Paper on Climate Change
...written by Radagast the Brown.
Abstract. In this paper, I present and discuss results from a climate model simulation of the ‘Middle Earth’ of elves, dwarves, and hobbits (and not forgetting wizards such as myself). These are put into context by also presenting simula- tions of the climate of the ‘Modern Earth’ of humans, and of the ‘Dinosaur Earth’, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth 65 million years ago.
Several aspects of the Middle Earth simulation are discussed, including the importance of prevailing wind drec- tion for elvish sailing boats, the effect of heat and drought on the vegetation of Mordor, and the rain-shadow effects of the Misty Mountains. I also identify those places in the Modern Earth which have the most similar climate to the regions of The Shire and Mordor.
The importance of assessing ‘climate sensitivity’ (the response of the Earth to a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations) is discussed, including the utility of modeling and reconstructing past climate change over timescales of millions of years. I also discuss the role of the Intergovernmental/Interkingdom Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in assessing climate change, and the responsibilities placed on policymakers.
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/university/media/press/10013-english.pdf
= new reply since forum marked as read
...as Sauraman suggested... 