Contents Preface 1 Introduction to global warming 2 Atmospheric sciences 3 Climatic variations 4 Medieval warm period 5 Global cooling and climate model 6 Global warming potential 7 Ice age and ice core 8 Pacific climate variability 9 Heiligendamm process 10 Pacific decadal oscillation 11 Climatology 12 Desertification and attribution IndexSocial and economic effects of global warming may be exacerbated by growing population densities in affected areas Temperate regions are projected to experience some benefits such as fewer cold-related deaths A summary of probable effects and recent understanding can be found in the report made for the IPCC Third Assessment Report by Working Group II The newer IPCC Fourth Assessment Report summary reports that there is observational evidence of an increase in intense tropical cyclone activity in the North Atlantic Ocean since about 1970 in correlation with the increase in sea surface temperature but that the detection of long-trends is complicated by the quality of records prior to routine satellite observations 284 pp.