Ronald G. Prinn - Böcker

This work is addressed to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in astronomy, geology, chemistry, meteorology, and the planetary sciences as well as to researchers with pertinent areas of specialization who desire an introduction to the literature across the broad interdisciplinary range of this important topic. Extensive references to the pre-spacecraft literature will be particularly useful to readers interested in the historical development of the field during this century.

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 114.Our understanding of biogeochemical cycles is directly related to the research and analyses we bring to them, and to our critical sense of the methods we use. Of primary importance here are the theories behind, and our use of, inverse methods and data assimilation techniques across a multidisciplinary context that includes atmosphere-biosphere and atmosphere-ocean interactions, atmospheric chemistry, physical oceanography, and ocean biogeochemistry. Certainly, researchers in many earth system science disciplines, whether novice or expert, will benefit from the breadth and depth we have brought to the topics discussed in this monograph. At the same time, we have provided readers with a unique opportunity to enhance their research acumen and their understanding of ways and means. Toward this end, this monograph consists of a tutorial section with problem sets for use by readers who wish to test and enhance their knowledge, and a research section that showcases some of the latest scientific results from use of the aforementioned methods in a variety of earth science disciplines.

This volume contains the invited papers and a transcript of the final panel discussion in the First Scientific Conference of the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (lGAC) Project, held in Eilat, Israel from April 18-22, 1993. The conference was hosted by the Israeli Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) and was the 37th in the prestigious OHOLO Conference series in Israel. The conference was devoted to the subject of "Global Atmospheric-Biospheric Chemistry" and was a landmark event in this area. It provided the first comprehensive report of progress under IGAC toward improving our understanding of the chemical and biological processes that determine the changing composition of the earth's atmosphere. This work is an essential component of the comprehensive International Geosphere­ Biosphere Program (lGBP) devoted to measuring and understanding global changes in the past and present, and predicting the future evolution of our planet. I want to devote this brief foreword to thanking several people who worked especially hard to make the conference a success and who helped to produce this volume as a record of the event. Paul Crutzen, Amram Golombek, Pamela Matson and Henning Rodhe did sterling service on the conference organizing committee. Special thanks go to Amram Golombek and Dr. Cohen, the Director of IIBR, who hosted the event in Israel. Anne Slinn did an excellent job in producing the Abstract book and helping with administrative matters. Alex Pszenny helped capably to critically review the Abstracts.

This unique volume summarizes and integrates more than a decade of atmospheric chemistry research, carried out under the auspices of the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) Project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP). It is part of a series being written by each of the IGBP core projects. During the period under consideration, great progress has been made in the science, computing, modelling and observational techniques; methods have also improved. Suggestions for the highest priority research for the next decade are made. The volume was written by leaders in the field of atmospheric chemistry research, and includes important information regarding impacts on the environment reinforced by solid scientific results.