ABSTRACT
So far in our discussions concerning the atmosphere it has been the understanding and description of the nature and controls of our present climate system that have been stressed. However, there is abundant evidence that Earth’s climate has rarely, if ever, been the same as that of today. From the distant geological past through to the most recent millennium, we can find evidence that our climates have been different. In the British Isles we can find signs that ice has built up over our islands, that desert conditions have prevailed and that about 60 million years ago warm tropical seas deposited the clays of the London basin (Chapter 10). If the climate changes, then it is almost certain that all other aspects of the environmental system, such as the geomorphology, hydrology and biogeography, will change in response; we are very much part of a dynamic system.
