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The idea that human activities could influence global climate first emerged more than a hundred years ago, when the Swedish scientist Arrhenius warned that burning coal could lead to global warming. The tracks on this album take a historical look at the systematic study of weather and climate, from the amateur scientists of the Mannheim group in the late 18th century to the professional climate scientists of the present day. The album draws on material originally created to support The Open University course Exploring Science.
Track 5: Sun, sunspots and volcanoes
The influence of natural phenomena on global climate.
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Tracks in this podcast:
| Track | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exploring the science of climate | A brief introduction to this album. Play now Exploring the science of climate |
| 2 | 18th century weather observers | The Mannheim group of amateur scientists starts to systematically gather data about the weather. Play now 18th century weather observers |
| 3 | Records of global climate | What scientific and natural records reveal about global climate over the last 150 years. Play now Records of global climate |
| 4 | Climatic evidence from sediments | What sediment cores from the world's oceans reveal about climate patterns. Play now Climatic evidence from sediments |
| 5 | Sun, sunspots and volcanoes | The influence of natural phenomena on global climate. Play now Sun, sunspots and volcanoes |
| 6 | Observations, theories and climate models | Dealing with discrepancies between climate models and observable data. Play now Observations, theories and climate models |
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