Regional climate variability and its impacts in the Mediterranean area

"In an age when climate change is of key international concern, this work is both timely and important. The articles collected here are the result of a NATO workshop which brought together an extraordinary number of scientists. The attention is focused on the Mediterranean area which, like others around the globe, is facing its own particular climate stresses due to the chemical, biological and land characteristics of the region. Water shortages coupled with air pollution create unique stresses, due to the area's location and emissions. In North Africa, the problems associated with the seasonal distribution of water, leading to chronic shortages, is exacerbated by air pollution due to emissions in the region and those transported from its global neighbors. This volume details the findings of experts from North Africa and Mediterranean Europe, and in particular describes the influence of chemical emissions and climate transformation. It also looks to the future, addressing the problems associated with the growth of multiple stresses in the region, brought about by human activity and the rapid advance of industrialization."--Publisher.