[en] The bioclimatic belts are primarily each one of the thermoclimatic spaces delimited by bioindicators, recognizable in the terrestrial environment in altitudinal or latitudinal zonation. Such thermoclimatic spaces are delimited on determined values of the thermicity index or thermotypes (thermo, meso, supra, etc); in each of these, with respect to precipitation, diverse rainfall types or ombric variants (arid, semiarid, dry,...) are recognized. In western Europe, fifteen bioclimatic belts (thermotypes) are accepted

[en] The geopotential height differences, the temperature differences, the geostrophic relative vorticity and the meteorological chart's observations were used to develop a methodology for identifying the potential cases of cyclogenesis over the northern Aegean Sea (Greece)

[en] Land degradation processes are firstly introduced within the framework of eco-pedological landscape systems; historical context is also considered. The main part of the paper deals with monitoring and predicting land degradation: the current state of land degradation is examined and the relationship of climate to various selected climate sensitive key processes (compaction, soil faunal depletion, etc.) is studied. Monitoring and prediction are illustrated with two examples from South Europe

[en] An attempt is made to list the most important changes of the coupled climate system over the last 100 years. The most obvious of these is a small, global, though non-uniform, warming. Other concepts are discussed briefly: climate change under constant external forcing and due to external forcing, short term climate changes (less than 10 years), decadal variations, changes of the atmospheric circulation, changes in variability, recent climate in longer perspective, climatic jumps as a mode of variation, detection of the greenhouse warming

[en] The nature and characteristics of polar stratospheric aerosols and clouds, which represent a key element in the heterogeneous chemistry leading to the stratospheric ozone depletion, have been investigated by the use of an optical radar (lidar) system. Ice stratifications have been analyzed

[en] A pluridisciplinary approach is proposed, which deals with the reconstitution of holocene environments and estimation of the human impact. This effects varies in time and space, as in the case of South Eastern Mediterranean countries (Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran), where advanced civilization appeared very early. Special attention is paid to palynology, archaeology and linguistic

[en] The different types of conformal map projections used in meteorology are presented and compared. The main criterium used is the calculation of the scale factor as a function of geographical latitude. Since the studying area is centered around 40N, the most adequate method is the Lambert II conical projection, preferred to the stereographic one, which is widely used

[en] A phytoclimatic study in Spain-Portugal region has shown that the thermicity index It regression on altitude is highly linear in areas with well developed altitudinal gradients. Deviations from linearity are significant in topographically transitional areas and perhaps in areas with scarce altitudinal variation; these deviations are sometimes due to deviations of mean temperatures of the coldest month

[en] In this paper, the global evolution of the Earth's climate since the Precambrian is described and the reconstruction of the last major oscillations generally referred to as the last climatic cycles which occurred during the Quarternary is presented: isotope geochemistry, micropaleontological transfer functions; ice volume and sea level, temperatures, deep water circulation of the last climatic cycle

[en] The greenhouse effect on earth can be defined as the long wave energy trapped in the atmosphere. Climate forcing and climate system response within which climate feedback mechanisms are contained are determined. Quantitative examples illustrate what could happen if the greenhouse effect is perturbed by human activities, in particular if CO2 atmospheric concentration would double in the future. Recent satellite measurements of the greenhouse effect are given. The net cooling effect of clouds and whether or not there will be less cooling by clouds as the planet warms are also discussed