Editorial
Will Lack of Nitrogen Limit the Ability of Earth's Forests, Shrublands and Grasslands to Slow the Rate of Rise of the Air's CO2 Content?: In last week's Editorial (3 Dec 2003), we crossed swords with people who claim that too much nitrogen is wreaking havoc with earth's forests.  This week we contend with folks who claim that the planet's forests are receiving too little nitrogen.  Can both views be wrong at one and the same time?

Subject Index Summaries
Rapid Climate Change (Temperature Effects): How much or how fast earth's climate may warm in response to a radiative perturbation is a function of what its temperature is at the time of the perturbation.  So what does this imply about potential CO2-induced global warming?

Wetlands: In summarizing the results of several studies of the effects of elevated CO2 on wetland ecosystems, we find they provide additional support for our critique of the study of Hungate et al. (2003) that is the subject of this week's (10 Dec 2003) Editorial.

Journal Reviews
Arctic Sea Ice Thickness: More Variable Than Suggested by Models: How many different ways can climate models possibly be wrong in dealing with this single aspect of Arctic climate change?

Still Seeking Answers to Basic Questions Regarding Earth's Climate System: If you think we know all we need to know to correctly predict how the planet's climate will respond to the ongoing rise in the air's CO2 content - or anything else, for that matter - you better think again, for that's what some of the world's best scientists who struggle with the problem every day of their working lives are doing … and they haven't got there yet.

The Urban CO2 Dome of Copenhagen, Denmark: The urban CO2 dome of the European city that sits on the edge of the sea bears a striking similarity to that of Phoenix, Arizona, USA, which sits in the middle of a desert.

Effects of Elevated Atmospheric CO2 on Sap Flow in Mature Deciduous Trees: Does atmospheric CO2 enrichment lead to reductions in the transpiration rates of mature deciduous trees that are large enough to enable them to "bank" sufficient soil moisture to profitably use during subsequent periods of high evaporative demand or little rainfall?

Slowdown in Rate of Caribbean Coral Decline: What's Causing It?: Just as beauty is said to reside in the eye of the beholder, so too do the implications of data reside in the analyses (and possibly prejudices) of those who work with those important pieces of empirical evidence.