Physics of Climate

"A superb reference." Physics Today "Will become a classic text in climate research. " Physics World "Valuable to anyone who studies, models, or uses the climate of the earth." Walter Robinson, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society "Informative and authoritative on a remarkably wide range of topics." Nature Are we entering a period of global warming? Is weather predictable? Physics of Climate offers you an in-depth description of atmospheric circulation and how environmental phenomena worldwide interact in a single, unified system. This integrated approach unites all the key features of the climate system--oceans, atmosphere, and cryosphere--to explain the structure and behavior of climate over time. Ideal for students and professionals in meteorology, oceanography, geophysics, and physics.

Contents: Nature of the Problem. Basic Equations for the Atmosphere and Oceans. Various Decompositions of the Circulation. The Data. Radiation Balance. Observed Mean State of the Atmosphere. Observed Mean State of the Oceans. Observed Mean State of the Cryosphere. Exchange Processes between the Earth's Surface and the Atmosphere. Angular Momentum Cycle. Water Cycle. Energetics. The Ocean-Atmosphere Heat Engine. Entropy in the Climate System. Interannual and Interdecadal Variability in the Climate System. Mathematical Simulation of Climate. Acknowledgments. Appendices. References.