An Introduction to the Global Circulation of the Atmosphere

David Randall (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

456 Seiten

2015
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-0-691-14896-0 (ISBN)

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This is a graduate-level textbook on the global circulation of the Earth's atmosphere--the large-scale system of winds by which energy is transported around the planet, from the tropical latitudes to the poles. Written by David Randall, one of the world's foremost experts on the subject, it is the most comprehensive textbook on the topic. Intended for Earth science students who have completed some graduate-level coursework in atmospheric dynamics, the book will help students build on that foundation, preparing them for research in the field. The book describes the many phenomena of the circulation and explains them in terms of current ideas from fluid dynamics and thermodynamics, with frequent use of isentropic coordinates and using the methods of vector calculus. It emphasizes the key roles of water vapor and clouds, includes detailed coverage of energy flows and transformations, and pays close attention to scale interactions. The book also describes the major historical contributions of key scientists, giving a human dimension to the narrative, and it closes with a discussion of how the global circulation is evolving as the Earth's climate changes.
* The most comprehensive graduate-level textbook on the subject* Written by one of the world's leading experts* Connects global circulation and climate phenomena* Addresses energy, moisture, and angular-momentum balance; the hydrologic cycle; and atmospheric turbulence and convection* Emphasizes the energy cycle of the atmosphere; the role of moist processes; and circulation as an unpredictable, chaotic process* Helps prepare students for research* An online illustration package is available to professors

David A. Randall is University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, and the author of Atmosphere, Clouds, and Climate (Princeton). He is the chief editor of the Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, and the former chief editor of the Journal of Climate. He has twice served as a coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Preface vii Handy Numbers ix Chapter 1 Perpetual Motion 1 Chapter 2 What Makes It Go? 12 Chapter 3 First Impressions 33 Chapter 4 The Rules of the Game 67 Chapter 5 Go with the Flow 106 Chapter 6 Up Moist, Down Dry 145 Chapter 7 Heat Where It's Hot, and Cool Where It's Cold 182 Chapter 8 A Taxonomy of Eddies 211 Chapter 9 What the Eddies Do 280 Chapter 10 A Fluid Dynamical Commotion 310 Chapter 11 The Future of the Circulation 352 Appendix A Vectors, Vector Calculus, and Coordinate Systems 357 Appendix B Dimensional Analysis, Scale Analysis, and Similarity Theories 365 Appendix C Why Is the Dissipation Rate Positive? 375 Appendix D Vertical Coordinate Transformations 378 Appendix E The Moist Adiabatic Lapse Rate 380 Appendix F Eddy Kinetic Energy and Zonal Kinetic Energy 383 Appendix G Spherical Harmonics 389 Appendix H Hermite Polynomials 396 Bibliography 399 Index 437

Zusatzinfo	16 halftones. 194 line illus. 14 tables.
Verlagsort	New Jersey
Sprache	englisch
Maße	178 x 254 mm
Gewicht	1134 g
Themenwelt	Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Geologie
Themenwelt	Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Meteorologie / Klimatologie
ISBN-10	0-691-14896-1 / 0691148961
ISBN-13	978-0-691-14896-0 / 9780691148960
Zustand	Neuware