A Climate Modelling Primer (Research & Developments in Climate & Climatology) [Paperback]

Kendal McGuffie (Author), Ann Henderson-Sellers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1997 | ISBN-10: 0471955582 | ISBN-13: 978-0471955580 | Edition: 2nd

Climate Modelling is a young discipline, not yet thirty years old. Despite this youth, it has great responsibility thrust upon it by the ratification of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change. The ultimate objective of this Convention is to achieve ?stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system? (Article 2). This volume is designed to explain the basis and mechanisms of all types of physically based climate models and to prepare the reader for the climate modelling literature. The book will assist the reader in understanding the relative complexities and applicabilities of the whole range of climate models without needing to follow each step or parameterization in a particular model. In this new edition, the text has been completely revised and augmented with information from the IPCC Second Scientific Assessment. The latest techniques for modelling the coupled biosphere?ocean?atmosphere system are also considered. The final chapter includes details of projects which evaluate and exploit the results of climate models. The accompanying CD contains a suite of resources for those wishing to learn more about climate modelling. Source code and results for a range of model types will allow readers to make their own climate simulations ranging from global glaciations to tropical deforestation.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A thorough update of a very popular text, now containing the very latest developments in this field. It examines the basis and mechanisms of all physically based climate models. Concepts fundamental to climate modelling are introduced through examples and analogies. The first goal of the text is to ascend the "climate modelling pyramid" to the three-dimensional general circulation climate model. The second is to encourage discriminating interpretation of the results of the climate models, enabling the reader to comprehend the relative complexities and applicabilities of the whole range of climate models, without needing to understand every step taken by a particular model. Contains a CD-ROM featuring the latest developments.

About the Author

Dr. K. McGuffie is a Reader in the Department of Applied Physics at the University of Technology, Sydney. His research interests are in the development of one and three-dimensional climate models, and he continues to work with real observations of the climate system. He has published over 40 papers and articles dealing with climate and climate modelling.
Professor A. Henderson-Sellers is the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Development) at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. She maintains an active interest in climate modelling and climate impacts and has been a prominent participant in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change process. She has published over 300 papers and books dealing with climate modelling and related issues.

Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 2nd edition (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471955582
• ISBN-13: 978-0471955580
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,902,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not worth it, March 20, 2004

By 

F. Bertrand (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Climate Modelling Primer (Research & Developments in Climate & Climatology) (Paperback)

This book is a very basic introduction to climate modelling. A lot of concepts and few equations. It is a good introductory text but I hoped to find more coding examples (there is only one example and it's in BASIC). But for that amount of money, it is definitely not worth it.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars quite good for climatology model beginners, May 10, 2000

By 

yang (Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Climate Modelling Primer (Research & Developments in Climate & Climatology) (Paperback)

This book is quite clear and systematic in this summary and explanation on the climate model development and design. Very suitable for the undergradute or graduate student to learn.