Thermodynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans, Volume 65 (International Geophysics) [Hardcover]

Judith A. Curry (Author), Peter J. Webster (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0121995704 | ISBN-13: 978-0121995706 | Publication Date: February 3, 1999 | Edition: 1

Atmospheric and climatological studies are becoming more and more important in day-to-day living. Winds and ocean current owe their existence to the thermodynamic imbalances that arise from the differential heating of the Earth and air by the sun. Accounting for heat exchanges with the atmosphere and ocean is essential in any predictive model of the ocean and/or atmosphere. Thermodynamic feedback processes in the atmosphere and ocean are critical to understanding the overall stability of the Earth's climate and climate change. Water and its phase changes make the thermodynamics of the atmosphere and ocean uniquely interesting and challenging.
Written by leading scientists in the field, Thermodynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans incorporates all the relevant information from the varying fields of dynamics meteorology, atmospheric physics and cloud physics, into a comprehensive, self-contained guide ideal for students and researchers of atmospheric thermodynamics. At the moment, courses in atmospheric thermdynamics typically have to use one or two chapters in textbooks on dynamic meteorology, atmospheric physics or cloud physics. This book combines these topics in one text.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an excellent and well-written book . . . it will be very useful for students and for any environmental scientist."
--Hermann W. Bange, Mainz, Germany
". . should find its place in libraries of university Earth science departments, as well as in private libraries of students and researchers in the fields of meteorology, climatology and oceanography."
--Pure & Applied Geophysics
"This book represents a serious attempt to combine the thermodynamics of air, water, and ice in a single text. The book is well written and most of the derivations of the equations are relatively easy to follow. Numerous diagrams and tables complement the text. References at the end of the chapters are also collected at the end of the book and provide sources for additional information. Problems at the end of each chapter and selected answers at the back of the book will be useful for those who use this book as a text. The appendices contain a comprehensive list of symbols that I found to be very handy, as well as other useful information."
--Jay S. Hobgood, EOS, TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION, December 2001

From the Back Cover

Thermodynamics plays a fundamental part in atmospheric, climatological and oceanic studies. Winds and ocean currents owe their existence to the thermodynamic imbalances that arise from the differential heating of the Earth's surface and air by the sun. Phase changes of water in the atmosphere result in the formation of clouds and precipitation. Freezing and melting of seawater in high latitudes influences profoundly the exchange of radiant, sensible, and latent heat between the atmosphere and the oceans.

Accounting for heat exchanges within the atmosphere and the ocean (and between the atmosphere and the ocean) is essential in any predictive model of the ocean and/or the atmosphere.

Thermodynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans presents the first systematic and unifying approach to the thermodynamics of the atmosphere and ocean and establishes the interrelationship between these subjects. This simultaneous examination of the thermodynamics of the atmosphere and the ocean enriches our understanding of both, and is essential in many issues such as forecasting severe weather and understanding climate variability.

Thermodynamics in Atmospheres and Oceans will serve as a text for introductory graduate and advanced undergraduate courses in atmospheric science and oceanography. The logical presentation of formulas, diagrams, and tables will prove valuable to researchers, practicing scientists and engineers working in the field. The eminently readable style includes both a reading list and problems to be solved at the end of each chapter to enforce the learning at each stage.

Judith Curry and Peter Webster are based at the Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 471 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 1 edition (February 3, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0121995704
• ISBN-13: 978-0121995706
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,721,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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