Elementary Climate Physics

Oxford University Press, 2012. — 212 p. — ISBN 978 0 19 856733 2. Climate Physics is a modern subject based on a space-era understanding of the physical properties of the atmosphere and ocean, their planetary-scale history and evolution, new global measurement systems and sophisticated computer models, which collectively make quantitative studies and predictions possible. At the same time, interest in understanding the climate has received an enormous boost from the concern generated by the realization that rapid climate change, much of it forced by the relentless increase in population and industrialization, is potentially a serious threat to the quality of life on Earth. Our ability to resist and overcome any such threat depends directly on our ability to understand what physical effects are involved and to predict how trends may develop. In an introductory course like that presented here, we want to clarify the basics, topic by topic, and see how far we can get by applying relatively simple Physics to the climate problem. This provides a foundation for more advanced work, which we can identify and appreciate at this level although of course a full treatment requires more advanced books, of which there are many.

Climate Physics is a modern subject based on a space-era understanding of the physical properties of the atmosphere and ocean, their planetary-scale history and evolution, new global measurement systems and sophisticated computer models, which collectively make quantitative studies and predictions possible. At the same time, interest in understanding the climate has received an enormous boost from the concern generated by the realization that rapid climate change, much of it forced by the relentless increase in population and industrialization, is potentially a serious threat to the quality of life on Earth. Our ability to resist and overcome any such threat depends directly on our ability to understand what physical effects are involved and to predict how trends may develop. In an introductory course like that presented here, we want to clarify the basics, topic by topic, and see how far we can get by applying relatively simple Physics to the climate problem. This provides a foundation for more advanced work, which we can identify and appreciate at this level although of course a full treatment requires more advanced books, of which there are many.

Elementary Climate Physics Is An Introductory Text That Covers Climate-related Topics At A Level Suitable For Undergraduates In The Physical Sciences, And For Graduate Students And Others Requiring A Quantitative Introduction To The Field. It Aims To Set Out The Basic Mechanisms Controlling Climate, To Apply Relatively Simple Physics To The Problem Of Climate Change, And To Provide A Foundation For More Advanced Work. References To Appropriate Further Reading At A Higher Level Are Provided, Along With Some Sample Examination Questions.--jacket. 1. The Climate System -- 2. Solar Radiation And The Energy Budget Of The Earth -- 3. Atmosphere And Climate -- 4. Clouds And Aerosols -- 5. Ocean And Climate -- 6. Radiative Transfer -- 7. Earth's Energy Budget : The 'greenhouse' Effect -- 8. The Ozone Layer -- 9. Climate Observations By Remote Sensing -- 10. Climate Sensitivity And Change -- 11. Climate Models And Predictions -- 12. Climate On Other Planets -- 13. Epilogue. F.w. Taylor. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Climate Physics involves understanding the structure and behavior of the atmosphere and ocean, the principles of global measurement systems using remote sensing from space, and the elements of computer models. This introductory course aims to clarify the basic mechanisms controlling climate, to apply physics to the problem of climate change.