Principles of Planetary Climate

Unified treatment of physical principles of planetary climates for advanced students and researchers in atmospheric science, Earth and planetary science.

Raymond T. Pierrehumbert (Author)

9780521865562, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 2 December 2010

674 pages, 143 b/w illus. 23 tables 370 exercises
25.3 x 19.8 x 3.6 cm, 1.6 kg

'Principles of Planetary Climate is a significant contribution to planetary atmospheres, written by one of the field's broadest thinkers. Pierrehumbert covers a comprehensive range of topics fundamental to all planet atmospheres. He brings together the basic and advanced building blocks in a way that is both compelling and thorough. This book should be read by all interested in planetary climate.' Professor Sara Seager, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

This book introduces the reader to all the basic physical building blocks of climate needed to understand the present and past climate of Earth, the climates of Solar System planets, and the climates of extrasolar planets. These building blocks include thermodynamics, infrared radiative transfer, scattering, surface heat transfer and various processes governing the evolution of atmospheric composition. Nearly four hundred problems are supplied to help consolidate the reader's understanding, and to lead the reader towards original research on planetary climate. This textbook is invaluable for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students in atmospheric science, Earth and planetary science, astrobiology, and physics. It also provides a superb reference text for researchers in these subjects, and is very suitable for academic researchers trained in physics or chemistry who wish to rapidly gain enough background to participate in the excitement of the new research opportunities opening in planetary climate.

Preface
1. The big questions
2. Thermodynamics in a nutshell
3. Elementary models of radiation balance
4. Radiative transfer in temperature-stratified atmospheres
5. Scattering
6. The surface energy balance
7. Variation of temperature with season and latitude
8. Evolution of the atmosphere
9. A peek at dynamics
Appendix. Notation
Index.

Subject Areas: Meteorology & climatology [RBP], Atmospheric physics [PHVJ]