MARC Record from Library of Congress

LEADER: 03573nam a22003378a 4500
001 2010036193
003 DLC
005 20100916120721.0
008 100823s2010 enk b 001 0 eng
010 $a 2010036193
020 $a9780521865562
040 $aDLC$cDLC$dDLC
042 $apcc
050 00 $aQB603.A85$bP54 2010
082 00 $a551.5$222
100 1 $aPierrehumbert, Raymond T.
245 10 $aPrinciples of planetary climate /$cRaymond T. Pierrehumbert.
260 $aCambridge ;$aNew York :$bCambridge University Press,$c2010.
263 $a1012
300 $ap. cm.
520 $a"This book introduces the reader to all the basic physical building blocks of climate needed to understand the present and past climate of Earth, the climates of Solar System planets, and the climates of extrasolar planets. These building blocks include thermodynamics, infrared radiative transfer, scattering, surface heat transfer and various processes governing the evolution of atmospheric composition. Nearly four hundred problems are supplied to help consolidate the reader's understanding, and to lead the reader towards original research on planetary climate. This textbook is invaluable for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students in atmospheric science, Earth and planetary science, astrobiology, and physics. It also provides a superb reference text for researchers in these subjects, and is very suitable for academic researchers trained in physics or chemistry who wish to rapidly gain enough background to participate in the excitement of the new research opportunities opening in planetary climate"--$cProvided by publisher.
520 $a"The climate system is made up of building blocks which in themselves are based on elementary physical principles, but which have surprising and profound collective behavior when allowed to interact on the planetary scale. In this sense, the "climate game" is rather like the game of Go, where interesting structure emerges from the interaction of simple rules on a big playing field, rather than complexity in the rules themselves. This book is intended to provide a rapid entré into this fascinating universe of problems for the student who is already somewhat literate in physics and mathematics, but who has not had any previous experience with climate problems. The subject matter of each individual chapter could easily fill a textbook many times over, but even the abbreviated treatment given here provides enough core material for the student to begin treating original questions in the physics of climate"--$cProvided by publisher.
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index.
505 8 $aMachine generated contents note: 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.
650 0 $aPlanetary meteorology.
650 0 $aClimatology.
650 0 $aPaleoclimatology.
856 42 $3Cover image$uhttp://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/65562/cover/9780521865562.jpg
856 42 $3Contributor biographical information$uhttp://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy1012/2010036193-b.html
856 42 $3Publisher description$uhttp://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy1012/2010036193-d.html
856 41 $3Table of contents only$uhttp://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy1012/2010036193-t.html