Climate Science Books: Intro-level Texts & Pop Sci Books

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The discussion centers around seeking recommendations for introductory resources in climate science, particularly for an undergraduate student preparing for graduate studies. Suggested readings include "Global Warming: The Complete Briefing" by John Houghton, which provides a non-technical overview, and "Atmosphere, Ocean and Climate Dynamics" by John Marshall and R. Alan Plumb, which incorporates math and fluid dynamics suitable for those with some calculus background. Other recommended titles include "Climate: A Very Short Introduction" for a concise overview and "A Farewell to Ice" by Peter Wadhams for a more narrative approach. Additionally, the importance of programming skills is highlighted, with suggestions to explore Python, GNU Octave, and R, as these are valuable tools in climate science research.
LittleMrsMonkey
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I am going into my second year in undergrad,starting to look into the different disciplines and self study on what I might do in graduate school.But I haven't yet decided what I want to do in graduate(which is fine,I know).For the moment,I am drawn to climate science.
So,I would appreciate any suggestions on either an introductory textbook or a pop-sci book by a climate scientist etc.Anything good,really.Just not a graduate level textbook.
Keep in mind that this semester I am doing an introductory course on atmospheric physics,so I'm looking for a climatology oriented introductory textbook since I'll have an introduction to the broader field anyway.
Edit:Actually,just anything interesting on atmospheric physics.
EDIT: Well,I'll take any suggestion on studying climate science.Fire away.
 
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LittleMrsMonkey said:
introductory textbook or a pop-sci book
For very "fluffy" surveys the "Complete Idiot's Guides" and "Blank for Dummies" series aren't too horrible. Not a whole lot of detail, but still fairly compete surveys.
 
"Global Warming: The Complete Briefing", John Houghton, 4th edition, Cambridge University Press, 2009

This is an introductory overview, written by one of the ipcc head people. It's quite nontechnical.

Atmosphere, Ocean and Climate Dynamics: An Introductory Text", John Marshall and R. Alan Plumb, 1st edition, Academic Press, 2007

This one is quite short and goes through a lot of the math and fluid dynamics in the atmosphere. If you have a couple of calculus courses it should be well within your reach.
 
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Thank you very much,just got the second one from the library.
 
You can also check out Climate: A Very Short Introduction. I've only read some of it, but it seems like a great way to see how interested you are.

Oh, and it's only like 150 pages.
 
You may still be interested to read a recent Penguin book:

"A Farewell to Ice: A Report from the Arctic" by Peter Wadhams, Published 1st September 2016
 
Climate Change: What the Science Tells Us by Charles Fletcher is a good survey of the peer-reviewed science on climate change, as well.

I'd also recommended looking at computer programming, to see if you can develop a taste for it. I recommend looking at some tutorials for Python if you're not a programmer yet.

Also, check out some tutorials for GNU Octave and R. GNU Octave is a close approximation of a free version of MATLAB. MATLAB and R are both used by climate scientists.
 

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