The physics behind weather and the climate

[dEdt]

Hi all,

I want to better understand the physics behind atmospheric phenomena, more out of curiosity than anything. What textbook would you recommend for me to study from? I'll be done my BS in physics next year, so that should tell you approximately what 'level' I'm at.

TIA

 

[jasonRF]

Holton's book is good for an intro to the fluid dynamics of the atmosphere:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/012354355X/?tag=pfamazon01-20

it is written for juniors in atmospheric science, so should be at a good level. It doesn't really touch on the thermodynamics of the atmosphere, cloud formation, etc. So if that is what you are interested in you will need to look elsewhere. Hopefully an expert will chime in with more recommendations. I just know this book from taking an astronomy grad course that covered atmospheric physics and used an unreadable text - I found this book by Holton in the bookstore as it was used in the atmospheric sciences department, and thought it was a nice readable book. Others may be better - I am not an expert in this field. I recommend you go to your library and see what they have on the shelf - you might find exactly what you are looking for.

jason