Numerical Weather and Climate Prediction

This textbook provides a comprehensive yet accessible treatment of weather and climate prediction, for graduate students, researchers and professionals. It teaches the strengths, weaknesses and best practices for the use of atmospheric models. It is ideal for the many scientists who use such models across a wide variety of applications. The book describes the different numerical methods, data assimilation, ensemble methods, predictability, land-surface modeling, climate modeling and downscaling, computational fluid-dynamics models, experimental designs in model-based research, verification methods, operational prediction, and special applications such as air-quality modeling and flood prediction. This volume will satisfy everyone who needs to know about atmospheric modeling for use in research or operations. It is ideal both as a textbook for a course on weather and climate prediction and as a reference text for researchers and professionals from a range of backgrounds: atmospheric science, meteorology, climatology, environmental science, geography, and geophysical fluid mechanics/dynamics.

Table of Contents:
Preface; List of acronyms; List of symbols; 1. Introduction; 2. The governing systems of equations; 3. Numerical solutions to the equations; 4. Physical-process parameterizations; 5. Modeling surface processes; 6. Model initialization; 7. Ensemble methods; 8. Predictability; 9. Verification methods; 10. Experimental design in model-based research; 11. Techniques for analyzing model output; 12. Operational numerical weather prediction; 13. Statistical post processing of model output; 14. Coupled special-applications models; 15. Computational fluid-dynamics models; 16. Climate modeling and downscaling; Appendix. Suggested code structure and experiments for a simple shallow-fluid model; References; Index.

About the Author :
Tom Warner was a Professor in the Department of Meteorology at the Pennsylvania State University before accepting his current joint appointment with the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. His career has involved teaching and research in numerical weather prediction and mesoscale meteorological processes. He has published on these and other subjects in numerous professional journals. His recent research and teaching has focused on atmospheric processes, operational weather prediction, and arid-land meteorology. He is the author of Desert Meteorology (2004), also published by Cambridge University Press.

Review :
'Numerical Weather and Climate Prediction is an excellent book for those who want a comprehensive introduction to numerical modeling of the atmosphere and Earth system, whether their interest is in weather forecasting, climate modeling, or many other applications of numerical models. The book is comprehensive, well written, and contains clear and informative illustrations.' Dr Richard A. Anthes, President, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Boulder 'Tom Warner's book is a rich, effectively written and comprehensive detailed summary of the field of atmospheric modeling from local to global scales. It should be in the library of all meteorologists, climate researchers, and other scientists who are interested in the capabilities, strengths and weaknesses of modeling.' Professor Roger A. Pielke, Sr, Colorado State University, Fort Collins '[This book] … covers all aspects of modeling one might expect, such as numerical techniques, but also some that might be unexpected such as ensemble modeling, initialization, and error growth. Today most students have become model users instead of model developers. Fewer and fewer peer into the models they use beyond the narrow regions that may directly interest them. With hundreds of thousands of lines of code, and groups of developers working on individual parts of the code, very few can say they truly understand all the parts of a model. Professor Warner's textbook should help both the student and the more advanced user of codes better appreciate and understand the numerical models that have come to dominate atmospheric science.' Professor Brian Toon, University of Colorado, Boulder 'Tom [Warner]'s new book covers an impressive range of need-to-know material spanning traditional and cutting-edge atmospheric modeling topics. It should be required reading for all model users and aspiring model developers, and it will be a required text for my NWP students.' Professor David R. Stauffer, Pennsylvania State University 'The book addresses many practical issues in modern numerical weather prediction. It is particularly suitable for the students and scientists who use numerical models for their research and applications. While there have already been a few excellent textbooks that provide fundamental theory of NWP, this book offers complementary materials, which is useful for [the] understanding of key components of operational numerical weather forecasting.' Professor Zhaoxia Pu, University of Utah '… gives a bird's eye view of the phenomenon of numerical weather prediction … and that view is superb … The illustrations are brilliant … A more accessible, yet unpatronising treatment you will probably struggle to find … It is such a nice read that it may even be worth a purchase for the more experienced of you. If not, [it] is nonetheless an excellent introduction to the topic …' Meteorologische Zeitschrift