METEOROLOGICAL FUNDAMENTALS

It allows readers interested in meteorology and with a general scientific background to approach the classical knowledge in the field of atmospheric physics exposed with a permanent pedagogical concern. It also presents a state of the art of the main conceptual models based on the results of recent scientific publications as well as the current techniques of observation and numerical weather prediction. In the first part, which is very descriptive, the reader discovers the various means of observing the atmosphere as well as the parameters that describe the state of the atmosphere, from the global to the cloud scale. The second part explains the general laws of evolution of the atmospheric fluid, conservation of mass, momentum and energy, emphasizing their physical interpretation and relying on numerous illustrations. In the third part are explained the classical approximations of these general laws for different space-time scales. The reader thus discovers the major equilibria towards which the atmosphere adjusts on a large scale or the importance of turbulent terms in the atmospheric boundary layer. The fourth part describes the conceptual models resulting from recent advances in meteorological research. It presents an analysis of the mechanisms of the general circulation, mid-latitude lows, atmospheric convection and certain low-level processes. Finally, the last part presents the general principles of numerical weather prediction, the keystone of current weather forecasting based on the body of knowledge presented in the first four parts. With an approach that combines theoretical rigour and physical interpretation, this book is aimed at a varied audience: - meteorology students