Mak M. Atmospheric dynamics

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. — 486 p.Mankin Mak’s new textbook provides a self-contained course on atmospheric dynamics. The first half of the book is suitable for undergraduates, and develops the physical, dynamical and mathematical concepts at the fundamental level. The second half of the book is aimed at more advanced students who are already familiar with the basics. The contents have been developed from many years of the author’s teaching at the University of Illinois. The discussions are supplemented with schematics, weather maps and statistical plots of the atmospheric general circulation. Students often find the connection between theoretical dynamics and atmospheric observation somewhat tenuous, and this book demonstrates a strong connection between the key dynamics and real observations in the atmosphere, with many illustrative analyses in the simplest possible model settings. Physical reasoning is shown to be even more crucial than mathematical skill in tackling dynamical problems.