Includes bibliographical references and index.

This book gives a coherent development of the current understanding of the fluid dynamics of the middle latitude atmosphere. It is primarily aimed at post-graduate and advanced undergraduate level students and does not assume any previous knowledge of fluid mechanics, meteorology or atmospheric science. The book will be an invaluable resource for any quantitative atmospheric scientist who wishes to increase their understanding of the subject. The importance of the rotation of the Earth and the stable stratification of its atmosphere, with their implications for the balance of larger-scale flows, is highlighted throughout.Clearly structured throughout, the first of three themes deals with the development of the basic equations for an atmosphere on a rotating, spherical planet and discusses scale analyses of these equations. The second theme explores the importance of rotation and introduces vorticity and potential vorticity, as well as turbulence. In the third theme, the concepts developed in the first two themes are used to give an understanding of balanced motion in real atmospheric phenomena. It starts with quasi-geostrophic theory and moves on to linear and nonlinear theories for mid-latitude weather systems and their fronts. The potential vorticity perspective on weather systems is highlighted with a discussion of the Rossby wave propagation and potential vorticity mixing covered in the final chapter.

Advancing Weather and Climate Science Series; Title page; Copyright page; Series foreword; Preface; Select bibliography; References; The authors; 1 Observed flow in the Earth's midlatitudes; 1.1 Vertical structure; 1.2 Horizontal structure; 1.3 Transient activity; 1.4 Scales of motion; 1.5 The Norwegian frontal model of cyclones; Theme 1: Fluid dynamics of the midlatitude atmosphere; 2 Fluid dynamics in an inertial frame of reference; 2.1 Definition of fluid; 2.2 Flow variables and the continuum hypothesis; 2.3 Kinematics: characterizing fluid flow; 2.4 Governing physical principles

2.5 Lagrangian and Eulerian perspectives2.6 Mass conservation equation; 2.7 First Law of Thermodynamics; 2.8 Newton's Second Law of Motion; 2.9 Bernoulli's Theorem; 2.10 Heating and water vapour; 3 Rotating frames of reference; 3.1 Vectors in a rotating frame of reference; 3.2 Velocity and Acceleration; 3.3 The momentum equation in a rotating frame; 3.4 The centrifugal pseudo-force; 3.5 The Coriolis pseudo-force; 3.6 The Taylor-Proudman theorem; 4 The spherical Earth; 4.1 Spherical polar coordinates; 4.2 Scalar equations; 4.3 The momentum equations; 4.4 Energy and angular momentum

4.5 The shallow atmosphere approximation4.6 The beta effect and the spherical Earth; 5 Scale analysis and its applications; 5.1 Principles of scaling methods; 5.2 The use of a reference atmosphere; 5.3 The horizontal momentum equations; 5.4 Natural coordinates, geostrophic and gradient wind balance; 5.5 Vertical motion; 5.6 The vertical momentum equation; 5.7 The mass continuity equation; 5.8 The thermodynamic energy equation; 5.9 Scalings for Rossby numbers that are not small; 6 Alternative vertical coordinates; 6.1 A general vertical coordinate; 6.2 Isobaric coordinates

6.3 Other pressure-based vertical coordinates6.4 Isentropic coordinates; 7 Variations of density and the basic equations; 7.1 Boussinesq approximation; 7.2 Anelastic approximation; 7.3 Stratification and gravity waves; 7.4 Balance, gravity waves and Richardson number; 7.5 Summary of the basic equation sets; 7.6 The energy of atmospheric motions; Theme 2: Rotation in the atmosphere; 8 Rotation in the atmosphere; 8.1 The concept of vorticity; 8.2 The vorticity equation; 8.3 The vorticity equation for approximate sets of equations; 8.4 The solenoidal term; 8.5 The expansion/contraction term

8.6 The stretching and tilting terms8.7 Friction and vorticity; 8.8 The vorticity equation in alternative vertical coordinates; 8.9 Circulation; 9 Vorticity and the barotropic vorticity equation; 9.1 The barotropic vorticity equation; 9.2 Poisson's equation and vortex interactions; 9.3 Flow over a shallow hill; 9.4 Ekman pumping; 9.5 Rossby waves and the beta plane; 9.6 Rossby group velocity; 9.7 Rossby ray tracing; 9.8 Inflexion point instability; 10 Potential vorticity; 10.1 Potential vorticity; 10.2 Alternative derivations of Ertel's theorem; 10.3 The principle of invertibility

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