Nonlinear Physical Oceanography: A Dynamical Systems Approach to the Large Scale Ocean Circulation and El Niño

Dijkstra, Henk A. (Author)

ISBN 10: 0792365224 / ISBN 13: 9780792365228

Published by Springer, 2000

About this Item

456 pages. 9.50x6.50x1.00 inches. In Stock.

Seller Inventory # x-0792365224

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Nonlinear Physical Oceanography: A Dynamical Systems Approach to the Large Scale Ocean Circulation and El Niño
• Publisher: Springer
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0792365224
• ISBN 13: 9780792365228
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Brand New

About this title

Synopsis

In this book, the methodology of dynamical systems theory is applied to investigate the physics of the global ocean circulation. Topics include the dynamics of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean, the stability of the thermohaline circulation and the El Niño/Southern Oscillation phenomenon in the Tropical Pacific. On the other hand, the book also deals with the numerical methods for applying bifurcation analysis on large dimensional dynamical systems, with thousands or more degrees of freedom, which arise through discretization of ocean models. The novel approach in understanding the phenomena of climate variability is through a systematic analysis within a hierarchy of models using these techniques. In this way, a nice overview is obtained of the relations between the results of the different models within the hierarchy. Mechanistic description of the physics of the results is provided and, where possible, links with results of state-of-the-art models and observations are sought. The reader is expected to have a background in basic incompressible fluid dynamics and applied mathematics, although the level of the text is mixed and sometimes quite introductory. Each chapter is rather self-contained and many details of derivations are provided. The book is aimed at graduate students and researchers in meteorology, oceanography, and related fields who are interested in tackling fundamental problems in dynamical oceanography and climate dynamics.

Review

Wendy Welch Orlando (Northwest Research Associates, Inc.) in SIAM Vol. 44, No. 1, 2002 on the book's first edition:

"An old distinction comes to mind when considering Henk Dijkstra's satisfying new book on nonlinear physical oceanography: While many texts convey knowledge to the reader, this is a rare example of one which imparts some wisdom. (...) In summary, this text is different from most others in that it combines several different disciplines and drwas on many scientific studies in order to deduce mechanisms of ocean circulation. As it therefore cannot be substituted, and as it meets its unique goals with clarity and thoroughness, it has merited this enthusiastic review".

Several additional reviews on the first edition available, excerpts on the book's homepage on springeronline.

From the reviews of the second edition:

"This book ... falls into the broad category of advanced graduate text cum research monograph. It does more than most books in this category to actually serve as a text ... . The presentation of the book is excellent and includes a nice selection of color plates at the end ... . The book clearly belongs on the shelf or in the departmental library of any serious physical oceanographer and is highly recommended for applied and computational mathematicians ... ." (Michael Ghil, Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics, Vol. 102 (3), June, 2008)