Università Roma Tre

- The Earth-atmosphere system -

Composition and structure
Radiative equilibrium of the Earth
The global energy budget

- Hydrostatic equilibrium -

Hydrostatic balance
Stratification
Lagrangian interpretation of stratification

- Static stability -

Stability categories
Implications for vertical motion
Stabilizing and destabilizing influences
Turbulent dispersion

- Radiative transfer -

Description of radiative transfer
Absorption characteristics of gases
Thermal equilibrium
The greenhouse effect

- Large-scale motion -

Geostrophic equilibrium
Vertical shear of the geostrophic wind
Frictional geostrophic motion
Curvilinear motion
Weakly divergent motion

- Thermodynamics of gases -

Thermodynamic concepts
Adiabatic processes
Diabatic processes

- Heterogeneous systems -

Chemical equilibrium
Fundamental relations for a multi-component system
Equilibrium phase transformations

- Transformations of moist air -

Implications for the distribution of water vapor
Thermodynamic behaviour accompanying vertical motion
The pseudo-adiabatic chart

- Atmospheric motion and equations -

Kinematics of fluid motion
Reynold’s transport theorem
Conservation of mass
The momentum budget

- The planetary boundary layer -

Description of turbulence
Structure of the boundary layer
Ekman pumping

- Wave propagation -

Acoustic waves
Buoyancy waves
The Lamb wave
Rossby waves
Wave absorption

- Dynamic stability -

Inertial stability
Shear stability
The Eady model

- Influence of the Ocean -

Composition and structure
Role in the heat budget
Role in the carbon cycle
The wind-driven circulation
The buoyancy-driven circulation
Interannual changes

Salby M.L. - Physics of the Atmosphere and Climate. Cambridge University Press, 2012 - ISBN:9780521767187

Karnauskas K. - Physical Oceanography and Climate. Cambridge University Press, 2020 - ISBN:9781108423861