Climate System Dynamics and Modeling

This textbook presents all aspects of climate system dynamics, on all timescales from the Earth's formation to modern human-induced climate change. It discusses the dominant feedbacks and interactions between all the components of the climate system: atmosphere, ocean, land surface, and ice sheets. It addresses one of the key challenges for a course on the climate system: students can come from a range of backgrounds. A glossary of key terms is provided for students with little background in the climate sciences, whilst instructors and students with more expertise will appreciate the book's modular nature. Exercises are provided at the end of each chapter for readers to test their understanding. This textbook will be invaluable for any course on climate system dynamics and modeling, and will also be useful for scientists and professionals from other disciplines who want a clear introduction to the topic.

Hugues Goosse is senior research associate with the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (F.R.S.-FNRS-Belgium) and professor at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. He teaches climate related topics to students from a wide range of backgrounds, including physics, geography, engineering, bioengineering, biology, Earth and environmental sciences, and philosophy. His research is mainly devoted to the development of climate models, model-data comparison and the application of models to study past, current and future climate change, analyzing both natural variability and the response to human-induced perturbations. He is currently editor and former co-chief editor of the journal Climate of the Past. He has contributed to several international programs and assessment reports, in particular to the Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).