Physics of the Environment and Climate

by Gérard Guyot

Physics of the Environment and Climate Gérard Guyot This introductory text reviews, for the first time in a unified form, information which is generally scattered between more specialized books in physics, meteorology, climatology, ecophysiology, agronomy and instrumental physics. In Physics of the Environment and Climate, Gérard Guyot brings together physical, meteorological, ecological, and agronomical data, with a view to clarifying our understanding of complex global and climatological phenomena relating to the environment. In addition to the intrinsic scientific interest of this subject, it also has important applications in planning and production in agriculture, management of the rural environment, and evaluation of the impact of human activity on our surroundings. The first three chapters analyse energy and mass exchanges within and above the plant canopy and in the upper layers of the soil. They describe also the interaction existing between plant activity (photosynthesis, transpiration, etc.) and environmental factors. The following two chapters introduce the basic knowledge necessary for an understanding of the mechanisms affecting climates at different scales from the synoptic to local microclimates. The utilization of climatic data is then presented. Beginning with statistical analyses, the author leads on to practical applications, such as the determination of climatic risks, climatic and agro-climatic distribution in zones, and crop forecasting. The final chapter reviews the equipment and measurement methods used for the determination of various climatic factors. The broad nature of the book's approach, its inclusion of large-scale processes, explanations of how to measure climatic factors, and their use in solving practical problems in agro-climatology, will give the book immediate appeal. It provides the necessary information for land management planning from an agro-meteorological point of view, and is suitable for the undergraduate student and non-specialist reader with only a basic understanding of physics and mathematics. Students of agronomy, meteorology, climatology, geography, environmental science, atmospheric physics and environmental physics. Engineers and professionals in many fields such as agriculture, forestry, ecology, the rural environment, and the management of land, water and other natural resources.

642 pages, Hardcover

First published November 24, 1998