Synoptic Climatology in Environmental Analysis A Primer

This book introduces the methods of synoptic climatology -- the relationship between the atmospheric circulation and the surface environment -- and shows the vital importance of this approach in the understanding of environmental systems. This innovative and up-to-date text is both a primer for environmental scientists and a text in applied climatology for students of atmosphere science and geography. This book is constructed around the principal analytical methods of synoptic climatology: manual classification, correlation-based map-pattern classification, eigenvector-based classifications, composites and circulation indices. Four environmental scenarios illustrate the application of the synoptic climatological methods: these are urban air quality, acid rain, crop yield and fluvial hydrology. Contents Foreword Editor' s preface Preface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction to synoptic climatologyManual classificationCorrelation-based map-pattern classificationEigenvector-based classificationsCompositing, indexing and specificationRelationships between the atmospheric circulation and the surface environmentThe future of synoptic climatologyReferences Index

Brent Yarnal is an Associate Professor of Geography and Associate of the Earth System Science Center at The Pennsylvania State University. He received his graduate training at the University of Calgary (M.Sc., Geography) and Simon Fraser University (Ph.D., Geography). His research and teaching interests include climatic change and variability, global climate systems and the human dimensions of global environmental change.