This book breaks new ground with the integration of geography, oceanography, plankton and benthic biology, as well as fish, to present a comprehensive account of the ecology of the tropical ocean. Proceeding from a description of the geomorphology, sediments, and vegetation of tropical continental shelves and the oceanography of tropical regions, the authors describe the benthos, plankton, and fish communities of tropical seas. An examination of the production of plant and animal life in tropical oceans is presented together with the numerical population biology of fish and invertebrates.
This book presents a unique and comprehensive view of the fundamental dynamical and thermodynamic principles underlying the large circulations of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system Dynamics of The Tropical Atmosphere and Oceans provides a detailed description of macroscale tropical circulation systems such as the monsoon, the Hadley and Walker Circulations, El Niño, and the tropical ocean warm pool. These macroscale circulations interact with a myriad of higher frequency systems, ranging from convective cloud systems to migrating equatorial waves that attend the low-frequency background flow. Towards understanding and predicting these circulation systems. A comprehensive overview of the dynamics and thermodynamics of large-scale tropical atmosphere and oceans is presented using both a “reductionist” and “holistic” perspectives of the coupled tropical system. The reductionist perspective provides a detailed description of the individual elements of the ocean and atmospheric circulations. The physical nature of each component of the tropical circulation such as the Hadley and Walker circulations, the monsoon, the incursion of extratropical phenomena into the tropics, precipitation distributions, equatorial waves and disturbances described in detail. The holistic perspective provides a physical description of how the collection of the individual components produces the observed tropical weather and climate. How the collective tropical processes determine the tropical circulation and their role in global weather and climate is provided in a series of overlapping theoretical and modelling constructs. The structure of the book follows a graduated framework. Following a detailed description of tropical phenomenology, the reader is introduced to dynamical and thermodynamical constraints that guide the planetary climate and establish a critical role for the tropics. Equatorial wave theory is developed for simple and complex background flows, including the critical role played by moist processes. The manner in which the tropics and the extratropics interact is then described, followed by a discussion of the physics behind the subtropical and near-equatorial precipitation including arid regions. The El Niño phenomena and the monsoon circulations are discussed, including their covariance and predictability. Finally, the changing structure of the tropics is discussed in terms of the extent of the tropical ocean warm pool and its relationship to the intensity of global convection and climate change. Dynamics of the Tropical Atmosphere and Oceans is aimed at advanced undergraduate and early career graduate students. It also serves as an excellent general reference book for scientists interested in tropical circulations and their relationship with the broader climate system.
We have identified a need to draw together knowledge of physiochemical and biological aspects of pollution in tropical aquatic systems. This book results from this and we hope will assist in providing management strategies to protect these systems from pollution effects. In organising the book we have, as far as possible, attempted to cover the range of topics important in understanding pollution in tropical areas. Authors who are expert in their particular fields have been invited to contribute. We recognise that many topics remain uncovered but we hope will serve to assist in identifying these and stimulate interest in this area.
Satellite remote sensing, in particular by radar altimetry, is a crucial technique for observations of the ocean surface and of many aspects of land surfaces, and of paramount importance for climate and environmental studies. This book provides a state-of-the-art overview of the satellite altimetry techniques and related missions, and reviews the most-up-to date applications to ocean dynamics and sea level. It also discusses related space-based observations of the ocean surface and of the marine geoid, as well as applications of satellite altimetry to the cryosphere and land surface waters; operational oceanography and its applications to navigation, fishing and defense.
This book, the proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Paleoceanography, held August 23-28, 1998 in Lisbon, Portugal, provides a unique coverage and an overview of a number of different areas within the field of paleoceanography. Analysis and discussion is centered upon five major themes, which comprise the sections of the book: Polar-tropical and interhemisphere linkages; Does the ocean cause, or respond to, abrupt climatic changes?; Biotic responses to major paleoceanographic changes; Past warm climates; and Innovations in monitoring ocean history. With up-to-date information on current research and developments within these fields, and critical evaluation of new approaches and methods for monitoring ocean history, this work is an invaluable source of reference for researchers, students and teachers alike.
The field of oceanographic data assimilation is now well established. The main area of concern of oceanographic data assimilation is the necessity for systematic model improvement and ocean state estimation. In this respect, the book presents the newest, innovative applications combining the most sophisticated assimilation methods with the most complex ocean circulation models.Ocean prediction has also now emerged as an important area in itself. The book contains reviews of scientific oceanographic issues covering different time and space scales. The application of data assimilation methods can provide significant advances in the understanding of this subject. Also included are the first, recent developments in the forecasting of oceanic flows.Only original articles that have undergone full peer review are presented, to ensure the highest scientific quality. This work provides an excellent coverage of state-of-the-art oceanographic data assimilation.
What do we mean by the tropics? The weather and the climates it produces across the tropical zone are significantly different from those experienced by the people living in higher latitudes, so forecasters across Europe and much of North America are unfamiliar with its effects. In this book, Jim Galvin demystifies the topic in this zone that is increasingly of interest to those studying weather and climate. This book was written for weather forecasters, meteorology, environmental science and geography students as an introductory guide. It builds on the experience of the author, his professional experience in the World Area Forecast Centre at the Met Office, Exeter, using studies into the weather and climate seen within the tropical air mass conducted over many years. Its unique approach presents a practical approach to tropical weather studies, drawing on both academic and practical knowledge, covering air mass dynamics, seasonal changes, moist and dry weather, climate variability and human health in chapters and appendices that build up the overall picture, summarising our current state of knowledge. As an overview, it covers the broad range of effects connected with climate and weather in a straightforward way and is clearly illustrated throughout.
