Atmospheric data analysis

The demand for atmospheric and environmental information is escalating rapidly, requiring the design and deployment of increasingly exotic and comprehensive observing systems. Atmospheric data analysis is the diagnosis of the complete, physically consistent four-dimensional atmospheric structure from this vast, asynchronous, heterogeneous data base.Analyses of the atmospheric state are widely used in forecasting, in observational and phenomenological studies, and in formulating and verifying theoretical models of atmospheric behavior. They are also valuable for climatological studies, oceanography, and other disciplines of the terrestrial environment. In their most popular form, animated full-color atmospheric analyses are the mainstay of the television weather show. Although atmospheric analyses are widely used, the process of atmospheric analysis is not as widely understood as it should be. In large part, this is due to the paucity of pedagogical material in the field. This book, Atmospheric Data Analysis, evolved from a series of discussions with Tony Hollingsworth in England during a sabbatical year in 1983. Both of us proceeded to develop pedagogical material on atmospheric analysis, which formed the basis for a course at Colorado State University in 1984. Among the student critiques of the lecturer was oneperceptivecomment that a textbook would have substantially improved the course. I could not disagree and set to work immediately. – Atmospheric Data Analysis covers the complete field of atmospheric objective analysis or data assimilation. It is designed to be self-contained and thus includes some topics from atmospheric dynamics and statistics. The emphasis is on the theoretical foundations of the subject, and most of the developments are analytic. However, practical aspects and examples are introduced where appropriate. The book is intended for graduate or advanced undergraduate students with no prior knowledge of the subject. The level of mathematics is at the advanced undergraduate level, and background material on less familiar mathematical concepts is provided. Some prior knowledge of undergraduate atmospheric dynamics would be helpful but