Bridgman Howard A., Oliver John E. The Global Climate System: Patterns, Processes, and Teleconnections

Cambridge University Press, 2006. — 359 p.Over the last 20 years, developments in climatology have provided an amazing array of explanations for the pattern of world climates. This textbook examines the Earth’s climate systems in light of this incredible growth in data availability, data retrieval systems, and satellite and computer applications. It considers regional climate anomalies, developments in teleconnections, unusual sequences of recent climate change, and human impacts on the climate system. The physical climate forms the main part of the book, but social and economic aspects of the global climate system are also considered. This textbook has been derived from the authors’ extensive experience of teaching climatology and atmospheric science. Each chapter contains an essay by a specialist in the field to enhance the understanding of selected topics. An extensive bibliography and lists of websites are included for further study. This textbook will be invaluable to advanced students of climatology and atmospheric science.
Howard A. Bridgman is currently a Conjoint Professor at the University of Newcastle in Australia, having retired at the Associate Professor level in February 2005. He has held visiting scientist positions at Indiana University, USA, the University of East Anglia, UK, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, Colorado, USA, the Atmospheric Environment Service in Canada, and the Illinois State Water Survey, USA.
He has written, edited or contributed to eleven other books on subjects including air pollution, applied climatology and climates of the Southern Hemisphere. He has published many articles in the field’s leading journals.
John E. Oliver was educated in England and the United States, obtaining his Ph.D. at Columbia University, where he served on the faculty, before joining Indiana State University. Prior to his appointment as Emeritus Professor, he was Professor of Physical Geography and Director of the University Climate Laboratory at Indiana State. He also served as Department Chairperson and Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences.
He has published twelve books and his work on applied climatology and historic climates has appeared in a wide range of journals. He was founding editor, with Antony Orme, of the journal Physical Geography, for which until recently he served as editor for climatology. In 1998 he was awarded the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the Climatology Group of the Association of American Geographers.