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Book Review Observatory Seismology, ed. J. J. Litehiser, University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles, London, 1989; US $49.95. This book is a record of the professional papers presented during the anniversary symposium on the occasion of the centennial of the University of California at Berkeley Seismographic Stations, held on the Berkeley campus during the last week of May 1987. The first seismographs were installed by the University in 1887 at Lick Observatory on Mr. Hamilton and on the Berkeley campus of the University and their operation has never been seriously interrupted. Thus, these stations are among those of the oldest continuously operating stations in the world. The book contains two addresses, printed as a separate entity, and twenty papers divided into three additional parts. In the first address, Dr. R. D. Adams of the International Seismological Centre presents a review of the development of global earthquake recordings in the past and on its further evolvement in the future. The address is illustrated by highly interesting examples related to the problem of earthquake location. In the second address, Dr. B. A. Bolt, Director of the Berkeley Seismographic Stations, describes specific contributions to seismology of the Berkeley network during its one hundred years of operation. A better understanding of local seismicity, fault plane solutions, underground explosions, earthquake prediction, crustal and deep earth structure, and seismometry has been achieved as a result of the studies undertaken at Berkeley. The second part of the book, entitled Past and Future Development of the Seismological Observatory, contains six papers written by well known experts in this field. Several topics are discussed, such as international and array seismology, data processing from global, regional and local digital networks, and naturally the history of seismographic recording at Berkeley. The authors attempt to answer the perpetual question in observatory seismology: how best to record, process, archive, and exchange earthquake data, especially in the digital era. They present a wealth of information, on the international, national and local scale, of utmost importance to all seismological "practitioners". The third part, Crustal Tectonics and the Distribution of Earthquake Foci, also contains six papers. A number of problems is considered: seismicity of North America and of the Australian Plate, detailed seismicity study of northern California and the state of stress along the San Jacinto fault, local arrays in mapping of the lithosphere and the distribution of hypocenters in relation to seismotectonic paradigms. The last topic, discussed by J. W. Dewey, is a good example of the
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modern approach to the pattern of earthquake foci in reference to the tectonics of the crust, well represented in the book. A paradigm, in the context of the theory of the structure of scientific revolutions introduced by Kuhn in 1970, is a framework within which the puzzles of a given discipline are identified and solved. In seismotectonics, two paradigms are at present most often recognized. On a local scale there is the earthquake/fault paradigm: significant crustal earthquakes commonly occur as the result of shear displacement on preexisting faults. On a broad scale there is what Dewey calls the earthquake/plate-tectonics paradigm: the locations and focal mechanism of many earthquakes can be predicted from the relative motions of tectonic plates. Although seismotectonic studies are commonly based on both paradigms, there are some seismic regions that remain poorly understood. Furthermore, local models independent of the current earthquake/fault and earthquake/plate-tectonics paradigms have been proposed, such as large landslides or tensile failure under high fluid pressure generating earthquakes. Nevertheless, Dewey believes that " . . . the paradigms have continued to be extensible to cover previously unexplained observations and are therefore likely to be extensible in the future to cover still more observations." The fourth and last part of the book, Analysis and Interpretation of Observatory Data, contains eight papers. Generally speaking, the authors consider how to analyze and interpret complex seismograms so as to reveal the physical properties and processes of the earth. Several problems are discussed in this part, such as the development of fault-plane studies, seismogram analysis by deterministic and stochastic methods, statistical seismology, spectral analysis for complex earthquakes, physical characteristics of explosions, surface waves in irregular structures, and free oscillation spectra. All papers provide highly useful state-of-the-art reviews of the selected topics with relevant references. They describe the most recent approaches in observatory seismology on their historical background. A good example of such a modern approach is the paper of K. D. Smith, J. N. Brune, and K. F. Priestley, describing the relationship between seismic energy and spectral shape for complex earthquakes. They find that significant intermediate slopes of co- 1 apparently exist in the seismic spectra, leading to considerably more high-frequency energy than for an co-2 model with the same seismic moment and source dimension. This effect is very important for determining the level of strong ground motion during large earthquakes, which is a highly practical problem, and for the calculation of the apparent stress and its relation to the stress drop, which is a decisive argument in the long standing discussion whether the overshoot mechanism is ever operative in the earthquake source. The book is carefully edited and provides a useful appendix, containing the scientific program of the Symposium, a list of contributors and their affiliations (but not coauthors), and an alphabetic index. I have truly enjoyed reading this book and I am pleased to have it on my bookshelves. It can serve as a textbook and a reference source for many subjects of
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observatory seismology. It is most fortunate that the centennial anniversary of the University of California at Berkeley Seismographic Stations has created an opportunity for the publication of this excellent collection of papers written by leading experts in the field. I strongly recommend this book to all seismologists and students who are involved in observational aspects of seismological research. S. J. Gibowicz Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy of Sciences 01-452 Warsaw Ks. Janusza 64 Poland
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Book Review Seismic Tomography and Mantle Circulation, eds. R. K. O'Nions and B. Parsons, London, The Royal Society, 1989; s (UK addresses), s (overseas addresses). In the last few years, seismic tomography--the construction of images of the earth's interior from the study of seismic travel times and free oscillations--has provided a tantalizing glimpse of the inaccessible earth. Although these images are blurry, and considerable small-scale structure is unresolved, they have nonetheless stimulated a broad range of geophysical and geochemical studies of the earth's deep interior. It is quite likely that the near future will see a rapid advance in our understanding of the dynamics of the earth's interior: seismic tomography will deserve much of the credit if a new paradigm of how the earth works is the end result. This volume is the result of a Royal Society Discussion Meeting on seismic tomography and mantle circulation, held at the Royal Society in April 1988. The meeting brought together a broad range of people with interests in the deep interior, and the great strength of this volume is the very diversity of the participants and the high quality of the submitted articles. It is considerably more than a typical conference proceeding volume. The first paper in the volume, by Woodhouse and Dziewonski, reviews their work on seismic modelling of the earth's large-scale three-dimensional structure. Woodhouse and Dziewonski have contributed most to this problem, and their paper provides a concise review of their work and that of others in the field. The following paper, by Hager and Richards, deals with the geoid, reviewing new insights they provide into the role of dynamically maintained topography in explaining the geoid. This work provides the best example to date of the use of seismic tomographs to explain other geophysical data. Successively, Masters reviews the use of free oscillations to image three-dimensional structure. Masters emphasizes the dominant role of harmonic degree 2 in the data and the problems which still exist with explaining modes that are sensitive to the core and inner core. The following two papers by Hide and by Gubbins examine the earth's deep interior from another perspective, that of interactions between the core and mantle. Hide considers the role of fluid flow in the core acting on core-mantle boundary topography in changes in the earth's rotation, and Gubbins considers that which may be gleaned from geomagnetic studies and the role of temperature variations in the lower-most mantle on flow in the core.
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The next three papers address the mineralogy of the mantle: Jeanloz and Knittle examine the bulk composition of the mantle, and argue for a mantle stratification; Price, Wall and Parker consider numerical modeling of silicates; and Salje considers the properties of perovskite-related minerals. The final three papers pertain to mantle circulation, though from rather differing viewpoints. Christensen focuses on numerical models of mantle conductivity, and in particular the important possibility, addressed by several authors in this volume, of mantle stratification. This issue is continued by Hoffman who reviews the geochemical constraints on mantle stratification. In the final paper (presented only as an abstract), Jordan argues for the important role played by chemical boundary layers in stratification of the mantle. This volume is thus very broad in scope, yet it succeeds in providing an overview of studies of the earth's interior. Obviously, with a limited number of authors, the range of views is rather restricted, and some of the exciting controversy fails to come across. But I would not hesitate in recommending this volume to graduate students who wish to obtain a favorable, concise summary of studies of the earth's deep interior. The volume is handsomely produced, though a rather expensive way to acquire ten fairly short reprints plus one abstract. Jeremy Bloxham Harvard University Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Hoffman Laboratory 20 Oxford St. Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
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Book Review Gravity and Low-frequency Geodynamics, ed. R. Teisseyre, Elsevier, PWN--Polish Scientific Publishers, Warszawa, 1989 (Volume 4 in the series Physics and Evolution of the Earth's Interior), mostly translated from Polish by J. Baldyga, 478 pages, US $131.75 hard cover. Long before being asked to review this book, I had reached for it thinking: "Finally, here is the book that is going to put it all together for me, gravity, temporal variations of gravity, gravitational response to dynamic phenomena, effects of gravity on earth's dynamics, and how the whole system has evolved through time." It didn't! I clearly had put too much stock into the title which should have read more appropriately perhaps, Selected Topics from Geodesy with Emphasis on Earth's Rotation. (Polish interest in the rotation of the earth may go back 450 years to the publication of De Revolutionibus Orbium Celesium.) How this volume fits into a series on "Physics and Evolution of the Earth's Interior" is unclear. This confusion is evident from the table of contents: 1. The Earth's Gravity Field (73 pages) 2. Space Geodesy Methods (31 pages) 3. The Hydrostatic Figure of the Earth (68 pages) 4. The Earth's Rotation (104 pages) 5. 'Observational Determination of the Earth's Rotation (57 pages) 6. Free Oscillations of the Earth (49 pages) 7. Earth Tides (20 pages) 8. Gravity and Reference Models (15 pages) 9. Fundamental Systems of Astronomical and Geodetical [sic] Constants (15 pages) More appropriate in a book on "low-frequency geodynamics" would be topics like tectonic motions, isostatic response to loading and unloading (post-glacial, sedimentary basins, etc.), and temporal changes of the gravity field. Equally nice to see, would be chapters on satellite orbital analysis (satellite gravimetry), and the effect of the core and mantle convection on gravity. The book appears to have come about as a result of eight earth scientists offering contributions in their individual specialities to the editor. This is not necessarily a bad starting point. Many volumes have been constituted in this fashion. It makes the task of the editor very difficult, however, and requires an intensive effort to produce a coherent piece of work. Viewed from this perspective, the book is relatively successful. It would have been even more successful if
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cross-referencing had been used. The individual imprints of the contributors have been all but obliterated by a reasonably decent translation--all except Chapters 3 and 4 apparently had been first written in Polish. It would have helped if the authors had reviewed the translations to weed out some ponderous terminology such as "geocentric gravitation mean of the earth," "action of the oceanic tides upon the recording of the earth tides," "sounding of the geopotential," or "acceleration of the force of gravity." The Polish scientific forte has always been in theory, and this book follows that tradition. The presented arguments start mostly from the first principles and proceed in a logical manner, making it easy for the reader to follow. Standard mathematical tools are used such that an average senior undergraduate student should be capable of using the book without too many problems. An appropriate number of references have been quoted, and there is a moderately useful index. To conclude, even if you quibble with the selection of topics, as I do, the book is a useful compendium of ideas, together with theoretical and numerical results. If it is within your means, it is worth adding to your bookshelf. Petr Vanirek University of New Brunswick Department of Surveying Engineering P. O. Box 4400 Fredericton, N.B., Canada E3B 5A3
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Anatomy of Seismograms, by O. Kulh~mek, Development in Solid Earth Geophysics, vol. 18, Elsevier, 1990; US $87.25, Dfl. 170.00. Written by the author of Introduction to Digital Filtering in Geophysics, this volume is the largely successful outcome of the UNESCO/IASPEI Working Group on (Earthquake) Seismogram Interpretation. A similar IASPEI committee produced by excellent monograph, Seismological Algorithms, edited by D. Doornbos. The present book is primarily a self-contained tutorial of basic concepts, techniques, and data types necessary for mastery in undertaking basic kinds of qualitative phase recognition and analysis of natural and man-made teleseismic signals. Requiring few prerequisites, the text comprises two general parts, the first a terminological and theoretical preliminary (Chapters 1-6). Of these introductory chapters, 1-3 are elementary, abbreviated accounts of the earth's interior structure and the causal occurrence of earthquakes. Chapter 4, on surface and body wave types in the crust, mantle, and core, considers most teleseismic waves encountered in earthquake and forensic seismology, with large source-receiver offsets expressed in angular arc. The book's later part, Chapter 7, comprises a large collection of well-reproduced, long-range seismic records with an accompanying discussion of the particulars of source, receiver, epicenter, etc. This seismic catalogue exhibits a wide variety of experimental and environmental conditions, as well as long-range wave propagation effects that could be tied to a progressively-more detailed and technical discussion elsewhere (e.g., Bolt's 1982 Inside the Earth; Fowler's 1990 The Solid Earth; Bolt and Bullen's 1988 Theoretical Seismology). In particular, Kulhanek's volume is an excellent supplement to an earlier and perhaps less-known book, Earthquake Interpretations: A Manual for Reading Seismograms, 1981 (Los Altos, CA: Kaufman Publishers). As noted, much of this material is available elsewhere in more pedagogic and technical detail, though not in catalog fashion. In some particulars, such as sensor-array limits on seismic signal detection and characterization, even the neophyte could gain additional, valuable background through perusal of expressly historical volumes, such as Observatory Seismology, edited by J. J. Litehiser, 1989. Berkeley: University of California Press. A desideratum for some future likeminded work would be to include additional intermediate-level discussions of seismic signal properties from the pragmatic signal-processing perspective, as has been done by Chen in the CRC's series on (e.g.), EKG and EEG signal types, detection, and analysis.
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This b o o k has a useful place as a valuable supplementary text in courses on plate tectonics, earthquakes, and basic seismology. Gerardo G. Tango P.O. Box 23 Covington Louisiana 70434 U.S.A.
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Book Review The Solid Earth: An Introduction to Global Geophysics by C. M. R. Fowler, Cambridge University Press, 1990 US $50.00 cloth/US $29.50 paper.
Anyone writing an introductory text on the full scope of terrestrial geophysics is undertaking an ambitious if not impossible-to-please-all task. Professor Fowler's The Solid Earth is an important and systematic treatment. After a brief historic introduction, the first two chapters respectively consider the geometry and history of plate tectonic motions. Chapter Two's discussion includes fiat and spherical plate as well as both classical and more recent results, such as those from very-long-baseline interferometry. There are several well-chosen examples and problems on relative motion at plate boundaries. Descriptions and graphics concisely give the taxonomy of stable and unstable triple point junctions, citing here and in later discussions their import for understanding global stress and earthquake processes. After reviewing basic electromagnetic concepts, Chapter Three discusses the origins and roles of geomagnetic banding and reversals, distinguishing in detail thermo-, detrital-, and chemical-remnant magnetization. In addition to Vine and Matthew's discoveries, the implications of more recent DSDP-ODP results for paleomagnetic plate reconstructions are also considered. With this background, plate tectonics is not only postulated or displayed with local and global scale maps, but also through several sample calculations. Those desiring more detailed and region-specific accounts for comparable technical level will find Chapters 6-8 of Kent Condie's Plate Tectonics and Crustal Evolution (3rd edition; Oxford & New York: Pergamon Press, 1989) an excellent source for concurrent or supplementary reading. Chapter Four on seismology presents fundamentals of both body and surface waves for whole-earth and local (near surface) earth models. The emphasis is strongly toward earthquake applications, such as hypocenter and fault-plane solutions from first motion analysis. Also included are concise presentations of seismic wave attenuation, canonical crust and mantle velocity/depth functions, and tomographic evidence relating to earth interior composition. Seismic refraction and reflection methods are wisely presented in the context of modern exploration seismic data processing and analysis, including normal move-out, migration, velocity coherency spectra, and even a short synopsis of the goals and principles of synthetic seismic modeling. Well-chosen problems (many from Tripos examinations) insure progressive conceptual and operational understanding of commonlyencountered wave and subsurface types, linking these to basic geological and
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physical science intuitions. Some non-mathematically inclined geology students may still find some difficulties in some higher-numbered assignments. The discussion of gravimetrics in Chapter 5 reviews Newtonian potential fields, tying gravity to whole-earth geodetics. Discussions of isostacy include mixed-data examples of seismic and gravity data for the near-horizontal Moho underlying most of the British Isles, demonstrating the opportunities and importance of using independent geodata for cross-checks of consistency in interpretations. The expected calculations of short and long wavelength gravity anomalies are given for most of the common variety of shapes and media parameters, stressing conceptual behaviours rather than giving a catalog of all-possible configurations. Less satisfactory is the somewhat too abbreviated section on lst-order elastic plate theory applied to modeling lithospheric fiexture; some related references to spatial wavenumber filtering are topically somewhat premature without prior or concurrent references. GeoChronology by radiometric methods is the topic of Chapter 6, a well-organized excursus through the principles, selection, and applications of Rb-Sr, Ur-Pb, K-Ar, Ar-Ar, and Sm-Nd decay to the topics of mineral closure and lithic cooling history. The sensitivity of these methods to temperature, geoprocesses, and experimental implementation is stressed, and tied to metamorphism, e.g. considered in terms of thermal evidences in Chapter 7. A sample of heat diffusion processes and models, in relation to plate motions and radioactive heating are clearly sketched in Chapter 7, together with worked examples of equilibrium and periodic geothermal calculations. Also valuable are the author's developments of heat flow concepts associated with both generic and geographically-specific ocean and continental regions. More advanced topics, such as adiabatic mantle melting and the basics of Rayleigh-B6nard convection are also outlined. The generic classes, and many regional examples of oceanic (Chapter 8) and continental (Chapter 9) lithospheres comprise the final and longest sections of this book. Somewhat sparse but working definitions are given to most distinct geomorphological and physiographically characteristic regions, including a background section for physicists sans petrology. In addition to global seafloor sediment thickness patterns, ODP results are used to update the traditional 3-layer ocean crustal model. A brief but precise description of the state of understanding of ophiolite complexes is a welcome feature. Considerable attention in Chapter 8 is given to specifically reviewing seismicity, gravimetry, thermal, and geological evidence from the East Pacific Rise, Tong-Kermadec Trench Arc, and Kiluaea. The regional dependence of Moho depth and velocity structure is an expected and well-considered initial topic of Chapter 9. Somewhat too brief a mention is given to accretion and suspect terranes. Petrophysical accounts of continental crustal growth are closely linked to geophysical processes at adjacent continental margins, an important synthesis not always assured in many higher-level presentations. The Makran subduction zone, Himalayas, and Tibetan Plateaus are the center of regional consideration. Very good treatments are given to the character and
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diagnostics of flexural, extensional, and compressional basins, of certain interest to those students with oil exploration ambitions. Also worthwhile is a section treating oil as a product of metamorphism. The Solid Earth combines clearly-written narrative descriptions and examples with a thoughtfully-planned sequence of chapter problem sets, interspersed with historical references to different chapters of the plate tectonic revolution. An important criterion by which to judge any textbook of global geophysics is the degree and fashion in which they promote and demonstrate the actual integration of diverse geodata types and geophysical methods, within the common framework of plate tectonic theory. By this and other measures, this is a valuable text in its breadth, organization, and synthesis, offering a balanced and near-critical mass of concepts and results. It would have further profited from, for example, end-of-chapter summaries, additional references to review-tutorials in addition to original and recent research papers, and by incorporating at least some mention and referrals on similarities and differences between terrestrial vs planetary geophysics. Because of the former, nonspecialist and newcomer may sometimes be unable to differentiate between "classical" and more novel theories, methods and results, nor fully understand the rationale for placing particular geologic-area studies in the context of general theories of the earth as a whole. However, by citing many current as well as classic examples, including some frontiers of present research, the book successfully conveys the image of land and marine solid earth geophysics as a dynamic and still-evolving system. With only comparatively minor supplements in a lecture course, The Solid Earth will provide sound preparation for more advanced (Geophysical Theory, 1990, W. Menke & D. Abbott. New York: Columbia University Press) and applications-specific texts (e.g., GeoTechnical ~ Environmental Geophysics: Volume 1 - - A Review and Tutorial, edited by S. H. Ward, 1990. Tulsa: Society of Exploration Geophysicists). Gerardo G. Tango P.O. Box 23 Covington Louisiana 70434 U.S.A.
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Book Review
Phase Transitions and Crystal Symmetry by Yu. A. Izyumov and V. N. Syromyatnikov, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1990; Dfl. 320.00, US $169.00, UK s
The book, written by two Russian physicists, provides an exhaustive account of the current state of Landau's theory of phase transitions. The universal character of this theory is based on the fact that in a certain sense, physical systems in the vicinity of second-order phase transitions exhibit universal behavior. Central to the whole theory is an idea of spontaneous symmetry breaking. The particular physical nature of a phase transition itself is of little fundamental importance, since the various (structural, magnetic, ferroelectric) transitions are described in terms of a unified scheme based on the mathematical foundations of the theory of space group representations. Landau theory is phenomenological: It assumes the existence of a phase transition in the considered system, as well as the occurrence of a symmetry change across the transition point. Its aim is to establish the mutual compatibility of the symmetry characteristics and of the physical characteristics of the transition: relationship between the symmetry of the two phases, consistency between the nature of the symmetry change and the nature of the physical quantities behaving anomalously across the transition. It achieves this aim by means of introducing two basic concepts, the order parameter and the free energy expansion. The book's principal focus is devoted to the physical realization of the order parameters, used in a phenomenological theory, at a microscopic level of description. Methods are presented of constructing polynomial expansions of the thermodynamic potential in powers of a multicomponent order parameter and of analyzing the generic structure of phase diagrams in the space of various external parameters. The book also provides an overview of the theory of transition to incommensurate phases and a description of some new results in critical dynamics. Especially for the enlarged English edition, two chapters have been added, covering such major new areas of research activity as the theory of martensitic transformations and the theory of color symmetry which includes applications to quasicrystals and systems described by a quantum mechanical order parameter. The book is mostly written in outline form. Despite the economy of words, the authors achieve a good physical insight into the physics and the technique. The
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element of synthesis is the book's profoundly important message. It is useful for both students and practicing researchers. Lev Truskinovsky University of Minnesota Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics 107 Akerman Hall Minneapolis, MN 55455, U.S.A.
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Book Review Introduction to Micrometeorology, by S. P. S. Arya, International Geophysics
Series, vol. 42, Academic Press, 1988.
Introduction to Micrometeorology by S. P. S. Arya makes interesting reading, especially for undergraduates for whom the book is intended. For those who engage in other branches of geophysical sciences the book provides an interesting outline of that which micrometeorologists regard as a set of fundamental concepts of their discipline. All readers, including the most impatient amongst the undergraduates who always ask the key question: What is this all for? will find answers in the form of lists of applications at the end of each chapter. These lists obviously cannot include full sets of references but it would be very helpful if they provided some indication pertinent to the follow-up of a particular issue. The book begins with an introduction of some basic definitions. Chapter 1 describes the planetary (or atmospheric) boundary layer, surface layer (which better corresponds to that which theoretical fluid dynamicists call boundary layer) and the role of turbulent transfer processes. Chapters 2 - 4 are devoted to the energy balance of various surfaces (dry lake bed, barley field, grassland, lake)as well as some basic thermodynamics of the subsurface medium. Examples of the experimental results described here show that different components of the surface energy balance are of interest and can be measured. Chapter 5 deals with fundamentals of atmospheric stability and its classification. It begins with definitions of hydrostatic balance, potential temperature and virtual potential temperature leading to the criteria of stability by a parcel method. The meaning of superadiabatic, subadiabatic and inversive temperature stratification is explained but only some observational classification of the degree of instability is given. It seems appropriate to introduce the idea of modes of instability and their growth rates at that point. Many meaningful diagrams of the temperature and specific humidity profiles are included. A brief exposition of the PBL dynamics is continued in chapter 7, containing an outline of the PBL wind theory and measurements. It is unlikely that this chapter would be accessible to students with no background in geophysical fluid dynamics or at least general fluid dynamics, especially in view of the lack of references to other textbooks. For example, the definition (6.1) of a geostrophic wind looks arbitrary
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if the reader is not familiar with the dynamical equations governing the flow; and those are to be found only in the next chapter. In chapters 7-9 the author bravely attempted to present theoretical fluid mechanics covering about fifty pages. In chapter 7 he shows exact solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations for such standard problems as the plane Couette and Poiseuille flows, gravity flow, Eckman layers and the Blassius boundary layer over a flat plate. Here we also find some remarks on convection and related dimensionless numbers. Chapter 8 provides an intuitive explanation of the basic concepts in the theory of turbulence, such as stability of flows, range of scales, various averages, etc. This is followed, in chapter 9, by a derivation of the Reynolds-averaged equations, a discussion of the closure problem and the ideas of eddy viscosity and mixing length. These three chapters offer satisfying reading and can be recommended as the shortest possible overview of fluid mechanics which is obviously selective but, at the same time very accurate and surprisingly rich. The reader may find it easier to read chapters 7-9 before chapters 5-6. Chapter 10 describes two, mainly empirical formulae for velocity in a surface layer with neutrally stable stratification, as well as a turbulence intensity profile. Both the power-law and the logarithmic profiles contain one free parameter: the exponent and the roughness parameter respectively, whose value can be chosen such that both formulae fit the experimental data. It remains unclear in what manner these profiles relate to the results of chapter 6 on the wind distribution in the PBL. Similarity arguments are developed in Chapter 11 which contains the MoninObukhov theory of horizontally homogeneous but stratified surface layer. Similarity functions for the mean shear and temperature gradients can be determined in carefully conducted field experiments which are illustrated by several diagrams showing fitted data. When integrated, these functions yield wind and temperature profiles whose departure from the rectilinear shape on a log-linear plot is related to the degree of instability of the layer. Different methods of measuring turbulent fluxes of momentum and heat can be found in section 11.5. Determination of fluxes is a central micrometeorological problem and one would welcome a more extended account of it. An elementary account of the evaporation problem is presented in chapter 12. The theory of transfer of water vapour through an interface is formally analogous to the problem of heat transfer, at least when such complicating factors as condensation or dew are neglected. In still air we have the same linear relation between fluxes and gradients, while for a turbulent flow in a surface layer the Monin-Obukhov similarity arguments can be modified to include the effects of water vapour buoyancy. The analogy between heat and vapour transfer is confirmed by measurements of the similarity functions which turn out to be identical in both cases. The author describes several methods of determining evaporation but rather few experimental results. It would be interesting to compare the
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measured rates of evaporation from, say, bare land, water surface and vegetated area. Data for the sea surface can be found later in chapter 13 (fig. 13.6). Chapters 10-12 introduce a theoretical framework of micrometeorology, which is later used for presentation of some specialised topics. Students would probably find it easier if those core chapters contained more cross-references between different parts of material. For example, it might be illuminating to highlight the differences in similarity arguments for neutral and nonneutral PBL (eqns. 10.5 and 11.2), or between the original Monin-Obukhov theory and its modified form. Most ideas introduced earlier in the book are employed in chapter 13, to present a special topic of the air-sea interface. Here we have, so to speak, micrometeorology at work. The measurements of wind, temperature and humidity profiles and fluctuations over the sea surface present a formidable task which makes difficult the determination of, say, z0. A few available measurements of profiles and fluctuations are discussed in sections 13.4, 5. Nonhomogeneity of land surfaces introduces a range of qualitatively new phenomena which are the subject of chapter 14. A surface layer may separate near a jump in surface roughness or temperature. The thickness of an internal boundary layer (IBL) appearing on the downstream side of the jump satisfies an experimentally verified power-law. Measured values of the exponent appear close to theoretical results. A reference to section 7.6 would be helpful at this point. Several semi-empirical formulae are also given for the height of a thermal IBL which theoretically is a much harder problem. Topography is another important feature of land surfaces. Hills and mountains strongly modify the air flow which we need to understand in order to be able to interpret meteorological data in hilly areas. On a smaller scale we seek an understanding of flows around buildings. Main characteristics of such flows like the wind-toad and the size and stability of a trailing cavity require consideration by architects and building designers. Still, the problems of flow over topography lie mainly in the domain of pure fluid mechanics. Their coverage in this book is necessarily limited. The author concludes on a rather specialised topic of the micrometeorology of plant canopies. The problem is generally interesting because large vegetated areas, especially forests, influence local or even global weather. The micrometeorology of forested areas is different from that of other surfaces. A forest is not a simple interface but is a source (or sink) of momentum, moisture and heat, which leads to nonzero divergence of fluxes. The author presents some experimental results for wind, temperature, heat fluxes and eddy diffusivity profiles in various canopies. S. Pal Arya's "Introduction to Micrometeorology" is, beyond any doubt, an interesting and useful book. It covers a vast range of topics which, due to a carefully compiled index, makes it a convenient reference book. The style and level
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of presentation are well suited for readers who choose the book for their first encounter with micrometeorology, however readers with background knowledge of fluid dynamics would be the main beneficiaries. Konrad Bajer University of Warsaw Institute of Geophysics ul. Pasteura 7 02-093 Warsaw Poland
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Book Review A Short Course in Cloud Physics by R. R. Rogers and M. K. Yau, International Series in Natural Philosophy, Pergamon Press, Third Edition, 1989.
This new edition of a nearly classical textbook for graduate students differs from the former one (1979), not only by the presence of a new coauthor (M. K. Yau) but also by a considerably enlarged volume and updating of the content. The chapters of the book (1. Thermodynamics of Dry Air; 2. Water Vapor and its Thermodynamic Effects; 3. Parcel Buoyancy and Atmospheric Stability; 4. Mixing and Convection; 5. Observed Properties of Clouds; 6. Formation of Cloud Droplets; 7. Droplet Growth by Condensation; 8. Initiation of Rain in Nonfreezing Clouds; 9. Formation and Growth of Ice Crystals; 10. Rain and Snow; Weather Radar; 12. Precipitation Processes; 13. Severe Storms and Hail; 14. Weather Modification; 15. Numerical Cloud Models) remained the same as in the previous edition, excepting the new Chapter 5, however many fragments of the present text are rewritten or extended, referring to new results achieved during the least decade; there is also a number of new figures. An important part of a textbook--problems to be solved by the reader and answers to some of them--has been also essentially revised and improved. The bias towards cloud microphysics, characteristic for the former editions, is still visible but is much weaker, mostly due to the revised chapters 3 and 15 as well as many modifications and extensions in the remaining text. This shift reflects the enormous progress of cloud dynamics in recent years and gives the book better balance between the two main branches of cloud physics. As follows from the preface, this improvement is a merit mostly of the new coauthor, M. K. Yau and his colleague, G. W. Reuter, both noted for their interests and activities in cloud dynamics. Despite the increased volume of the present edition, not all interesting problems of cloud physics could be thoroughly discussed and explained; many could only be announced or vaguely described. Nevertheless, such important topics as cloud electricity or optics, as well as radiation effects, remain totally beyond the book's scope. Certainly, writing a textbook one is forced to make a far-reaching selection of the material, but a few remarks concerning this group of problems would make the book a more complete introduction to cloud physics. The authors are not fully consistent in their assumptions upon the reader's scientific background. Sometimes they seem to presume one to be a beginner in atmospheric sciences, while otherwise a reasonable knowledge of general meteorology is required. To illustrate, Chapters 1-3 contain an elementary course in
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atmospheric thermodynamics and parcel dynamics, sometimes with oversimplifications which may even be misleading (e.g., section on baroclinic instability in slantwise convection). On the other hand, it may be doubtful whether a student who needs an elementary introduction to the gas laws or the concept of Coriolis force would be able to understand thoroughly the Chapter 15 on cloud modeling. A few minor imperfections of an editorial nature can also be found. E.g. the table of ICAO Standard Atmosphere (Appendix) gives geometrical heights of geopotential levels without reference to its geographical location. Notwithstanding all critical remarks, the book remains one of the best introductory courses in atmospheric sciences, written with a high degree of clarity, precision and compactness. It can be recommended, not only for students of meteorological departments, but also for all professionals who desire a familiarity with the physics of the customary and yet wonderful and exciting natural phenomena as clouds. Krzysztof Haman Institute of Geophysics University of Warsaw ul. Pasteura 7 02-093 Warszawa, Poland