This course discusses the physical and biogeophysical processes that govern climate and climate change. It covers the behaviour of the atmosphere, ocean (hydrosphere) and land surface (particularly the cryosphere) over a wide range of timescales. The Navier-Stokes and Vorticity approaches are introduced in the context of atmospheric dynamics, with an emphasis on geostrophic and ageostrophic flows, the diagnosis of vertical motion, and synoptic-scale weather systems in the Australian region.
Regional climate variability is discussed in terms of the EI Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Southern Annular Mode (SAM) phenomena, global budgets of radiation, heat flux, and the role of carbon dioxide. Other topics may include a treatment of atmospheric and oceanic convection cells, the thermohaline circulation, glacial flows, climate change, and the science behind climate prediction.