CONTENTS 



Page 



FOREWORD iii 



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v 



INTRODUCTION vii 



I THE SOLAR-TERRESTRIAL 

 ENVIRONMENT 



Elements of the Solar-Terrestrial 



System 3 



Terrestrial Effects of Solar Activity . . 13 



II DYNAMICS OF THE SOLID EARTH 



1. Deep Earth Processes 21 



An Overview of Deep-Earth 



Chemistry and Physics 21 



A Note on the Earth's Magnetic Field 23 



2. Continental Structures and Processes 



and Sea-floor Spreading 26 



Continental Drift and Sea-floor 



Spreading 26 



Practical Implications of Major 



Continental Processes 32 



3. Earthquakes 35 



Earthquake Prediction and Prevention 35 



4. Volcanoes 40 



Volcanoes and Man's Environment . . 40 

 Aspects of Volcanic Science 44 



III CLIMATIC CHANGE 



1. Cyclical Behavior of Climate 51 



Long-term Temperature Cycles 



and Their Significance 51 



Fluctuations in Climate over Periods 



of less than 200 Years 55 



Environmental Cyclic Behavior: The 

 Evidence of Tree Rings and Pollen 

 Profiles 59 



2. Causes of Climatic Change 62 



Basic Factors in Climatic Change .... 62 

 The Radiation Balance 65 



Climatic Change and the Effects of 



Civilization 69 



Environmental Change in Arid 



America 73 



IV DYNAMICS OF THE ATMOSPHERE- 

 OCEAN SYSTEM 



1. Oceanic Circulation and Ocean- 

 Atmosphere Interactions 77 



Oceanic Circulation and the Role 



of the Atmosphere 77 



On Predicting Ocean Circulation .... 79 



Hydrodynamic Modeling of 



Ocean Systems 81 



Effects of Antarctic Water on 



Oceanic Circulation 83 



Tropical Air-Sea Rhythms 84 



2. Atmospheric Circulation 89 



Modeling the Global Atmospheric 



Circulation 89 



3. Weather Forecasting 93 



Short-, Medium-, and Long-Term 



Forecasting 93 



Long-Range Weather Forecasting ... 97 



Short-Term Forecasting, including 

 Forecasting for Low-Altitude 

 Aviation 101 



4. Clear Air Turbulence 105 



Clear Air Turbulence and 



Atmospheric Processes 105 



Prediction and Detection of 



Wave-Induced Turbulence 107 



A Note on Acoustic Monitoring 112 



5. Urban Effects on Weather and Climate . . . 113 



Urbanization and Weather 113 



The Influence of Urban Growth on 



Local and Mesoscale Weather 116 



Urban Effects on Weather — the 



Larger Scales 118 



IX 



