Coastal Meteorology

Hsu,S.A.

Encylopedia of Physical Science and Technology, 3rd Edition: Academic Press, v. 3, p.155-173

Coastal Meteorology is an integral part of the total-system approach to understanding coastal environments. Since meteorology is the study dealing with the phenomenon of the atmosphere, coastal meteorology may be defined as that part of meterology that deals mainly with the study of atmospheric phenomenon occuring in the coastal zone. This description includes the influence of atmosphere on coastal waters and the influence of the sea surface on atmospheric phenomena, that is, the air-sea interaction.

The behavior of the atmosphere can be analyzed and understood in terms of basic laws and concepts of physics. The three fields of physics that are most applicable to the atmosphere are radiation, thermodynamics, and hydrodynamics. Owing to limitations of space, only a few topics in coastal meteorology are covered here. More information is available through the bibliography.

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