A guide to the nature of the earth’s climate. The text presents a synthesis of contemporary scientific ideas about atmospheric circulation, providing the basic factual information and suggesting ways in which this information can be used. It reflects the technological advances in the study of the climate of the earth during the course of the 1990s, and indicates where the challenges within the subject lie. The text features sections on modelling techniques such as global climate models, mesoscale models and regional climate models, and includes a list of Web links and a section on how to use databases such as the Internet.