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  1. Dartmouth Libraries
  2. Research Guides
  3. Dartmouth Libraries Guides
  4. Physical Geography
  5. Climatology

Physical Geography

This guide highlights the library and internet resources for Physical Geography.
  • Defining Physical Geography
  • Biogeography
  • Climatology
    • Meteorology
    • Weather
  • Geomorphology
  • Hydrology
  • Oceanography
  • Scholarly communication This link opens in a new window

Subject Librarian

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Lucinda M. Hall
Email Me
Contact:
Evans Map Room, Baker-Berry Library
Dartmouth College
25 N Main ST
Hanover, NH 03755
(603) 646-0962
Website Skype Contact: d1128r8@kiewit.dartmouth.edu
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Subjects: Film and Media Studies, Geography, Polar Studies

Other library resource(s)

  • Resource logoClimatology from the Oxford Bibliographies Online by Jennifer M. Collins
    • On Campus or VPN
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    ISBN: 9780199874002
    According to the American Meteorological Society (AMS) glossary, climatology is defined as “the description and scientific study of climate.” Climate is defined as “the slowly varying aspects of the atmosphere–hydrosphere–land surface system; typically characterized in terms of suitable averages of the climate system over periods of a month or more, taking into consideration the variability in time of these averaged quantities.” Categorization of climatology depends on the source one consults.
  • Resource logoAccessing and visualizing archived weather and climate data by Lesley-Ann L. Dupigny-Giroux
    • On Campus or VPN
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    ISBN: 9780199874002
    The analysis of weather and climate information over varying temporal and spatial scales is critically important for understanding biogeochemical processes in the context of a changing climate. The instrumental record is relatively short, with observations beginning in the late 1800s in North America and earlier in Europe. Historical climatology refers to the use of documentary evidence (e.g., farmers’ diaries, newspaper entries, and whaling logs) to extend the instrumental record back through time. These observations are complemented by paleoclimatological records which include proxy data such as ice cores, lake and ocean sediments, and tree rings. ...

Defining Climate and Weather

Climatology - The study of the origins and impacts of climates.

Mayhew, S. (2015). "Climatology." In A Dictionary of Geography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2 Mar. 2022

Meteorology - The study and science of all aspects of the atmosphere—weather and climate—aiming to understand the physical and chemical nature of the atmosphere, its dynamical behaviour, and its complex interactions with the surface. It includes both short- and long-term weather forecasting, and the determination of past and future climatic change. Meteorology now includes the study of the atmospheres of other planets (S. Dunlop 2001).

Mayhew, S. (2015). "Meteorology." In A Dictionary of Geography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2 Mar. 2022

Synoptic - Overall, or relating to a large-scale or broad view. Synoptic meteorology is primarily concerned with large-scale weather systems, such as extratropical cyclones, but not on a global scale. See C. N. Hewitt and A. Jackson (2003).

Mayhew, S. (2015). Synoptic. In A Dictionary of Geography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 11 May. 2022

In the Library's Collections

Most of the works on Climatology, Weather and Meteorology are now located in Baker-Berry Library on Berry Level 4.

Call number ranges: QC 851 through QC 999

Suggested subject headings for searching in the online catalog:

  • climatology
  • meteorology
  • weather

Introductory reading(s)

These books and online reference sources provide useful summaries of climate data from many regions of the world, and can suggest further sources of data for your topic.

  • Cover artThe Arctic climate system by Mark C. Serreze; Roger G. Barry
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry QC 994.8 .S475 2014
    ISBN: 9781107037175
    Publication Date: 2nd ed.
    This second edition brings this definitive book up to date with the many advances in our understanding of Arctic climate since the first edition was published in 2005.
  • Cover ArtClimate: a very short introduction by Mark Maslin
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry Popular Science QC 863.4 .M324 2013
    ISBN: 9780199641130
    In this wide-ranging Very Short Introduction to climate, Mark Maslin considers all aspects of the global climate system, exploring and explaining the different components that control climate on Earth. He considers the processes that allow energy to reach the Earth and how it is redistributed around the planet by the ocean-atmosphere system; the relationship and differences between climate and the weather; how climate has affected life on Earth and human settlements; and the cyclic and quasi-cyclic features of climate such as the Milankovitch cycles and El Niño. ...
  • Cover artClimates of the states: a practical reference containing basic climatological data of the United States by James A. Ruffner, ed.
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry QC 983 .C56 1980
    ISBN: 9780810310360
    Publication Date: 2nd ed.
    Descriptive summaries by state; gives average temperature and precipitation for each month for selected weather stations, and their respective annual averages. Provides 1951-1980 cumulated monthly means.
  • Cover artEarth's climate: past and future by William F. Ruddiman
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry QC 981 .R76 2014
    ISBN: 9781429255257
    Publication Date: 3rd ed.
    Offering a clear, engaging, objective portrait of the current state of climate science, Earth's Climate acknowledges the evidence is stronger than ever that human activity is the primary cause for global climate change.
  • Cover artEncyclopedia of atmospheric sciences by James R. Holton; Judith A. Curry; John A. Pyle, eds.
    • On Campus or VPN
    • E-Book
    Call Number: eBook
    ISBN: 9780122270901
    This authoritative resource covers all aspects of atmospheric sciences - including both theory and applications. Nearly 350 articles and over 1,900 figures and photographs are presented, many in full-color. The Encyclopedia is an ideal resource for academia, government, and industry in the fields of atmospheric, ocean, and environmental sciences. ...
  • Cover artEncyclopedia of climate and weather by Stephen H. Schneider; Michael Mastrandrea; Terry L. Root, eds.
    • On Campus or VPN
    • E-Book
    Call Number: eBook
    ISBN: 9780199765324
    Publication Date: 2nd ed.
    The Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather, Second Edition, is a revision of the First Edition in 1996. In over 330 entries, the Encyclopedia covers essential topics that include the processes that produce weather, the circulation of the atmosphere that generates the world's climates, classification of climates, important scientific concepts used by climatologists and meteorologists, as well as the history atmospheric sciences, biographies of noteworthy contributors to the field, and significant weather events from extreme tropical cyclones to tornadoes to hurricanes. ...
  • Cover artEncyclopedia of ocean sciences by J. Kirk Cochran; Henry J. Bokuniewicz; Patricia L. Yager, eds.
    • On Campus or VPN
    • E-Book
    Call Number: eBook
    ISBN: 9780128130810
    Publication Date: 3rd ed.
    The oceans cover 70% of the Earth's surface, and are critical components of Earth's climate system. This new edition of Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences summarizes the breadth of knowledge about them, providing revised, up to date entries as well coverage of new topics in the field. ...
  • CDIAC logoTrends online: a compendium of data on global change by Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center
    • Open Access Icon
    • Database
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    Produced by the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Trends provides synopses of frequently used time series of global-change data, including atmospheric trace gas concentrations, greenhouse gas emissions, and selected climate data sets.
  • Cover artWeather of U.S. cities: a guide to the weather histories of 268 key cities and weather observation stations in the United States and its island territories by Richard A. Wood
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry QC 983 .W393 1996
    ISBN: 9780810355255
    Publication Date: 5th ed.
    This volume provides answers to thousands of questions about the weather at 286 key cities and weather observation stations in the US and its island territories. Entries provide concise weather and climatological tables covering 30 years of record-keeping by the US government. ...

More Climate data source(s)

  • Environmental Protection Agency logo
    AirData from the EPA
    • Link
    The AirData website gives you access to air quality data collected at outdoor monitors across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U. S. Virgin Islands. The data comes primarily from the AQS (Air Quality System) database. ...
  • CDIAC logo
    CDIAC: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center
    • Link
    CDIAC is the Department of Energy's primary climate-change data and analysis center.
  • Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (COADS)
    • Link
    The Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (COADS) is the most extensive collection of surface marine data available for the world ocean over the past two centuries. ...
  • European Environment Agency logo
    European Environment Agency
    • Link
    The European Environment Agency provides sound, independent information on the environment for those involved in developing, adopting, implementing and evaluating environmental policy, and also the general public. ...
  • Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level logo
    Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL)
    • Link
    Established in 1933, the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL) has been responsible for the collection, publication, analysis and interpretation of sea level data from the global network of tide gauges. ...
  • Canadian Maple leaf
    World Ozone and Ultraviolet Data Centre (WOUDC)
    • Link
    The World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre (WOUDC) is one of six World Data Centres which are part of the Global Atmosphere Watch programme of the World Meteorological Organization. The WOUDC data centre is operated by the Meteorological Service of Canada, a branch of Environment and Climate Change Canada. ...

Internet resource(s) for Climate data

  • NOAA logo
    Climate Data Online
    • Link
    Climate Data Online (CDO) provides free access to NCDC's archive of global historical weather and climate data in addition to station history information. ...
  • Climate Mapping for Resilience & Adaptation logo
    Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA)
    • Link
    Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) integrates information from across the federal government to help people consider their local exposure to climate-related hazards. People working in community organizations or for local, Tribal, state, or Federal governments can use the site to help them develop equitable climate resilience plans to protect people, property, and infrastructure. ...
  • NOAA logo
    Global Surface Summary of the Day (GSOD) from NOAA
    • Database
    • Link
  • NOAA logo
    National Centers for Environmental Information
    • Database
    • Link
    They are the Nation’s leading authority for environmental data, and manage one of the largest archives of atmospheric, coastal, geophysical, and oceanic research in the world.
  • NOAA logo
    NOAA Data Discovery Portal
    • Database
    • Link
  • << Previous: Biogeography
  • Next: Meteorology >>
  • Last Updated: Apr 1, 2025 4:01 PM
  • URL: https://researchguides.dartmouth.edu/physical_geography
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Subjects: Geography
Tags: biogeography, climatology, geomorphology, hydrology, oceanography

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