Mathematical Geophysics

Aimed at graduate students and researchers in mathematics, engineering, oceanography, meteorology and mechanics, this text provides a detailed introduction to the physical theory of rotating fluids, a significant part of geophysical fluid dynamics. The Navier-Stokes equations are examined in both incompressible and rapidly rotating forms.

The contributions to this book follow a topical trend. In several geophysical fields evidence is accumulating concerning the deviation of the earth's structure from radial symmetry. Seismology provides the most adequate resolution for revealing the earth's lateral inhomogeneity on a global to local scale. Lateral structure in the density distribution is also manifest in the earth's gravity field and in the geoid. Asphericity in physical parameters, generally supposed only to vary with the vertical coordinate, has a profound influence on geodynamics. The effects of these deviations from spherical symmetry concern in particular convection theory, post-glacial rebound and the dynamics of the lithosphere and upper mantle in general. At the 16th International Conference on Mathematical Geophysics which was held in Oosterbeek, the Netherlands, in 1986, the need was felt to present the state of the art. Several prospective authors were found interested to contribute to the present book. This Oosterbeek conference was one in a long series of topical conferences starting with the Upper Mantle Project Symposia on Geophysical Theory and Computers in the 1960s, and thence their successors, the conferences on Mathematical Geophysics, until the present.

An essential textbook on the mathematical methods used in geophysics and space physics Graduate students in the natural sciences—including not only geophysics and space physics but also atmospheric and planetary physics, ocean sciences, and astronomy—need a broad-based mathematical toolbox to facilitate their research. In addition, they need to survey a wider array of mathematical methods that, while outside their particular areas of expertise, are important in related ones. While it is unrealistic to expect them to develop an encyclopedic knowledge of all the methods that are out there, they need to know how and where to obtain reliable and effective insights into these broader areas. Here at last is a graduate textbook that provides these students with the mathematical skills they need to succeed in today's highly interdisciplinary research environment. This authoritative and accessible book covers everything from the elements of vector and tensor analysis to ordinary differential equations, special functions, and chaos and fractals. Other topics include integral transforms, complex analysis, and inverse theory; partial differential equations of mathematical geophysics; probability, statistics, and computational methods; and much more. Proven in the classroom, Mathematical Methods for Geophysics and Space Physics features numerous exercises throughout as well as suggestions for further reading. Provides an authoritative and accessible introduction to the subject Covers vector and tensor analysis, ordinary differential equations, integrals and approximations, Fourier transforms, diffusion and dispersion, sound waves and perturbation theory, randomness in data, and a host of other topics Features numerous exercises throughout Ideal for students and researchers alike An online illustration package is available to professors

Aimed at graduate students, researchers and academics in mathematics, engineering, oceanography, meteorology and mechanics, this text provides a detailed introduction to the physical theory of rotating fluids, a significant part of geophysical fluid dynamics. The text is divided into four parts, with the first part providing the physical background of the geophysical models to be analysed. Part II is devoted to a self contained proof of the existence of weak (or strong) solutions to the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. Part III deals with the rapidly rotating Navier-Stokes equations, first in the whole space, where dispersion effects are considered. The case where the domain has periodic boundary conditions is then analysed, and finally rotating Navier-Stokes equations between two plates are studied, both in the case of periodic horizontal coordinates and those in R2. In Part IV the stability of Ekman boundary layers, and boundary layer effects in magnetohydrodynamics and quasigeostrophic equations are discussed. The boundary layers which appear near vertical walls are presented and formally linked with the classical Prandlt equations. Finally spherical layers are introduced, whose study is completely open.

Geophysical Inverse Theory and Applications, Second Edition, brings together fundamental results developed by the Russian mathematical school in regularization theory and combines them with the related research in geophysical inversion carried out in the West. It presents a detailed exposition of the methods of regularized solution of inverse problems based on the ideas of Tikhonov regularization, and shows the different forms of their applications in both linear and nonlinear methods of geophysical inversion. It’s the first book of its kind to treat many kinds of inversion and imaging techniques in a unified mathematical manner. The book is divided in five parts covering the foundations of the inversion theory and its applications to the solution of different geophysical inverse problems, including potential field, electromagnetic, and seismic methods. Unique in its focus on providing a link between the methods used in gravity, electromagnetic, and seismic imaging and inversion, it represents an exhaustive treatise on inversion theory. Written by one of the world’s foremost experts, this work is widely recognized as the ultimate researcher’s reference on geophysical inverse theory and its practical scientific applications. Presents state-of-the-art geophysical inverse theory developed in modern mathematical terminology—the first to treat many kinds of inversion and imaging techniques in a unified mathematical way. Provides a critical link between the methods used in gravity, electromagnetic, and seismic imaging and inversion, and represents an exhaustive treatise on geophysical inversion theory. Features more than 300 illustrations, figures, charts and graphs to underscore key concepts. Reflects the latest developments in inversion theory and applications and captures the most significant changes in the field over the past decade.

Developments in Solid Earth Geophysics, 4: Mathematical Aspects of Seismology introduces studies of the more advanced parts of theoretical seismology. The manuscript first ponders on contour integration and conformal transformation, methods of stationary phase and steepest descent, and series integration. Discussions focus on Love waves in heterogeneous isotropic media, Laguerre's differential equation, Hermite's differential equation, method of steepest descent, method of stationary phase, contour integration in the complex plane, and conformal transformation. The text then examines series integration, Bessel functions, Legendre functions, and wave equations. Topics include general considerations of the wave equation, expansion of a spherical wave into plane waves, common features of special functions and special differential equations, applications of Legendre functions, Legendre polynomials, Bessel's differential equation, and properties of Bessel coefficients. The book explores the influence of gravity on wave propagation, matrix calculus, wave propagation in liquid media, integral equations, calculus of variations, and integral transforms. The text is a valuable source of data for researchers wanting to study the mathematical aspects of seismology.

This volume proposes an integral approach to studying the geophysics of Earth. It is motivated by a variety of phenomena from nature with deep and direct impacts in our lives. Such events may evolve across a large range of spatial and time scales and may be observed in the ocean, the atmosphere, the volcanic surface as well as underground. The physical laws dictating the evolution of such phenomena lead to the unifying theme of this manuscript, that is, the mathematical and computational modeling of flows and waves. Consequently, the underlying models are given in terms of Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) whose solutions are approximated using numerical methods, thus providing simulations of the aforementioned phenomena, as well as the appropriate geophysical validation and interpretation.