This book provides an up-to-date, comprehensive treatment of the variables and processes of microclimate and local climate, including radiation balance and energy balance. It describes and explains the climate within the lower atmosphere and upper soil, the region critical to life on Earth. Topics that are covered include not only the physical processes that affect microclimate, but also biological processes that affect vegetation and animals, including people. A geographic tour of the microclimates of the major ecosystems around the world is included. All major biomes and surface types, including urban areas, are examined, and the effects of climate change on microclimate are described. This book is invaluable for advanced students and researchers in climatology in departments of environmental science, geography, meteorology, agricultural science, and forestry.

‘A masterful overview of a fundamental topic in climatology, by two leaders in the field who provide clear explanations and an up-to-date summary of the literature. Essential reading for anybody interested in climate science.’

Raymond Bradley - Director, Climate System Research Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

‘… a must-have for all climate scientists, not just those working in the boundary layer or on processes at the second and meter scales … The range of topics presented is encyclopedic, and includes in-depth discussion of urban climates, bio-climatology, agro-climatology, remote sensing approaches, and many others. Barry and Blanken have done an astounding job of knitting these many disparate yet related topics into a coherent and well-organized discussion that spans all of Earth's latitude zones and surface environments … this ambitious book fully delivers: it is a masterpiece of knowledge, experience, insights, and data on observed climate features and modeled climate processes occurring on all scales … For many years to come, this will be a crucial reference and textbook for climate scientists in meteorology, geography, biology and ecology, landscape and urban design, agriculture, remote sensing, and many other disciplines.’

Andrew M. Carleton - Pennsylvania State University

‘There are relatively few textbooks written on this topic, making this book a very welcome addition to the existing literature. … this textbook brings the study of microclimate up to date … it does an excellent job of linking the microclimate to the larger scale climate within which it exists.'

Marilyn N. Raphael - University of California, Los Angeles

‘The authors’ succeed commendably in their stated goal to quantitatively integrate processes acting on the small-scale (microclimate) with those operating at the larger scale (macroclimate). … There is much to learn from this book. … This volume will serve well as both a senior-level textbook and as an up-to-date reference for the knowledgeable reader.’

Wayne Rouse - McMaster University, Ontario

‘[The book’s] many strengths include, in particular, the chapters on observations and instrumentation, radiation, energy and moisture monitoring from remote sensing, the microclimates of different vegetation environments, and Bioclimatology; the emphasis on urban climate processes at both micro and local-to-regional scales; the larger context and importance of global environmental changes …; consideration of a wide range of non-vegetated environments; the integration of modeling approaches with the observational and empirical approaches; the physical geography and environmental history contexts of many topics …; the Box topics; the high-quality figures and clear, incisive tables; and the inclusion of detailed information from published studies spanning the widest ranges geographically and temporally. In short, this book is an outstanding, essential addition to the personal library of every student of climate and environmental science writ large!’

Andrew M. Carleton Source: Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research