Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-ttngx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-01T06:13:19.247Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

6 - The Power Spectrum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2022

Timothy DelSole
Affiliation:
George Mason University, Virginia
Michael Tippett
Affiliation:
Columbia University, New York
Get access

Summary

This chapter introduces the power spectrum. The power spectrum is the Fourier Transform of the autocovariance function, and the autocovariance function is the (inverse) Fourier Transform of the power spectrum. As such, the power spectrum and autocovariance function offer two complementary but mathematically equivalent descriptions of a stochastic process. The power spectrum quantifies how variance is distributed over frequencies and is useful for identifying periodic behavior in time series. The discrete Fourier transform of a time series can be summarized in a periodogram, which provides a starting point for estimating power spectra. Estimation of the power spectrum can be counterintuitive because the uncertainty in periodogram elements does not decrease with increasing sample size. To reduce uncertainty, periodogram estimates are averaged over a frequency interval called the bandwidth. Trends and discontinuities in time series can lead to similar low-frequency structure despite very different temporal characteristics. Spectral analysis provides a particularly insightful way to understand the behavior of linear filters.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • The Power Spectrum
  • Timothy DelSole, George Mason University, Virginia, Michael Tippett, Columbia University, New York
  • Book: Statistical Methods for Climate Scientists
  • Online publication: 03 February 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108659055.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • The Power Spectrum
  • Timothy DelSole, George Mason University, Virginia, Michael Tippett, Columbia University, New York
  • Book: Statistical Methods for Climate Scientists
  • Online publication: 03 February 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108659055.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Power Spectrum
  • Timothy DelSole, George Mason University, Virginia, Michael Tippett, Columbia University, New York
  • Book: Statistical Methods for Climate Scientists
  • Online publication: 03 February 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108659055.007
Available formats
×