Wyngaard , J . C . , 2010 : Turbulence in the Atmosphere

This book has been awaited in the atmospheric boundary-layer research community for a long time. JohnWyngaard, the author of the book, is by all counts an outstanding figure in the area of atmospheric turbulence studies. His contributions to the field are both numerous and exceptional. As a person, John comprises all the principal qualities of an outstanding scientist and academic: curiosity, witty mind, breadth of thinking, depth of understanding, healthy scepticism (also with respect to his own results), and readiness to share his knowledge with colleagues and students. I happened to come across John Wyngaard’s name at the beginning of the 1980s, while I was working on my Ph.D. dissertation in atmospheric boundary-layer modelling. His brilliant scientific articles profoundly shaped my interest in the quantitative aspects of boundary-layer meteorology. Apparently, they played the same role in the scientific careers of many other atmospheric boundary-layer researchers worldwide. For many of us, these studies have been sources of seminal ideas and conceptual breakthroughs in understanding various aspects of turbulent flow dynamics. Especially beneficial for me has been John’s ability to masterfully apply sophisticated tools of theoretical fluid mechanics, such as scale analysis and similarity theory, not only to discover and interpret fundamental properties of atmospheric turbulent flows but also to develop physical models and parametrizations well designed for practical meteorological applications. Turbulence in the Atmosphere (2010) is a neatly assembled compendium of critically analyzed pieces of existing knowledge in the area of atmospheric turbulence research combined with a summary of the author’s own accomplishments in the area over the course of his career spanning almost 50 years. In my view, the book has met expectations of the atmospheric boundary-layer community with respect to both the scope and form of presentation. The overall strengths of the book are: • in-depth analyses of historical developments in general and atmospheric turbulence research, • appropriate balance between the physical interpretation and mathematical formalism in the presentation,