In this text, modern applied mathematics and physical insight are used to construct the simplest and first nonlinear dynamical model for the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO), i.e. the stochastic skeleton model. This model captures the fundamental features of the MJO and offers a theoretical prediction of its structure, leading to new detailed methods to identify it in observational data. The text contributes to understanding and predicting intraseasonal variability, which remains a challenging task in contemporary climate, atmospheric, and oceanic science. In the tropics, the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) is the dominant component of intraseasonal variability. One of the strengths of this text is demonstrating how a blend of modern applied mathematical tools, including linear and nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs), simple stochastic modeling, and numerical algorithms, have been used in conjunction with physical insight to create the model. These tools are also applied in developing several extensions of the model in order to capture additional features of the MJO, including its refined vertical structure and its interactions with the extratropics. This book is of interest to graduate students, postdocs, and senior researchers in pure and applied mathematics, physics, engineering, and climate, atmospheric, and oceanic science interested in turbulent dynamical systems as well as other complex systems.

This volume is a research expository article on the applied mathematics of turbulent dynamical systems through the paradigm of modern applied mathematics. It involves the blending of rigorous mathematical theory, qualitative and quantitative modeling, and novel numerical procedures driven by the goal of understanding physical phenomena which are of central importance to the field. The contents cover general framework, concrete examples, and instructive qualitative models. Accessible open problems are mentioned throughout. Topics covered include: * Geophysical flows with rotation, topography, deterministic and random forcing * New statistical energy principles for general turbulent dynamical systems, with applications * Linear statistical response theory combined with information theory to cope with model errors * Reduced low order models * Recent mathematical strategies for online data assimilation of turbulent dynamical systems as well as rigorous results for finite ensemble Kalman filters The volume will appeal to graduate students and researchers working mathematics, physics and engineering and particularly those in the climate, atmospheric and ocean sciences interested in turbulent dynamical as well as other complex systems.

Many natural phenomena ranging from climate through to biology are described by complex dynamical systems. Getting information about these phenomena involves filtering noisy data and prediction based on incomplete information (complicated by the sheer number of parameters involved), and often we need to do this in real time, for example for weather forecasting or pollution control. All this is further complicated by the sheer number of parameters involved leading to further problems associated with the 'curse of dimensionality' and the 'curse of small ensemble size'. The authors develop, for the first time in book form, a systematic perspective on all these issues from the standpoint of applied mathematics. The book contains enough background material from filtering, turbulence theory and numerical analysis to make the presentation self-contained and suitable for graduate courses as well as for researchers in a range of disciplines where applied mathematics is required to enlighten observations and models.

A renowned mathematician who considers himself both applied and theoretical in his approach, Peter Lax has spent most of his professional career at NYU, making significant contributions to both mathematics and computing. He has written several important published works and has received numerous honors including the National Medal of Science, the Lester R. Ford Award, the Chauvenet Prize, the Semmelweis Medal, the Wiener Prize, and the Wolf Prize. Several students he has mentored have become leaders in their fields.

Two volumes span the years from 1952 up until 1999, and cover many varying topics, from functional analysis, partial differential equations, and numerical methods to conservation laws, integrable systems andscattering theory.After each paper, or collection of papers, is a commentary placing the paper in context and where relevant discussing more recent developments.Many of the papers in these volumes have become classics and should be read by any serious student of these topics.In terms of insight, depth, and breadth, Lax has few equals.The reader of this selecta will quickly appreciate his brilliance as well as his masterful touch.Having this collection of papers in one place allows one to follow the evolution of his ideas and mathematical interests and to appreciate how many of these papers initiated topics that developed lives of their own."

A renowned mathematician who considers himself both applied and theoretical in his approach, Peter Lax has spent most of his professional career at NYU, making significant contributions to both mathematics and computing. He has written several important published works and has received numerous honors including the National Medal of Science, the Lester R. Ford Award, the Chauvenet Prize, the Semmelweis Medal, the Wiener Prize, and the Wolf Prize. Several students he has mentored have become leaders in their fields.

Two volumes span the years from 1952 up until 1999, and cover many varying topics, from functional analysis, partial differential equations, and numerical methods to conservation laws, integrable systems and scattering theory. After each paper, or collection of papers, is a commentary placing the paper in context and where relevant discussing more recent developments. Many of the papers in these volumes have become classics and should be read by any serious student of these topics. In terms of insight, depth, and breadth, Lax has few equals. The reader of this selecta will quickly appreciate his brilliance as well as his masterful touch. Having this collection of papers in one place allows one to follow the evolution of his ideas and mathematical interests and to appreciate how many of these papers initiated topics that developed lives of their own.

The 60th birthday of Peter Lax was celebrated at Berkeley by a conference entitled Wave Motion: theory, application and computation held at the mathematical Sciences Research Institute, June 9-12, 1986. Peter Lax has made profound and essential contributions to the topics described by the title of the conference, and has also contributed in important ways to many other mathematical subjects, and as a result this conference volume dedicated to him includes research work on a variety of topics, not all clearly related to its title.

This IMA Volume in Mathematics and its Applications MULTIDIMENSIONAL HYPERBOLIC PROBLEMS AND COMPUTATIONS is based on the proceedings of a workshop which was an integral part ofthe 1988-89 IMA program on NONLINEAR WAVES. We are grateful to the Scientific Commit tee: James Glimm, Daniel Joseph, Barbara Keyfitz, Andrew Majda, Alan Newell, Peter Olver, David Sattinger and David Schaeffer for planning and implementing an exciting and stimulating year-long program. We especially thank the Work shop Organizers, Andrew Majda and James Glimm, for bringing together many of the major figures in a variety of research fields connected with multidimensional hyperbolic problems. A vner Friedman Willard Miller PREFACE A primary goal of the IMA workshop on Multidimensional Hyperbolic Problems and Computations from April 3-14, 1989 was to emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary research in this field involving the combination of ideas from the theory of nonlinear partial differential equations, asymptotic methods, numerical computation, and experiments. The twenty-six papers in this volume span a wide cross-section of this research including some papers on the kinetic theory of gases and vortex sheets for incompressible flow in addition to many papers on systems of hyperbolic conservation laws. This volume includes several papers on asymptotic methods such as nonlinear geometric optics, a number of articles applying numerical algorithms such as higher order Godunov methods and front tracking to physical problems along with comparison to experimental data, and also several interesting papers on the rigorous mathematical theory of shock waves."

This comprehensive introduction to the mathematical theory of vorticity and incompressible flow begins with the elementary introductory material and leads into current research topics. While the book centers on mathematical theory, many parts also showcase the interaction among rigorous mathematical theory, numerical, asymptotic, and qualitative simplified modeling, and physical phenomena. The first half forms an introductory graduate course on vorticity and incompressible flow. The second half comprises a modern applied mathematics graduate course on the weak solution theory for incompressible flow.

This comprehensive introduction to the mathematical theory of vorticity and incompressible flow begins with the elementary introductory material and leads into current research topics. While the book centers on mathematical theory, many parts also showcase the interaction among rigorous mathematical theory, numerical, asymptotic, and qualitative simplified modeling, and physical phenomena. The first half forms an introductory graduate course on vorticity and incompressible flow. The second half comprises a modern applied mathematics graduate course on the weak solution theory for incompressible flow.