Overview

This textbook on rotating fluid dynamics combines a pedagogical development of theoretical ideas with a description and analysis of many of the fascinating examples of rotating flows found in nature. The book is self-contained, starting in Part I with introductory chapters on fluid dynamics and waves. The largest section of the book is Part II, where a broad theoretical framework is developed for rotating flows, including Ekman layers, inertial waves, Taylor columns, Rossby waves, precession, instabilities, rotating convection, vortex breakdown, and rotating turbulence. The book ends, in Part III, with an analysis of some naturally occurring rotating flows, including tornadoes and dust devils, tidal vortices, tropical cyclones, convection in planetary cores, zonal winds in planetary atmospheres, and astrophysical accretion discs. Davidson presents a unique combination of a deep but broad theoretical framework with a detailed discussion of many naturally occurring flows. Moreover, the book places great emphasis on the pedagogical development of theoretical ideas and the physical insight that brings.