Hamiltonian dynamics

Shepherd, T. G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6631-9968 (2025) Hamiltonian dynamics. In: Robinson, W. A. and Yang, P. (eds.) Encyclopedia of Atmospheric Sciences. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 84-94. ISBN 9780323958219 (3rd edition)

Abstract/Summary

Hamiltonian dynamics describes the evolution of conservative physical systems. Originally developed as a generalization of Newtonian mechanics, it represents a core component of any undergraduate physics curriculum. What is not so widely recognized is that the ideal (i.e. conservative) form of the governing equations used in dynamical meteorology are also Hamiltonian dynamical systems. This chapter explains how this is so, and some of the consequences that follow from this fact. It is important to be able to connect theoretical results across the hierarchy of various models used in dynamical meteorology, from the simplest to the most complex. Hamiltonian dynamics is what allows one to do precisely that.

Item Type	Book or Report Section
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/127567
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences > Department of Meteorology
Publisher	Elsevier
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