The logical fundamentals of the theory of climate are outlined: (1) the climate system OLA (ocean-land-atmosphere) is defined; (2) analogously to the theory of turbulence, the notion of climate is defined as a multicomponent random function in the OLA space-time (or, equivalently, as a statistical ensemble of states the OLA system passes through in a period of several decades); (3) the solar climate, i.e. the distribution of solar radiation at the upper atmosphere boundary, is determined, to be employed as the boundary condition for the OLA system; (4) the ’horizontal’ heat and mass transfer processes between the equatorial and polar zones are described; (5) the ’vertical’ processes of radiative-convective heat and mass transfer, among them the greenhouse effect of water vapor and small gas admixtures, are discussed; (6) the ’vertical’ radiative heat transfer processes in an aerosol-containing atmosphere is considered, including the anti-greenhouse effect of volcanic and smoke aerosols, and the ’nuclear night’ and ’nuclear winter’ scenarios.

PACS: 89.60.+x, 92.60.−e, 92.60.Ry, 92.90.+x (all) DOI: 10.1070/PU2000v043n04ABEH000678 URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/2000/4/d/ 000087162200004 Citation: Monin A S, Shishkov Yu A "Climate as a problem of physics" Phys. Usp. 43 381–406 (2000) BibTexBibNote ® (generic)BibNote ® (RIS)MedlineRefWorks Оригинал: Монин А С, Шишков Ю А «Климат как проблема физики» УФН 170 419–445 (2000); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0170.200004d.0419