‘This book is written by experts in the field, working on the frontiers of climate science. It enables instructors to “flip the classroom”, and highly motivated students to visualize and
analyze their own data sets. The book clearly and succinctly summarizes the applicable statistical principles and formalisms and goes on to provide detailed tutorials on how to apply
them, starting with very simple tasks and moving on to illustrate more advanced, state-ofthe-art techniques. Having this book readily available should reduce the time required for
advanced undergraduate and graduate students to achieve sufficient proficiency in research
methodology to become productive scientists in their own right.’
- PROFESSOR JOHN M. WALLACE, University of Washington
‘Statistics and Data Visualization in Climate Science with R and Python by Sam Shen and
Jerry North is a fabulous addition to the set of tools for scientists, educators and students
who are interested in working with data relevant to climate variability and change ...I can
testify that this book is an enormous help to someone like me. I no longer can simply
ask my grad students and postdocs to download and analyze datasets, but I still want
to ask questions and find data-based answers. This book perfectly fills the 40-year gap
since I last had to do all these things myself, and I can’t wait to begin to use it ...I am
certain that teachers will find the book and supporting materials extremely beneficial as
well. Professors Shen and North have created a resource of enormous benefit to climate
scientists.’
- DR PHILLIP A. ARKIN, University of Maryland
‘This book is a gem. It is the proverbial fishing rod to those interested in statistical analysis of climate data and visualization that facilitates insightful interpretation. By providing a plethora of actual examples and R and Python scripts, it lays out the “learning by doing” foundation upon which students and professionals alike can build their own applications
to explore climate data. This book will become an invaluable desktop reference in Climate
Statistics.’
- PROFESSOR ANA P. BARROS, University of Illinois Urbana-Champain
‘A valuable toolkit of practical statistical methods and skills for using computers to analyzeand visualize large data sets, this unique book empowers readers to gain physical understanding from climate data. The authors have carried out fundamental research in this field, and they are master teachers who have taught the material often. Their expertise is evident throughout the book.’
- PROFESSOR RICHARD C. J. SOMERVILLE, University of California, San Diego
Citation: Shen, S.S.P., and G.R. North, 2023: Statistics and Data Visualization in Climate Science with R and Python, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 391pp.
About the authors:
Samuel S.P. Shen is Distinguished Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at San Diego State University, and Visiting Research Mathematician at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of
California – San Diego. Formerly, he was McCalla Professor of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at the University of Alberta, Canada, and President of the Canadian Applied and Industrial
Mathematics Society. He has held visiting positions at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center,
the NOAA Climate Prediction Center, and the University of Tokyo. Shen holds a B.Sc. degree in Engineering Mechanics and a Ph.D. degree in Applied Mathematics.
Gerald R. North is University Distinguished Professor Emeritus and former Head of the Department
of Atmospheric Science at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on modern and paleoclimate analysis, satellite remote sensing, climate and hydrology modeling, and statistical methods in
atmospheric science. He is an elected fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the American
Meteorological Society. He has received several awards including the Harold J. Haynes Endowed
Chair in Geosciences of Texas A&M University, the Jules G. Charney medal from the American
Meteorological Society, and the Scientific Achievement medal from NASA. North holds both B.Sc.
and Ph.D. degrees in Physics.