Water in the Climate System

Water is an essential element of climate, owing to its dynamical and thermodynamical effects. Water is, in addition, one of the main fluids active in the climate system: oceans, ice sheets and glaciers, snow and atmospheric water (in vapor, liquid or solid form) and the whole hydrological cycle are at the heart of the workings of the Earth System. In these short notes, we shall describe just a few of the many ways water enters the fluid dynamics of climate.