Python for Atmosphere and Ocean Scientists

Abstract

Python is rapidly emerging as the programming language of choice for data analysis in the atmosphere and ocean sciences. By consulting online tutorials and help pages, most researchers in this community are able to pick up the basic syntax and programming constructs (e.g., loops, lists and conditionals). This self-taught knowledge is sufficient to get work done, but it often involves spending hours to do things that should take minutes, reinventing a lot of wheels, and a nagging uncertainty at the end of it all regarding the reliability and reproducibility of the results. To help address these issues, the Python for Atmosphere and Ocean Scientists educational materials cover a suite of programming and data management best practices that are not so easy to glean from a quick Google search.