Familiarity and modern, sheltered lifestyles can dull our awareness of the ever changing sky above us. But an unusually colourful sunset or threatening storm can rekindle interest, admiration, and even fear. Even so, we generally fail to comprehend the enormous scale, power, and complexity of the atmosphere. With the effects of global climate change becoming increasingly apparent, an understanding of the processes that underpin our weather and climate is vital.
Fundamentals of Weather and Climate offers an engaging and insightful treatment of the behaviour of the lower atmosphere and takes a quantitative approach to describing the mechanisms involved. Beginning with an overview of the atmosphere and its components, the reader is introduced to the physics that drive weather systems, before setting these principles in the context of specific systems of differing scales and latitudes. Finally, the text draws this information together in relation to the problem of anthropogenic climate change.
New to this edition:
-Increased coverage of mid- and low-latitude weather systems,
global circulation and regional systems, climate modelling and
prediction, and thermodynamics
-More detailed explanations of key mathematical concepts
-Full worked solutions to problems
-New end of chapter summaries
1. Introduction; 2. Observations; 3. The constitution of the atmosphere; 4. The state of the atmosphere; 5. Atmospheric thermodynamics; 6. Cloud and precipitation; 7. Atmospheric dynamics; 8. Radiation convection and advection; 9. The atmospheric engine; 10. Surface and boundary layer; 11. Smaller-scale weather systems; 12. Large-scale weather systems in mid-latitudes; 13. Large-scale weather systems in low latitudes; 14. Climate and climate change