Atmosphere, Clouds, and Climate (eBook)

David Randall (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF | EPUB

2012
288 Seiten
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-1-4008-4277-3 (ISBN)

Infos

David Randall is professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University.

---

An essential primer on atmospheric processes and their important role in the climate systemThe atmosphere is critical to climate change. It can amplify shifts in the climate system, and also mitigate them. This primer offers a short, reader-friendly introduction to these atmospheric processes and how they work, written by a leading expert on the subject.Giving readers an overview of key atmospheric processes, David Randall looks at how our climate system receives energy from the sun and sheds it by emitting infrared radiation back into space. The atmosphere regulates these radiative energy flows and transports energy through weather systems such as thunderstorms, monsoons, hurricanes, and winter storms. Randall explains how these processes work, and also how precipitation, cloud formation, and other phase changes of water strongly influence weather and climate. He discusses how atmospheric feedbacks affect climate change, how the large-scale atmospheric circulation works, how predicting the weather and the climate are fundamentally different challenges, and much more. This is the ideal introduction for students and nonspecialists. No prior experience in atmospheric science is needed, only basic college physics.Authoritative and concise, Atmosphere, Clouds, and Climate features a glossary of terms, suggestions for further reading, and easy-to-follow explanations of a few key equations. This accessible primer is the essential introduction to atmospheric processes and the vital role they play in our climate system.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 29.4.2012
• Reihe/Serie: Princeton Primers in Climate
• Reihe/Serie: Princeton Primers in Climate
• Zusatzinfo: 19 halftones. 21 line illus. 5 tables.
• Verlagsort: Princeton
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Mikrobiologie / Immunologie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Meteorologie / Klimatologie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Angewandte Physik
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: advection • Aerosol • Albedo • Atlantic Ocean • Atmosphere of Earth • Atmosphere of Mars • Atmospheric circulation • Atmospheric physics • Atmospheric pressure • atmospheric sciences • boundary layer • brightness temperature • Buoyancy • Carbon dioxide • Celsius • Cirrus cloud • Climate • climate change • climate model • Climate state • climatology • Cloud • Cloud feedback • convection • Convective available potential energy • Cumulus cloud • earth • Earth's energy budget • Earth's rotation • Eddy (fluid dynamics) • El Niño–Southern Oscillation • emissivity • energy flux • Enthalpy • evaporation • Geologic time scale • global warming • Gravity wave • Greenhouse Gas • Hadley cell • heat capacity • Humidity • ice sheet • Indian Ocean • Initial Condition • Instrumental temperature record • Intertropical Convergence Zone • kinetic energy • Lapse rate • latent heat • Level of free convection • Low-pressure Area • methane • Middle latitudes • Moist static energy • Moisture • monsoon • negative feedback • nitrogen • Northern Hemisphere • ocean current • outgoing longwave radiation • ozone depletion • Pacific Ocean • partial pressure • Quantity • Radiative cooling • radiative transfer • Relative humidity • sea ice • sea level • Sea Surface Temperature • Soil • Solar energy • southern hemisphere • Spherical Earth • Stratosphere • Stratus cloud • Subsidence • subtropics • Sunlight • Surface pressure • Terrain • thermal energy • Thermal wind • Thunderstorm • trade winds • Tropical Cyclone • tropics • Tropopause • troposphere • upwelling • Water • water cycle • water vapor • Weather • Weather and Climate • Weather forecasting • Winter Storm • year
• ISBN-10: 1-4008-4277-8 / 1400842778
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4008-4277-3 / 9781400842773