Understanding Weather and Climate

by Aguado, Edward; Burt, James E.

• ISBN13: 9780321595508
• ISBN10: 0321595505
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-02-13
• Publisher: Prentice Hall

Summary

Using everyday occurrences to illustrate meteorology and climatology, this first-rate reference works together with inspired technology tutorials to engage readers in learning about atmospheric behavior. Dynamic illustrations from the book come to life in the fully integrated website, where a narrator guides users through animated tutorials, video footage and satellite loops of atmospheric phenomena. Climate change science is updated and folded into atmospheric science coverage throughout the new edition to provide a report of scientific consensus and currency. This includes the findings presented in the fourth assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as well as how the members of the panel reached their conclusions. Composition and Structure of the Atmosphere; Solar Radiation and the Seasons; Energy Balance and Temperature; Atmospheric Pressure and Wind; Atmospheric Moisture; Cloud Development and Forms; Precipitation Processes. Atmospheric Circulation and Pressure Distributions; Air Masses and Fronts; Mid-Latitude Cyclones; Lightning, Thunder, and Tornadoes; Tropical Storms and Hurricanes; Weather Forecasting and Analysis; Human Effects: Air Pollution and Heat Islands; Earth's Climates; Climate Changes: Past and Future; Atmospheric Optics. A useful reference for anyone who wants to learn more about Earthrs"s climate and weather.

Author Biography

Ed Aguado is a Professor of Geography at San Diego State University. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin in 1983, and his research interests include Precipitation and Hydrology of Western U.S. Mountains. He is also involved in consulting and is an expert witness on climatology and weather.

Jim Burt is a Professor of Geography at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He earned his Ph.D. in Geography from UCLA in 1980, and his research areas include Physical Geography, Climatology, Quantitative Methods, and Geovisualization. He is the Co-principal investigator for SoLIM (Soil Land Inference Model) for soil mapping based on recent developments in geographic information science (GISc), artificial intelligence (AI), and information representation theory.

Table of Contents

Energy and Mass

Composition and Structure of the Atmosphere

Solar Radiation and the Seasons

Energy Balance and Temperature

Atmospheric Pressure and Wind

Water in the Atmosphere

Atmospheric Moisture

Cloud Development and Forms

Precipitation Processes

Distribution and Movement of Air

Atmospheric Circulation and Pressure Distributions

Air Masses and Fronts

Disturbances

Mid-Latitude Cyclones

Lightning, Thunder, and Tornadoes

Tropical Storms and Hurricanes

Human Activities and Special Topics

Weather Forecasting and Analysis

Human Effects: Air Pollution and Heat Islands

Current, Past and Future Climates

Earth's Climates

Climate Changes: Past and Future

Special Topics and Appendices

Atmospheric Optics

Unit of Measurement and Conversions

The Standard Atmosphere

Weather Map Symbols

Weather Extremes

Glossary

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.