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Preface ix
Part 1 Introduction 1
1 Setting the Stage 2
U.S. National Weather Service 3
Weather and Climate 14
Meteorology: The Science of Weather 15
Wind and Breezes 16
Air Masses 18
Thermal Inversions and Air Pollution 18
References and Recommended Reading 19
Part 2 Meteorological Basics 21
2 Weather Elements 22
Air Pressure 23
Precipitation 25
Wind 27
Air Temperature 29
Relative Humidity 31
Solar Energy 32
Evaporation 33
Pollution 33
Cloud Heights 33
Gas Laws 34
Boyle's Law 34
Charles's Law 35
Ideal Gas Law 36
Flow Rate 38
Gas Conversions 38
Major Constituents 39
Both Major and Minor Constituents 39
Minor Constituents 40
Gas Density 40
Heat Capacity and Enthalpy 41
Heat and Energy in the Atmosphere 41
Adiabatic Lapse Rate 41
Viscosity 42
References and Recommended Reading 43
3 The Atmosphere 44
Earth's Thin Skin 47
The Troposphere 48
The Stratosphere 49
A Jekyll-and-Hyde View of the Atmosphere 49
Atmospheric Particulate Matter 50
References and Recommended Reading 51
4 Moisture in the Atmosphere 52
Cloud Formation 53
Major Cloud Types 54
Moisture in the Atmosphere 56
References and Recommended Reading 57
5 Precipitation and Evapotranspiration 58
Phases of Precipitation 60
Precipitation 62
Coalescence 62
Bergeron Process 63
Types of Precipitation 64
Convectional Precipitation 64
Orographic Precipitation 64
Frontal Precipitation 65
Evapotranspiration 65
Evaporation 65
Transpiration 66
The Process of Evapotranspiration 66
References and Recommended Reading 67
6 The Seasons 68
Why Do We Have the Seasons? 69
Why Are Sunrise and Sunset Not Exactly 12 Hours Apart at Equinox? 71
Heat Island Effect in Large Cities 71
Anthropogenic (Human-Caused) Effects on Precipitation 73
References and Recommended Reading 75
7 Earth's Radiation Budget 77
Energy 78
Potential Energy 78
Kinetic Energy 78
Thermal Properties 80
Specific Heat 81
Transferring Energy 81
Earth's Heat Balance 83
Earth's Radiation Budget 83
Reradiation 84
Insolation 86
Solar Constant 86
Transparency 87
Daylight Duration 87
Angle of Sun's Ray 88
Heat Distribution 88
Differential Heating 88
Transport of Heat 89
Global Distribution of Heat 89
Albedo 90
Scattering 91
Absorption 92
Climate Change and Greenhouse Effect 92
The Past 94
Greenhouse Effect 100
References and Recommended Reading 104
Part 3 Weather and Climate 105
8 The Science of Weather and Climate 106
Meteorology: The Science of Weather 107
El Niño / Southern Oscillation 108
Air Masses 109
Optical Phenomena 113
Fata Morgana 115
References and Recommended Reading 116
9 Microclimates 118
Types of Microclimates 119
Microclimates Near the Ground 120
Microclimates Over Open Land Areas 120
Microclimates in Woodlands or Forested Areas 121
Microclimates in Valley and Hillside Regions 121
Microclimates in Urban Areas 122
Microclimates in Seaside Locations 122
References and Recommended Reading 123
Part 4 Atmospheric Dynamics 125
10 The Atmosphere in Motion 126
Global Air Movement 127
Earth's Atmosphere in Motion 128
Causes of Air Motion 128
Local and World Air Circulation 133
Blowing in the Wind … 136
References and Recommended Reading 138
11 Weather Forecasting Tools 139
Butterfly Effect 139
Predicting Weather 140
Meteorological Tools 140
Wind Speed 141
Wind Direction 145
Temperature and Temperature Difference 147
Radiation 148
Mixing Height 149
System Performance 150
Quality Assurance and Quality Control 152
References and Recommended Reading 154
Glossary 155
Index 217
About the Author 223
Overview