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Preface | |
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Introduction to the Atmosphere | |
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Weather and Climate | |
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Atmospheric Hazards: Assault by the Elements | |
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The Atmosphere: A Part of the Earth System | |
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Earth's Four Spheres | |
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Earth's Spheres Interact | |
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The Carbon Cycle | |
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Composition of the Atmosphere | |
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Major Components | |
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Carbon Dioxide | |
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Variable Components | |
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Ozone Depletion--A Global Issue | |
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The Ozone Hole | |
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Effects of Ozone Depletion | |
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Montreal Protocol | |
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Probing the Atmosphere | |
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Height and Structure of the Atmosphere | |
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Pressure Changes | |
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Temperature Changes | |
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Vertical Variations in Composition | |
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The Ionosphere | |
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Heating Earth's Surface and Atmosphere | |
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Earth-Sun Relationships | |
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Earth's Motions | |
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The Seasons | |
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Earth's Orientation | |
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Solstices and Equinoxes | |
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Energy, Heat, and Temperature | |
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Types of Energy | |
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Heat Energy Versus Temperature | |
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Mechanisms of Energy Transfer | |
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Conduction | |
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Convection | |
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Radiation | |
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Laws of Radiation | |
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The Fate of Incoming Solar Radiation | |
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Reflection and Scattering | |
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Absorption by Earth's Surface and Atmosphere | |
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Radiation Emitted by Earth | |
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Heating the Atmosphere | |
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The "Greenhouse Effect" | |
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Role of Clouds in Heating Earth | |
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Heat Budget | |
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Latitudinal Heat Balance | |
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Temperature | |
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For the Record: Air Temperature Data | |
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Why Temperatures Vary: The Controls of Temperature | |
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Land and Water | |
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Ocean Currents | |
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Altitude | |
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Geographic Position | |
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Cloud Cover and Albedo | |
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World Distribution of Temperatures | |
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Cycles of Air Temperature | |
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Daily Temperature Variations | |
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Magnitude of Daily Temperature Changes | |
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Annual Temperature Variations | |
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Temperature Measurement | |
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Mechanical Thermometers | |
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Electrical Thermometers | |
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Instrument Shelters | |
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Temperature Scales | |
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Applications of Temperature Data | |
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Heating Degree-Days | |
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Cooling Degree-Days | |
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Growing Degree-Days | |
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Temperature and Comfort | |
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Moisture and Atmospheric Stability | |
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Movement of Water Through the Atmosphere | |
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Water's Changes of State | |
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Water in the Atmosphere | |
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Vapor Pressure and Saturation | |
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Relative Humidity | |
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How Relative Humidity Changes | |
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Natural Change in Relative Humidity | |
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Dew Point Temperature | |
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Humidity Measurement | |
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Adiabatic Temperature Changes | |
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Adiabatic Cooling and Condensation | |
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Lifting Processes | |
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Orographic Lifting | |
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Frontal Wedging | |
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Convergence | |
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Localized Convective Lifting | |
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The Critical Weathermaker: Atmospheric Stability | |
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Types of Stability | |
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Stability and Daily Weather | |
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How Stability Changes | |
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Temperature Changes and Stability | |
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Vertical Air Movement and Stability | |
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Forms of Condensation and Precipitation | |
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Condensation | |
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Condensation Aloft and Cloud Formation | |
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Clouds | |
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Cloud Classification | |
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Cloud Descriptions | |
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Fog | |
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Fogs Formed by Cooling | |
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Fogs Formed by Evaporation | |
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Dew and Frost | |
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How Precipitation Forms | |
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Precipitation from Cold Clouds: The Bergeron Process | |
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Precipitation from Warm Clouds: The Collision-Coalescence Process | |
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Forms of Precipitation | |
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Rain | |
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Snow | |
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Sleet and Glaze | |
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Hail | |
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Rime | |
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Precipitation Measurement | |
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Standard Instruments | |
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Measuring Snowfall | |
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Measurement Errors | |
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Precipitation Measurement by Weather Radar | |
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Intentional Weather Modification | |
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Cloud Seeding | |
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Fog and Cloud Dispersal | |
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Hail Suppression | |
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Frost Prevention | |
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Inadvertent Weather Modification: Urban-Induced Precipitation | |
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Air Pressure and Winds | |
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Understanding Air Pressure | |
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Measuring Air Pressure | |
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Factors Affecting Air Pressure | |
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Pressure Changes With Altitude | |
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Factors Affecting Wind | |
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Pressure-Gradient Force | |
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Coriolis Force | |
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Friction | |
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Winds Aloft and Geostrophic Flow | |
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Curved Flow and the Gradient Wind | |
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Surface Winds | |
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How Winds Generate Vertical Air Motion | |
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Vertical Airflow Associated with Cyclones and Anticyclones | |
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Factors That Promote Vertical Airflow | |
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Wind Measurement | |
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Circulation of the Atmosphere | |
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Scales of Atmospheric Motion | |
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Large- and Small-Scale Circulation | |
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Structure of Wind Patterns | |
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Local Winds | |
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Land and Sea Breezes | |
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Mountain and Valley Breezes | |
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Chinook (Foehn) Winds | |
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Katabatic (Fall) Winds | |
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Country Breeze | |
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Global Circulation | |
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Single-Cell Circulation Model | |
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Three-Cell Circulation Model | |
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Observed Distribution of Pressure and Winds | |
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Idealized Zonal Pressure Belts | |
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Semipermanent Pressure Systems: The Real World | |
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Monsoons | |
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The Asian Monsoon | |
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The North American Monsoon | |
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The Westerlies | |
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Why Westerlies? | |
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Jet Streams | |
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Origin of the Midlatitude Jet Stream | |
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Subtropical Jet Stream | |
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Waves in the Westerlies | |
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Westerlies and Earth's Heat Budget | |
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Global Winds and Ocean Currents | |
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The Importance of Ocean Currents | |
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Ocean Currents and Upwelling | |
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El Nino and La Nina | |
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Global Distribution of Precipitation | |
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Zonal Distribution of Precipitation | |
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Distribution of Precipitation Over the Continents | |
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Precipitation Regimes on a Hypothetical Continent | |
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Air Masses | |
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What Is an Air Mass? | |
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Source Regions | |
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Classifying Air Masses | |
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Air-Mass Modification | |
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Properties of North American Air Masses | |
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Continental Polar (cP) and Continental Aretic (cA) Air Masses | |
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Lake-Effect Snow: Cold Air Over Warm Water | |
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Maritime Polar (mP) Air Masses | |
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Maritime Tropical (mT) Air Masses | |
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Continental Tropical (cT) Air Masses | |
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Weather Patterns | |
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Polar-Front Theory | |
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Fronts | |
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Warm Fronts | |
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Cold Fronts | |
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Stationary Fronts | |
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Occluded Fronts | |
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Drylines | |
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Life Cycle of a Midlatitude Cyclone | |
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Formation: The Clash of Two Air Masses | |
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Development of Cyclonic Flow | |
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Occlusion: The Beginning of the End | |
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Idealized Weather of a Midlatitude Cyclone | |
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Cyclogenesis | |
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Cyclonic and Anticyclonic Circulation | |
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Divergence and Convergence Aloft | |
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Traveling Cyclones | |
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Patterns of Movement | |
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Anticyclonic Weather and Blocking Highs | |
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Case Study of a Midlatitude Cyclone | |
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Violent Spring Weather | |
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Weather in Peoria | |
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Thunderstorms and Tornadoes | |
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What's in a Name? | |
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Thunderstorms | |
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Air-Mass Thunderstorms | |
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Stages of Development | |
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Occurrence | |
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Severe Thunderstorms | |
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Supercell Thunderstorms | |
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Squall Lines and Mesoscale Convective Complexes | |
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Lightning and Thunder | |
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What Causes Lightning? | |
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The Lightning Stroke | |
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Thunder | |
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Tornadoes | |
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The Development and Occurrence of Tornadoes | |
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Tornado Development | |
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Tornado Climatology | |
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Profile of a Tornado | |
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Tornado Destruction | |
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Tornado Forecasting | |
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Tornado Watches and Warnings | |
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Doppler Radar | |
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Hurricanes | |
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Profile of a Hurricane | |
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Hurricane Formation and Decay | |
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Hurricane Formation | |
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Hurricane Decay | |
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Hurricane Destruction | |
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Storm Surge | |
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Wind Damage | |
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Inland Flooding | |
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Detecting and Tracking Hurricanes | |
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The Role of Satellites | |
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Aircraft Reconnaissance | |
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Radar and Data Buoys | |
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Hurricane Watches and Warnings | |
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Weather Analysis and Forecasting | |
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The Weather Business: A Brief Overview | |
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Weather Analysis | |
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Gathering Data | |
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Weather Maps: Pictures of the Atmosphere | |
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Weather Forecasting | |
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Synoptic Weather Forecasting | |
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Numerical Weather Prediction | |
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Statistical Methods | |
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Techniques Used in Short-Range Forecasting | |
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Long-Range Forecasts | |
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Forecast Accuracy | |
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Tools in Weather Forecasting | |
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Satellites in Weather Forecasting | |
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What Weather Satellites Reveal | |
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Measurement by Satellite | |
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Weather Forecasting and Upper-Level Flow | |
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The Winter of 1977 | |
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Air Pollution | |
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A Brief Historical Perspective | |
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Air Pollution: Not a New Problem | |
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Some Historic Episodes | |
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Sources and Types of Air Pollution | |
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Primary Pollutants | |
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Secondary Pollutants | |
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Trends in Air Quality | |
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Meteorological Factors Affecting Air Pollution | |
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Wind as a Factor | |
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The Role of Atmospheric Stability | |
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Acid Precipitation | |
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Extent and Potency of Acid Precipitation | |
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Effects of Acid Precipitation | |
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The Changing Climate | |
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The Climate System | |
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Is Our Climate Changing? | |
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How Do We Detect Climate Change? | |
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Evidence from Sea-Floor Sediment | |
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Evidence from Oxygen Isotope Analysis | |
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Evidence from Other Sources | |
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Natural Causes of Climate Change | |
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Plate Tectonics and Climate Change | |
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Volcanic Activity and Climate Change | |
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Orbital Variations | |
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Solar Variability and Climate | |
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Human Impact on Global Climate | |
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Carbon Dioxide, Trace Gases, and Climate Change | |
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How Do Aerosols Influence Climate? | |
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Climate-Feedback Mechanisms | |
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Some Possible Consequences of a Greenhouse Warming | |
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Water Resources and Agriculture | |
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Sea-Level Rise | |
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New Weather Patterns | |
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World Climates | |
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Climate Classification | |
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Climate Controls: A Summary | |
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Latitude | |
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Land and Water | |
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Geographic Position and Prevailing Winds | |
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Mountains and Highlands | |
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Ocean Currents | |
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Pressure and Wind Systems | |
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World Climates--An Overview | |
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The Wet Tropics (Af, Am) | |
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Temperature Characteristics | |
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Precipitation Characteristics | |
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Tropical Wet and Dry (Aw) | |
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Temperature Characteristics | |
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Precipitation Characteristics | |
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The Monsoon | |
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The Cw Variant | |
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The Dry Climates (B) | |
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What Is Meant by "Dry"? | |
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Subtropical Desert (BWh) and Steppe (BSh) | |
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West Coast Subtropical Deserts | |
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Middle-Latitude Desert (BWk) and Steppe (BSk) | |
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Humid Middle-Latitude Climates with Mild Winters (C) | |
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Humid Subtropical Climate (Cfa) | |
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The Marine West Coast Climate (Cfb) | |
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The Dry-Summer Subtropical (Mediterranean) Climate (Csa, Csb) | |
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Humid Continental Climates with Severe Winters (D) | |
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Humid Continental Climate (Dfa) | |
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The Subarctic Climate (Dfc, Dfd) | |
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The Polar Climates (E) | |
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The Tundra Climate (ET) | |
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The Ice Cap Climate (EF) | |
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Highland Climates | |
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Optical Phenomena of the Atmosphere | |
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Nature of Light | |
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Reflection | |
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Refraction | |
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Mirages | |
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Rainbows | |
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Halos, Sun Dogs, and Solar Pillars | |
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The Glory | |
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The Corona | |
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Metric Units | |
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Explanation ad Decoding of the Daily Weather Map | |
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Relative Humidity and Dew Point Tables | |
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Correcting Mercurial Barometer Readings | |
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Laws Relating to Gases | |
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Climate Data | |
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Glossary | |
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Index | |