Rent 9780534397715 | Meteorology Today With Infotrac: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment

Summary Table of Contents

METEOROLOGY TODAY has for many years been one of the most widely used and authoritative texts for the introductory meteorology course. Each edition is extensively reviewed by leading researchers in the field to ensure that the text remains completely up-to-date and reflects today's current understanding of meteorological concepts. Author Donald Ahrens has been widely praised for his ability to explain relatively complicated ideas so that even under-prepared students can understand them. The text's clear and inviting presentation is supplemented by numerous pedagogical features that help augment students' understanding. Introductory stories found at the beginning of each chapter draws students naturally into the discussion. In-chapter reviews then help students to consolidate their understanding as they read, while four types of end-of-chapter exercises provide opportunities for everything from further review to in-class discussion questions. Graphics are carefully designed and subsequently refined so that the key ideas clearly emerge. Many of the photos in the book are taken by the author and provide unmatched images of dramatic weather phenomena. A unique and popular feature over this title's seven editions has been the foldout cloud chart at the back of the book. A wealth of online resources accompanies METEOROLOGY TODAY, Seventh Edition, allowing professors to integrate striking and illuminative interactive weather exercises into their course. Many of the exercises on the BLUE SKIES CD-ROM packaged FREE with each new copy of the text are tied to downloadable real-time weather data, offering instructors an easy way to bring the exploration of current weather events into the course discussion.

1. THE EARTH AND ITS ATMOSPHERE
Overview of the Earth's Atmosphere
Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere
Weather and Climate
2. ENERGY: WARMING THE EARTH AND THE ATMOSPHERE
Energy, Temperature, and Heat
Heat Transfer in the Atmosphere
Radiati... MOREon
Balancing Act--Absorption, Emission, and Equilibrium
Incoming Solar Energy
3. SEASONAL AND DAILY TEMPERATURES
Why the Earth Has Seasons
Local Seasonal Variations
Daily Temperature Variations
The Controls of Temperature
Air Temperature Data
Air Temperature and Human Comfort
Measuring Air Temperature
4. LIGHT, COLOR, AND ATMOSPHERIC OPTICS
White and Colors
White Clouds and Scattered Light
Blue Skies and Hazy Days
Red Suns and Blue Moons
Twinkling, Twilight, and the Green Flash
The Mirage: Seeing Is Not Believing
Halos, Sundogs, and Sun Pillars
Rainbows
Coronas, Glories, and Heiligenschein
5. ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE
Water in the Atmosphere
Absolute Humidity
Specific Humidity and Mixing Ratio
Vapor Pressure
Relative Humidity
6. CONDENSATION: DEW, FOG, AND CLOUDS
The Formation of Dew and Frost
Condensation Nuclei
Haze
Fog
Foggy Weather
Clouds
7. STABILITY AND CLOUD DEVELOPMENT
Atmospheric Stability
Determining Stability
Cloud Development
8. PRECIPITATION
Precipitation Processes
Precipitation Types
Measuring Precipitation
9. THE ATMOSPHERE IN MOTION: AIR PRESSURE, FORCES, AND WINDS
Atmospheric Pressure
Surface and Upper-Level Charts
Newton's Laws of Motion
Forces that Influence the Winds
Winds and Vertical Air Motions
10. WIND: SMALL-SCALE AND LOCAL SYSTEMS
Small-Scale Winds Interacting with the Environment
Determining Wind Direction and Speed
Local Wind Systems
11. WIND: GLOBAL SYSTEMS
General Circulation of the Atmosphere
Jet Streams
Atmosphere-Ocean Interactions
El Niño and the Southern Oscillation
Other Temperature Fluctuations and Climate Patterns
12. AIR MASSES AND FRONTS
Air Masses
Fronts
13. MIDDLE LATITUDE CYCLONES
Polar Front Theory
Where Do Mid-Latitude Cyclones Tend to Form? Vertical Structure of Deep Pressure Systems
Upper Level Waves and Surface Storms
The Necessary Ingredients for a Developing Wave Cyclone
Polar Lows
Vorticity, Divergence, and Developing Storm Systems
14. WEATHER FORECASTING
Acquisition of Weather Information
Weather Forecasting Methods
Predicting the Weather from Local Signs
Weather Forecasting Using Surface Charts
A Meteorologist Makes a Prediction
15. THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES
Thunderstorms
Tornadoes
Severe Weather and Doppler Radar
Waterspouts
16. HURRICANES
Tropical Weather
Anatomy of a Hurricane
Hurricane Formation and Dissipation
Naming Hurricanes
17. AIR POLLUTION
A Brief History of Air Pollution
Types and Sources of Air Pollutants
Factors that Affect Air Pollution
Air Pollution and the Urban Environment
Acid Deposition
18. GLOBAL CLIMATE
A World with Many Climates
Climatic Classification
The Global Pattern of Climate
19. CLIMATE CHANGE
The Earth's Changing Climate
Possible Causes of Climatic Change
Global Warming
Appendix A
Units, Conversions, Abbreviations, and Equations
Appendix B
Weather Symbols and the Station Model
Appendix C
Beaufort Wind Scale
Appendix D
Humidity and Dew-Point Tables
Appendix E
Instant Weather Forecast Chart
Appendix F
Changing GMT and UTC to Local Time
Appendix G
Heat Index (HI) Table
Appendix H
Standard Atmosphere
Appendix I
Hurricane Tracking Chart
Appendix J
Adiabatic Chart
Appendix K
Köppen Climatic Classification System
Appendix L
Annual Global Pattern of Precipitation
Appendix M
Climatic Data for Cities Throughout the World

RENT TEXTBOOKS

Meteorology Today With Infotrac: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment

Why Rent from Knetbooks?

Top 5 reasons to order all your textbooks from Knetbooks:

Related Products