Atmospheric Physics

The extraordinary growth and development of atmospheric sciences during the last dec­ ades, and the concern for certain applied problems, such as those related to the environ­ ment, have prompted the introduction of college and university courses in this field. There is consequently a need for good textbooks. A few appropriate books have appeared in the last few years, aimed at a variety of levels and having different orientations. Most of them are of rather limited scope; in par­ ticular, a number of them are restricted to the field of dynamics and its meteorological applications. There is still a need for an elementary, yet comprehensive, survey of the terrestrial atmosphere. This short volume attempts to fill that need. This book is intended as a textbook that can be used for a university course at a second or third year level. It requires only elementary mathematics and such knowledge of physics as should be acquired in most first-year general physicS courses. It may serve in two ways. A general review of the field is provided for students who work or plan to work in other fields (such as geophysics, geography, environmental sciences, space research), but are interested in acquiring general information; at the same time, it may serve as a general and elementary introduction for students who will later specialize in some area of atmospheric science.

I: General Description of the Atmosphere.- 1. Regions and extensions.- 2. Homosphere and heterosphere. Scale height.- 3. Temperature distribution: troposhere, stratosphere, mesophere, thermosphere.- 4. Ionosphere.- 5. Exosphere.- 6. Aurora.- 7. Magnetosphere.- Questions and problems.- II. Atmospheric Chemistry.- 1. Compositions of the air.- 2. minor contituents.- 3. summary of important compounds in atmospheric chemistry.- 4. Water substance.- 5. Cycles of the maih elements.- 6. The sulfur compounds.- 7. The nitrogen compounds.- 8. The carbon compounds.- 9. Photochemical pollution.- 10. The atmospheric aerosol.- 11. Atmospheric of other planets.- Questions and problems.- Chpter III: Radiation.- A. Laws.- 1. Regions of electromagnetic spectrum. Absorption of radiant energy.- 2. Block body radiation. Short wave and long wave#x2019D; radiation in the atmosphere.- B. Solar Radiation.- 3. Absorption of solar radiation in the atmosphere.- 4. The Chapman profile.- 5. Photochemistry of the ionosphere.- 6. Ozone in the stratosphere(ozonosphere).- C. Terrestial Radiation.- 7. The greenhouse effect.- 8.Emission and absorption of long wave (terrestial) radiation.- 9. Other consequences of the greenhouse effect.- 10. Energy budget.- 11. Effective temperature of the earth and other planets.- Questions and problems.- IV: Atmosphere Thermodynamics and Vertical Stability.- 1. Atmospheric systems.- 2. First principle of thermodynamics, as applied to air and clouds.- 3. Main process in the atmosphere.- 4. Cooling.- 5. Adiabatic expansion without condensation. Potential temperature.- 6. Adiabatic expansion with condensation.- 7. Horizontal mixing.- 8. Vertical mixing.- 9. Vertical stability.- 10. Potential or convective instability.- Questions and problems.- V: CloudPhysics.- 1. Introduction. Classification of clouds.- 2. Condensation of water vapour in the atmosphere. Cloud condensation nuclei(CCN).- 3. Growth of a drop by condensation.- 4. Cloud droplets.- 5. Growth by collision and coalescence.- 6. Warm rain.- 7. Ice formation.- 8. Snow, hail and rain by the ice process.- 9. Ice precipitation.- 10.Artificial modification of precipitation.- Questions and problems.- VI: Atmospheric Electricity.- 1. Electric properties of the atmosphere.- 2. Fair weather electric field and space charge.- 3. Atmospheric ions.- 4. Conducticity.- 5. The fundamental problem of atmospheric electricity.- 6. Thunderstorm electricity.- 7. Lightning.- Questions and problems.- VII: Atmospheric Dynamics.- 1. The description of air motions.- 2. The principal forces acting on a parcel of air in the atmosphere.- 3. The acceleration of an air parcel.- 4. The continuity equation.- 5. Scale of motion.- 6. Some important features of large-scale atmospheric motions.- 7. The relationship between pressure gradient and wind in large-scale middle latitude circulation systems.- 8. The thermal circulation.- 9. The general circulation of the atmosphere.- 10. Air masses and fronts.- 11. The mid-latitude cyclones.- Questions and problems.- Answers to selected questions and to the problems, and indications or their resolution.