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Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics > Applied physics & special topics > Atmospheric physics
This book explains the chemistry that occurs in the atmospheres of Earth, the planets, and some satellites. Although written from the perspective of physical chemistry, it makes unusually strong links to the underlying physics, geology, and, on Earth, biology that determine the chemical composition of an atmosphere and its behaviour. Chemistry in the Earth's troposphere and stratosphere are explored, as are the phenomenon of airglow in the mesosphere and the properties of the ionosphere. The impacts of man's activities on, for example, the depletion of stratospheric ozone or the pollution of the urban environment are given due weight.
Over the last two decades the complex network paradigm has proven to be a fruitful tool for the investigation of complex systems in many areas of science; for example, the Internet, neural networks and social networks. This book provides an overview of applications of network theory to climate variability, such as the El Nino/Southern Oscillation and the Indian Monsoon, presenting recent important results obtained with these techniques and showing their potential for further development and research. The book is aimed at researchers and graduate students in climate science. A basic background in physics and mathematics is required. Several of the methodologies presented here will also be valuable to a broader audience of those interested in network science, for example, from biomedicine, ecology and economics.
A fascinating journey through the atmosphere that will leave you breathless. With seven million early deaths a year linked to air pollution, air quality is headline news around the world. But how do we measure air pollution and what on earth is an odour panel? Why are property prices higher upwind of cities? Should we buy, hold on to, or avoid a diesel car? And will our grandchildren inherit an atmosphere worth breathing? From the atmosphere on distant planets to the stuff that gets into your lungs, from holes in the ozone layer to lazy and disappearing gases, air quality specialist and full-time breather Dr Mark Broomfield combines scientific evidence with personal stories and advice on what you can do to improve air quality, giving you the low-down on what's up high. ***PRAISE FOR EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE*** A NewBooks Book of the Month The Revelator, 13 Best Environmental Books of July 2019 'Written in an easily accessible style yet get across important facts about the world and what we are doing to it.' Peter Wadhams, author of A Farewell to Ice 'Not without raising a wry smile, the author takes us from the atmospheres of the planets to the air outside our front door... a fascinating read.' Professor Duncan Laxen, Associate of Air Quality Consultants 'Mark Broomfield s writing is just the breath of fresh air needed to lift the fog on atmospheric sciences.' Piers Forster, Professor of Physical Climate Change, University of Leeds
Environmental Micropollutants, the latest volume in the Advances in Environmental Pollution Research series, presents the latest research on various environmental micropollutants, as well as their impacts on health and the economy, also addressing the best possible solutions to address the risks presented by these pollutants. The book covers solutions for dusts, infectious particles, heavy metals, organophosphates, atmospheric toxic organic micropollutants, fungal spores, pollutants from E-waste, and antibiotics threats, providing researchers working in environmental science and management with key knowledge to address this increasingly important concern. These types of micropollutants can be present in water, air and soil and can harm health even in low quantities, hence this book covers the challenges these pollutants pose to the environment and human health, presenting practical solutions.
The chemical composition of any planetary atmosphere is of fundamental importance in determining its photochemistry and dynamics in addition to its thermal balance, climate, origin and evolution. Divided into two parts, this book begins with a set of introductory chapters, starting with a concise review of the Solar System and fundamental atmospheric physics. Chapters then describe the basic principles and methods of spectroscopy, the main tool for studying the chemical composition of planetary atmospheres, and of photochemical modeling and its use in the theoretical interpretation of observational data on chemical composition. The second part of the book provides a detailed review of the carbon dioxide atmospheres and ionospheres of Mars and Venus, and the nitrogen-methane atmospheres of Titan, Triton and Pluto. Written by an expert author, this comprehensive text will make a valuable reference for graduate students, researchers and professional scientists specializing in planetary atmospheres.
The Sun is our nearest star; it is a dynamic star, which changes with time. Solar variations have significant influence on Earth's space environment and climate through the Sun's magnetic field, irradiation and energetic particles. Long-term and reliable historical datasets of solar and stellar activity indices are crucial for understanding the variations and predicting the future solar cycle. IAU Symposium 340 brings together scientists from diverse, interdisciplinary areas to address the latest discoveries from these long-term datasets for the understanding of solar and stellar magnetic cycles. They make comparisons between different datasets and discuss how to make uniform databases. The proceedings of IAU S340 contain a selection of presentations and reviews from internationally renowned experts. They provide an up-to-date account of this field of importance to researchers and advanced students in solar, stellar, space and heliospheric physics.
"The Atmosphere and Ocean" is a fully revised and updated student friendly physical introduction to the atmosphere and ocean. Now in its Third Edition, the book continues to provide students with an accessible description of the atmosphere and ocean with emphasis on their physical properties and inter-dependence. Clearly structured throughout, the book demonstrates that the atmosphere and ocean are both subject to the influence of the earth's rotation and therefore they have a common dynamical basis. The author clearly demonstrates the fundamental differences between the two environments and provides the reader with a much better understanding of the atmosphere and the ocean and an appreciation of their closest interactive relationship. There have been many developments in the field over the past ten years and this latest edition of a highly successful textbook brings together new material on the ocean-atmosphere system and climate, the observed circulation of the atmosphere and ocean and radiation in the atmosphere and ocean.Fully revised and updated 3rd Edition of student friendly physical introduction to the atmosphere and ocean. Now includes new chapters on observed circulation of the atmosphere and ocean, energy flows in the ocean atmosphere system, modeling the ocean and atmosphere, the ocean atmosphere system and climate. Well structured and written in an authoritative yet accessible style suitable for 2nd and 3rd year students taking courses in meteorology, oceanography and related Earth Sciences or as an introduction for graduate students. Emphasis placed on physical properties and inter-dependence of the ocean and climate. Part of the RMetS (Royal Meteorological Society) book series, "Advancing Weather and Climate Science"
The first serious study of the likely road to independence, and the consequences, "Scottish Independence" starts with a detailed guide to the stages along the route to independence and goes on to analyze the legal, political and economic effects.
On the centenary of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, this book reviews the state-of-the-art research in geomagnetism, aeronomy and space weather. Written by eminent researchers from these fields, it summarises the advances in research over the past 100 years, and looks ahead to current and emerging studies on Earth's magnetic field. It provides a comprehensive overview of the generation of Earth's magnetic field, its history and its response to external forces. Starting at the centre of the Earth, the reader is taken on a journey from the interior core and mantle, through the upper atmosphere and magnetosphere, before reaching the Sun's atmosphere and corona. The applications of this research are also discussed, particularly the societal impact of solar activity on critical infrastructures in our increasingly technologically dependant society. This book provides a valuable resource and reference to academic researchers and students in geomagnetism and aeronomy.
The Earth that sustains us today was born out of a few remarkable, near-catastrophic revolutions, started by biological innovations and marked by global environmental consequences. The revolutions have certain features in common, such as an increase in the complexity, energy utilization, and information processing capabilities of life. This book describes these revolutions, showing the fundamental interdependence of the evolution of life and its non-living environment. We would not exist unless these upheavals had led eventually to 'successful' outcomes - meaning that after each one, at length, a new stable world emerged. The current planet-reshaping activities of our species may be the start of another great Earth system revolution, but there is no guarantee that this one will be successful. This book explains what a successful transition through it might look like, if we are wise enough to steer such a course. This book places humanity in context as part of the Earth system, using a new scientific synthesis to illustrate our debt to the deep past and our potential for the future.
The emphasis of Planetary Atmospheres is on comparative aspects of
planetary atmospheres, generally meaning comparison with the Earth,
including atmospheric composition, thermal structure, cloud
properties, dynamics, weather and climate, and aeronomy. The goal
is to look for common processes at work under different boundary
conditions in order to reach a fundamental understanding of the
physics of atmospheres. As part of a general Physics course, the
material is chosen to emphasise certain aspects that will be of
broad topical interest:
This classic monograph provided the first comprehensive account of the physics and chemistry of ice, and remains authoritative and relevant today. Informed by research from physicists, chemists, glaciologists, meteorologists, geophysicists, and molecular biologists, the book places emphasis on the basic physical properties of ice (electrical, optical, mechanical, and thermal), the modes of nucleation and growth of ice, and the interpretation of these phenomena in terms of molecular structure. Applied aspects of ice physics are also discussed. The book should serve both as a reference on ice physics for research workers and as a unified survey of the subject for those new to the field.
Atmospheric Thermodynamics is a comprehensive text based on the authors' course notes, refined and updated over 15 years of teaching the subject. The contents includes chapters on; conservation of energy, the ideal gas law, specific heats and enthalpy, entropy, water and its transformations, moist air and clouds, and energy, momentum, and mass transfer. The book contains over 200 exercises, most of them applications of basic principles to concrete problems. No previous knowledge of thermodynamics or kinetic theory is assumed, although readers are expected to be well-grounded in calculus, differential equations, vector analysis, and classical mechanics.
This text is an introduction to the basic principles of atmospheric physics and chemistry. All aspects of the lower and middle atmospheres, except for large-scale dynamics, are treated in a connected account as ultimate consequences of the solar radiation falling on the planet. Several appendices deal with climate data, and background material, such as the Navier-Stokes equations. Problem sets accompany each chapter.
This unique text provides a thorough, yet accessible, grounding in the mathematics, statistics, and programming that students need to master for coursework and research in climate science, meteorology, and oceanography. Assuming only high school mathematics, it presents carefully selected concepts and techniques in linear algebra, statistics, computing, calculus and differential equations within the context of real climate science examples. Computational techniques are integrated to demonstrate how to visualize, analyze, and apply climate data, with R code featured in the book and both R and Python code available online. Exercises are provided at the end of each chapter with selected solutions available to students to aid self-study and further solutions provided online for instructors only. Additional online supplements to aid classroom teaching include datasets, images, and animations. Guidance is provided on how the book can support a variety of courses at different levels, making it a highly flexible text for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as researchers and professional climate scientists who need to refresh or modernize their quantitative skills.
In Atmospheric Things Derek P. McCormack explores how atmospheres are imagined, understood, and experienced through experiments with a deceptively simple object: the balloon. Since the invention of balloon flight in the late eighteenth century, balloons have drawn crowds at fairs and expositions, inspired the visions of artists and writers, and driven technological development from meteorology to military surveillance. By foregrounding the distinctive properties of the balloon, McCormack reveals its remarkable capacity to disclose the affective and meteorological dimensions of atmospheres. Drawing together different senses of the object, the elements, and experience, McCormack uses the balloon to show how practices and technologies of envelopment allow atmospheres to be generated, made meaningful, and modified. He traces the alluring entanglement of envelopment in artistic, political, and technological projects, from the 2009 Pixar movie Up and Andy Warhol's 1966 installation Silver Clouds to the use of propaganda balloons during the Cold War and Google's experiments with delivering internet access with stratospheric balloons. In so doing, McCormack offers new ways to conceive of, sense, and value the atmospheres in which life is immersed.
In Atmospheric Things Derek P. McCormack explores how atmospheres are imagined, understood, and experienced through experiments with a deceptively simple object: the balloon. Since the invention of balloon flight in the late eighteenth century, balloons have drawn crowds at fairs and expositions, inspired the visions of artists and writers, and driven technological development from meteorology to military surveillance. By foregrounding the distinctive properties of the balloon, McCormack reveals its remarkable capacity to disclose the affective and meteorological dimensions of atmospheres. Drawing together different senses of the object, the elements, and experience, McCormack uses the balloon to show how practices and technologies of envelopment allow atmospheres to be generated, made meaningful, and modified. He traces the alluring entanglement of envelopment in artistic, political, and technological projects, from the 2009 Pixar movie Up and Andy Warhol's 1966 installation Silver Clouds to the use of propaganda balloons during the Cold War and Google's experiments with delivering internet access with stratospheric balloons. In so doing, McCormack offers new ways to conceive of, sense, and value the atmospheres in which life is immersed.
By the late nineteenth century, engineers and experimental scientists generally knew how radio waves behaved, and by 1901 scientists were able to manipulate them to transmit messages across long distances. What no one could understand, however, was why radio waves followed the curvature of the Earth. Theorists puzzled over this for nearly twenty years before physicists confirmed the zig-zag theory, a solution that led to the discovery of a layer in the Earth's upper atmosphere that bounces radio waves earthward-the ionosphere. In Probing the Sky with Radio Waves, Chen-Pang Yeang documents this monumental discovery and the advances in radio ionospheric propagation research that occurred in its aftermath. Yeang illustrates how the discovery of the ionosphere transformed atmospheric science from what had been primarily an observational endeavor into an experimental science. It also gave researchers a host of new theories, experiments, and instruments with which to better understand the atmosphere's constitution, the origin of atmospheric electricity, and how the sun and geomagnetism shape the Earth's atmosphere.
Global Change and Future Earth is derived from the work of several programs of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG). It demonstrates how multi- and inter-disciplinary research outputs from the geoscience community can be applied to tackle the physical and societal impacts of climate change and contribute to the Future Earth programme of the International Council for Science. The volume brings together an international team of eminent researchers to provide authoritative reviews on the wide-ranging ramifications of climate change spanning eight key themes: planetary issues; geodetic issues; the Earth's fluid environment; regions of the Earth; urban environments; food security; and risk, safety and security; and climate change and global change. Covering the challenges faced by urban and rural areas, and in both developed and developing counties, this volume provides an important resource for a global audience of graduate students and researchers from a broad range of disciplines, as well as policy advisors and practitioners.
Climate models have evolved into Earth system models with representation of the physics, chemistry, and biology of terrestrial ecosystems. This companion book to Gordon Bonan's Ecological Climatology: Concepts and Applications, Third Edition, builds on the concepts introduced there, and provides the mathematical foundation upon which to develop and understand ecosystem models and their relevance for these Earth system models. The book bridges the disciplinary gap among land surface models developed by atmospheric scientists; biogeochemical models, dynamic global vegetation models, and ecosystem demography models developed by ecologists; and ecohydrology models developed by hydrologists. Review questions, supplemental code, and modeling projects are provided, to aid with understanding how the equations are used. The book is an invaluable guide to climate change and terrestrial ecosystem modeling for graduate students and researchers in climate change, climatology, ecology, hydrology, biogeochemistry, meteorology, environmental science, mathematical modeling, and environmental biophysics.
A number of extreme weather events have struck the Northern Hemisphere in recent years, from scorching heatwaves to desperately cold winters, and from floods and storms to droughts and wildfires. These events have fuelled intense discussions in scientific conferences, government agencies, cafes, and on street corners around the world. Why are these events happening? Is this the emerging signal of climate change, and should we expect more of this? Media reports vary widely, but one mysterious agent has risen to prominence in many cases: the jet stream. The story begins on a windswept beach in Barbados, from where we follow the ascent of a weather balloon that will travel along the jet stream all around the world. From this viewpoint we observe the effect of the jet in influencing human life around the hemisphere, and witness startling changes emerging. What is the jet stream and how well do we understand it? How does it affect our weather and is it changing? These are the main questions tackled in this book. We learn about how our view of the wind has developed from Aristotle's early theories up to today's understanding. We see that the jet is intimately connected with dramatic contrasts between climate zones and has played a key historical role in determining patterns of trade. We learn about the basic physics underlying the jet and how this knowledge is incorporated into computer models which predict both tomorrow's weather and the climate of future decades. And finally, we discuss how climate change is expected to affect the jet, and introduce the vital scientific debate over whether these changes have contributed to recent extreme weather events.
Kevin E. Trenberth emphasizes the fundamental role of energy flows in the climate system and anthropogenic climate change. The distribution of heat, or more generally, energy, is the main determinant of weather patterns in the atmosphere and their impacts. The topics addressed cover many facets of climate and the climate crisis. These include the diurnal cycle; the seasons; energy differences between the continents and the oceans, the poles and the tropics; interannual variability such as Nino; natural decadal variability; and ice ages. Human-induced climate change rides on and interacts with all of these natural phenomena, and the result is an unevenly warming planet and changing weather extremes. The book emphasizes the need to not only slow or stop climate change, but also to better prepare for it and build resilience. Students, researchers, and professionals from a wide range of backgrounds will benefit from this deeper understanding of climate change.
The stratified ocean mixes episodically in small patches where energy is dissipated and density smoothed over scales of centimeters. The net effect of these countless events effects the shape of the ocean's thermocline, how heat is transported from the sea surface to the interior, and how dense bottom water is lifted into the global overturning circulation. This book explores the primary factors affecting mixing, beginning with the thermodynamics of seawater, how they vary in the ocean and how they depend on the physical properties of seawater. Turbulence and double diffusion are then discussed, which determines how mixing evolves and the different impacts it has on velocity, temperature, and salinity. It reviews insights from both laboratory studies and numerical modelling, emphasising the assumptions and limitations of these methods. This is an excellent reference for researchers and graduate students working to advance our understanding of mixing, including oceanographers, atmospheric scientists and limnologists.
Through a comprehensive collection of articles, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication explores the origin and evolution of our understanding of climate change as it is presented in communication and media. Taking a multifaceted approach, the encyclopedia offers a scholarly examination of the effects of climate change communication on public opinion and policy decisions; journalistic coverage and media portrayals of climate change; communication strategies and campaigns; and the implications for effective communication, including those of outreach and advocacy efforts. Additionally, the encyclopedia reviews climate change communication research methods and approaches. Global in breadth and deeply resourced, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication serves as an essential source of perspective on all aspects of this important area of scholarship. It is led by Editor in Chief Dr. Matthew C. Nisbet, along with Associate Editors Dr. Shirley S. Ho, Dr. Ezra Markowitz, Dr. Saffron O'Neill, Dr. Mike S. SchAfer, and Dr. Jagadish Thaker. |
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