Prior to the space age, meteorologists rarely paid particular attention to the height regions above the tropopause. What was known about the upper atmosphere above about 100 km came essentially from ionospheric and geomagnetic research. The region in between, presently known as the middle atmosphere, was almost terra incognita above the height reachable by balloons. It was space research that allowed for the first time direct access to middle and upper atmospheric heights. About 40 years ago, Sidney Chapman coined a new word 'aeronomy' to describe the study of these two height regions. When asked about the difference between aeronomy and meteorology, he allegedly replied: 'it is the same as between astronomy and astrology' . This mild irony indicates the preferred prejudice of many ionospheric physicists and geomagneticians in those days toward meteorology as a descriptive rather than an exact science, in spite of the presence of such giants as Carl Rossby and Hans Ertel.

The participation of such diverse scientific and technical disciplines as meteorology, astronomy, atmospheric electricity, ionospheric and magnetospheric physics, electromagnetic wave propagation, and radio techniques in the research of atmospherics means that results are published in scientific papers widely spread throughout the literature. This Handbook collects the latest knowledge on atmospherics and presents it in two volumes. Each chapter is written by an expert in his or her field. Topics include the physics of thunderclouds, thunder, global atmospheric electric currents, biological aspects of sferics, and various space techniques for detecting lightning within our own atmosphere as well as in the atmospheres of other planets. Up-to-date applications and methodology are detailed. Volumes I and II offer a comprehensive discussion that together will serve as an important resource for practitioners, professionals, and students alike.

The participation of such diverse scientific and technical disciplines as meteorology, astronomy, atmospheric electricity, ionospheric and magnetospheric physics, electromagnetic wave propagation, and radio techniques in the research of atmospherics means that results are published in scientific papers widely spread throughout the literature. This Handbook collects the latest knowledge on atmospherics and presents it in two volumes. Each chapter is written by an expert in his or her field. Topics include the physics of thunderclouds, thunder, global atmospheric electric currents, biological aspects of sferics, and various space techniques for detecting lightning within our own atmosphere as well as in the atmospheres of other planets. Up-to-date applications and methodology are detailed. Volumes I and II offer a comprehensive discussion that together will serve as an important resource for practitioners, professionals, and students alike.

The participation of such diverse scientific and technical disciplines as meteorology, astronomy, atmospheric electricity, ionospheric and magnetospheric physics, electromagnetic wave propagation, and radio techniques in the research of atmospherics means that results are published in scientific papers widely spread throughout the literature. This Handbook collects the latest knowledge on atmospherics and presents it in two volumes. Each chapter is written by an expert in his or her field. Topics include the physics of thunderclouds, thunder, global atmospheric electric currents, biological aspects of sferics, and various space techniques for detecting lightning within our own atmosphere as well as in the atmospheres of other planets. Up-to-date applications and methodology are detailed. Volumes I and II offer a comprehensive discussion that together will serve as an important resource for practitioners, professionals, and students alike.

Prior to the space age, meteorologists rarely paid particular attention to the height regions above the tropopause. What was known about the upper atmosphere above about 100 km came essentially from ionospheric and geomagnetic research. The region in between, presently known as the middle atmosphere, was almost terra incognita above the height reachable by balloons. It was space research that allowed for the first time direct access to middle and upper atmospheric heights. About 40 years ago, Sidney Chapman coined a new word 'aeronomy' to describe the study of these two height regions. When asked about the difference between aeronomy and meteorology, he allegedly replied: 'it is the same as between astronomy and astrology' . This mild irony indicates the preferred prejudice of many ionospheric physicists and geomagneticians in those days toward meteorology as a descriptive rather than an exact science, in spite of the presence of such giants as Carl Rossby and Hans Ertel.

Dieses Buch verdankt seine Entstehung meiner mehrjahrigen Tatigkeit auf dem Gebiet der elektromagnetischen Wellenausbreitung in der Ionosphare. Seine Gestalt erhielt es durch Vorlesungen, die ich an der Technischen Universitat Berlin und an der Universitat Bonn gehalten habe. Naturgemass nehmen die Ergebnisse eigener Arbeiten einen verhaltnismassig breiten Raum ein. Jedoch habe ich mich bemuht, die Theorie der Ausbreitung langer Wellen im Rahmen des begrenzten Umfanges dieses Buches moglichst vollstandig darzustellen. Manche Dinge sind dabei gestreift oder sogar nur erwahnt worden. Das betrifft unter anderem die Ableitung der So m m e - fe I d' scken Theorie der Dipolstrahlung uber der leitenden ebenen Erde oder die va n der Pol - B rem m e r - Theorie der Wellenausbreitung uber der gekrummten Erde, deren Ergebnisse ohne Beweis als Ausgangspunkt fur weitere Entwicklungen hingeschrieben wurden. Naheres daruber findet man in den Buchern von Sommerfeld 23] und Bremmer 7]. Auf geschlos sene Losungen der Wellenausbreitung in einer durch analytische Funktionen approximierten Modellionosphare wurde ganz verzichtet. Diese sind in dem ausgezeichneten Buch von B u d den 9] in aller Vollstandigkeit enthalten. Ebenso wurde die Mode-Theorie im gekrummten Wellenleiter relativ kurz behandelt. Das inhaltsreiche Buch von W a i t 24] gibt daruper erschopfende Auskunft. Zweck dieses Buches soll es sein, eine Brucke zwischen der reinen Theorie der Wellenausbreitung und den Bedurfnissen der praktisch arbeitenden Iono spharenphysiker, Nachrichtentechniker und Meteorologen zu schlagen, die die Wellenausbreitung physikalisch verstehen wollen und gebrauchsfertige Formeln fur ihre Untersuchungen wunschen."