A complete revision of Goody's classic 1964 work, this volume offers a systematic discussion of atmospheric radiation processes that today are at the center of worldwide study and concern. It deals with the ways in which incident solar radiation is transformed into scattered and thermal radiation, and the thermodynamic consequences for the Earth's gaseous envelope, identifying aspects of the interaction between radiation and atmospheric motions as the central theme for atmospheric radiation studies. As a complete treatment of physical and mathematical foundations, the text assumes no prior knowledge of atmospheric physics. The theoretical discussion is systematic, and can therefore be applied with minor extension to any planetary atmosphere.

Originally published in 1958 as part of the Cambridge Monographs on Physics series, this book was intended to give physicists an introduction to an aspect of atmospheric physics. Goody gives an overview of the history of the study of the stratosphere, and outlines its chemical composition and its role in Earth's weather. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the history of the study of the atmosphere or in geophysics more generally.