Meteorology today : an introduction to weather, climate, and the environment

Cover......Page 1 Brief Contents......Page 8 Contents......Page 10 Preface......Page 19 VISUAL WALKTHROUGH......Page 21 ANCILLARIES......Page 23 Chapter 0: Introduction......Page 26 Chapter 1: Earth and Its Atmosphere......Page 32 Chapter 2: Energy......Page 54 Chapter 3: Temperature......Page 84 Chapter 4: Humidity......Page 118 Chapter 5: Condensation: Dew, Fog, and Clouds......Page 144 Chapter 6: Stability and Cloud Development......Page 176 Chapter 7: Precipitation......Page 202 Chapter 8: Air Pressure and Winds......Page 234 Chapter 9: Wind: Small Scale and Local......Page 266 Chapter 10: Wind: Global Systems......Page 302 Chapter 11: Air Masses and Fronts......Page 332 Chapter 12: Middle-Latitude Cyclones......Page 358 Chapter 13: Thunderstorms and Tornadoes......Page 388 Chapter 14: Hurricanes......Page 428 Chapter 15: Weather Forecasting......Page 458 Chapter 16: Global Climate......Page 494 Chapter 17: Earth’s Changing Climate......Page 528 Chapter 18: Air Pollution......Page 566 Chapter 19: Light, Colour, and Atmospheric Optics......Page 600 Appendix A: Units, Conversions, Symbols, and Equations......Page 622 Appendix B: Weather Symbols and Cloud Classification......Page 626 Appendix C: Beaufort Wind Scale......Page 630 Appendix D: Humidity and Standard Atmosphere......Page 631 Appendix E: Time Zone Conversions......Page 635 Appendix F: Global Precipitation......Page 637 Appendix G: Tephigram......Page 638 Glossary......Page 640 INDEX......Page 658 CLOUD CHART......Page 672 Physiographic Map of North America......Page 676 Our atmosphere is a delicate life-giving blanket of air that surrounds the fragile earth.