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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.

This book, authored by a well-known researcher and expositor in meteorology, focuses on the direct link between molecular dynamics, turbulence theory, fluid mechanics and non equilibrium statistical mechanics, it is relevant to the fields of applied mathematics, physics and atmospheric sciences, and focuses on fluid flow and turbulence, as well as on temperature, radiative transfer and chemistry. With extensive references and glossary, this is an ideal text for graduates and researchers in meteorology, applied mathematics and physical chemistry.

The magnetosphere is the region where cosmic rays and the solar wind interact with the Earth's magnetic field, creating such phenomena as the northern lights and other aurorae. The configuration and dynamics of the magnetosphere are of interest to planetary physicists, geophysicists, plasma astrophysicists, and to scientists planning space missions. The circulation of solar wind plasma in the magnetosphere and substorms have long been used as the principle paradigms for studying this vital region. Charles F. Kennel, a leading scientist in the field, here presents a synthesis of the convection and substorm literatures, and an analysis of convection and substorm interactions; he also suggests that the currently accepted steady reconnection model may be advantageously replaced by a model of multiple tail reconnection events, in which many mutually interdependent reconnections occur. Written in an accessible, non-mathematical style, this book introduces the reader to the exciting discoveries in this fast-growing field.

Prepared by an international team of eminent atmospheric scientists, Mechanisms of Atmospheric Oxidation of the Oxygenates is an authoritative source of information on the role of oxygenates in the chemistry of the atmosphere. The oxygenates, including the many different alcohols, ethers, aldehydes, ketones, acids, esters, and nitrogen-atom containing oxygenates, are of special interest today due to their increased use as alternative fuels and fuel additives. This book describes the physical properties of oxygenates, as well as the chemical and photochemical parameters that determine their reaction pathways in the atmosphere. Quantitative descriptions of the pathways of the oxygenates from release or formation in the atmosphere to final products are provided, as is a comprehensive review and evaluation of the extensive kinetic literature on the atmospheric chemistry of the different oxygenates and their many halogen-atom substituted analogues. This book will be of interest to modelers of atmospheric chemistry, environmental scientists and engineers, and air quality planning agencies as a useful input for development of realistic modules designed to simulate the atmospheric chemistry of the oxygenates, their major oxidation products, and their influence on ozone and other trace gases within the troposhere.

A great variety of complex phenomena in many scientific fields exhibit power-law behavior, reflecting a hierarchical or fractal structure. Many of these phenomena seem to be susceptible to description using approaches drawn from thermodynamics or statistical mechanics, particularly approaches involving the maximization of entropy and of Boltzmann-Gibbs statistical mechanics and standard laws in a natural way. The book addresses the interdisciplinary applications of these ideas, and also on various phenomena that could possibly be quantitatively describable in terms of these ideas.

A typical optical system is composed of three basic components: a source, a detector, and a medium in which the optical energy propagates. Many textbooks cover sources and detectors, but very few cover propagation in a comprehensive way, incorporating the latest progress in theory and experiment concerning the propagating medium. This book fulfills that need. It is the first comprehensive and self-contained book on this topic. It is useful reference book for researchers, and a textbook for courses like Laser Light Propagation, Solid State Optics, and Optical Propagation in the Atmosphere.

Eleven planetary atmospheres are included for detailed study in this reference/text, four for the giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune), four for the small bodies (Io, Titan, Triton, and Pluto), and three for the terrestrial planets (Mars, Venus, and Earth). The authors have carried out a comprehensive survey of the principal chemical cycles that control the present composition and past history of planetary atmospheres, using the database provided by recent spacecraft missions supplemented by Earth-based observations.