Encyclopedia of Atmospheric Sciences

The atmosphere conveys routine and severe weather, is central to Earth's climate system, and provides the gaseous environment for life. This encyclopedia conveys essential information about all three aspects of the atmosphere - its roles in weather, climate, and life. Its articles describe and explain all the principal processes and phenomena. Moreover, because of the need to predict the weather, project climate change, and characterize human impacts on the atmospheric environment,...
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The atmosphere conveys routine and severe weather, is central to Earth's climate system, and provides the gaseous environment for life. This encyclopedia conveys essential information about all three aspects of the atmosphere - its roles in weather, climate, and life. Its articles describe and explain all the principal processes and phenomena. Moreover, because of the need to predict the weather, project climate change, and characterize human impacts on the atmospheric environment, the atmosphere is measured and simulated more intensively than any other natural system. Chapters in this Encyclopedia describe how these measurements and modeling are carried out.

Beyond the advances that take place in any thriving scientific discipline, the past decade has seen particularly rapid change and progress within the atmospheric sciences in the following areas, for which new material is included:

1. Anthropogenic climate change has become central to all aspects of the atmospheric sciences. New material addresses topics such as how air quality, extreme weather, climate extremes (droughts and floods) will change on a warmer Earth and why. Among the climate-change topics, geoengineering is emerging as an important, if controversial subject.

2. High resolution numerical (computer) modeling of weather systems, for the purposes of achieving greater dynamical understanding and for short-range forecasting and storm warnings. The verisimilitude of such models has improved remarkably over the past decade.

3. Observational technologies: automated sensors, new radar technologies (e.g. dual polarization), sensors (ground and space based) that use GPS signals, lidars, and small satellites, among others.

4. In the area of planetary atmospheres, there is rapid growth in evidence regarding the composition of exoplanetary atmospheres, as well as new information obtained by recent missions to planets and moons within our solar system.

5. The use of machine learning and artificial intelligence in the atmospheric sciences is growing rapidly - this is addressed in the contexts of both forecasting and climate simulation.

6. Increased recognition and understanding of several important weather phenomena that were not included in the 2nd edition.

Because atmospheric phenomena are dynamic, we anticipate including multimedia animations of both observations (e.g. radar or satellite loops) and model simulations.

Revised and expanded, this new edition provides current and comprehensive treatment of all aspects of the atmospheric sciences, linking fundamental science to applications Provides in-depth coverage of topics relating to climate change, arguably the most important environmental issue confronting humanity Structured chapters, with extensive cross-references, help navigate the breadth of atmospheric science, ranging from physics and fluid dynamics to chemistry, and interactions with biological and human systems New topics range from anthropogenic climate change to high resolution numerical modelling, new observational technologies and planetary atmospheres