This is a self-contained, concise, rigorous book introducing the reader to the basics of atmospheric thermodynamics, and the author is a highly respected researcher in this field. This new edition has been brought completely up to date and reorganized to improve the quality and flow of the material. Each chapter contains worked examples and student exercises, making this an ideal text for short undergraduate courses taken as part of an atmospheric science, meteorology, physics or natural science program. Solutions available to lecturers.
Contents
Preface; 1. Basic definitions; 2. Some useful mathematical and physical topics; 3. Early experiments and laws; 4. The first law of thermodynamics; 5. The second law of thermodynamics; 6. Water and its transformations; 7. Moist air; 8. Vertical stability in the atmosphere; 9. Thermodynamic diagrams; 10. Beyond this book; References; Appendix; Index.
Reviews
"...clear and well laid out... Each of the ten chapters builds on the previous one, allowing the book to be worked through systematically. Each chapter contains useful worked examples in addition to a number of problems.... Recommended." - R.J. Barthelmie, CHOICE
"...the author talks to the sutdents without sacrificing rigor. He has included many good examples at the end of each chapter; these examples are, so to speak, application notes...problems are given too, to tease and torture the students. In general, the pace is unhurried and unforbidding...the book has a niche as a first exposure beyond basic physics to the marvelous complexities of the gaseous atmosphere." --Bulletin of American Meteorological Society
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