Physics of the Atmosphere

Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-0-443-36356-6
Verlag: Elsevier - Health Sciences Division

Buch, Englisch, 620 Seiten, Format (B × H): 191 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 450 g

"Physics of the Atmosphere offers a rigorous, first-principles treatment of the Earth–atmosphere system, spanning the full spectrum from fundamental physical laws to weather systems, climate dynamics, and practical applications. Designed both as an intermediate-to-advanced undergraduate textbook and as a reference for graduate students and researchers, the book systematically builds from mathematical tools, Newtonian mechanics, electromagnetism, and quantum physics to the core processes of atmospheric structure, thermodynamics, dynamics, chemistry, radiation, boundary-layer physics, clouds, and the physics of climate. Then the book turns to weather systems and phenomena, which the book explains with physics in mind from the first page to the last. Fronts, cyclones, convection, and storms do not appear as objects to be catalogued, for the text derives their structure and behavior from the conservation laws, thermodynamics, and radiative principles introduced in the earlier parts. Each system emerges as a consequence of those principles, so readers learn why a phenomenon forms, how it evolves, and which physical balance controls it.

Complex concepts are explained with exceptional clarity through a concise narrative that prioritizes physical insight over pure formalism. Key equations are motivated and interpreted qualitatively, making the material accessible to readers entering the field from geography, computing, data science, or the natural sciences, while remaining sufficiently rigorous for physicists seeking a coherent consolidation of notation and principles specific to atmospheric science.

Diagrams and figures in full color, with extensive captions, illustrate every major idea. The text incorporates recent advances across meteorology and climatology and concludes with chapters on atmospheric measurement, numerical weather prediction, and climate modeling, together with appendices collecting advanced mathematics and the principal governing equations.

To support instructors, the author provides a complete set of lecture slides for every chapter, covering the entire book. Students and professionals at both advanced undergraduate and graduate levels will find this an invaluable resource for mastering the physical foundations of meteorology and climatology.”

Autoren/Hrsg.

Tapiador, Francisco J.

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Physik Physik Allgemein
• Geowissenschaften Geologie Meteorologie, Klimatologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

PART I: A PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS BUNDLE
1. MATHEMATICS: THE LANGUAGE OF ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICS
2. MASS: NEWTON’S LAWS
3. ELECTRIC CHARGE: ELECTROMAGNETISM
4. COLOR CHARGE: QUANTUM PHYSICS

PART II: ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICS
5. THE EARTH SYSTEM
6. THE ATMOSPHERE
7. SOLAR AND TERRESTRIAL RADIATION
8. ELECTROMAGNETISM IN THE ATMOSPHERE
9. THERMODINAMICS OF GASES
10. GLOBAL DYNAMICS

PART III: WATER VAPOR, CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION
11. THE ATMOSPHERIC BOUNDARY LAYER
12. WATER VAPOR
13. CLOUD PHYSICS

PART IV: THE PHYSICS OF THE ATMOSPHERIC SYSTEMS
14. TROPICAL WEATHER SYSTEMS
15. EXTRATROPICAL CYCLONES
16. POLAR WEATHER SYSTEMS
17. MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE SYSTEMS
18. MICROSCALE PHENOMENA

PART V: MEASUREMENTS AND MODELLING
19. MEASURING THE ATMOSPHERE
20. WEATHER FORECASTING

Über Autor(innen)

Tapiador, Francisco J.
Francisco J. Tapiador is Full Professor of Physics. PhD in Atmospheric Physics, he has been a visiting scholar at the universities of Cambridge, Mannheim, Paris, Oklahoma, Colorado and at JPL (NASA/Caltech). He was a research fellow at the University of Birmingham. He has been a member of the international science team of the NASA GPM mission since 2009 and of the Pieonchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games science team. Vice-President of the Specialized Group of Physics of the Atmosphere and Ocean of the Royal Spanish Society of Physics (RSEF), he has been dean for nine years of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Biochemistry of the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), where he teaches Physics, Atmospheric Physics and Climate Change. He has also been a member of the commission that designed the Physics Degree of the UCLM. His research focuses on precipitation and clouds using observations, satellites and models.