Third edition of John Houghton??'s acclaimed textbook for advanced undergraduate/graduate courses in atmospheric science. This third edition of John Houghton's acclaimed textbook has been brought completely up-to-date, with several new chapters. Like the previous editions, this is an essential textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in atmospheric science. Specialists in atmospheric physics and meteorology will also find it an excellent state-of-the-art review. Preface to the first edition x Preface to the second edition xii Preface to the third edition xiii Acknowledgements xv Some basic ideas 1(8) Planetary atmospheres 1(1) Equilibrium temperatures 1(2) Hydrostatic equation 3(1) Adiabatic lapse rate 4(1) Sandstrom's theorem 5(4) Problems 7(2) A radiative equilibrium model 9(10) Black-body radiation 9(1) Absorption and emission 10(2) Radiative equilibrium in a grey atmosphere 12(3) Radiative time constants 15(1) The greenhouse effect 15(4) Problems 17(2) Thermodynamics 19(20) Entropy of dry air 19(1) Vertical motion of saturated air 20(2) The tephigram 22(2) Total potential energy of an air column 24(1) Available potential energy 24(5) Zonal and eddy energy 29(10) Problems 30(9) More complex radiation transfer 39(19) Solar radiation: its modification by scattering 39(1) Absorption of solar radiation by ozone 40(1) Absorption by single lines 41(3) Transmission of an atmospheric path 44(1) The integral equation of transfer 45(2) Integration over frequency 47(1) Heating rate due to radiative processes 48(1) Cooling by carbon dioxide emission from upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere 48(1) Band models 49(1) Continum absorption 50(1) Global radiation budget 50(8) Problems 52(6) The middle and upper atmospheres 58(24) Temperature structure 58(2) Diffusive separation 60(1) The escape of hydrogen 61(4) The energy balance of the thermosphere 65(1) The photodissociation of oxygen 66(1) Photochemical processes 67(5) Breakdown of thermodynamic equilibrium 72(10) Problems 78(4) Clouds 82(11) Cloud formation 82(1) The growth of cloud particles 83(1) The radiative properties of clouds 84(2) Radiative transfer in clouds 86(2) Cloud radiation feedback 88(5) Problems 89(4) Dynamics 93(17) The material derivative 93(1) Equations of motion 94(3) The geostrophic approximation 97(1) Cyclostrophic motion 98(1) Surfaces of constant pressure 99(1) The thermal wind equation 100(1) The equation of continuity 101(9) Problems 102(8) Atmospheric waves 110(21) Introduction 110(1) Sound waves 110(1) Gravity waves 111(5) Rossby waves 116(2) The vorticity equation 118(2) Three-dimensional Rossby-type waves 120(11) Problems 122(9) Turbulence 131(14) The Reynolds number 131(1) Reynolds stresses 132(2) Ekman's solution 134(2) The mixing-length hypothesis 136(1) Ekman pumping 137(1) The spectrum of atmospheric turbulence 138(7) Problems 141(4) The general circulation 145(28) Laboratory experiments 145(2) A symmetric circulation 147(5) Inertial instability 152(1) Barotropic instability 153(1) Baroclinic instability 154(4) Sloping convection 158(1) Energy transport 159(2) Transport of angular momentum 161(1) The general circulation of the middle atmosphere 162(11) Problems 168(5) Numerical modelling 173(25) A barotropic model 173(1) Baroclinic models 174(2) Primitive equation models 176(1) Parametrizations 177(1) Models for weather forecasting 177(3) Inclusion of orography 180(1) Radiation transfer 180(5) Sub grid scale processes 185(1) Moist processes and clouds 186(1) Convection 187(2) Transfer across the surface 189(1) Forecast model skill 190(1) Other models 190(8) Problems 192(6) Global observation 198(31) What observations are required? 198(1) In situ observations 199(1) Remote sensing 199(1) Radar and lidar observations from the surface 200(1) Remote sounding from satellites 201(3) Remote sounding of atmospheric temperature: theory 204(6) Instruments for remote temperature sounding 210(5) Remote measurements of composition 215(5) Other remote sounding observations from space 220(1) Observations from remote platforms 221(1) Achieving global coverage 221(8) Problems 224(5) Chaos and atmospheric predictability 229(13) Chaotic behaviour 229(1) The Lorenz attractor 230(1) Model predictability 231(3) Variations in forecast skill 234(1) Ensemble forecasting 234(2) Model improvements 236(2) Jupiter's Great Red Spot 238(1) Different kinds of predictability 238(4) Problems 240(2) Climate and climate change 242(33) The climate system 242(1) Variations of climate over the past millennium 243(3) The ice ages 246(2) Influence of the ocean boundary 248(2) Human influences on climate 250(5) The enhanced greenhouse effect 255(5) Feedback processes 260(2) Modelling climate change 262(3) Observations of climate 265(1) Dynamical response to external forcing 266(3) The impacts of climate change 269(6) Problems 270(5) Appendices 275(24) 1 Some useful physical constants and data on dry air 275(1) 2 Properties of water vapour 276(1) 3 Atmospheric composition 277(1) 4 Relation of geopotential to geometric height 278(1) 5 Model atmospheres (0--105 km) 278(9) 6 Mean reference atmosphere (110--500 km) 287(1) 7 The Planck function 287(2) 8 Solar radiation 289(1) 9 Absorption by ozone in the ultraviolet 290(1) 10 Spectral band information 290(9) Further reading 299(2) References to works cited in the text 301(6) Answers to problems and hints to their solution 307(6) Index 313