Table of Contents

1. Earth and Its Atmosphere.
2. Energy: Warming the Earth and the Atmosphere.
3. Seasonal and Daily Temperatures.
4. Atmospheric Humidity.
5. Condensation: Dew, Fog, and Clouds.
6. Stability and Cloud Development.
7. Precipitation.
8. Air Pressure and Winds.
9. Wind: Small-Scale and Local Systems.
10. Wind: Global Systems.
11. Air Masses and Fronts.
12. Middle-Latitude Cyclones.
13. Weather Forecasting.
14. Thunderstorms.
15. Tornadoes.
16. Hurricanes.
17. Earth's Changing Climate.
18. Global Climate.
19. Air Pollution.
20. Light, Color, and Atmospheric Optics.

About the Author

Don Ahrens is Professor Emeritus at Modesto Junior College in Modesto, California. The best-selling author of two Cengage Learning texts, Professor Ahrens received the Textbook and Academic Authors Association's McGuffey Longevity Award for the 9th Edition of his market-leading METEOROLOGY TODAY. He has influenced countless professionals in the field of atmospheric science as well as hundreds of thousands of students who use his books to better understand weather and climate. In 2007, the National Weather Association awarded Professor Ahrens a lifetime achievement award for these accomplishments. Robert Henson is a meteorologist and senior science writer at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, the organization which manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research. An expert on tornadoes, thunderstorms, and hurricanes, he has also analyzed how TV weathercasters cover major storms and report on climate change. Henson is the author of four books on meteorology, including The Thinking Person's Guide to Climate Change (previously The Rough Guide to Climate Change), which was shortlisted for the UK Royal Society Prize for Science Books.