Gregory J. Hakim - Weather: A Concise Introduction

Weather: A Concise Introduction

From a world-renowned team at the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle, Weather: A Concise Introduction is an accessible and beautifully illustrated text covering the foundations of meteorology in a concise, clear, and engaging manner. Designed to provide students with a strong foundation in the physical, dynamical, and chemical processes taking place in the atmosphere, this introductory textbook will appeal to students with a wide range of mathematical and scientific backgrounds.

This textbook provides a practical approach to the study of meteorology. It features: a single case study of a midlatitude cyclone which is referred to throughout the whole book to illustrate the basic principles driving atmospheric dynamics and phenomena; boxes on more advanced topics; appendices for additional coverage; chapter summaries listing the take-home points discussed; and color figures and charts clearly illustrating the fundamental concepts. Key terms are evident throughout, and a glossary explains the terms that students will need to understand and become familiar with.

Gregory J. Hakim has undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Atmospheric Science and a PhD in Atmospheric Science from the University at Albany, State University of New York. He joined the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington in 1999, where he served as Department Chair from 2012 to 2017 and is currently a Professor. He is also a leading scientist in the areas of weather analysis, predictability, and dynamics, and his research interests include weather and climate prediction, hurricanes, past climates, and polar circulation patterns.

He has served on the advisory panel for the Directorate of Geosciences at the National Science Foundation, as Chair of the advisory panel for the Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Laboratory at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), as a member of the NCAR Advisory Panel, as a member of the NCAR Strategic Planning Council, and as Chair of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Researchs Presidents Advisory Committee on University Relations.

Jrme Patoux earned a Master in Environmental Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a PhD in Atmospheric Science from the University of Washington. He has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He has taught undergraduate introductory meteorology for many years, and has been funded by the NSF to develop weather and climate curriculum. He is a former faculty member from the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington, and currently teaches meteorology at the University of Nantes in France.

Weather

A Concise Introduction

GREGORY HAKIM

University of Washington

JRME PATOUX

University of Washington

University Printing House, Cambridge CB2 8BS, United Kingdom

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Gregory Hakim and Jrme Patoux 2018

This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.

First published 2018

Printed in the United States of America by Sheridan Books, Inc.

A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library.

Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Having taught introductory classes on weather many times, we came to see the need for a textbook on the subject that covers the foundations of meteorology in a concise, clear, and engaging manner. We set out to create an informative, cost-effective text that meets the needs of students who may not have any background in mathematics and science. The result Weather: A Concise Introduction is an introductory meteorology textbook designed from scratch to provide students with a strong foundation in the physical, dynamical, and chemical processes taking place in the atmosphere.

This textbook is unique in that it:

provides a concise and practical approach to understanding the atmosphere;

introduces the basic physical laws early on and then ties them together with a single case study spanning the book;

presents weather analysis tools early in the book to allow instructors to engage in discussions of current weather in tandem with the basic concepts, thus attracting and retaining student interest; and

facilitates students learning and understanding of the fundamental aspects of weather analysis and forecasting, as well as practical skills, through a careful description of the forecasting process. Modern methods, such as ensemble forecasting, are central to the approach.