E-Book Overview
Clouds play a critical role in the Earth's climate, general atmospheric circulation, and global water balance. Clouds are essential elements in mesoscale meteorology, atmospheric chemistry, air pollution, atmosphericradiation, and weather forecasting, and thus must be understood by any student or researcher in the atmospheric sciences. Cloud Dynamics provides a skillful and comprehensive examination of the nature of clouds--what they look like and why, how scientists observe them, and the basic dynamics and physics that underlie them. The book describes the mechanics governing each type of cloud that occurs in Earth's atmosphere, and the organization of various types of clouds in larger weather systems such as fronts, thunderstorms, and hurricanes.This book is aimed specifically at graduate students, advanced undergraduates, practicing researchers either already in atmospheric science or moving in from a related scientific field, and operational meteorologists. Some prior knowledge of atmospheric dynamics and physics is helpful, but a thorough overview of the necessary prerequisites is supplied. Key Features* Key Highlights of This Text* Provides a complete treatment of clouds integrating the analysis of air motions with cloud structure, microphysics, and precipitation mechanics* Describes and explains the basic types of clouds and cloud systems that occur in the atmosphere-fog, stratus, stratocumulus, altocumulus, altostratus, cirrus, thunderstorms, tornadoes, waterspouts, orographically induced clouds, mesoscale convection complexes, hurricanes, fronts, and extratropical cyclones* Presents a photographic guide, presented in the first chapter, linking the examination of each type of cloud with an image to enhance visual retention and understanding* Summarizes the fundamentals, both observational and theoretical, of atmospheric dynamics, thermodynamics, cloud microphysics, and radar meteorology, allowing each type of cloud to be examined in depth* Integrates the latest field observations, numerical model simulations, and theory* Supplies a theoretical treatment suitable for the advanced undergraduate or graduate level
E-Book Content
Cloud Dynamics Photograph taken by astronauts aboard the Apollo Saturn spacecraft during April 1970. The picture is centered over the north Pacific Ocean. The Kamchatka Peninsula of Siberia can be seen just northwest ofa large oceanic extratropical cyclone. The sun's reflection off the ocean surface is seen to the south of the storm. A belt of mesoscale convective cloud systems extends east-west near the equator. This is Volume 53 in the INTERNATIONAL GEOPHYSICS SERIES A series of monographs and textbooks Edited by RENATA DMOWSKA and JAMES R. HOLTON A complete list of the books in this series appears at the end of this volume. Cloud Dynamics Robert A. Houze, Jr. DEPARTMENT OF ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SEATTLE, WASHINGTON ACADEMIC PRESS, INC. A Division of Harcourt Brace & Company San Diego New York Boston London Sydney Tokyo Toronto Front cover photograph: A cumulonimbus cloud near Waterville, Kansas, exhibits a form called mamma, which are the bulbous protuberances hanging from the lower side of the cloud. These features add texture to the surface of the cloud, and they can produce spectacular displays, especially when the sun is low in the sky. Despite their common occurrence, beauty, and a wide variety of speculations regarding their origin, mamma remain somewhat mysterious. Mamma can often be seen on the lower sides of cirrus, altocumulus, altostratus, and stratocumulus clouds, as well as cumulonimbus. They have also been observed on the base of volcanic ash clouds (see cover of National Geographic, January, 1981). Photo taken by David K. Hoadley, © 1971. This book is printed on acid-free paper. e