This book investigates elementary processes in the Earth's atmosphere involving photons, electrons, ions, radicals, and aerosols. It is based on global atmospheric models such as the standard atmospheric model with averaged atmospheric parameters across the globe and over time, the Earth's energetic balance, and the global electric circuit that allows to analyze fundamental atmospheric properties to be analyzed. Rate constants of elementary processes in the Earth's atmosphere, together with measured atmospheric parameters and existing concepts of atmospheric phenomena, are used in the analysis of global and local atmospheric processes. Atmospheric photoprocesses result from the interaction of solar radiation with the atmosphere and processes involving ions, oxygen atoms, excited atomic particles and ozone molecules. Atmospheric electricity as a secondary phenomenon to atmospheric water circulation results in a chain of processes that begins with collisions of water aerosols in different aggregate states. Cosmic rays are of importance for atmospheric electricity, as they create positive and negative ions in the air. Air breakdown in an electric field of clouds in the form of lightning may develop under the influence of cosmic ray-created seed electrons, which are necessary for electron multiplication in ionization wave-streamers. The upper atmosphere (ionosphere) is formed under solar radiation in a vacuum ultraviolet spectrum, and absorption of this radiation leads to air photoionization. The greenhouse effect is determined by atmospheric water, whereas transitions between a water vapor and aerosols may lead to a change in atmospheric optical depth. Carbon dioxide contributes in small portions to the atmospheric greenhouse effect. Cosmic rays are of importance for atmospheric discharge, the origin of lightning and cloud formation in the first stage ofaerosol growth. This book provides a qualitative description of atmospheric properties and phenomena based on elementary processes and simple models.

Relates elementary processes to globally measured atmospheric parameters to provide a deeper understanding of atmospheric processes and phenomena Analyzes the chain of processes of atmospheric electricity as a secondary phenomenon of water circulation in the atmosphere Explores the fundamental atmospheric constituents contributing to the greenhouse effect Also suitable as a textbook for students of meteorology and atmospheric physics Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autorentext

R. Stephen Berry is James Franck Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in the Chemistry Department at The University of Chicago. He has studied phase changes and phase equilibria for twenty years. He is a MacArthur Fellow and a Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A., and has been author or coauthor of five books prior to this. He and his coauthor of this book have known each other for over 40 years, from the time both were working on atomic collision processes. They have been collaborating for about 10 years, in their studies of clusters and of phase transitions. Boris M. Smirnov is a distinguished physicist who worked for many years at the Institute for Ball Lightning, prior to his joining the Institute for High Temperatures in Moscow.

Inhalt

Part 1 - Fundamentals of atmosphere and atmospheric processes.- Properties of neutral atmosphere.- Charged particles in atmosphere.- Electric processes in atmosphere.- Part 2 - Elementary and transport atmospheric processes.- Electron processes in atmospheric air.- Ion processes in atmospheric air.- Processes in dissociated air.- Atmospheric processes involving aerosols.- Part 3 - Radiative processes in the earth.- Photoionization atmospheric processes.- Infrared atmospheric emission.- Local atmospheric photo-processes.