An Introduction to Clouds provides a fundamental understanding of clouds, ranging from cloud microphysics to the large-scale impacts of clouds on climate. On the microscale, phase changes and ice nucleation are covered comprehensively, including aerosol particles and thermodynamics relevant for the formation of clouds and precipitation. At larger scales, cloud dynamics, mid-latitude storms and tropical cyclones are discussed leading to the role of clouds on the hydrological cycle and climate. Each chapter ends with problem sets and multiple-choice questions that can be completed online, and important equations are highlighted in boxes for ease of reference. Combining mathematical formulations with qualitative explanations of underlying concepts, this accessible book requires relatively little previous knowledge, making it ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in atmospheric science, environmental sciences and related disciplines.

Auteur

Ulrike Lohmann is a professor at the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zürich. She obtained her PhD in climate modeling and her research now focuses on the role of clouds and aerosol particles in the climate system with an emphasis on clouds containing ice. Professor Lohmann has published more than two hundred peer-reviewed articles and several book chapters, and was a lead author of the Fourth and Fifth IPCC Assessment Reports. She was awarded the Canada Research Chair in 2002 and the AMS Henry G. Houghton Award in 2007, and is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Ulrike Lohmann has been teaching classes in cloud microphysics and cloud dynamics for almost twenty years at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

Résumé
This comprehensive textbook provides a fundamental understanding of clouds, from cloud microphysics to the large-scale impacts of clouds on climate. Each chapter ends with problem sets and multiple-choice questions that can be completed online, making it ideal for advanced undergraduates and graduates in atmospheric and environmental sciences.

Contenu

Preface; List of symbols; List of acronyms; 1. Clouds; 2. Thermodynamics; 3. Atmospheric dynamics; 4. Mixing and convection; 5. Atmospheric aerosol particles; 6. Cloud droplet formation and Köhler theory; 7. Microphysical processes of warm clouds; 8. Microphysical processes of cold clouds; 9. Precipitation; 10. Storms and cloud dynamics; 11. Global energy budget; 12. Impact of aerosol particles and clouds on climate; References; Index.