Field Guide To The Atmosphere

More than 400 photographs and line drawings illustrate every kind of atmospheric phenomenon: clouds of every type; storms, from cloudbursts to hurricanes; and sky colors.

Photographs show phenomena of the atmosphere, describing types of atmospheric particles, rainbows, clouds, and precipitation.

Incredibly comprehensive yet portable enough for your day pack, the definitive field guide to every type of weather system, cloud formation, and atmospheric phenomenon common to North America--from the go-to reference source for over 18 million nature lovers. The 378 dramatic photographs in National Audubon Society Field Guide to Weather capture cloud types, precipitation, storms, twisters, and optical phenomena such as the Northern Lights. Essays with accompanying maps and illustrations discuss the earth's atmosphere, weather systems, cloud formation, and development of tornadoes and many other weather events.

The material in this Field Guide is a condensed version of similar material found in two textbooks: Laser Beam Propagation through Random Media (SPIE Vol. PM53) and Laser Beam Scintillation with Applications (SPIE Vol. PM99). Topics chosen for this concise presentation include a review of classical Kolmogorov turbulence theory, Gaussian-beam waves in free space, and atmospheric effects on a propagating optical wave. These atmospheric effects have great importance in a variety of applications like imaging, free space optical communications, laser radar, and remote sensing. This Guide presents tractable mathematical models from which the practitioner can readily determine beam spreading, beam wander, spatial coherence radius (Fried's parameter), angle of arrival fluctuations, scintillation, aperture averaging effects, fade probabilities, bit error-rates, and enhanced backscatter effects, among others.

A field guide to the weather, including clouds, storm systems, and climate change A resource for those intrigued by events in the sky—clouds, precipitation, storms, aurora, halos—and for those who follow daily weather events. Using a nontechnical approach, the authors describe the flow of energy and moisture through global and local landscapes and how they evolve into day-to-day weather. For those fascinated by the sky’s colors and patterns, there are halos, rainbows, iridescent clouds, and other tapestries in the sky. For the cloud-watcher, common and unusual cloud forms are covered; for those entranced by storms, the guide includes severe thunderstorms, winter blizzards, hurricanes, hail, ice storms, and other challenges that the atmosphere inflicts. It even includes a chapter on weather in the atmospheres of the planets and the sun. More than 400 photographs illustrate visible weather, and diagrams explain the more challenging physical concepts. This book is designed for those who want to look up, marvel, and understand what they see.

An engaging and beautifully presented guide to nature's most theatrical and mysterious events. From optical phenomena such as rainbows and light pillars, to celestial phenomena like eclipses and the aurora borealis, it explores a wide range of natural wonders, describing each one in detail and explaining the science behind them.

The United States is the most severe weather-prone country in the world. Each year, people in this country cope with an average of 10,000 thunderstorms, 5,000 floods, 1,200 tornadoes, and two land-falling hurricanes. Approximately 90% of all presidentially declared disasters are weather-related, causing around 500 deaths each year and nearly $14 billion in damage. SKYWARN® is a National Weather Service (NWS) program developed in the 1960s that consists of trained weather spotters who provide reports of severe and hazardous weather to help meteorologists make life-saving warning decisions. Spotters are concerned citizens, amateur radio operators, truck drivers, mariners, airplane pilots, emergency management personnel, and public safety officials who volunteer their time and energy to report on hazardous weather impacting their community. Although, NWS has access to data from Doppler radar, satellite, and surface weather stations, technology cannot detect every instance of hazardous weather. Spotters help fill in the gaps by reporting hail, wind damage, flooding, heavy snow, tornadoes and waterspouts. Radar is an excellent tool, but it is just that: one tool among many that NWS uses. We need spotters to report how storms and other hydro-meteorological phenomena are impacting their area. SKYWARN® spotter reports provide vital "ground truth" to the NWS. They act as our eyes and ears in the field. Spotter reports help our meteorologists issue timely, accurate, and detailed warnings by confirming hazardous weather detected by NWS radar. Spotters also provide critical verification information that helps improve future warning services. SKYWARN® Spotters serve their local communities by acting as a vital source of information when dangerous storms approach. Without spotters, NWS would be less able to fulfill its mission of protecting life and property. This guide provides the procedures for Spotter Reporting, their role in severe storms that may result in hazardous conditions, and provides safety tips for extreme weather conditions. Section 2 of this guide showcases Basics of several elements that impact severe or strong storms. A significant portion of Section 2 is dedicated to thunderstorms and how they can evolve into tornadoes, and Supercells. Section 3 takes a closer look at tornadoes, the impact with lightning, wind, Supercells, and more. Section 4 features Technology and Storm Spotting covering Doppler weather radar from types of radar to radar imaging; satellites - types of ....to satellite imaging; storm movement and spotter location is also addressed in this section.