Fundamentals of Atmospheric Radiation covers the fundamentals of emission, absorption, and scattering of electromagnetic radiation from ultraviolet to infrared and beyond.

Features:

• Applies to planetary atmosphere, with graded discussions providing a thorough treatment of subjects
• Includes single scattering by particles at different levels of complexity
• Introduces concepts in more advanced theories, such that the more complicated two-stream theory allows readers to progress beyond the pile-of-plates theory

Contents

Emission: The Birth of Photons

• Wave and Particle Languages
• Radiation in Equilibrium with Matter
• Blackbody Radiation
• AbsorptivityandEmissivity
• Emission by Clouds
• Emissivity and GlobalWarming

Absorption: The Death of Photons

• Exponential Attenuation
• Directional Emissivity of the Atmosphere
• Flux Divergence
• Absorption Cross Section
• The ABCs of Complex Variables
• Interpretation of the Molecular Absorption Coefficient
• Classical versus Quantum-Mechanical Interpretation of Absorption
• Absorption by Molecules: The Details
• Absorption by Particles

Scattering: The Life of Photons

• Scattering: An Overview
• Scattering by a Dipole
• Waves on a String: The One-Dimensional Wave Equation
• Superposition and Interference
• Scattering by Particles

Radiometry and Photometry: What you Get and What you See

• The General Radiation Field
• Diffuse Reflection
• Color

Multiple Scattering: Elementary

• Multiple Scattering by a Pile of Parallel Plates
• Two-Stream Theory of Radiative Transfer
• Multiple Scattering in an Absorbing Medium
• Emission

Multiple Scattering: Advanced

• N-Stream Theory and Beyond
• Diffusion Theory: The Elements
• The Monte Carlo Method
• Atmospheric Applications of the Monte Carlo Method
• Rate Profiles

Polarization: The Hidden Variable

• The Nature of Polarized Light
• Polarization upon Specular Reflection
• Polarization by Dipolar Scattering: Skylight
• Particles as Polarizers and Retarders

Meteorological Optics: The Reward

• Color and Brightness of the Molecular Atmosphere
• Atmospheric Visual Range
• Atmospheric Refraction
• Scatteringby Single Water Droplets
• Scattering by Single Ice Crystals
• Sun Dogs and Halos
• Clouds as Givers and Takers of Light

Index

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