The Atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology (8th Edition) [Hardcover]

Frederick K. Lutgens (Author), Edward J. Tarbuck (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130879576 | ISBN-13: 978-0130879578 | Publication Date: July 24, 2000 | Edition: 8th

For introductory courses in Introduction to Meteorology, Introduction to Weather and Climate, and Introduction to the Atmosphere, in departments of Geography, Physical Sciences, Meteorology, Earth Sciences, Geology, and Physics. This student-friendly text offers a current and comprehensive introduction to the atmosphere-its components, problems, and applications. It contains easy-to-understand and everyday examples that reinforce basic concepts and related science principles.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Consists of 19 exercises. 3 labs require the use of personal computers. (Lab 4 is based on GeoClock--a software package for viewing Earth-sun geometry. An energy balance model, written by James E. Burt, is used in labs 6 and 16.) Both software packages are included on a diskette (IBM) in the manual. Can be value packed with Lutgens/Tarbuck, The Atmosphere, 6/E for a nominal fee. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Preface

There are few aspects of the physical environment that influence our daily lives more than the phenomena we collectively call weather. Newspapers, magazines, and television stations regularly report a wide range of weather events as major news stories—an obvious reflection of people's interest and curiosity about the atmosphere. We also face important environmental problems related to the atmosphere. Such issues as air pollution, ozone depletion, and global warming require our attention. A basic meteorology course can take advantage of our interest and curiosity about the weather as well as our desire to understand the impact that people have on the atmospheric environment.

The Atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology, Eighth Edition, is designed to meet the needs of students who enroll in such a course. It is our hope that the knowledge gained by taking a class and using this book will encourage many to actively participate in bettering the environment, and others may be sufficiently stimulated to continue their study of meteorology. Equally important, however, is our belief that a basic understanding of the atmosphere and its processes will greatly enhance appreciation of our planet and thereby enrich the reader's life.

In addition to being informative and up-to-date, a major goal of The Atmosphere is to meet the need of beginning students for a readable and user-friendly text, a book that is a highly usable "tool" for learning basic meteorological principles and concepts. Distinguishing Features Readability

The language of this book is straightforward and written to be understood. Clear, readable discussions with a minimum of technical language are the rule. The frequent headings and subheadings help students follow discussions and identify the important ideas presented in each chapter. In the present edition, improved readability was achieved by examining chapter organization and flow and writing in a more personal style. Large portions o) the text were substantially rewritten in an effort to make the material more understandable. Illustrations and Photographs

Meteorology is highly visual. Therefore, photographs and artwork are a very important part of an introductory book. The Atmosphere, Eighth Edition, contains dozens, of new high-quality photographs that were carefully selected to aid understanding, add realism, and heighten the interest of the reader.

The illustrations in each new edition of The Atmosphere keep getting better and better. In the eighth edition more than 100 pieces of line art are new o> revised. The new art illustrates ideas and concepts more clearly and realistically than ever before. Dennis Tasa, a gifted artist and respected science illustrator, carried out the art program. Focus on Learning

New to the eighth edition. To assist student learning, every chapter now concludes with a Chapter Summary. When a chapter has been completed, five useful devices help students review. First, the Chapter Summary recaps all the major points. Next the Vocabulary Review provides a checklist of key terms with page references. Learning the language of meteorology helps students learn the material. This is followed by the Review Questions section, which helps students examine their knowledge of significant facts and ideas. In most chapters, Problems, with a quantitative orientation, follow the review questions. Most problems require only basic mathematical skills and allow students to enhance their understanding by applying skills and principles explained in the chapter. Each chapter closes with some suggested Web sites for further exploration. Moreover, students are reminded to visit the all-new Web site for The Atmosphere, Eighth Edition (prenhall/lutgens). It contains many excellent opportunities for review and exploration. Environmental Issues
and Atmospheric Hazards

Many of the serious environmental issues that face humanity are related to the atmosphere. This new edition includes up-to-date treatment of air pollution, ozone depletion, global warming, and more.

Because atmospheric hazards adversely affect millions of people worldwide every day, coverage of this topic has been expanded. At appropriate places. throughout the book students will have an opportunity to learn more about atmospheric hazards. Two entire chapters (Chapter 10, "Thunderstorms and Tornadoes" and Chapter 11, "Hurricanes") focus almost entirely on hazardous weather. In addition, a number of the book's special-interest boxes are devoted to a broad variety of atmospheric hazards including heat waves, winter storms, floods, dust storms, drought, mudslides, and lightning. Maintaining a Focus on Basic Principles

Although many topical issues are treated in the eighth edition of The Atmosphere, it should be emphasized that the main focus remains the same as that of its predecessors—to foster a basic understanding of the atmospheric environment. In keeping with this aim, the organization of the text remains intentionally traditional. Following an overview of the atmosphere in Chapter 1, the next 10 chapters are devoted to a presentation of the major elements and concepts of meteorology. Chapter 12, on weather analysis, follows and serves to reinforce and apply many of the concepts presented in the preceding chapters. Chapter 13 is devoted to the important issue of air pollution.

The text concludes with two chapters on climate (Chapters 14 and 15), and one devoted to optical phenomena (Chapter 16). Chapter 14, "The Changing Climate," explores a topic that is the focus of much public interest as well as scientific research: Is global climate changing, and, if so, in what ways? How are people causing or contributing to these changes? The discussions in Chapter 14 have been carefully and thoroughly revised and updated to reflect the fast-changing nature of this sometimes controversial subject. More About the Eighth Edition

In addition to adding chapter summaries, strengthening the atmospheric hazards theme, and making substantial changes to the photography and art programs, much more is new to the eighth edition.

This latest edition of The Atmosphere represents a thorough revision. Every part of the book was examined carefully with the dual goals of keeping topics current and improving the clarity of text discussions. Based on feedback from reviewers and students, we believe we have succeeded. Supplements

The authors and publisher have been pleased to work with a number of talented people to produce an excellent supplements package. This package includes the traditional supplements that students and instructors have come to expect from authors and publishers.

Internet Support. Authored by Kenneth G. Pinzke, of Belleville Area College, this new site, specific to the text, contains numerous review exercises (from which students get immediate feedback), exercises to expand one's understanding of weather and climate, and resources for further exploration. This Web site provides an excellent platform from which to start using the Internet for the study of meteorology. Please visit the site at prenhall/lutgens.

Instructor's Manual with Tests (0-13-088514-2). Written by Don Yew, University of South Carolina, Columbia, the Instructor's Manual is intended as a resource for both new and experienced instructors. It includes a variety of lecture outlines, additional source materials, teaching tips, advice about how to integrate visual supplements (including the Web-based resources), and various other ideas for the classroom. A test item file provides instructors with a wide variety of test questions.

PH Custom Test. Available for both Macintosh (0-13089249-1) and Windows (0-13-088512-6), and based on the powerful testing technology developed by Engineering Software Associates, Inc. (ESA), Prentice Hall Custom Test allows instructors to create and tailor exams to their own needs. With the online testing program, exams can also be administered online and data can then be automatically transferred for evaluation. The comprehensive desk reference guide is included along with online assistance.

Transparency Set (0-13-088513-4). More than 150 full-color acetates of illustrations from the text are available free of charge to qualified adopters.

Science on the Internet: A Student's Guide (0-13-028253-7). This unique resource helps students locate and explore the myriad geoscience resources on the World Wide Web. It also provides an overview of the Web, general navigation strategies, and brief student activities. It is available free when packaged with the text.

Rand McNally Atlas of World Geography (0-13-959339-X). This atlas includes 126 pages of up-to-date, accurate regional maps and 20 pages of illustrated world information tables. It is available free when packaged with The Atmosphere, Eighth Edition. Please contact your local Prentice Hall representative for details.

Digital Files (0-13-088500-2). All the maps and figures from the text, and many of the photographs, are available digitally on a CD-ROM. These files are ideal for those instructors who use PowerPoint or a comparable presentation software for their classes, or for professors who create text-specific Web sites for their students.

Prentice Hall-New York Times Themes of the Times Supplements for Geography. This supplement reprints significant articles from the New York Times. The Geography New York Times article is available to students free of charge. Please contact your local Prentice Hall representative for details.

WebCT/Prentice Hall. The WebCT Course Management System equips faculty members with easy-to-use tools to create sophisticated Web-based educational programs. Prentice Hall provides the content, which is specifically crafted to accompany The Atmosphere, Eighth Edition. Please contact your local Prentice Hall representative for more details. For the Laboratory

Exercises in Atmospheric Science (0-13-861006-1). Written by Gregory J. Carbone. This lab manual, which complements Lutgens and Tarbuck's The Atmosphere, Eighth Edition, offers students an opportunity to review important ideas and concepts through problem solving, simulations, and guided thinking. This revised edition features an upgraded graphics program, and five computer-based simulations and tutorials that help students better learn key concepts. The lab manual is available at a reduced price when packaged with the text. Acknowledgments

Writing a college textbook requires the talents and cooperation of many individuals. Working with Dennis Tasa, who is responsible for all of the outstanding illustrations, is always special for us. We not only value his outstanding artistic talents and imagination, but also his friendship. We are also grateful to Professor Ken Pinzke at Belleville Area College. In addition to his many helpful suggestions regarding the manuscript, Ken developed the Web site and prepared the chapter summaries. Ken is an important part of our team and a valued friend as well.

Students remain our most effective critics. Their comments and suggestions continue to help us maintain our focus on readability and understanding.

Special thanks goes to those colleagues who prepared in-depth reviews. Their critical comments and thoughtful input helped guide our work and clearly strengthened the text. We wish to thank:

Mark R. Anderson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Greg Carbone, University of South Carolina
Colleen E. Keen, Minnesota State University
Scott Kirsch, University of Memphis
John A. Knox, Valparaiso University
Arlene Laing, University of South Florida
Scott M. Robeson, Indiana State University
Robert Rohli, Louisiana State University
Steven Rutledge, Colorado State University
Anthony J. Vega, Clarion University

We also want to acknowledge the team of professionals at Prentice Hall. Thanks to Editorial Director Paul F Corey. We sincerely appreciate his continuing strong support for excellence and innovation. Thanks also to our Executive Editor Dan Kaveney. His strong communication skills and energetic style contributed greatly to the project. The production team, led by Ed Thomas, as always, has done an outstanding job. They are true professionals with whom we are very fortunate to be associated.

Frederick K. Lutgens
Edward J. Tarbuck

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 8th edition (July 24, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130879576
• ISBN-13: 978-0130879578
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #317,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Atmospheric Sciences

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introductory weather text., June 21, 2001

By 

"sillybubbachicopee" (STOW, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology (8th Edition) (Hardcover)

Lutgens and Tarbuck made this a very readable text by writing in a stratightforward manner and by focusing on fundamental principles. The typical non-science major undergrad or general reader should be able to grasp the important concepts, while the more scientifically literate readers will find plenty of material to wrap their minds around. For example, much of the quantitative stuff is presented in separate boxes, for those who want to go beyond the basics as presented in the text. The illustrations by Dennis Tasa are, of course, excellent, as are most of the photos. I used this text for a weather and climate class I taught and would use it again.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy it unless you have to!!!, January 29, 2004

By 

Matthew P. Townsend "DeNiro" (Normal, IL. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology (8th Edition) (Hardcover)

As a college student I was forced to buy the textbook per my professor's curriculum and request. He often cited inaccuracies claiming he often had called the publisher to complain. The answers to the review questions (at the end of the chapters) were very challenging to find within the chapter. It's rough reading (I love to read and read often.) Unless you are required to buy the book, DON'T! I hope this helps.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best intro to meteorology out there, December 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology (8th Edition) (Hardcover)

If you are looking for a nice intro to weather or even a nice thorough review then this would be the book for you. Clearly defined and many illustrations available to help you grasp the info without reading it over several times.