Product Description
The Second Edition of Roland Stull's METEOROLOGY FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS lets professors quantify the concepts in Ahren's METEOROLOGY TODAY, SEVENTH EDITION like never before. This book can serve as a technical companion to Ahren's text or as a stand-alone text. It provides the mathematical equations needed for a higher level of understanding of meteorology. The organization is mapped directly to the Ahrens book, making Stull's text a perfect companion. More than a lab manual or workbook, this text contains detailed math and physics that expand upon concepts presented in Ahrens' text, as well as numerous solved problems. This text demonstrates how to use mathematical equations (algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and finite differential equations) to explain the dominant characteristics of certain atmospheric phenomena and processes.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 5 reviews)

Meteorology for Scientists and Engineers second edition

This really is a great book if you want some detail on how the atmosphere works - the physics of the atmosphere. The descritive content is so well written and the diagrams so clear that you dont need to go into the algebra and trigonometry to get a deeper understanding of the near earth environment - what goes on there. There are a whole lot of options to go deeper into the maths if you want. Highly recommended for those interested in boundary layer meteorology, weather systems and air pollution dispersion.
September 20, 2008

An excellent introduction

As the title of this book implies, it was written for those readers who are not specialists in meteorology but who are interested in a more technical introduction to the subject, and not just one written for the "general audience." The book serves this need very well, and it is a joy to read, even if it is not read cover to cover, as was the case for this reviewer. Each topic, weather it is hurricanes, tornadoes, or turbulence, is presented with many examples, with unit and "reasonableness" checks accompanying these examples. The mathematics is straightforward, with the physics being emphasized with numerous back-of-the-envelope calculations dispersed throughout the text. As in any high-quality book that seeks to explain, and not merely expound, diagrams are used throughout. And most importantly, the author encourages student readers to break out on their own and investigate the various meteorological phenomena without the guidance of the book. This has the effect of encouraging independence of thought and intellectual honesty. This is strongly emphasized in the discussion on climate change, definitely the best chapter in the book in the opinion of this reviewer, wherein the author discusses the ethics of scientific investigation. There have been a few investigators that have violated the canon of ethics that the author outlines, but the state of scientific and technological knowledge at the present time is ample proof that many do not.

The chapter on climate change could in fact be used as an introduction to a more serious investigation of this topic, one that is independent of the political overtones that seem to have poisoned the atmosphere of debate on it. The author discusses climate change in terms of `heuristic models' that he admits are oversimplified, but do serve as a didactic tool to illustrate the main processes and physics. He does allude to `global climate models' but cautions that the large number of approximations involved in these models make them very tentative at best. The Greenhouse effect is discussed via the Stefan-Boltzmann law, and the resulting overestimation of the average temperature leads the author to complicating this scenario via the infrared "atmospheric window", and water-vapor, cloud, and ice-albedo feedbacks. Again, these discussions are simplified and preliminary to more in-depth discussions on climate change that interested readers can pursue. And as in any scientific investigation, they must be accompanied by strong skepticism and a willingness to confront the facts as they are.
June 11, 2007

Must have reference!

Want to know a little more about hurricanes? Air pollution? Thunderstorms? Stull presents terrific synopses of many meteorological topics. He doesn't try to be the expert in every sub-specialty in the field; instead, he provides the basic material and encourages the reader to seek additional information from expert books and web sites. I'm currently taking a class in atmospheric transport and diffusion. Stull summarizes the course material and leads me to references I didn't know existed. I'm ordering this book as a reference now and as a starting point for future study.
March 04, 2001

Excellent all-encompassing book!

This is the most complete introductory-advanced book I have seen to date. It covers many pertinient subjects. Important meteorological concepts are explained in enough detail to satisfy even the more advanced users, but simple enough to give the beginner excellent insight. These concepts do not have to be presented in a difficult fashion to make the author appear intelligent - he makes a bold, simple statement by taking tough concepts and making them understandable to the masses!
October 27, 2000

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

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Atmospheric Science, Volume 92, Second Edition: An Introductory Survey (International Geophysics)
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An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology, Volume 88, Fourth Edition (International Geophysics)
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