This book is an introductory graduate-level text on atmospheric remote sensing. The basic interaction between radiation and the atmosphere is examined, and illustrated with actual sensing examples. The focus is on understanding the interactions rather than on presenting mathematical details. The text also serves to supplement atmospheric radiation topics, placing the technology and its application in the broader perspective of contemporary meteorology and atmospheric science. Each chapter is followed by a series of exercises, and Appendix 2 gives five computer projects designed for classroom applications.

This book is an introduction to the use of the ultraviolet for remote sensing of the Earth's atmosphere. It covers the Earth's UV radiative environment, experimental techniques, and current applications. it is my intention to provide the information needed to "make a first approximation" concerning the use of the ultraviolet and to provide access through the literature for a more thorough study. * Contains recent UV applications not previously available in book form such as ozone, auroral images, and ionospheric sensing * Features broad coverage of fundamentals of atmospheric geophysics with values for fluxes, cross-sections, and radiances * Covers techniques that illustrate principles of measurements with typical values * Contains numerous references to original literature

The Atmosphere Special Issue "Lower Atmosphere Meteorology" deals with the meteorological processes that occur in the layer of the atmosphere close to the surface. The interaction between the biosphere and the atmosphere is made through the lower layer and can greatly influence living beings and materials. The analysis of the meteorological parameters provides a better understanding of processes within the lower atmosphere and involved in air pollution, climate, and weather. The mixed layer height, the wind speed, and the air parcel trajectory have a relevant interest due to their marked impact on population and energy production. The research also comprises aerosols, clouds, and precipitation, analysing their spatiotemporal variations. This issue addresses features of gases in the atmosphere and anthropogenic greenhouse emission estimates, which are also conditioned by the lower atmosphere meteorology.

This report is a discussion and evaluation of the present and potential capabilities of four remote sensing techniques for the measurement of meteorological variables in the lower atmosphere (i.e., primarily the troposphere). The four techniques treated are acoustic echo sounding, FM-CW radar, Lidar, and microwave radiometry. The meteorological variables of interest are the profiles (in three dimensions) of wind velocity, temperature, humidity, density, and refractive index. The desired capability is not merely to sense, but also to measure quantitatively the variable being studied.

Theoretical foundations of atmospheric remote sensing are electromagnetic theory, radiative transfer and inversion theory. This book provides an overview of these topics in a common context, compile the results of recent research, as well as fill the gaps, where needed. The following aspects are covered: principles of remote sensing, the atmospheric physics, foundations of the radiative transfer theory, electromagnetic absorption, scattering and propagation, review of computational techniques in radiative transfer, retrieval techniques as well as regularization principles of inversion theory. As such, the book provides a valuable resource for those who work with remote sensing data and want to get a broad view of theoretical foundations of atmospheric remote sensing. The book will be also useful for students and researchers working in such diverse fields like inverse problems, atmospheric physics, electromagnetic theory, and radiative transfer.

The polar regions, perhaps more than any other places on Earth, give the geophysical scientist a sense of exploration. This sensibility is genuine, for not only is high-latitude ?eldwork arduous with many locations seldom or never visited, but there remains much fundamental knowledge yet to be discovered about how the polar regions interact with the global climate system. The range of opportunities for new discovery becomes strikingly clear when we realize that the high latitudes are not one region but are really two vastly di?erent worlds. The high Arctic is a frozen ocean surrounded by land, and is home to fragile ecosystems and unique modes of human habitation. The Antarctic is a frozen continent without regular human habitation, covered by ice sheets taller than many mountain ranges and surrounded by the Earth’s most forbidding ocean. When we consider global change as applied to the Arctic, we discuss impacts to a region whose surface and lower atmospheric temperatures are near the triple point of water throughout much of the year. The most consistent signatures of climate warming have occurred at northern high latitudes (IPCC, 2001), and the potential impacts of a few degrees increase in surface temperature include a reduction in sea ice extent, a positive feedback to climate warming due to lowering of surface albedo, and changes to surface runo? that might a?ect the Arctic Ocean’s salinity and circulation.