University of Oxford, UK, World Scientific Publ., Singapore,
London, 2001, 507 pp. - ISBN 981-02-4566-1
Atmospheric science involves three main sub-disciplines: radiation, chemistry, and dynamics. Many books have been written about each of these, and non-LTE (we shall come in a moment to what it means) plays a part in most of them. However, no book exists which deals primarily with non-LTE, and this has become a serious omission. It is now realised that the upper part of the atmosphere is an important part of the whole system, as well as the scene of some complex and fascinating physical processes. It is also clear that we cannot make measurements of the middle and upper atmosphere by remote sensing from satellites, nor produce meaningful computerised models of the region, without taking detailed account of non-LTE processes. The need for a basic text which deals with the phenomenon and its related processes is therefore quite obvious.
Contents.
Preface.
Introduction and Overview.
Molecular Spectra.
Basic Atmospheric Radiative Transfer.
Solutions to the Radiative Transfer Equation in LTE.
Solutions to the Radiative Transfer Equation in Non-LTE.
Non-LTE Modelling of the Earth's Atmosphere 1 - C02
Non-LTE Modelling of the Earth's Atmosphere 2 – Other Infrared Emitters.
Remote Sensing of the Non-LTE Atmosphere.
Cooling and Heating Rates.
Non-LTE in Planetary Atmospheres.
Appendices. Bibliography. Index.
Atmospheric science involves three main sub-disciplines: radiation, chemistry, and dynamics. Many books have been written about each of these, and non-LTE (we shall come in a moment to what it means) plays a part in most of them. However, no book exists which deals primarily with non-LTE, and this has become a serious omission. It is now realised that the upper part of the atmosphere is an important part of the whole system, as well as the scene of some complex and fascinating physical processes. It is also clear that we cannot make measurements of the middle and upper atmosphere by remote sensing from satellites, nor produce meaningful computerised models of the region, without taking detailed account of non-LTE processes. The need for a basic text which deals with the phenomenon and its related processes is therefore quite obvious.
Contents.
Preface.
Introduction and Overview.
Molecular Spectra.
Basic Atmospheric Radiative Transfer.
Solutions to the Radiative Transfer Equation in LTE.
Solutions to the Radiative Transfer Equation in Non-LTE.
Non-LTE Modelling of the Earth's Atmosphere 1 - C02
Non-LTE Modelling of the Earth's Atmosphere 2 – Other Infrared Emitters.
Remote Sensing of the Non-LTE Atmosphere.
Cooling and Heating Rates.
Non-LTE in Planetary Atmospheres.
Appendices. Bibliography. Index.