Essentials of Meteorology: An Invitation to the Atmosphere,
9th Edition

C. Donald Ahrens, Robert Henson

ISBN-13: 9780357857557 | ISBN-10: 0357857550

| Published 2023

| 509 pages

List Price USD $144.95

Buying Options

Quick Navigation

Overview

ESSENTIALS OF METEOROLOGY: AN INVITATION TO THE ATMOSPHERE, Ninth Edition, is written for students interested in gaining insights into the dynamic workings of the atmosphere. The authors' ability to explain even complicated ideas in an easy-to-understand way enables both science and non-science majors to visualize and understand important principles of meteorology. Online animations help bring text material to life and make it easier to understand the underlying concepts, and appendices offer the chance for in-depth exploration of meteorological data, such as world temperature and precipitation extremes over a 30-year period.

Don Ahrens is professor emeritus at Modesto Junior College in Modesto, California. He has influenced countless professionals in the field of atmospheric science, as well as hundreds of thousands of students who use his books to better understand weather and climate. In 2007, the National Weather Association awarded him a lifetime achievement award for these accomplishments. The bestselling author of two Cengage texts, Professor Ahrens received the Textbook and Academic Authors Association's McGuffey Longevity Award for the Ninth Edition of his market-leading METEOROLOGY TODAY.

Robert Henson is among the nation’s most widely read writers on weather and climate. He is a regular contributor to the Yale Climate Connections website and a contributing editor at the Texas Climate News website and Weatherwise magazine. Prior to his freelance career, Henson was a staff writer and editor at Weather Underground and at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, which manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research. An expert on tornadoes, thunderstorms and hurricanes, Henson has also analyzed how TV weathercasters cover major storms and report on climate change. His books include THE THINKING PERSON'S GUIDE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, whose original edition was shortlisted for the UK Royal Society Prize for Science Books.

The text includes new, revised or updated material on such topics as the recent increase in massive wildfires across the U.S. West, the sequence of devastating Atlantic hurricanes from 2017 onward and several noteworthy extremes from 2021, including the deadly and costly Southern Plains cold wave of February, the unprecedented heat wave in the northwest United States and southwest Canada in June, and an onslaught of destructive tornadoes in December.
The Ninth Edition references new phenomena such as the stratospheric polar vortex and sudden stratospheric warming; lightning megaflashes that can span multiple states; the recently introduced category of gargantuan hail; and the connections between warming temperatures, enhanced drying and wildfire risk.
Content on thermometers, barometers and other key instruments has been updated with enhanced material on modern, digital instrumentation, providing important coverage of current tools and technology alongside discussion of traditional analog instruments.
Each chapter now opens with a succinct list of five to ten key concepts students need to master in the material to come, and subheads are tagged to help orient them to the sections relevant to each of these learning objectives.
A new Focus box on satellite meteorology explores the many benefits of the enhanced, fourth-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
A new opening section on the nature and importance of the scientific method is followed by a capsule summary of extreme weather events, including recent hurricanes and wildfires and the record-setting heat, cold and tornadoes in the U.S. in 2021. In addition, a revised “What Is a Meteorologist?” feature spotlights the diversity of meteorologists and their professional work.

MindTap for Meteorology is a valuable interactive resource for today's digital learners, providing access to the entire text, as well as engaging animations, assessments and review materials.
A detailed cloud chart allows students to compare and contrast cloud types at a glance and more readily identify clouds wherever they go. The chart is particularly useful for outdoor projects.
The rapidly evolving scientific and societal contexts of climate change are addressed throughout the text, with more definitive language used where confidence is greater. In addition, a dedicated chapter on climate change explores the findings and implications of the Sixth Assessment Report (2021-22) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The instructor's companion site is a feature-rich, easy-to-use collection of helpful resources, including PowerPoint® presentations, an instructor's manual, test banks, the MindTap Educator Guide and more.
Weather averages and extremes are presented in multiple ways to maximize student interest. For example, a visually appealing graphic portrays all-time high and low temperatures recorded in each of the 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Data from the newly updated U.S. database of climate norms (1981-2020) is also included throughout the text, and in discussing global heat records and other extremes, the authors emphasize the crucial importance of careful observing practices.
The text features a sequential structure and modular content, beginning with coverage of atmospheric elements, air temperature and air pressure, and proceeding to explore atmospheric motion, cyclonic development, severe weather and finally climate and global change. This flexible organization makes it easy to cover chapters in any order you wish.
In-text brief reviews enable students to assess their understanding of key concepts before moving on to subsequent material.

1. Earth's Atmosphere.
2. Warming and Cooling Earth and the Atmosphere.
3. Air Temperature.
4. Humidity, Condensation and Clouds.
5. Cloud Development and Precipitation.
6. Air Pressure and Winds.
7. Atmospheric Circulations.
8. Air Masses, Fronts and Middle Latitude Cyclones.
9. Weather Forecasting.
10. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes.
11. Hurricanes.
12. Global Climate.
13. Earth’s Changing Climate.
14. Air Pollution.
15. Light, Color and Atmospheric Optics.

Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

Instructor's Companion Website for Ahrens/Henson's Essentials of Meteorology: An Invitation to the Atmosphere

ISBN13:9780357857571
ISBN10:0357857577
Everything you need for your course in one place! This collection of product-specific lecture and class tools is available online via www.cengage.com/login. You'll be able to access and download materials such as PowerPoint® presentations, images, instructor’s manual, videos and more.

Cengage Testing, powered by Cognero® for Ahrens/Henson's Essentials of Meteorology: An Invitation to the Atmosphere, Instant Access

ISBN13:9780357857595
ISBN10:0357857593
Cengage Testing, powered by Cognero® is a flexible online system that allows you to import, edit and manipulate content from the text’s test bank or elsewhere, including your own favorite test questions; create multiple test versions in an instant; and deliver tests from your LMS, your classroom or wherever you want.

Cengage Testing, powered by Cognero® for Ahrens/Henson's Essentials of Meteorology Invitation to the Atmosphere

ISBN13:9780357857588
ISBN10:0357857585