Physics of the Air |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
absorption adiabatic altitude amount angle angular anthelion anticyclonic appears approximately atmos average barometric carbon dioxide cause centimetre centre changes circulation climatic cloud cold color condensation constant cooling crystals cubic centimetre cumulo-nimbus cumulus cumulus cloud curve cyclonic decrease density direction discharge distance dust earth effect electric equation explained follows force given greater halo heat hemisphere Hence horizontal hr hr humidity increase of elevation intensity interzonal isobars isothermal isothermal region kilometres layer less light lower atmosphere maximum metres per second millimetres minimum mountain nearly normal observations obviously occur ocean parhelic circle particles path perature plane portion pressure gradient produce radius rain reflection refraction rotation roughly saturation solar constant solar radiation square centimetre storm summer temperature gradient thunderstorm tion tropical cyclone vertical convection volcanic warm water vapor wave-length Weather wind velocity winter
Popular passages
Page 570 - Hence the surface was early frozen. Hence the first snows remained on it unmelted, and received continual additions. Hence perhaps the winter of 1783-4, was more severe than any that had happened for many years.
Page 587 - ... carefully taken, this mutual confirmation may be regarded as conclusive both of the existence of volcanic dust in the upper atmosphere (isothermal region) and of its efficiency in intercepting direct radiation from the sun. It should be remembered, however, in this connection, that the intensity of the solar radiation at the surface of the earth depends...
Page 313 - ... (7) As stated in paragraph (3) above, positive electricity was recorded more frequently than negative, but the excess was the less marked the higher the charge on the rain. (8) With all rates of rainfall positively charged rain occurred more frequently than negatively charged rain, and the relative frequency of positively charged rain increased rapidly with increased rate of rainfall. With rainfall of less than about...
Page 145 - He noticed objects above the earth tend to rotate relative to the earth's rotation ... to the right in the northern hemisphere, to the left in the southern. The Coriolis Effect is in force in outer space, too.
Page 93 - A kept constantly warmer than the water in B, there will be continuous circulation of the water from A to B through the upper pipe and from B to A through the lower. Obviously the same results could be obtained by applying a cooling proc'ess to B instead of a warming one to A. That is, since the circulation in question is a gravitational phenomenon induced by a temperature difference between the water in the two tanks, it clearly is immaterial how this temperature difference is established, whether...
Page 457 - SABCE be the path of a ray in this plane, entering the drop at A and emerging at C. The changes in direction at A and C are each i — r, in which i is the angle of incidence and r the angle of refraction, and the change at B, as also at every other place of an internal reflection, when there are more than one, is «• — 2r.
Page 74 - But the sum-total of all these several amounts is so small in comparison to that which results from the absorption of solar radiation that for even a close approximation to the total amount of thermal energy given to the atmosphere it is sufficient to consider the sun as its only source. The rate at which heat is delivered to the earth from the sun depends upon : a.
Page 238 - Lamb,1 who concludes: Without pressing too far conclusions based on the hypothesis of an atmosphere uniform over the earth, and approximately in convective equilibrium, we may, I think, at least assert the existence of a free oscillation of the earth's atmosphere, of " semidiurnal '" type, with a period not very different from, but probably somewhat less than, 12 mean solar hours.
Page 571 - ... summer fogs. Because, if found to be so, men might from such fogs conjecture the probability of a succeeding hard winter, and of the damage to be expected by the breaking up of frozen rivers in the spring; and take such measures as are possible and practicable to secure themselves and effects from the mischiefs that attend the...
Page 316 - Hence, once started, the electricity of a thunderstorm rapidly grows to a considerable maximum. "After a time the larger drops reach, here and there, places below which the updraft is small — the air cannot be rushing up everywhere — and then fall as positively charged rain, because of the processes just explained. The negative electrons in the meantime are carried up into the higher portions of the cumulus, where they unite with the cloud particles and thereby facilitate their coalescence into...