Overview

Description

This online textbook is a comprehensive resource for Tropical Meteorology. It is intended for use by undergraduate and early graduate students in Tropical Meteorology courses, forecasters, and others interested in the impacts of tropical weather and climate.

Organization

The book is divided into chapters, displayed in the table of contents. The chapters are listed in the recommended order, although each one can be accessed and used on its own. Chapters will be published incrementally and may not all be available at the time of your viewing. Each chapter uses a variety of strategies, from teaching the content via graphics and animations, to interactions, simulations, and case studies. Each section has links to additional sites and resources that augment the material presented in the chapter.

What is unique about this book?

This book covers the fundamental science of the tropical atmosphere and synthesizes the tremendous increase in our knowledge of tropical meteorology during the past two decades. In that same period, great advances also occurred in learning technologies; allowing students to learn through interactivity and access to real data. With this textbook, many approaches to learning are possible. The book may be used as a traditional textbook in its printed form. Sections of the online version may be used as lab exercises or for independent learning.

Distinguishing Features

Several distinguishing features have been created to enhance the learning experience.

Icons

Icons for Resource Links

NOTE - Some links point to websites that are outside of the control of COMET (see COMET Terms of Use).

Icons for Questions and Responses

Study Aids

• Chapter specific learning objectives
• Review questions at the end of each chapter
• Individual chapter quiz, with option to email results to instructor
• Critical thinking questions interspersed throughout the text
• Box sections that elaborate on theoretical concepts or specific subjects
• Links to additional COMET resources integrated in the text
• Links for further study at the end of each sub-section
• Glossary
• Chapter specific list of visual resources (with descriptions)

Chapter Focus Sections

• Special topics or case studies
• Topics of interest to operational forecasting
• Brief biographies of major contributors to the subject

What's New?

Updates to the Content

16 April 2013

• Regional Study Guide
  Added the first regional study guide, Review for Aeronautical Forecasters in Africa.

30 October 2012

• Chapter 2, Focus 1
  Revised description of CloudSat profile where the words "north" and "south" were interchanged.
• Chapter 3, Biographies
  Revised biography of James Sadler to correct information about when he started work in satellite meteorology.
• Chapter 9, Focus 1
  Corrected mislabeled arrows in Fig. 9F1.24.

27 April 2012

• Chapter 8, Section 8.1.1, Box 8-2
  New information on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind speed scale was added to those sections. The range of wind speeds was changed for Categories 3-5 by the National Hurricane Center; the new ranges are effective 15 May 2012.

New Format

We have transitioned to a new format which makes it easier for you to navigate the textbook. For example, you can go directly to Media Galleries for each chapter. You can shift from one chapter to the next via the "Table of Contents". This format will also facilitate our maintenance of the content into the future.

Download Options

You can now download the entire textbook, with all its multimedia, with one click. We provide print versions of chapters but we are no longer providing PDF versions. You can create your own PDF versions using tools such as the Google Chrome browser or an Apple computer and the "print to PDF" function.

New Chapter Numbers

For instructors who have listed chapter sections in syllabi or assignments, please note the correspondence between the new chapter numbers and the old chapter numbers in the table below.

NEW Chapter Number, 2nd Ed.	Chapter Name	Previous Chapter Number
1	Introduction	1 & 2
2	Remote Sensing	3
3	Global Circulation	4
4	Tropical Variability	5
5	The Distribution of Moisture and Precipitation	6
6	Vertical Transport NOT YET AVAILABLE	7
7	Synoptic and Mesoscale Weather Systems NOT YET AVAILABLE	8 & 9
8	Tropical Cyclones	10
9	Observations, Analysis, and Prediction	11

Spanish Version

The Spanish version of the textbook is also available in the new format.

Audience and Prerequisite Knowledge

A summary of prerequisite information will help instructors and students prepare for the optimal use of the textbook.

Target Audience

The target audience includes undergraduate students who have completed introductory meteorology and who know basic thermodynamic and dynamic meteorology. But the potential audience will encompass early graduate students and forecasters with a broad range of education and experience.

Prerequisite Knowledge

This textbook assumes that learners have a familiarity with the basic theories of meteorology. Accordingly, the textbook will assume exposure to and some familiarity with the following concepts. It will, however, cover some of this content briefly in the context of offering more focused instruction in tropical meteorology.

• Structure of the atmosphere, ranges of surface pressure and temperature
• Basic understanding of energy and radiation
• The basics of atmospheric thermodynamics
• The laws of motion
• The general circulation of the atmosphere and oceans
• Weather analysis and forecasting
• Basic knowledge of remote sensing using satellites and radar

For students wishing to explore theoretical derivations, familiarity with differential calculus is recommended.