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

C. Donald Ahrens, Robert Henson

  • Copyright 2024
  • {{checkPublicationMessage('Published', '2023-02-10T00:00:00+0000')}}
Starting At $77.95 See pricing and ISBN options
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Essentials of Meteorology: An Invitation to the Atmosphere 9th Edition by C. Donald Ahrens/Robert Henson
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Overview

ESSENTIALS OF METEOROLOGY: AN INVITATION TO THE ATMOSPHERE, Ninth Edition, is written by the most widely read and authoritative author in introductory meteorology, Donald Ahrens, together with meteorologist and award-winning science writer Robert Henson. Their ability to explain even complicated ideas in a student-friendly way enables both science and non-science majors to visualize and understand important principles of meteorology. The Ninth Edition's clear and engaging narrative is supplemented by pedagogical features that encourage observing, calculating and synthesizing information. The authors have included information on recent weather and climate events to enhance interest, and online animations available through MindTap help students understand the underlying meteorological principles. The text also includes suggested activities that involve use of meteorological data, making it easier to assign relevant projects to help students develop critical-thinking and quantitative skills.

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Meet the Authors

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C. Donald Ahrens

Don Ahrens is an emeritus professor 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 best-selling author of three Cengage texts -- METEOROLOGY TODAY, ESSENTIALS OF METEOROLOGY and EXTREME WEATHER AND CLIMATE -- Professor Ahrens received the Textbook and Academic Authors Association’s McGuffey Longevity Award for the 9th edition of METEOROLOGY TODAY. Professor Ahrens completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in meteorology at San Jose State University and his doctorate at the University of Northern Colorado.

Robert Henson

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.

What's New

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  • 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 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.
  • 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.
  • 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).
  • 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.

Features

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  • 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 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • In-text brief reviews enable students to assess their understanding of key concepts before moving on to subsequent material.
  • 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 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.

Table of Contents

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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.

Compare Buying Options

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MindTap Options

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MindTap
Each MindTap product offers the full, mobile-ready textbook combined with superior and proven learning tools at one affordable price. Students who purchase digital access can add a print option at any time when a print option is available for their course.

This Cengage solution can be seamlessly integrated into most Learning Management Systems (Blackboard, Brightspace by D2L, Canvas, Moodle, and more) but does require a different ISBN for access codes. Please work with your Cengage Learning Consultant to ensure the proper course set up and ordering information. For additional information, please visit the LMS Integration site.

Standalone Digital Access — Ultimate Value

Recommended and most popular

  • ISBN-10: 0357857623
  • ISBN-13: 9780357857625
  • RETAIL $99.95
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Textbook Only Options

Traditional eBook and Print Options

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  • ISBN-10: 035785764X
  • ISBN-13: 9780357857649
  • RETAIL $77.95

  • ISBN-10: 0357857550
  • ISBN-13: 9780357857557
  • RETAIL $187.95

  • ISBN-10: 0357970993
  • ISBN-13: 9780357970997
  • RETAIL $207.95
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Supplements

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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.

FOR STUDENTS

MindTap for Ahrens/Henson's Essentials of Meteorology: An Invitation to the Atmosphere, 1 term Instant Access

ISBN: 9780357857625
Today's leading digital platform, MindTap for Ahrens/Henson's ESSENTIALS OF METEOROLOGY: AN INVITATION TO THE ATMOSPHERE, Ninth Edition, gives you complete control of your course--equipping you to craft unique learning experiences that challenge students, build confidence and elevate performance.\n\nA streamlined learning path and redesigned assessments minimize reader distraction. MindTap presents complex concepts using a blend of engaging narrative and media assets clearly linked to assessments. This means students can start applying concepts to real-world situations from the beginning of your course, with content that progresses from understanding core concepts to critical thinking and, ultimately, application. A distinctive, personalized study plan, based on individual performance, helps students stay focused and enables them to easily pinpoint areas for further study and practice. \n\nExclusive Instructor Tools allow you to customize course content to your needs and tailor assessments to match the specific language and style of your course. New Instructor Reports provide actionable insights into student performance and present opportunities for just-in-time intervention. \n\nUse MindTap for Ahrens/Henson's ESSENTIALS OF METEOROLOGY: AN INVITATION TO THE ATMOSPHERE, Ninth Edition, as-is or customize it to meet your specific needs. You can even integrate it easily into your LMS.