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Atmospheric Convection
Open accessAbstract
This graduate-level meteorology text and reference provides a scientifically rigorous description of the many types of convective circulations in the Earth's atmosphere. These range from small-scale, convectively driven turbulences in the boundary layer to precipitating systems covering many thousands of square kilometers. The text introduces the principal techniques used in understanding and predicting convective motion: theory, field experiment, and numerical modelling. Part I explores dry convection, including turbulent plumes and thermals from isolated buoyancy sources, Raleigh-Benard convection, and turbulent convection in the planetary boundary layer. Emphasis is placed on applying theoretical understanding and lessons from experiments. Part II offers a complete treatment of the thermodynamics of moist and cloudy air, including fundamental laws, conserved quantities, graphical techniques, and stability. Part III explores the characteristics of individual convective clouds, thunderstorms, squall lines, mesoscale convective systems, and slantwise convection. Part IV studies the ensemble effects of convective clouds, including stratocumulus at trade cumulus boundary layers and the representation of convective clouds in numerical models. Each chapter is followed by a set of exercises.
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“which is approximately half the typical value of a hurricane on Earth, 0.17 mbar/km [ Emanuel, 1994].”
From Dynamics of Saturn's polar regions (2015) · cites this paper as Emanuel, 1994
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Metadata
- Authors
- Emanuel, K. A.
- Affiliations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- Corresponding author
- Emanuel, Kerry A
- ORCID
- Emanuel, Kerry A
- Publisher
- Oxford University PressNew York, NY
- Published
- 1994-02-17
- OpenAlex
- W4388291174
- Cited by
- 1,205
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 36 · 2025: 67 · 2024: 55 · 2023: 73 · 2022: 58 · 2021: 70 · 2020: 60 · 2019: 59 · 2018: 48 · 2017: 35 · 2016: 49 · 2015: 33 · 2014: 38 · 2013: 40 · 2012: 31
- FWCI
- 20.39
- Type
- book
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- infoscience.epfl.ch
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- Locations
- Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Atmospheric aerosols and clouds
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Computational Mechanics › Fluid Dynamics and Turbulent Flows
- Keywords
- atmospheric convection, dry convection, turbulent plumes, thermals, Rayleigh-Bénard convection, thunderstorms, squall lines, mesoscale convective systems, slantwise convection, stratocumulus, cumulus parameterization
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