This text presents the basis of atmospheric radiative transfer for graduate students, as well as for scientists or engineers who want to start work in this domain. It supposes that the reader has reached a general college level in mathematics and physics.

The first part covers the theory of radiative energy transfer and is of interest for a larger audience than only the atmospheric scientists. After carefully defining the various quantities characterizing radiation energy and its interaction with matter, the equation of radiative transfer is established and the laws of blackbody emission reviewed. One chapter presents the detection of radiative energy. The next chapters review the problems of quantitative spectroscopy and the transfer of energy in an absorbing and emitting medium. Finally, the laws of scattering are presented and the transfer of radiation in a scattering medium, including polarization, is analyzed.

Contents

• PART I
• The radiative energy. Major concepts and interaction with matter.
• The equation of radiative transfer
• The blackbody radiation. Local thermodynamic equilibrium.
• Radiation detectors
• Gaseous absorption
• Line shape
• Line intensity
• Total absorption in a line
• Average absorptance - Band models
• Transmittance along an inhomogeneous path
• Radiative transfer in a non-scattering atmosphere in local thermodynamic equilibrium
• Scattering by molecules and particles
• Radiative transfer in a scattering atmosphere
• Polarization and scattering
• PART II
• The solar radiation received on the Earth
• Description of the Earth's atmosphere and surface
• Absorption by atmospheric gases
• Instruments for atmospheric radiation measurements
• The Earth's radiation budget
• Radiation and climate
• Radiation in the middle atmosphere
• The general principles of passive remote sensing
• Remote sensing by solar extinction measurements
• Infrared and microwave remote sensing
• Ultraviolet and visible remote sensing using solar diffuse radiation
• Appendix
• Useful physical constants and earth/atmosphere data
• List of principal symbols and abbreviations
• List of acronyms
• Answers to exercises of Part I
• Subject Index

  ISBN 0-937194-21-2, 1993, Hardcover, 532 pages