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Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment

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METEOROLOGY TODAY has for many years been one of the most widely used and authoritative texts for the introductory meteorology course. This eighth edition sees improvements in flexibility for instructors and strengthened learning solutions for students. Author C. Donald Ahrens has been widely praised for his ability to explain relatively complicated ideas so that even under-prepared students can understand them. The text's clear and inviting narrative is supplemented by numerous pedagogical features that help augment students' understanding. Introductory stories found at the beginning of each chapter draw students naturally into the discussion. In-chapter reviews help students master concepts while they study, and four types of end-of-chapter exercises provide opportunities for everything from further review to in-class discussion questions. In addition to these in-text learning aids, the eighth edition sees a complete integration with MeteorologyNow?, the first assessment-driven and student-centered online learning solution created specifically for this course. MeteorologyNow? uses a series of chapter-specific diagnostic tests to build a personalized learning plan for each student, allowing students to focus their study time on specific areas of weaknesses. Each personalized learning plan directs students to specific chapter sections and concept-driven multimedia tutorials designed to augment their understanding. The new edition is available in its original nineteen chapter "classic" version, or as a "core" version, which features only the most popular sixteen chapters. The "core" version sacrifices none of the detail that the course needs, but eliminates chapters that may not be directly covered in class. Looking for more flexibility? With the Thomson TextChoice custom solution program, instructors can select and reorganize chapters to perfectly match their syllabus, thereby creating the ideal text solution for the course.

537 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

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About the author

C. Donald Ahrens

34 books4 followers

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5 stars
100 (45%)
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59 (26%)
3 stars
40 (18%)
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8 (3%)
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14 (6%)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Tom S.
8 reviews
May 2, 2013
Best book on meteorology ever! For a college level course, it's quite intuitive. I don't know what I would do at the meteorology event at science Olympiad without it. The section on humidity. I would have read it even if I weren't in Scioly. I recommend it to everyone who wants to know what's going on around them, or be able to look up at the sky and know what weather is coming WITHOUT tuning into the weather channel.
Profile Image for Laura.
79 reviews
September 22, 2007
This is a very accessible and readable text that explains the fundamentals of atmospheric science. I read it cover to cover my quarter in grad school. Very helpful--and interesting, too.
Profile Image for ahmed.
18 reviews4 followers
January 8, 2019
Very much deep into the science of air covering earth surface that is fair enough for amateur stargazers. I started stargazing lately, and I thought it is much holistic to understand the atmosphere since my eye is on the sky and light interaction with atmosphere produces many tricky things. Now, I look to the stars, planets and the sun with different perspective as I understand what is perceived with my eyes is almost an illusion and not as it looks!
Profile Image for Jonathan Spencer.
220 reviews30 followers
May 12, 2017
I read this as the text for an introductory meteorology class at a community college. I found it thorough and engaging.
1 review
May 30, 2017
Interesting, very clear. Highly recommended for Meteorology students.
18 reviews
October 23, 2026
Read chapters 2, 4, and 8.

Well explained and easy to follow. Demonstrates concepts in an ordered fashion that makes understanding my current module much simpler.
Profile Image for Chris Seltzer.
618 reviews3 followers
October 9, 2019
Fairly standard textbook. It covers the basics, is well organized, and contains compelling media to help students learn. If you're looking for an introductory text to Meteorology this is about as good as any.
Profile Image for Angela.
60 reviews3 followers
September 23, 2014
Not a fan of meteorology. I learned a few interesting tid-bits, but am SO glad this class is OVER!
Profile Image for Jeff Knoblauch.
Author 4 books2 followers
January 30, 2017
This was a great book. I used it to homeschool my daughter in natural science. It implored easy to understand language and yet imparted a lot of information.
Profile Image for Jackie.
24 reviews1 follower
Read
February 11, 2013
Reading this for class.. finding relevant information every time I watch the weather.
Profile Image for Jimmy.
770 reviews26 followers
September 24, 2015
Good, clear, through introduction to meteorology, with a couple exceptions. Chapter 4 covers atmospheric visuals (refraction, mirages, sun dogs, etc.) and chapter 17 covers air pollution; in both cases, the author fails to explain what either topic has to do with meteorology or weather forecasting. Chapter 19 also has a section on "global warming".
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews