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 CengageNOW, the first assessment-driven and student-centered online learning solution created specifically for this course. CengageNOW 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 Cengage Learning TextChoice custom solution program, instructors can select and reorganize chapters to perfectly match their syllabus, thereby creating the ideal text solution for the course.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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".