Radiative Transfer In The Atmosphere And Ocean

Radiative transfer is important to a range of disciplines, from the study of the greenhouse warming to stellar atmospheres and ocean optics. This text provides a foundation of the theoretical and practical aspects of radiative transfer for senior undergraduate and graduate students of atmospheric, oceanic, and environmental sciences. With an emphasis on formulation, judicial approximations and numerical solutions of the radiative transfer equation, Radiative Transfer in the Atmosphere and Ocean fins a gap between descriptive texts covering the physical processes and the practical numerical approaches needed in research. Designed to convey physical insight into the transfer process, it can also be used as a self-contained manual for practitioners who require accurate modeling of the effects of solar and infrared radiation on natural systems. Radiative Transfer in the Atmosphere and Ocean includes a unified treatment of radiation within both the atmosphere and ocean, boundary properties (such as reflection and absorptance of solid surfaces), heuristic models (Lorentz atour, two-level atour, rotating vibrator), and extensive use of two-stream and approximate methods. State-of-the-art computational methods are illustrated by a thorough treatment of the discrete-ordinates technique and the correlated-k band absorption method. The former method provides a theoretical foundation for users of the well-known public domain computer code DISORT. Exercises and problem sets provide practice in both formulation and solution techniques. Applications to the subjects of solar UV penetration of the atmosphere/ocean system, and the greenhouse effect serve to illustrate the use of such techniques in modem research. This self-contained, systematic treatment will prepare the student in solving radiative transfer problems across a broad range of subjects.