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Introduction
Most of you taking this course are not meteorology majors, so we don't
assume that you have a lot of background in atmospheric science. However, an
understanding of basic characteristics of atmospheric structure and circulation
will be needed to understand how the environment of the planet is changing.
The atmosphere rapidly transports heat, moisture, and trace gases throughout a
thin (compared to the radius of the earth) spherical shell over the face of the
planet. To understand the atmosphere we have to start at the sun, which is the
source of energy that drives the circulation systems of the atmosphere and
oceans. An online guide to basics of weather and climate information is
available from the University of Illinois Weather
World 2010.