Precipitation
Theory, Measurement and Distribution

A reference on precipitation for academic researchers and professionals in environmental science and climatology and water resource management.

Ian Strangeways (Author)

9780521172929, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 14 April 2011

302 pages
24.4 x 17 x 1.6 cm, 0.49 kg

Review of the hardback: 'This volume is a nice book for those who need a short and readable introduction into the subject of precipitation and its measurement. It will probably also be appreciated by those interested in the historical evolution of this subject. … It can be recommended to students starting their studies in meteorology and to students and scientists in neighbouring disciplines who need an overview on the subject but who are not interested in explicit details.' Meteorologische Zeitschrift

Precipitation plays a significant role in the climate system, and this book is the first to provide a comprehensive examination of the processes involved in the generation of clouds, rain, snow and hail; how precipitation is measured; how its distribution has changed over time; and how we still need to make improvements to the way precipitation is measured. It traces our attempts to understand what clouds are, from ancient Greeks to the present day. It also discusses developments in the measurement of precipitation, from rain gauges to satellite techniques, and how these measurements have enabled researchers to estimate global trends, totals, variability and extremes of precipitation. This will be a valuable and fascinating reference for academic researchers in the fields of environmental science and climatology. It will also be of great interest to professionals in water resource and flood management.

Part I. Past Theories of Rain and Snow: 1. The ancients
2. A renaissance
Part II. Present Theories of Precipitation: 3. Basic processes
4. Cloud formation
5. Cloud droplets, ice particles and precipitation
6. Lightning
Part III. Measuring Precipitation: 7. Early attempts to measure rainfall
8. Measuring precipitation with raingauges
9. Measuring snow
10. Measuring precipitation with radar
11. Measuring precipitation from satellites
Part IV. The Global Distribution of Precipitation: 12. Raingauge and satellite datasets
13. Precipitation means and trends
14. Precipitation variability and extremes
Part V. Future Developments: 15. The future of precipitation measurement
Appendix. Acronyms and abbreviations
Index.

Subject Areas: Meteorology & climatology [RBP]