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Title: Atmospheric Thermodynamics by Craig F. Bohren, Bruce A. Albrecht ISBN: 0-19-509904-4 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: February, 1998 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $74.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.2 (5 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: A book for tattooed and bearded men wearing nose rings?
Comment: When I bought this book in 1998, I did so with great expectations: at long last an overdue text in atmospheric thermodynamics! And from Oxford University Press at that! I read it and was rather annoyed at the arrogant style of those two authors, one of whom has written an admired textbook on scattering. I found very disturbing such phrases as the one I am paraphrasing as the title of this review, as well as others like "the rubbish that continues to be propagated in textbooks is inexcusable". Either they don't have read enough textbooks or they are redefining the word rubbish. There are many imprecise statements and also straight errors. They do no better than their predecessors, although that is exactly what they set out to do (Preface, p. ix). They abhor differentials, citing some great figures like Truesdell, who "dips his pen in the most corrosive acid when writing about differentials in thermodynamics", misunderstanding him and ignoring what he wrote about differentials in the second edition of "Rational Thermodynamics". I agree, however, with the authors in that there is much room for improvement in the usual presentation of atmospheric thermodynamics, and I think they succeed in many respects. But in a major point they fail outrightly: I find it "inexcusable" that, by the end of the 20th century, the authors of a new textbook on atmospheric thermodynamics seem uninformed as to the important developments in irreversible atmospheric processes that took place in the last 50 years or so. No mention of entropy production, for instance, nowhere is "affinity" defined, although it plays an important part in reaching equilibrium, an aspect of real processes to which they devote a chapter, but without bringing the reader nearer to modern developments.
Altogether a failed attempt at filling out a gaping gap existing in this branch of meteorology.
Rating: 1
Summary: I don't understand the popularity of this book.
Comment: I teach atmospheric science to undergraduate students at a major university. Teaching atmospheric thermodynamics has always been a challenge because of the lack of a suitable text book. I had high hopes for this book when it first came out. However, it turned out that I could use almost nothing in this book. The treatment is non-standard and in many instances incorrect. Because of the authors' disdain for differentials, derivations are cumbersome and not always correct; certain topics such as Maxwell's relations cannot be treated without differentials (perhaps this is why this topic was omitted from the book). The selection of material is not very useful for an atmospheric scientist, other than the fact that it focuses mainly on gases. Apart from the selection and treatment of the material, the aspect of the book that I dislike the most is the condescending manner that the author treats other people in the profession and also the students. The author dislikes many things, and everybody else working in this field is apparently an idiot. Most of the so-called misconceptions held by others that are pointed out in this text do not exist in fact, and the authors are merely playing linguistic games. Some of the other reviewers apparently find this amusing; I do not. The author apparently attempts a feynman-esque style in his writing; in my opinion it fails miserably. I have found the text by Curry and Webster on "Thermodynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans" to be far more useful, although it is somewhat advanced for undergraduates.
Rating: 3
Summary: Good book if you know thermodynamics. VERY Dangerous
Comment: This is a very unusual book on thermodynamics. It is very good reading and can be usefull if you know thermodynamics. Otherwise it is dangerous.The authors hate a lot of things. Among then differentials , which they claim"are a swindle".The authors probably are not aware of Abrahan Robinson work on Non Standard Analysis.However to divide every differential by dt and claim that with this time enters in thermodynamics is wrong in my opinion. Thermodynamics considers reversible transformations which of course can only be approximated , usually (but not allways)by very slow transformations. There are other erors in the book , which however can be VERY usefull if you already know thermodynamics. Please be carefull
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Title: An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology by James Holton+; ISBN: 012354355X Publisher: Academic Press Pub. Date: 07 April, 1992 List Price(USD): $73.95 |
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Title: Atmospheric Science : An Introductory Survey by John Wallace, Peter Hobbs ISBN: 0127329501 Publisher: Academic Press Pub. Date: 28 April, 1977 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
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Title: Short Course in Cloud Physics by M K Yau, R R ROGERS ISBN: 0750632151 Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann Pub. Date: 01 January, 1989 List Price(USD): $57.95 |
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Title: An Introduction to Atmospheric Thermodynamics by Anastasios A. Tsonis ISBN: 0521796768 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 21 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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Title: Weather Analysis by Dusan Djuric ISBN: 0135011493 Publisher: Prentice Hall Pub. Date: 02 February, 1994 List Price(USD): $94.00 |
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