Recommended Readings from Moran and Morgan (1997):
pages 190-197.
Today's Lecture Objectives:
To explain the physical causes for some common atmospheric optical phenomena.
To distinguish between scattering, reflection, refraction, dispersion and
diffraction processes.
To know where and when to look for the various optical phenomena.
To indicate the meteorological significance associated with some of these
optical phenomena.
To identify the reasons for blue sky, white clouds and red sunsets.
To explain why the moon and sun are visible after they have actually passed
below the horizon.
To explain the formation of a mirage.
To compare and contrast the formation of haloes, coronas and glories.
To identify the features of primary and secondary rainbows.
Outline:
A. INTRODUCTION
Definition and Scope
Historical Background
B. NATURE OF VISIBLE LIGHT
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Visible Light, Sunlight and The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Visible Light, Color and Human Visual Perception
C. REVIEW OF OPTICAL PROCESSES
Scattering
Reflection
Refraction
Dispersion
Diffraction
D. ATMOSPHERIC OPTICAL PHENOMENA
Optical Phenomena associated with Small Particles in the Atmosphere
Blue Skies
White Clouds
Red Sunsets
Optical Phenomena associated with Vertical Air Density Gradients
Apparent Sunsets
Mirages
Optical Phenomena associated with Liquid Water Drops/Droplets in the
Air
Rainbows
Corona
Glories
Optical Phenomena associated with Ice Crystals in the Air
Haloes
Parhelia (Sun Dogs)
Sun Pillars
Links to Other References:
Some optical phenomena can be found on the Internet with the Light
& Optics module from Weather World 2010 (Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign).
For a tutorial
on
basic optics principles and atmospheric optical phenomena from Prof. Steve
Ackerman of the Dept. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, UW-Madison.
Last revision 6 June 2000
Produced by Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D.
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 53706
hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu