Ideal for the upper-level undergraduate or introductory-level graduate courses, the second edition presents students with a thorough foundation on the climactic system. The authors begin with an overview of climatology basics, including a discussion on climatology versus meteorology and an introduction to the atmosphere. They then introduce more advanced concepts, such as microscale transfer of energy, matter, and momentum; the global water balance; global atmospheric circulation; climatic classification with special emphasis on the regional differences within the same climate types; and much more.

Summarizes the science of climate change and impacts on the United States, for the public and policymakers.