1. Introduction

1.1. The atmosphere as a physical system

1.2. Atmospheric models

1.3. Two simple atmospheric models

1.4. Some atmospheric observations

1.5. Weather and climate

2. Atmospheric Thermodynamics

2.1. The ideal gas law

2.2. Atmospheric composition

2.3. Hydrostatic balance

2.4. Entropy and potential temperature

2.5. Parcel concepts

2.6. The available potential energy

2.7. Moisture in the atmosphere

2.8. The saturated adiabatic lapse rate

2.9. The tephigram

2.10. Cloud formation

3. Atmospheric Radiation

3.1. Basic physical concepts

3.2. The radiative transfer equation

3.3. Basic spectroscopy of molecules

3.4. Transmittance

3.5. Absorption by atmospheric gases

3.6. Heating rates

3.7. The greenhouse effect revisited

3.8. A simple model of scattering

4. Basic Fluid Dynamics

4.1. Mass conservation

4.2. The material derivative

4.3. An alternative form of the continuity equation

4.4. The equation of state for the atmosphere

4.5. The Navier-Stokes equation

4.6. Rotating frames of reference

4.7. Equations of motion in coordinate form

4.8. Geostrophic and hydrostatic approximations

4.9. Pressure coordinates and geopotential

4.10. The thermodynamic energy equation

5. Further Atmospheric Fluid Dynamics

5.1. Vorticity and potential vorticity

5.2. The Boussinesq approximation

5.3. Quasi-geostrophic motion

5.4. Gravity waves

5.5. Rossby waves

5.6. Boundary layers

5.7. Instability

6. Stratospheric Chemistry

6.1. Thermodynamics of chemical reactions

6.2. Chemical kinetics

6.3. Bimolecular reactions

6.4. Photodissociation

6.5. Stratospheric ozone

6.6. Transport of chemicals

6.7. The Antarctic ozone hole

7. Atmospheric Remote Sounding

7.1. Atmospheric observations

7.2. Atmospheric remote sounding from space

7.3. Atmospheric remote sounding from the ground

8. Climate change

8.1 Introduction

8.2 An energy balance model

8.3 Some solutions of the linearised energy balance model

8.4 Climate feedbacks

8.5 The radiative forcing due to an increase in carbon dioxide

9. Atmospheric modelling

9.1. The hierarchy of models

9.2. Numerical methods

9.3. Uses of complex numerical models

9.4. Laboratory models

9.5. Final remarks

Appendices

A. Useful physical constants

B. Derivation of the equations of motion in spherical coordinates

Solutions to the problems are provided on a separate website.