PREFACE
CHAPTER I - THE AIR
AROUND US
The Big Picture...The Structure of the Air...Properties of the
Air... Pressure in the Atmosphere...Temperature in the Air...Solar
Heating...Cooling Cycles...Daily Changes...Seasonal Changes... Water
Vapor...Humidity...Water's Amazing Properties...Latent Heat...
Summary
CHAPTER II - THE LIVING
ATMOSPHERE
The Lapse Rate...Stability and Instability...Indications of
Stability... The Stability of Layers...The Moist Lapse Rate...The
Standard Atmosphere...Density Altitude...The Wind We Feel...Coriolis
Effect...Summary
CHAPTER III - THE
MESSAGE OF THE CLOUDS
Cloud Causes...Lifting the Air...The Dew Point and Cloud Height...
Cloud Formation...Cloud Bases/Cloud Tops...Cloud Life...Old
Clouds... Rain...Visibility...Cloud Types...Altitude
Classification... Seasonal and Location Variations...Lesser Known
Clouds... What They Tell Us...Flying in Clouds...Summary
CHAPTER IV - THE BIG
PICTURE GENERAL METEOROLOGY
Movement of the Atmosphere...Air Masses...The Meaning of
Fronts...Front Characteristics--Cold...Front Characteristics--
Warm... Frontal Action...Variations in Fronts...Occluded
Fronts...Seasonal Changes...High Pressure Systems...Low Pressure
Systems...Local Lows...Highs and Lows Together...Isobars...Isobars
and the Wind... Circulation Aloft...A Trough Aloft...The Jet
Stream...Steering Winds and Pressure Patterns...Tropical
Weather...Island Weather... Summary.
CHAPTER V - WIND
PATTERNS
Measuring the Winds...Watching the Wind...Prevailing Winds...Wind
Flow Near the Surface...Winds Around Fronts and Pressure
Systems...Moving Weather...Areas Beyond the Fronts... Backing and
Veering Winds...The Wind Gradient...Winds Aloft...Jet Streams...
Diurnal Variation of the Wind...Layering of the Air... Low-Level
Jets... Special Winds...North American Winds...Old World Winds...
Summary
CHAPTER VI - TURBULENCE
UNSTEADY FLOW
The Meaning of Turbulence...The Nature of Turbulence...The Causes of
Turbulence...Vortex Turbulence...Rotors...Detecting Turbulence...
Conditions and Turbulence Cycles...Surface Conditions...Wind
Shadow... Flying in Turbulence...Summary
CHAPTER VII - LOCAL
WINDS
Heating and Circulation...The Sea Breeze...Sea Breeze and General
Wind...Sea Breeze Prediction...Sea Breeze Strength, Reach and
Seasons...Sea Breeze Effects...Sea Breeze Fronts...Complicated
Coastlines...Island Effects...Land Breezes...Heat Fronts...From
Forest to Field...Upslope Winds...Downslope Winds...Gravity
Winds...Magic Air and Wonder Winds...Up Valley and Down Valley
Winds...Complicated Systems...Summary
CHAPTER VIII - SOARING
CONDITIONS--LIFTING AIR
To Soar...Ridge Lift...Complex Shapes...Canyons and Gaps...Ridge
Soaring Problems...Variable Lift...Wave Lift...Wave Properties...
Wave Clouds...Wave Dangers...Flying in Waves... Finding Waves...
Other Wave Sources...Convergence lift...Flying in Convergences...
Frontal Lift...lift Indicators...Summary
CHAPTER IX -
INSTABILITY AND THERMALS
The Birth of a Thermal...Thermal Triggering...Lee Side Thermals...
Thermal Sources...House Thermals...Terrain Sources...Wet Ground
Sources...Thermal Cycles...Evening Thermals...Thermal Rising...Real
Lapse Rates...The Lapse Rate Aloft...Thermals and Lapse Rate
Variations...Dust Devils...Ideal Thermal Conditions...Lift in a
Thermal...Thermal Sink...Summary
CHAPTER X - THERMAL
LORE
Thermal Sizes and Strengths...Thermal Heights...Thermal Duration and
Daily Variation...Thermals in Wind...Thermal Tracks and Cycles
...Thermal Types...Thermal Spacing...Thermal Patterns...Thermal
Streets...Cloud Streets...Cloud Street Behavior...Thermals and Cloud
Character...Near Cloud Features...Wind Effects on Clouds...Locating
Thermals...Blue Holes...Summary
CHAPTER XI -
THUNDERSTORMS
Where and When...The Cause of Storms...A Thunderstorm Life Cycle...
Thunderstorm Variations...Thunderstorm Dangers ...Downdrafts and
Gust Fronts...Judging the Storm...Escaping a Thunderstorm...
Tornados...Summary
CHAPTER XII - WATCHING
THE WEATHER
Weather Cycles...Weather and the Barometer...Weather Wisdom...
Weather Information Sources...Weather Maps...Soaring Forecasts...
Reading an Area...Site Examples...Summary
APPENDIX I - DENSITY CHANGES IN THE
ATMOSPHERE
APPENDIX II - CORIOLIS EFFECT
APPENDIX III - DRYING WINDS
APPENDIX IV - THERMAL BUOYANCY
APPENDIX V - TRIGGER TEMPERATURE
GLOSSARY
INDEX
