Introductory Agro meteorology & Climate Change

Meaning and scope of agricultural meteorology.
Earth atmosphere- its composition, extent and structure.
Atmospheric weather variables; Atmospheric pressure, its variation with height.
Wind, types of wind, daily and seasonal variation of wind speed.
Cyclone, anticyclone, land breeze and sea breeze.
Nature and properties of solar radiation, solar constant, depletion of solar radiation.
Short wave, longwave and thermal radiation, net radiation, albedo.
Atmospheric temperature, temperature inversion, lapse rate, daily and seasonal variations of temperature, Vertical profile of temperature.
Energy balance of earth; Atmospheric humidity, concept of saturation, vapor pressure.
Process of condensation, formation of dew, fog, mist, frost, cloud.
Precipitation, process of precipitation, types of precipitation such as rain, snow, sleet, and hail.
cloud formation and classification; Artificial rainmaking. Monsoon- mechanism and importance in Indian agriculture.
Weather hazards - drought, floods, frost, tropical cyclones and extreme weather conditions such as heat-wave and cold-wave.
Agriculture and weather relations; Modifications of crop microclimate, climatic normals for crop and livestock production.
Weather forecasting- types of weather forecast and their uses.
Climate change, climatic variability, global warming, causes of climate change and its impact on regional and national Agriculture.