Planets and Their Atmospheres: Origins and Evolution: Volume 33 (International Geophysics, Volume 33)

This work is addressed to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in astronomy, geology, chemistry, meteorology, and the planetary sciences as well as to researchers with pertinent areas of specialization who desire an introduction to the literature across the broad interdisciplinary range of this important topic. Extensive references to the pre-spacecraft literature will be particularly useful to readers interested in the historical development of the field during this century.

This volume critically surveys our present knowledge of the origin, composition, and evolution of planetary atmospheres, beginning with the presolar nebula and culminating with the present states and evolutionary trends of these atmospheres. The authors give special emphasis to the comparative study of Venus, Earth, and Mars as examples of evolving atmospheres. They cover in detail processes on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Titan, and lo and review evidence on the abundance, distribution, and behavior of the volatile elements in asteroids and in planetary satellite systems.|This volume critically surveys our present knowledge of the origin, composition, and evolution of planetary atmospheres, beginning with the presolar nebula and culminating with the present states and evolutionary trends of these atmospheres. The authors give special emphasis to the comparative study of Venus, Earth, and Mars as examples of evolving atmospheres. They cover in detail processes on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Titan, and lo and review evidence on the abundance, distribution, and behavior of the volatile elements in asteroids and in planetary satellite systems.