  We review the current status of studies of disc atmospheres and winds in low
mass X-ray binaries. We discuss the possible wind launching mechanisms and
compare the predictions of the models with the existent observations. We
conclude that a combination of thermal and radiative pressure (the latter being
relevant at high luminosities) can explain the current observations of
atmospheres and winds in both neutron star and black hole binaries. Moreover,
these winds and atmospheres could contribute significantly to the broad iron
emission line observed in these systems.
