Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the history and science of major air pollution issues. It begins with an introduction to the basic atmospheric chemistry and the history of discovery of chemicals in the atmosphere, and then moves on to a discussion of the evolution of the earth's atmosphere, and the structure and composition of the present-day atmosphere. It also offers a comprehensive and accessible discussion of the five major atmospheric pollution topics: urban outdoor air pollution, indoor air pollution, acid deposition, stratospheric ozone reduction, and global climate change. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent Chaos Primer
My first intro to chaos was Gleick's book *Chaos: Making a New Science* which focused on the history of the discovery of chaos. Although this was fascinating - and a good read for those just learning about dynamical systems, strange attractors, and the like - Lorenz's *Essence of Chaos* was much more satisfying. Lorenz analyzes specific chaotic functions, gives you the math (equations are in the appendix) and generally accomplishes what the title suggests - that is, exploring the essence of chaos. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in this deeply fascinating subject.

Great Stuff from the Great One
Lorenz has done it again. This is a terrific inside look at chaos by the man who made Gleick's book possible. And it had a few interesting new ideas too--who would have thought there was a different way to present fourth-order Runge-Kutta? Who would have thought Runge-Kutta could convert a phase-space circle to a nice-looking fractal attractor? A good book for the air plane.

The Essence of Chaos: A great primer on chaos theory.
Edward Lorenz takes a complicated topic and makes it accessible for all people, regardless of prior knowledge of chaos theory. He provides interesting and easy to follow examples of chaos, fractals and complexity. The illustrations are helpful and he includes a glossary of terms to aid the beginning chaos enthusiasts to quickly become familiar with the terminology. Mr. Lorenz gives a brief history of chaos and explains how it is used in the study of mathematics, meteorology, economics, music, and other fields. The book is very interesting and is highly recommended for those who would like to acquaint themselves with the exciting world of chaos. ... Read more

Book Description

At last, a book that has what every atmospheric science and meteorology student should know about satellite meteorology: the orbits of satellites, the instruments they carry, the radiation they detect, and, most importantly, the fundamental atmospheric data that can be retrieved from their observations.

Key Features
* Of special interest are sections on:
* Remote sensing of atmospheric temperature, trace gases, winds, cloud and aerosol data, precipitation, and radiation budget
* Satellite image interpretation
* Satellite orbits and navigation
* Radiative transfer fundamentals ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Nice Introductory Book to Satellite Meteorology
This is a very good book for atmospheric science and meteorology students and researchers. It includes many topics that are very useful for both educational and research purposes: the orbits of satellites, the instruments they carry, the radiation they detect, and, most importantly, the fundamental atmospheric data that can be retrieved from their observations. I first read this book when I was a graduate student in atmospheric sciences. Most books I have read are concerned with dynamics or physics, which are the classical fields. Very few of them discuss the practical yet not so established topics like satellite meteorology. This book is the most comprehensive one I have ever read that covers this whole new field. ... Read more

Book Description

The most complete guide to marine weather analysis, tactics, and storm avoidance.Teaches traditional forecasting based on current observed conditions, as well as the latest tools including facsimile charts and the Internet.An easy-to-use tool for sailors, power boaters, professional seamen, and anyone interested in the weather. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Horrendous amount of errors
I purchased this book several years ago and atempted to read it. There were so many spelling errors that in many cases I couldn't figure out what the author(s) were trying to say. After straining my brain for about 75 pages I gave up the effort. It was the first edition and I hope they've put some effort into corrections.

At Last!
Mariner's weather Handbook is the first book about marine weather I've found (in more than 20 years of reading about and struggling with the subject) that has actually allowed me to (finally!) understand the constantly changing three-dimensional relationships between differing air masses and their fronts. Steve Dashew explains the world's weather in a systematic and logical progression that kept me firmly on a heretofore slippery learning curve.

With quotes and examples from leading meteorologists as well as his own experiences (over 100,000 miles under sail), Mr. Dashew explains the mechanics of the weather and the tools available to forcast it. More importantly for mariners, he details what the real concerns are during voyage planning and 'at sea'.

The book also focuses on the rules-of-thumb, routines and on-board equipment that enables one to sail prudently and safely - if warily - across the world's oceans. He details several of his own voyages, with copious log excerpts, available weatherfax charts and satellite images to cover the developing situation day by day.

The only reason for not giving the book the highest marks is the poor editing and occasional indifferent and innacurate illustrations. It's possible that the occasional misstatements and errors in the text and my subsequent backpedeling and rechecking to identify the descrepencies and 'gett it straight in my head again' are actually resposible for my finally 'getting' the weather. In that case, I owe the editor - or lack thereof - some serious gratitude. In any case, the book made me feel that I could understand it and - by golly! - I finally did! The plentiful weather charts, photographs and diagrams more than make up for the few confusing illustrations.

The book finishes with valuable internet addresses that enable one to begin to gather current and historic weather data, charts and satellite images on the internet. Personally, I'm buying a barometer and hope to begin what will be a life long understanding, study and forcast of the weather, possibly in preperation for my own ocean crossings - thanks to Steve Dashew's very good book. ... Read more

Book Description

The popularity of geographic information system (GIS) software as a tool in the social and physical sciences is growing rapidly. These three modular investigation guides let even novice users tap the power of ArcView® GIS to explore, manipulate, and analyze large data sets. Carefully designed and class tested, the guides emphasize the visualization, analysis, and multimedia integration capabilities inherent to GIS, while minimizing the need to master a complex software package. Exploring Water Resources make the nuts and bolts of using ArcView® GIS transparent to your students. By focusing on teaching with GIS rather than teaching about it, you can incorporate GIS easily into homework, discussions, or lab sessions. This flexible teaching resource motivates and enables your students to ?learn by doing? as they use a full complement of GIS capabilities.EXPLORING THE DYNAMIC EARTH: GIS INVESTIGATIONS FOR THE EARTH SCIENCES complements any introductory course in meteorology, oceanography, physical geography, natural hazards, Earth sciences, atmospheric science, and Earth systems science. The guide leads students through a set of exercises in which they are asked to explore, analyze, and then elaborate on the information extracted from a robust GIS dataset using ArcView®, the dominant GIS software tool in the school and college market.The GIS information has been preprocessed into maps and legends, and some ArcView procedures have been automated so students can focus on the science content. Extensive classroom testing at both the college and high school levels shows that students have little difficulty using the ArcView data sets to perform the exercises. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

learn ArcView
You get a quick introduction to using GIS with geographic data. Perhaps the best thing about the book is the exposure you get to ArcView, which is one of the major GIS products out there in the marketplace. The book assumes no prior exposure to GIS. But if you are majoring in any of the earth sciences (geography foremost amongst these), then using GIS has now become a de facto mandatory requirement of your discipline. The book takes much of the mystique and difficulty out of using GIS.

The book's brevity means that it does not go into any topic in detail. Perhaps the authors are planning sequels along these lines? ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's time to stop talking about the weather and do something about it. Paranormal superstars Art Bell and Whitley Strieber bring environmentalism to the masses tabloid-style in The Coming Global Superstorm, a quick look at global warming and its potentially catastrophic effects.Like Old Testament prophets, Bell and Strieber embrace lovingly detailed depictions of global cataclysm; unlike them, our modern-day doomsayers have more to go on than that old-time religion.Their writing is clear and straightforward, interspersing hard data with dramatization and speculation to create an engaging, enjoyable, but thoroughly spooky warning of the next Ice Age.

Scoffers would do well to remember the 1900 hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas, despite the clear warnings--we may have advanced our meteorological knowledge over the 20th century, but is our judgment any better?Bell and Strieber are ultimately optimistic that quick behavior change can avert the big storm for a while, even if archaeological evidence suggests its inevitability.Their solutions range from the small scale (buy fuel-efficient cars) to the grandiose (global cooperation in weather monitoring).Whether their suggestions will help is a moot question (how could we ever know?); surely, though, they won't hurt. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (125)

It May Be True But It Is Also Unconvincing
THE COMING OF THE GLOBAL SUPERSTORM warns of the coming end of civilization following the one-two punch of a global warming followed by devastating ice age. Art Bell and Whitley Streiber suggest that the seeming paradox of intense heat can cause a sudden melting of the polar ice caps, which in turn, can cause a disruption of the North Atlantic Gulf Stream. It is this weakening, they note, that will result in the massive and lightning quick advance of the polar ice to the previously warm Northern Hemisphere. Within days, then hours, the entire North American continent, Europe, Russia, and North Africa will be ripped apart by a superstorm unprecedented in ferocity. This part of their book has just enough reasonableness in its logic to invest their claims with some sobering apprehension. For those who have seen the film, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, upon which this book is based, were treated to some truly amazing special effects of New York being inundated by a massive sea surge.

The problem with accepting their premise is two fold. First, several prominent climatologists have refuted the idea that such a catastrophe could strike within days. These weather experts agree that yes, such a flooding and freezing could occur, but only after thousands of years. What the reader has to face is the hard choice of which set of experts to believe. No one wants to accept the doomsday scenario of Bell and Streiber, so there is the natural tendency to scoff at their claims. Bell and Streiber, to their credit, admit that it would take courage and foresight to accept their thesis. To make their claims more enticing they resort to methods of persuasion that are superficially glitzy but do not fall into the category of hard scientific empiricism. And this brings me to their second problem. Bell and Streiber have written their book as a sort of oddly blended HAB THEORY wedded to CHARIOTS OF THE GODS. In these latter books, their authors posit the existence of previous civilizations that were quickly wiped out by natural phenomena. No reputable scientist can accept a premise that relies on an underpinning of sensational pulpist writing of lost civilization. Further, Bell and Streiber intersperse their text with a fictional viewpoint of a climatologist who passes judgment on the oncoming superstorm. As long as they stick to their hard science discussion of the mechanics of ice flow, their account is oddly compelling. But the fictionalized viewpoints and digressions on lost civilizations intrude to the point that the reader shakes his head and wishes for more prose on ice flow and less on the lost glories of Atlantis. If indeed Bell and Streiber are correct in their premise that the downfall of human civilization is a heartbeat away, then someone else will have to warn humanity in a way that appeals more to the head and less to the heart. The possibility of being right is no excuse for being unconvincing.

Got to be kidding!
Whitley Strieber??? Come on, abductions, implants, etc., this guy is a total JOKE! Now he is an expert on Global Warming? Holy Cow, the only one who is a bigger joke of a jackass is Al Gore, promoting this stupid book (and now an even dumber movie) as scientific fact.

Motley Fools
After reading the book, checking sources, seeing the film more than once I have to say to all those who mock and laugh at the premise of the book that this is not a work of fiction, but, a record of Earth's geological past and what is to come. There have been many, many ice ages in earth's history most lasting for between 100,000 to 200,000 years, so, to those who laugh, do so at your own peril.

Y2K??
I haven't read the book, but another reviewer wrote something funny. He refered to Y2k and how people were worried about the end of the world then, and they were obviously wrong. (basically, making his point that the Superstorm idea is just as silly). Well, to that I would only say that Y2k could have easily caused major problems around the world if not for the hundreds of thousands of programmers working for years to solve the problem. So the only reason Y2K didn't "end the world" is because we worked to prevent it!! The same COULD be true for global warming if we don't prevent it. Many socially irresponsible people need a 6000 lb SUV to drive themselves to work. I guess they don't mind taking their chances that all the "left-wing idiots" are wrong. Personally, I wouldn't risk it.

Good as entertainment only
Makes for good entertaining reading, but like the movie Day After Tomorrow, just be sure not to take it too seriously, as the authors have no real scientific credentials to speak of. Frankly, anyone who would actually seriously believe Whitley Streiber's material probably thinks that The X-Files is a documentary series. ... Read more

Book Description

Interest in our nation's weather patterns is rising -- as witnessed in the popularity of the Weather Channel -- and this guide is the most popular reference to every type of weather system, cloud formation, and atmospheric phenomenon common to North America. The 378 dramatic photographs capture cloud types, precipitation, storms, twisters, and optical phenomena such as the Northern Lights. Essays with accompanying maps and illustrations discuss the earth's atmosphere, weather systems, cloud formation, and development of tornadoes and many other weather events. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Stunning photography and detail.
The Audubon Guide to weather is a one and only purchase for meteorologists. The photographs are simply spectacular, particularly the cumulonimbus and cumulus congestus, which are mysterious and somewhat intimidating at a distance. Since I reside in the desert, this guides causes me to long for cumulonimbus towers or even an occasional cirrocumulus formation. The content and system are convenient, as referring to the right back of the book for photo explanation is great organization. The photographs of impending thunderstorms are stunning. A very frightening and important warning cloud is the mesocyclone. This formation indicates a tornado later in the day. The guide could also assist in creating a Tornado Warning issue in a specific area. The whole Audubon series should be put into your private collection, as they are known for extremely helpful guides and environment contribution.
There a two editions which do not differ in very many respects. Economy Press, which edition is long out of print, lacks a few photos compared to the contemporary edition. The new press is superior anyway, and has very clean transfers. The very old Economy Press is not as detailed as the new edition. Since only one edition of this sensation guide is available, it should easily be purchased with an impressive price. The older version used to be hardback, and had a different illustration on the front cover, still mentioning the authors however. The new print is leatherback, which is easy to carry and not bulky. The Economy Press may last a bit longer, but the new edition is more helpful in cloud identification.
Many Audubon field guides are recommended, including their guides to butterflies, insects, and birds. Along with the Petersons, these guides should be sought out.

Very good, even if you live outside the US
I ordered this book after reading other peoples reviews. Something in particular I was looking for was information about clouds (types/formations, significance).

This book has exactly the information I was looking for (and more); detailed information about clouds - including hunderds of pictures - allow me to identify and name the different cloud types. It also explains very well how this all relates to the overall weather situation.

Although the book is targetted towards North American weather, I did not find this a major disadvantage. Weather situations in the US and Canada are mostly used as examples, and knowing the general European situation, information is easily put into context.

When ordering I was a little bit worried this was one more popular weather book with the standard stuff. No sir! This book definitely also serves the more serious weather observer.

Recommended!

Highly Recommended
I bought this book to prepare for a Meteorology course in college. It prepared me well giving great detail that even a beginner could understand. Contains Stunningly Beautiful pictures.

excellent
A wonderful guide to weather and climate. Stunning photographs with an easy to use reference section. If you're interested in weather phenomena, you really should own this book

very good and clear pictures, very helpful with weather
good good boo ... Read more

Book Description

Based on Global Water Cycles, 1987, this paperback volume can be used to supplement a core geochemistry text or as a stand-alone text. Written by two well-known researchers, this text provides a multidisciplinary approach to a number of environmental topics on water, air, and atmospheric chemistry.Coverage ranges from aspects of geology, oceanography and meteorology, to environmental science, soil science, biogeochemistry, and limnology. Features coverage on atmospheric chemistry with emphasis on the carbon cycle, the most up-to-date statistics on the greenhouse effect, and the ozone hole. Reflects the inclusion of non-aqueous topics on atmospheric chemistry (such as atmospheric CO2 and ozone). Covers a large number of environmental topics on water and atmospheric chemistry. Emphasizes natural processes that affect the major elements as they provide a background against which to measure human-induced changes. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

On-the-Spot Forecasting
I first read this book when my math teacher lent it to me. Since then, I have gotten my own copy of this book and use it quite often. To get an idea of what the weather will be like within the next 24 hours, all you need to know is the wind direction and the cloud type. A quick glance through the book will do the rest. My only complaint is that it is sometimes hard to find the correct type of cloud in the book, as clouds do not always conform to the general pictures in the book. For help in identifying the cloud type, I would recommend the NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN WEATHER. The pictures in there are wonderful, clear and really help a lot. Otherwise, THE WEATHER WIZARD'S CLOUD BOOK has proved very useful while away from a weather broadcast. If you're outdoors and away from a T.V. or radio station often, this book is a must. ... Read more

Book Description

This book describes the methods used to construct general circulation models of the atmosphere, and how such models perform in applications relating to the real climate or environmental systems. The autor describes the fundamental dynamics of the atmospheric circulation, modelling of the general circulation, and applications of GCMs. The book consits of three parts: part 1 summarizes the physical processes involved, including basic equations, waves and instabilities; part 2 covers atmospheric structures, including various types of one- and two-dimensional structures and circulations; and part 3 describes the basic notions for construction of general circulation models of the atmosphere and their applications. The text includes an appendix incorporating the basic data and mathematical formulae required to enable readers to construct GCMs for themselves. ... Read more

Book Description

The riveting account of a 1913 storm that paralyzed the heart of America

Autumn gales have pursued mariners across the Great Lakes for centuries. On Friday, November 7, 1913, those gales captured their prey. After four days of winds up to 90 miles an hour, freezing temperatures, whiteout blizzard conditions, and mountainous seas, 19 ships had been lost, two dozen had been thrown ashore, 238 sailors were dead, and the city of Cleveland was confronting the worst natural disaster in its history.

In White Hurricane, writer and mariner David G. Brown combines narrative intensity with factual depth to re-create the events of the "perfect storm" that struck America's heartland. Interweaving human drama, mystery, and historical consequence, Brown has created a vast epic ranging over Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie and echoing down the decades. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Entertaining & accurate; better than fiction.
Dave Brown has really done the necessary, comprehensive research. His description of Great Lakes' shipping is 100% accurate. The reporting is factual and not embellished with contrived dialogue. I was an engineer in Great Lakes and ocean ships, one cited in the book, and can visualize the events he described and emphasize with the crewmen's situations.

The last trip of the season
Ninety years ago this November, one of the worst disasters in Great Lakes history took place over a period of four days, when twelve ships foundered and thirty-one were stranded, and 253 sailors drowned during the deadliest storm ever to hit the Great Lakes. The actual toll was probably higher, but no single agency in 1913 kept track of vessels lost or sailors killed. According to this author, the death toll did not include "the commercial fishermen, hunters, or anglers who also lost their lives."

At least three books have been written about this storm, including "Fresh Water Fury" (1960), "Ships Gone Missing" (1992), and this book by David G. Brown, published in 2002. One of the things that sets Brown's book apart from the others is his meticulous meteorological reconstruction of the 1913 storm that raged for four days in early November and sank ships on Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron (the worst hit) and Erie.

According to the author's research, the weather in early November 1913 was remarkably dry and balmy, tempting the shipping companies into making one last run before the end of the season. The U.S. Weather Bureau issued storm warnings on November 7, 8, and 9 but these did not come close to suggesting the true ferocity of the 'White Hurricane.' In fact the Weather Bureau never did post hurricane warnings--two red flags with black centers, displayed one above the other--on the Great Lakes, preferring to reserve that warning for tropical storms even though the four-day storm that struck the Lakes was of hurricane intensity.

This book is organized as a temporal narrative of the storm, starting on Wednesday, November 5 as freighters such as the 'Charles S. Price' took on loads of coal, railroad ties, and iron ore for their last trips of the season. The 'Price's' Assistant Engineer Milton Smith had such a strong premonition about the forthcoming voyage that he quit his job and went home. He would later be asked to identify the bodies of his shipmates that washed up on Huron's icy shores.

On November 6, ships on western Lake Superior were already experiencing rough weather, but nothing that qualified as a full-fledged November gale--not yet. In Detroit, a prominent halo ringed the moon, perhaps bringing to mind the rhyme: "When halos ring the moon or sun/ Rain is coming on the run." In the case of this particular storm, it was a warning of the ferocious blizzard that would paralyze Cleveland and other cities on the Lakes, and add to the woes of the ships that were already battling life-threatening gales.

The empty wooden bulk freighter 'Louisania' was the first casualty of the storm. On Saturday, November 8, the onrushing gale stranded her near Port des Mortes on Lake Michigan, where she burned to the waterline. Up on Lake Superior, the storm "began picking apart the 'L.C. Waldo' shortly after midnight near the Keweenaw Peninsula." Her sailors were some of the lucky few to be picked up from their stranded, ice-bound freighter, but they would have to wait until Monday, November 10 to be rescued.

Brown's narrative of the height of the storm is truly frightening and he can only speculate on the fates of the ships that disappeared far from land. Of the seventeen ships known to be in lower Lake Huron on Sunday, November 9, only two survived and they sustained serious damage.

This book also provides an extended aftermath, appendices, bibliography, and index.

If you'd like to read more about the 'Big Blow' of 1913, I highly recommend Dwight Boyer's "True Tales of the Great Lakes," William Ratigan's "Great Lakes Shipwrecks and Survivals," and the above-mentioned "Ships Gone Missing" by Robert J. Hemming.

Amazing and scary
I read this book when my father-in-law bought a 40 footer and docked it in Port Huron with easy access to Lake Huron. Living in Michigan most of my life and now in Chicago, I have always appreciated the beauty of The Great Lakes. As we cruise the lake in all its beauty and glory, I can't help but wonder just what scatters the floor of Lake Huron or any of the others. This book illustrates the dramatic account of the only Great Lakes hurricane, if such a thing could happen.

This book was no less than amazing and will really open the eyes of anyone that takes the fury of the beautiful Great Lakes for granted.

This is the REAL "Perfect Storm"!
While the movie "The Perfect Storm" chronicles a great "Nor'Easter," it can't hold a candle to the White Hurricane of 1913. The stories of heroism, foolishness, kindness, and ruthlessness serve to highlight the ferocity of the great storm. And the eerie coincidences, premonitions, and unexplained happenings before, during, and after the storm make this one exciting ride.

The author does a good job detailing the storm, but some maps would have been helpful. More photos of boats (no, they're not called ships!) and some photos of key characters would have been nice, as well. There is a lot of information on Great Lakes history, so he should have been able to come up with such artifacts.

My grandfather was captain of a "longboat" on the lakes, and he was a sailor in WWI in the Atlantic, and WWII in the Pacific. He said a storm on the Great Lakes was a lot worse than ocean storms because of all the reasons the author details, but also because the water is in a much smaller "container" than in the ocean...so the power multiplies because it has nowhere to go. And the results are horrifying.

I've lived in the Great Lakes area all my life. If you want some "extreme" excitement, come and ride out a November gale. Or, read this book for an excellent "virtual" ride!

A must read for any sailor on the Lakes
As a Coastie recently stationed on the USCGC ACACIA out of Charlevoix, MI. I found this book to be very helpful in my learning about the Great Lakes geographically, meteorilogically, historically. If you are at all interested in Great Lakes lore then you will thoroughly enjoy this book as well as learn a few things you may not have known, such as why lake storms are different from those on the sea. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In Gorgon, geologist Peter Ward turns his attention reluctantly away from the asteroid collision that killed all the dinosaurs and instead focuses on a much older extinction event. As it turns out, the Permian extinction of 250 million years ago dwarfs the dino's 65-million-year-old Cretaceous-Tertiary armageddon. Ward's book is not a dry accounting of the fossil discoveries leading to this conclusion, but rather an intimate, first-person account of some of his triumphs and disappointments as a scientist. He draws a nice parallel between the Permian extinction and his own rather abrupt in research focus, revealing the agonizing steps he had to take to educate himself about a set of prehistoric creatures about which he knew almost nothing. These were the Gorgons, carnivorous reptiles whose ecological dominance preceded that of the more pop-culture-ready dinosaurs.

They would have had huge heads with very large, saberlike teeth, large lizard eyes, no visible ears, and perhaps a mixture of reptilian scales and tufts of mammalian hair.... The Gorgons ruled a world of animals that were but one short evolutionary step away from being mammals.

With characteristic enthusiasm, Ward transports readers with him to South Africa's Karoo desert, where he participated in field expeditions seeking fossils of these fearsome creatures. He suffers routine tick patrols, puff-adder avoidance lessons, stultifying thirst, and the everyday humiliations of being the new guy on a field team. Besides telling a fascinating paleological story, Gorgon lets readers feel a bone-hunter's passion and pain. --Therese Littleton ... Read more

Reviews (7)

excellent, but read his book on mammoths
I like this book, this coming from a chemistry professor who dreamed of being a paleontologist/archaeologist. Had I not read his earler book "The Call of Distant Mammoths", I could've given this 5 stars. I liked the interweaving of personal experience with scientific story, but the science story became lost now and then, and not as clear a case is made here than in the earlier book. As a scientist, I found the isotopes conjectures needed more supporting discussion than was provided. Overall, I think the author should have minimized and compartmentalized his own personal history and experiences to be a much more minor portion, since this became too large a distraction from the scientiifc conclusions.

Readable paleontology
"It's not as glamorous as you think," is the underlying theme in Peter Ward's book Gorgon. Ward describes the efforts to understand what caused the Permian-Triassic (P/T) extinction that occurred 250 Million years ago and brought about the demise of over 90% of the species of plant and animal life on earth. The reader is taken on several trips to the Karoo, a semi-arid plateau in the southwest of South Africa to try and tease answers out of the strata.
In addition to the physical hardships provided by a harsh climate, taxing work, and poisonous snakes, the shadow of the upheaval brought about by the end of apartheid makes the tedious search for fossils life threatening at times.
Gorgon is short for gorgonopsian, a mammal-like reptile that Ward describes as the T.rex of the Permian era. Named for the three hideous sisters in Greek mythology, the gorgon was about 10 feet long with the body of a lizard and a huge head with teeth that resemble those of a saber-toothed tiger, obviously adapted for capturing and shredding animals.
Most interesting to me were the various methods used to determine the character of the extinction, a key to learning its cause. What was the time span of the extinction: was it sudden, like the K/T event caused by a comet, or, was there a slow die off over millions of years? No single clue could provide all the answers and several methods were discussed that required the scientists become intimate with the layers of rock that, 250 Million years ago, were the surface of the earth. Ward gave understandable descriptions of paleostratigraphy, the study of the makeup of each stratum; isotopic perturbation, the analysis of the relative carbon content of each stratum; and magnetostratigraphy; use of the earth's periodic geomagnetic reversal to isolate a time frame for each stratum.
Ward came to the P/T extinction project with a great deal of experience; he had participated in the work done throughout the 1980s to prove the cause of the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) extinction that occurred about 65 Million years ago. This sudden extinction, the result of a comet striking the earth, raised questions about the causes of other extinctions and led Ward to delve into the P/T event.
The unbroken chain of life; that is what makes the paleontology so interesting. In his book, A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson congratulates the reader for "making it here," for being fortunate enough to have been part of an unbroken lineage that began... well, at the beginning. Ward's book brings the thought back time and again by showing that even through the biggest catastrophe in history, some of our more tenacious, more fortunate relatives survived.

A thoroughly enjoyable read!
Peter Ward's "Gorgon: Paleontology, Obsession, and the Greatest Catastrophe in Earth's History" is a very interesting read. It takes a bit to get going, and the ending seems rushed, but it remains informative and entertaining throughout.

Peter Ward has a long professional association with mass extinctions, as his many previous books will attest. "Gorgon" opens with definitive statements about the conclusiveness of research intended to show that an extraterrestrial impact wiped out the nonavian dinosaurs 65 million years ago; those who feel that there are still some points to be debated about this interpretation will find nothing here, for Ward is absolute in his convictions. And this adamant stance is his jumping-off point for the rest of the book, as he views the terminal Permian extinction through the lens of his views on the Cretaceous event.

"Gorgon" seems a bit of a departure from many of Ward's earlier books. While details of the science read well and are clearly and often engagingly presented, the science does seem a bit thin. This is surprising, given the amount of work that has been conducted regarding the colossal extinction pulse at the end of the Permian. Fortunately, what Ward uses to fill the gaps is more personal, thoughtful and introspective than a strict presentation of scientific theories might otherwise permit. I felt that he beautifully captured the joys and the hardships of paleontological field work, from the desperate need to focus when prospecting, to the primitive yet often idyllic field and camp locales, to the kinship (and infrequent conflict) one feels with one's field mates, to the adrenaline rush when one discovers a significant new find.

As for the science itself, it too seems well presented. The reader will see what Ward and his colleagues observed in the Karoo region of South Africa, and will be led to understand its significance in the discussion of the Permian extinction. I personally would have preferred additional photographs, maps, and diagrams to supplement the text, but that's just me.

I'm giving the book four stars rather than five because I felt that the conclusion of the volume seemed rushed. Chapter 11, for example, discussed the conclusions and subsequent challenges to the hypothesis that an extraterrestrial impact caused the Permian extinction. The chapter ended with a paragraph stating, "By the year 2000 it was generally accepted that ... an impact *did* occur, some 250 million years ago ... [t]he question that remained ... was whether or not this fiery messenger from space was the sole assassin." Chapter 12 discussed the Permian extinction as being fast and occurring in pulses. Chapter 13 then discussed Ward's own newly-advanced interpretations, which do not involve any sort of extraterrestrial impact (and which it would be unfair of me to present here; if you want to know what Ward thinks, read the book!). [As a side note, there are implications of Ward's interpretations regarding the evolution of dinosaurs and birds that are fascinating to consider, but which he leaves frustratingly defleshed -- building up to his point, then abruptly ending the chapter. I do wish he'd extrapolated a bit more.] Finally, the Epilogue then stated, "I now believe that the Permian extinction yields but a single important lesson: Planets with higher life ... *can be rendered abiotic*, and that asteroid impact can certainly do the job." So we're taken from extraterrestrial impact being part or all of the cause of the Permian extinction, to such an impact being unnecessary to explain the extinction, then right back to the Permian teaching us that asteroids can cause mass extinctions. If that sounds confused, it's because it is. I wonder if there was a publication deadline involved, as the writing seems to betray some haste here. I felt that the conclusion of the book would have been more satisfying, and the book itself more thoroughly enjoyable, had Ward and his editors spend a little more time on the last few chapters. Maybe I'm misreading things, but that's how it appears to me after several re-readings.

In all, then, an entertaining and informative read, with insights and expressions of personal feelings that stand out from Ward's earlier works, and with a conclusion that leaves one wanting more. The flaws are minor, and the book is well worth reading. I strongly recommend it.

Solving a Riddle
When I was a boy, I remember reading about the dinosaurs' extinction and the great question about the reasons behind it, which at the time ranged from the theological to more or less pure guesswork. And I wondered about the other great extinctions, where even less was known. Would it ever be possible to determine their causes, and their meaning for life on earth?

Well, now we know that the question of the dinosaurs's extinction has been answered to everyone's satisfactions, save that of a few cranky holdouts. It was a huge meteor, and the killing mechanisms are largely worked out. Now many of the scientists who worked so successfully on that problem have turned their attention to the other four great extinctions, using many of the same techniques and methods developed over the decades.

This book is about one of those men, who tells the story of the PT extinction of 250 million years ago from a personal point of view, with lots of well-explained science mixed together with an engrossing tale of personalities and adventures, hardships and triumphs tossed together into a most pleasing and engrossing way. His struggle is an inspiring one, for it is a most human tale of overcoming obstacles in a determined way, showing the failures as well as the times when chance and persistence overcame paltry funding, errors and muddles.

Ward makes a convincing case that the PT extinction is well on its way to being solved, though much clearly remains to be done before a scientific consensus is reliably established. But more than that, he has written a terrific thoughtful chapter in which he comes to speculate on the implications for these events. He persuasively argues that life on earth is fragile, at the mercy of chance events which we are only beginning to understand. Much like our own life...

But for me, the main message of the book is that a few dozen scientists, armed with the tools of thousands of their fellows, can tackle the big questions which seemed so out of reach only a few mere decades ago.

I was obsessed with finishing this book
I stayed up late last night finishing it... I was dying to figure out how the Permian extinction happened. More science books ought to be written like this, exploring the evidence, letting the reader figure out the theory as the scientist figured it out. Well worth any science lover's time. ... Read more

Book Description

Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Change presents an integrated examination of chemical processes in the atmosphere, focusing on global-scale problems and their role in the evolution of the Earth system. Taking a largely interdisciplinary approach, it features the collective efforts of a group of scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), as well as other experts from several universities and national laboratories. Topics discussed include the fundamental physical, chemical, and biological processes that affect the atmospheric composition; the chemical mechanisms that affect the production and the fate of important chemical compounds; and the techniques used to investigate the chemical processes in the atmosphere. The book concludes with discussions on global problems related to the atmosphere (stratospheric ozone depletion, changes in greenhouse gases, and global chemical pollution), the relationship between the atmosphere and the global climate, and the long-term chemical evolution of the atmosphere. Each chapter features a brief essay by a leader in the field and includes a large number of current references. Ideal for graduate courses in atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric science, Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Change also serves as an authoritative and practical reference for scientists studying the Earths atmosphere. ... Read more

Book Description

For more than 100 years, meteorologists have been making forecasts of weather and climatic events. In order to judge the quality of these forecasts and improve forecasting systems, scientists working in this field have developed and applied many different verification and evaluation techniques and scores. Forecast verification is concerned with judging how good are these systems and forecasts.

This book begins with an introduction to the subject of forecast verification and a review of the basic concepts, discussing different types of data that may be forecast before moving on to the main chapters, where each chapter covers a different type of predicted quantity (predictand). This book then looks at some of the relationships between economic value and skill scores, and finally moves on to review the key concepts and summarise aspects of forecast verification that receive the most attention in other disciplines. The book concludes with a discussion on the most important topics in the field that are the subject of current research or that would benefit from future research.

Key features of this book includes:

• An easy to read guide of current techniques with real life case studies

• An up to date and practical introduction to the different techniques and an examination of their strengths and weaknesses

• Practical advice given by some of the world's leading forecasting experts

• Case studies and illustrations of actual verification and its interpretation

• Comprehensive glossary and consistent statistical and mathematical definition of commonly used terms

This book is suitable for postgraduates and researchers in forecasting studies, climatology, meteorology and those in the atmospheric oceanic and environmental science community. It is also a useful supplementary textbook for undergraduates in environmental science, climatology and meteorology. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A very useful book for all forecasters
This is an invaluable resource for anyone
involved in the business of forecasting.
Based on more than 100 years of developments
in atmospheric science, this book summarises
the many possible ways to assess the skill
of forecasts/predictions. The book is well
written with a consistent notation and I found
it a pleasure to read. It will become a reference
for forecasters for years to come. ... Read more

Book Description

This scholarly exploration of the borderlands between science and fantasy features four complete works by the redoubtable Charle Fort (1874-1932): The Book of the Damned, Lo!, Wild Talents, and New Lands. All concern the bizarre phenomena unexplained by traditional science that the author spent the better part of three decades documenting: flying saucers, telekinesis, sudden showers of fish from the sky, stigmata, poltergeists, and spontaneous combustion (to name a few). Fort's florid style and freakish subjects were much critiziced by his contemporaries, but he was defended and admired by an equal number of readers, including such noteworthies as Theodore Dreiser, Clarence Darrow, and Oliver Wendell Holmes. Stimulating, bewildering, and intoxicating, this intellectual tour de force is a must for lovers of science fiction as well as science facts.
... Read more

Reviews (8)

Hegelian philosophy + ostentatious prose = Charles Fort
No author has had a greater intellectual influence on me than Charles Fort. As an eight year old I had no idea what he was talking about, but I was enchanted by his writing style. When I read Fort today it is for literary enjoyment. Inimitable writers are, unfortunately, too often imitated. However, an ardent Fortean could identify a Fortean paragraph as easily as he could identify his mother in a photograph. Here are some excerpts, selected at random, from this behemoth text. If you find the following samples unpalatable, you're going to hate this book:

page 38 - So Science functions for and serves society at large, and would, from society at large, receive no support, unless it did so divert itself or dissipate and prostitute itself. It seems that by prostitution I mean usefulness.

page 324 - That our existence, a thing within one solar system, or supposed solar system, is a stricken thing that is mewling through space, shocking able-minded, healthy systems with the sores on its sun, its ghastly mooons, its civilizations that are all broken out with sciences; a celestial leper, holding out doddering expanses into which charitable systems drop golden comets?

page 389 - We assemble the data. Unhappily, we shall be unable to resist the tempation to reason and theorize. May Super-embryology have mercy upon our own syllogisms. We consider that we are entitled to at least 13 pages of gross and stupid erors. After that we shall have to explain.

page 643 - As to data that we shall now take up, I say to myself: "You are a benign ghoul, digging up the dead, old legends and superstitions, trying to breath life into them. Well, then, why have you neglected Santa Claus?"

What use is Fort today? Most published Forteans (Keel, Coleman) are on-site researchers, methodically tracking down and experiencing that of which they write. The only place Charles Fort traveled to was the library.

Fort would think that his writings and opinions were above classification, and if anyone is, he is probably the one. But we have to connect all writers to something. I see alot of Hegel in his writings, particularly in his dialectical analyses and his fixation on negation. Hegel's famous quote - The whole of philosophy resembles a circle of circles - is hearkened to in Fort's famous circle quotation. But this is no philosophy text. You could boil down Fort's philosophy in Book of Damned to a concise three pages. Yet Fort reiterates, and rephrases, and belabors. And it's excruciatingly enjoyable. If you don't like being told the same thing over and over again, albeit wittiily and elaborately and incorrigibly, don't read this book.

I treat Fort like I treat the Bible. I don't mean that irreverently (I happen to think the Bible is pretty holy meself). Open the 1100+ page book anywhere, and read a chapter. Be enlightened, be bemused, be annoyed. Maybe the response is the key. Fort had his pet theories, and they are absurd. But he was onto something. An absoluteness I think. He lambasts religion, and he really lays into science. This may offend people, but theories are meant to be attacked, aren't they? And that is the primary Fortean dogma.

Forteans are a motley and diverse bunch. Yes, you'll find UFO passages, animal mutilations, falling frogs. To me, the details are only significant in volume. If you decide to read this book, leave your pet theories outside of the covers.

I like to believe that Fort was searching for the Absolute, even if the Absolute turns out to be completely absurd to the human perspective. If absolute theories exist, it might only be our ignorance and prejudice which make them absurd.

Oh I could say that everybody should read this book. But the fact is most people won't get through the first chapter. This book is an artifact in many ways, and was written for people with certain intellectual and literary backgrounds. If that sounds a bit snobbish, so be it. Fort was such a snob that he kept his circle of friends exceedingly small, and treated well-respected ideas like lepers. Today, I encounter this book much like I did almost twenty years ago. Like a child, full of wonder, and ready to believe and disbelieve anything.

Mind open, tongue in cheek, questions ready.
It would be foolish, really, to try and write a review that in some way offers more information than the one by Jesper Sampaio. And so, I don't intend to. I merely want to offer a few instructions and my own opinion.

Instruction number one: don't take it at face value. Many of the explanations Fort offers for any number of unexplained phenomena are intentionally fantastic, sarcastic or ironic. It is, I think, part of his overall effort to get people to question the "conventional" explanation. Many scientific explanations, after all, simply fit the facts available and, in that respect, are no more or less valid than some of Fort's.

Instruction number two: get ready for rather turgid prose. I personally like the way Fort writes, but it can be tough to get through for the uninitiated. Remember that he was writing in the early part of the century.

Instruction number three: don't be afraid to jump around. I know it's best to read these books "back to back" as it were, but it's not necessary. If you get tired of a particular avenue of discussion just jump ahead. Skip to a different book if you want. Part of my enjoyment of these books was being able to pick the volume up whenever the mood struck me and simply open to any chapter. Sure you miss some of the overarching themes, but it makes it much easier to enjoy.

So, for what it's worth, here's my opinion:

This is a really great primer for Forteana and unexplained phenomena. It is also a sharp and witty condemnation of blind trust in ANY particular system of belief and of the scientific view in particular. The scientific view receives particular condemnation, I think, because of the tendency of those within the scientific community to speak in absolutes. Science, says Fort, has a nasty habit of drawing lines in the sand and saying "this is the way things are" and condemning anyone who says different. The Earth is the center of the universe and rocks don't fall from the sky. Eventually the line gets redrawn, but Fort suggests that perhaps scientists should have just as healthy a sense of skepticism about their own fields of study as they do about the more fantastic things they habitually reject.

Enjoyable by believers and skeptics alike, the Complete Works of Charles Fort is both entertaining and thought provoking.

Reading is one of the things you should do for yourself.
It is not infrequent to hear establishment scientists label unconventional research work as 'pseudo-science', especially if the researcher in question lacks special academic credentials or institutional support and if his discoveries and conclusions go against current dogmas. But when someone's heresy goes beyond all institutional seriousness and loses its last grain of prim, scientific respectability, then even stronger expressions, such as the term "Fortean", will have to be flung at the anathematized one.

But who was this man called Fort whom every good scientist must abjure in a solemn oath? Well, historically speaking, Fort was (I suppose) the first writer to give systematical attention to a great number of phenomena generally termed 'anomalous' (in the areas of ufology, cryptozoology, parapsychology and many others) and has been a source of inspiration for several writers and - it must be admitted - some crackpot researchers. But is that all? No, definitely not, but in the case of Fort other people's opinions (including my own) will be of almost no avail to the uninitiated, so there is only one answer to the question above: Read Fort's books, and form your own opinion about the man and his work.

That's what I did myself: I got the Dover omnibus volume of his complete works to pollute my innocent mind with, and - ensconced in an old and spacey rocking chair - read every line of it. Now Fort is difficult reading: his style is full of surprises, allusions to subjects touched upon hundreds of pages back, preciously ironical remarks, creative metaphors and analogies (mostly incomplete or faulty, but nevertheless very funny), and - of course - a lot of philosophy: his weak side, if it be permitted to say so. Each book was meant to be read from first to last page, no skipping, because the facts exposed, though apparently whimsical and haphazard, really follow a careful order of presentation.

Fort's works are valuable for the extremely hard-gathered information they present (you can decide for yourself what to do with it) and for the way universally accepted ideas and concepts are challenged and played with for the sake of intellectual amusement (can't scientists see that? haven't they got the slightest bit of sense of humor? in his last book, however, Fort takes on a bit more of the grave air of the parapsychologist, and so comes close to resembling a 'true scientist'). Fort is someone you have a great time reading no matter how much you disagree with him, and that's not a small accomplishment, I think.

Actually, one may say that the act of listening does not imply being in agreement or disagreement with the speaker. And so there should be no hard-felt need for the reader to accept or oppose Fort's views as such. These are inalienable from the man and his unique writing style, and so may be comfortably left where they are. Below are a few typically 'Fortean' quotes, extracted from the omnibus volume reviewed:

- "Sciences are islands of seeming stability in a cosmic jelly."(p.335) - "All knowledge is (or implies) the degradation of something. One who learns of metabolism, looks at a Venus, and realizes she's partly rotten. However, she smiles at him, and he renews his ignorance. All things in the sky are pure to those who have no telescopes."(p.547) - "To have an opinion one must overlook something."(p.559) - "There would not be so much science, if people had good memories."(p.576) - "So, like everybody else, I don't know what to think, but, rather uncommonly, I know that."(p.617) - "Now and then admirers of my good works write to me, and try to convert me into believing things that I say. He would have to be an eloquent admirer, who could persuade me into thinking that our present expression is not a least a little fanciful; but just the same I have labored to support it. I labor like workers in a beehive, to support a lot of vagabond notions."(p.641) - "If there has never been, finally, a natural explanation of anything, everything is, naturally enough, the supernatural."(p.655) - "Every scientist who has played a part in any developing science has, as can be shown, if he's been dead long enough, by comparing his views with more modern views, deceived himself."(p.669) - "In the oneness of allness, I am, in some degree or aspect, guilty of, or infected with, or suffering from, everything that I attack."(p.828) - "To this day it has not been decided whether I am a humorist or a scientist."(p.850)

Clever insights, but extremely long book.
Charles Hoy Fort book contains extremely clever observations second to none in the history of philosophy (although he probably did not consider himself a philosopher), however the book is much too long. His insights could have been stated in 10 or at the most 20 pages. That is why I consider this book a perfect 5: the middle point between the best and worse books I've ever read.

a review of charles fort
Charles Fort was an exceptionally cool guy who devoted his life to reading newspapers. He essentially invented the modern ufo, documenting strange "airship" sightings in England at the turn of the century. Great books, a great prophet, read Charles Fort and forget about the X-Files, please. ... Read more

Book Description

Weather Derivative Valuation is the first book to cover all the meteorological, statistical, financial and mathematical issues that arise in the pricing and risk management of weather derivatives. There are chapters on meteorological data and data cleaning, the modelling and pricing of single weather derivatives, the modelling and valuation of portfolios, the use of weather and seasonal forecasts in the pricing of weather derivatives, arbitrage pricing for weather derivatives, risk management, and the modelling of temperature, wind and precipitation. Specific issues covered in detail include the analysis of uncertainty in weather derivative pricing, time-series modelling of daily temperatures, the creation and use of probabilistic meteorological forecasts and the derivation of the weather derivative version of the Black-Scholes equation of mathematical finance. Written by consultants who work within the weather derivative industry, this book is packed with practical information and theoretical insight into the world of weather derivative pricing. ... Read more

Book Description

This graduate-level meteorology text and reference provides a scientifically rigorous description of the many types of convective circulations in the Earth's atmosphere.These range from small-scale, convectively driven turbulences in the boundary layer to precipitating systems covering many thousands of square kilometers.The text introduces the principal techniques used in understanding and predicting convective motion: theory, field experiment, and numerical modelling. Part I explores dry convection, including turbulent plumes and thermals from isolated buoyancy sources, Raleigh-Benard convection, and turbulent convection in the planetary boundary layer.Emphasis is placed on applying theoretical understanding and lessons from experiments.Part II offers a complete treatment of the thermodynamics of moist and cloudy air, including fundamental laws, conserved quantities, graphical techniques, and stability.Part III explores the characteristics of individual convective clouds, thunderstorms, squall lines, mesoscale convective systems, and slantwise convection.Part IV studies the ensemble effects of convective clouds, including stratocumulus at trade cumulus boundary layers and the representation of convective clouds in numerical models.Each chapter is followed by a set of exercises. ... Read more

Book Description

The ultimate book for the weather enthusiast or anyone interested in the oddities and extremes of nature.

There are few thrills as exciting as weather at its worst. We often hear on the news that the day was the hottest, coldest, wettest, or snowiest on record. Is the climate really becoming more extreme as a result of global warming? The facts are in this book.

Extensively illustrated with color photographs of some of the most extreme weather ever captured on camera, dozens of color maps, and tables of weather records for over three hundred U.S. cities, this book is both an entertainment and an indispensable reference.

Also included are historical examples of some of the more bizarre weather events observed: heat bursts, electrified dust storms, snow rollers, pink snowstorms, luminous tornadoes, falls of fish and toads, ball lightning, super bolts, and other strange meteorological events. Here's the must-have book for Weather Channel and Guinness Book of World Records fans. 80 color and 35 black-and-white photos, 40 maps. ... Read more