Book Description

Few people today are unaware of the far-reaching effects of global environmental change, and it is now generally accepted that human activities are the root cause of the changes in climate. "Global Environmental Change" provides a balanced overview of the problems associated with global warming. Commencing with a chapter on the evidence for global warming presented by Sir John Houghton, the book then goes on to discuss the many problems associated with air pollution. Subsequent chapters cover rising sea levels, the effect of climate change on human health and the role of environmental performance in industry. This readable and factually detailed book will have wide appeal but will be of particular interest to environmental scientists, industrial managers, policy-makers and students. ... Read more

Book Description

The book discusses the ideas and creates a framework for building toward a theory of paleoclimate.Using the rich and mounting array ofobservational evidence of climatic changes from geology, geochemistry, and paleontology, Saltzman offers a dynamical approach to the theory of paleoclimate evolution and an expanded theory of climate.

Saltzman was a distinquished authority on dynamical meteorology. This book provides a comprehensive framework based on dynamical system ideas for a theory of climate and paleoclimatic evolution which is intended for graduate students and research workers in paleoclimatology, earth system studies, and global change research. The book includes an extensive bibliography of geological and physical/dynamical references.

Written by the late Barry Saltzman who was a distinquished authority on dynamical meteorology
This book provides a comprehensive framework based on dynamical system ideas for a theory of climate and paleoclimatic evolution
The book includes extensive bibliography of geological and physical/dynamical references ... Read more

Amazon.com

A professor of anthropology by training, Fagan traces the effects of climactic change on civilizations over the past 15,000 years--a period of prolonged global warning that has only accelerated over the past 150 years. In particular, he's interested in how civilizations have responded to, or been radically altered by, changes in environment. One of Fagan's most compelling examples is his detailed history of the city of Ur, in what is now modern-day Iraq. Once a great city in one of the world's earliest civilizations, it first thrived thanks to abundant rainfall and then suffered even more severely when the Indian Ocean monsoons shifted southward, changing rain patterns. By 2000 B.C. its agricultural economy had collapsed, and today it is an abandoned landscape, an assemblage of decaying shrines in the harshest of deserts. Fagan views this event as pivotal. It was, he writes, "the first time an entire city disintegrated in the face of environmental catastrophe."But not, Fagan notes, the last. In his epilogue, which covers the last 800 years of human history, Fagan explores the climatic upheavals that left 20 million dead in famine-related epidemics in the 19th century. He notes that today 200 million people barely survive on marginal agricultural land in places such as northeastern Brazil, Ethiopia, and the Saharan Sahel. If temperatures rise much above current levels, and rising seas flood coastal plains, the devastation could dwarf any disaster humankind has previously known. Fagan doesn't offer easy solutions, but he presents a compelling history of climate's role in the background--and sometimes foreground--of human history. --Keith Moerer ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Too Many Errors!
Fagan grew careless in checking over his manuscript. Where I possess some expertise I caught numerous errors, and therefore don't trust any of the information in this book, although I found the subject interesting and worthy of a good popular treatment.

The author treated the Medieval era sloppily. Druids did not "compete" with Christianity through the 5th century AD. Most of them were murdered by the Romans, the survivors losing influence. The Celts (their elite, the only ones who counted) had adopted Christianity by the 3rd century, and spread out all over Europe, even to Italy, as missionaries and teachers. Perhaps Fagan is confusing Druidism, a pagan religion, with the brilliant and tolerant Pelagian "Celtic" Christianity that flourished from about the 3rd to the 8th centuries, survived in enclaves -- possibly, as some claim, influencing dissenting Protestantism many centuries later. There were plenty of European pagans in the 5th century, but they resided in the Germanic, Baltic and Slavic lands, which weren't converted till later.

Where does he get the idea that Gothic architecture began as early as the 10th century, which was the heyday of the Romanesque style? Gothic architecture appeared tentatively in the mid-12th century, but the Gothic era spanned the late 12th century through the 15th, with the 13th century as its most creative period.

Even more worrisome than the careless Medieval research are Fagan's maps and illustrations. First of all, I recognized some maps and drawings from other books but can't find them cited in the credits. Perhaps because several were taken from other sources, there's a frequent lack of correspondence between text and picture, or simply an incomplete drawing. Examples: On p. 16 Western Spain is covered in dark gray, but there's no legend for dark gray. On p. 81, in a section on the Kebarans, I looked in vain to find the name "Kebara" on the map. Worst of all, on p. 163 the illustration shows the phallic Egyptian god "Mut." The text names this god as "Min." There are many other graphics with similarly irksome problems.

I remember the first edition of MacNeil's ENGLISH LANGUAGE having similar problems with poorly proofed maps and illustrations, and a corrected edition being hastily published. Fagan needs to do the same with this book, or his reputation will suffer.

Interesting but could have been alot better
I recommend this book more as a reference book when reading about different regions of the world during specific time periods than trying to read this book from beginning to end. I've read several world history books, including Guns Germs and Steel, and this one by far was the most boring read. Some of my complaints are as follows:
1) The science behind the earth's weather patterns and how scientists try to deduce the weather at different times in the history of earth could have been elaborated further with only an extra 5-10 pages.
2) The author includes too many details in some places and too few in others. He concentrates on a specific time period in detail and then jumps a few millenia.
3) This is a minor complaint, but the author doesn't believe in the 'Big Kill'theory. He believes that humans had a very minor role in the extinction of large mammals, and instead attributes it to the changing weather. However, weather has always been in flux, and an unprecedented ( in the past million years) number of species died at a time perfectly coinciding with the spread of Human hunters around the globe.

Drowning and drought
Anyone still believing scientists lack a sense of humanity should read this. Although the title suggests yet another climate study, this isn't a simple analysis of our weather systems. Fagan places the human condition at the centre of his narrative. It's not enough to present more evidence of global warming. In fact, he's adamant about the causes of current climate change being a "side debate". He's much more concerned about how many climate shifts humanity has experienced and how we reacted to them. His theme is our adaptability to weather changes in the past and whether we can garner lessons for the future.

Establishing a scenario beginning twenty thousand years ago, Fagan lines out three Acts for the peopling of the Americas. The first is in "the primodial homeland", Ice Age Siberia, followed by conditions revealed about the Beringian Land Bridge of fifteen thousand years ago. The final act takes us to the chaotic Atlantic and the European environment. Conditions were rarely stable as "the glaciers were never still". Their "irregular dance" kept conditions variable and human response was adapt or perish. Canadian fresh meltwater interrupted the Gulf Stream letting harsh cold envelope Europe.

Human adaptibility often meant improvements on older technologies or innovative ones to cope with the result of climate change. Spears, later with atlatls - "spear throwers" to improve range and accuracy, then bows, were significant tools. Yet, one of the most momentous inventions was the needle - still in use almost unchanged today. This device could produce layered clothing, a major adaptive step in times of abrupt weather changes.

Weather changes can be due to single events - even those occurring at intervals like El Nino. A critical solitary event happened around 6200 BCE with the "implosion" of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. The cascade of fresh water into the North Atlantic created drought conditions throughout Europe and the eastern Mediterranean while raising ocean levels. This rise later led to a catastrophe when the Mediterranean found an outlet to the Euxine Lake. The inflow created the Black Sea, driving people west into the Danube Valley and changing human society in the area drastically. Continuing fluctuations brought further challenges to increasing populations. Stable food supplies provided by agriculture reduced mobility and fed population growth. The cost was people tied to the land and a new vulnerability to climate change.

Fagan's example of this new situation is found in the history of a California people known as the Chumash. These coastal people had deep ties with family members living inland. The arrangement kept food supplies relatively stable through exchange networks. This continuum expanded over a large area resulting in concomitant population growth. When expansion was no longer feasible, war substituted for exchange systems. Not a violent people, the conflicts were the result of environmental pressure on food resources. A drastic social change took place around 1150 AD. The lost networks were restored through a new arrangement. The family system was shelved for a new oligarchy of powerful community leaders working cooperatively with meagre, but sustaining food stocks. While the Chumash remained vulnerable to climate vagaries, they didn't starve as in the past.

Fagan stresses that vulnerability has been built into modern society. Civilisation is a high-stakes game, and the planet is the banker. Most of the cards we played in the past are now in the discard pile. Mobility is not an option when the planet is so thoroughly occupied. New technologies will not provide new lands submerged by rising seas nor blighted by drought. If the Gulf Stream fails again, as it has in the past, it will be all Europe faced with the need for a new home. Where? A Europe covered in ice will produce drought throughout western Asia and likely beyond. It isn't the cause of climate change that requires examination, but what must be done to deal with, Fagan urges. The "stewardship" of resources successfully adopted by some societies must be invoked again. That requires a knowledgeable population, briefed by readers of this book. This is far from a "should read" book - it is a "must read" for us all. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Good overview, but needs more concluding analysis
This book describes the impact of climate change on human history from the last Ice Age to 1200, with a very brief commentary on modern times. The many examples Fagan cites illustrate the vulnerability of past civilizations, particularly to drought. The author demonstrates the wide-ranging knowledge of archaeology and anthropology we have come to expect from him. He explains climatic science in layman's terms, with helpful maps and diagrams.

Fagan wants to convince us that our present civilization also is vulnerable to climatic change. As he puts it, we have accepted vulnerability to the big, rare disaster in exchange for a better ability to handle the smaller, more common stresses. Unfortunately, his short concluding chapter does not develop that argument sufficiently. A bit more prognostication would have been welcome.

The Long Summer
The Long Summer is a brilliant account of climate change and human society over the past 15,000 years. We learn about Cro-Magnons, the first Americans, the beginnings of farming, and explore the rise and fall of early civilizations. With skillful panache combined with meticulous research, Fagan covers both familiar and unfamiliar ground,some of it known only to specialist archaeologists. This remarkable book puts today's debates about global warming into a much needed historical context and is a worthy successor to Fagan's two earlier books on climate change, Floods, Famines, and Emperors, and The Little Ice Age. ... Read more

Book Description

This work provides a detailed introduction to the principles of Doppler and polarimetric radar, focusing in particular on their use in the analysis of weather systems.The authors first discuss underlying topics such as electromagnetic scattering, polarization, and wave propagation.They then detail the engineering aspects of pulsed Doppler polarimetric radar, before examining key applications in meteorology and remote sensing.The book is aimed at graduate students of electrical engineering and atmospheric science as well as practitioners involved in the applications of polarimetric radar. ... Read more

Book Description

The Arctic is now experiencing some of the most rapid and severe climate change on earth. Over the next 100 years, climate change is expected to accelerate, contributing to major physical, ecological, social, and economic changes, many of which have already begun. Changes in arctic climate will also affect the rest of the world through increased global warming and rising sea levels. Impacts of a Warming Arctic is a plain language synthesis of the key findings of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA), designed to be accessible to policymakers and the broader public. The ACIA is a comprehensively researched, fully referenced, and independently reviewed evaluation of arctic climate change. It has involved an international effort by hundreds of scientists.This report provides vital information to society as it contemplates its responses to one of the greatest challenges of our time. It is illustrated in full-color throughout. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is an extensive yet self-contained reference of single microparticle studies as they have been performed for many years by the authors. With the range of theoretical and experimental tools available it has become possible to use the many unique properties of droplets and small particles to investigate phenomena as diverse as, linear and nonlinear optics, solution thermodynamics, gas/solid and gas/liquid chemical reactions, transport properties such as gas phase diffusion coefficients, rate processes in the continuum and non-continuum regimes, trace gas uptake by aerosol droplets related to atmospheric chemistry and ozone depletion, phoretic phenomena, Raman spectroscopy, particle charge, evaporation and condensation processes. Throughout the book the main concern of the authors was to provide the reader with a visualization of the significance and application of the theory by experimental results. ... Read more

Book Description

This comprehensive text and reference work on numerical weather prediction covers for the first time, not only methods for numerical modeling, but also the important related areas of data assimilation and predictability. It incorporates all aspects of environmental computer modeling including an historical overview of the subject, equations of motion and their approximations, a modern and clear description of numerical methods, and the determination of initial conditions using weather observations (an important new science known as data assimilation). ... Read more

Book Description

Pete Davies has flown into the eyes of hurricanes with daredevil aviators. He's met with wild-eyed meteorologists who are obsessed with finding out exactly why hurricanes occur and how to predict their onslaughts more accurately. And he's joined heroic aid teams as they've coped with the physical and emotional devastation left in the wake of these awesome storms.

In Inside the Hurricane, Davies sweeps readers from the Caribbean to the Bay of Bengal, describing both the horrifying violence and the eerie beauty of hurricanes. He explains the weather conditions that foster them; discusses in lucid detail how scientists predict, measure, and track them; and delves into mysteries scientists are still trying to solve. Gripping accounts of the greatest hurricanes in history climax with Davies's own firsthand experiences flying into the worst storms of 1999.

A masterful combination of history, science, and adventure, Inside the Hurricane leaves readers with a chilling reminder of nature's enduring domination over man: scientists predict that the hurricanes of tomorrow will make today's Category 5 storms look small. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Interesting topic, uneven text
"Inside the Hurricane" is far more interesting than several other recent weather books (the horrid "Tying down the Wind" and the ho-hum "Eye of the Storm"). Author Pete Davies provides an exccelent account of Hurricanes Mitch and Floyd and the horrendous damage they wrought. He also sounds a dire warning about the near certainty that the Gulf or East Coasts of the U.S. will someday experience a catastrophe of epic proportions. Imagine, writes the author, if Mitch had followed the same storm track as Hurricane Irene, a Catagory 1 storm that deluged Miami not long after Floyd made headlines.

A lion's share of author Pete Davies's narrative involves the stories of the forecasters and storm chasers who track these meteorlogical beasts. And while their stories are somtimes interesting, they don't have the same power as the descriptions of the hurricaines themselves. Overall however, "Inside the Hurricane" is a decent book for weather-philes.

"Good science done by brave men on a puny budget"
Pete Davies spent the 1999 hurricane season with the scientists of the National Hurricane Center in Miami as they studied a series of fascinating and intense hurricanes and struggled with budget limitations that are, in these times of surplus, increasingly inane and unforgivable. Davies' writing is vivid and gripping; his descriptions of the devastation of Hurricane Mitch and the experience of people in the midst of the storm are absolutely unforgettable. Davies also flew missions with the NOAA's P-3 hurricane hunter aircraft and gives a good feel for the combination of raw excitement, pure terror, and occasional boredom of these epic flights. One thing missing from the book were any charts, maps, or diagrams; an appendix containing the Saffir-Simpson scale would have been nice. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in hurricanes, which should be anyone who lives in the United States. Even if your state is out of the reach of hurricane damage (and few actually are), the devastation caused by these vast and increasingly dangerous storms can cause economic disaster and human suffering on a scale not exceeded by any other natural disaster. And after reading, contact your congressional representatives and express to them your dismay that funding for important research remains at pittance levels. Too often Americans brainlessly run around chanting "We're Number One!" when what is really needed is a good long look at how money is spent in this country and who truly benefits from government funding.

Interesting, Despite Being a Bit Uneven
"Inside the Hurricane: Face to Face With Nature's Deadliest Storms", is worthwhile for anyone interested in learning more about hurricanes. This book concentrates on following the 1999 hurricane season, with an examination of the horror inflicted by 1998's Category 5 Hurricane Mitch, which killed at least 9,000 people in Central America. The author gives a riveting account of the power of Mitch, telling of its absolute devastion to the nation of Honduras.

The author concentrates on the Hurricane Research Division (HRD), the scientists who try to learn more on these powerful storms, and who fly into them for first-hand scientific observation,and the National Hurricane Center (NHC), the people responsible for making the forecasts as to where these dangerous storms will go. This is interesting stuff, especially when the scientists fly into the storms.

Unfortunately, it seems that that the author simply took info off his tape recorder and stuck it into the book, beacause a lot of the heavy science conversations which are included in this book do not have enough explanation or context.

This book is also hindered by certain editorial decisions. This book suffers from the lack of maps showing the tracks of the hurricanes the author discusses, especially because the author spends a great deal of time discussing the meandering nature of the hurricanes.

The book also contains some minor errors, some of which can be chalked up to the author not being a native American (e.g., describing as one of the highest points in Florida as "Disney's Magic Mountain", when everyone knows that he meant Disney's Space Mountain.) While these minor errors do not really detract from this book, and the above-average number of typos is not much of a problem, the real problem comes from the feel that there are times when this author does not go into needed detail. For example, the author talks about the rapid intensification of Hurricanes Opal and Camille, but while the author examined the rapid intensification of Opal, he made no such prior mention of Camille.

The author fails to provide detail in other areas. While expalantions are provided for some criticism of the media, we really don't know why the huuricane jocks at HRD are so critical of the Weather Channel's staff, especially weatherman Jim Cantori. This book has a slap-dash feel.

However, the descriptions of the hurricanes themselves surpass the author's limitations in other areas of writing. As a native of New Orleans, I've seen my share of hurricanes. One of my earliest memories is of Hurricane Betsy. I lost family in Hurricane Camille. I was one of the tens of thousands of people who evacuted, with my family, from 1998's Hurricane Georges, which was a near miss. I've done research on hurricanes for school, so I have a bit more scientific and personal knowledge than the general public. There are flaws in this book, but the postives far out weigh the negatives.

The author has not written the perfect book on hurricanes, but he is to be commended for spelling out the dangers these massive storms pose, for pointing out the lack of funding which goes into hurricane research, and for his skill in relating the tragedy which is inflicted on hurricane victims, especially the devastation of Hounduras.

Excellent book on Hurricane forecasting & research by NOAA
Well worth the money, well written, very factual; one of the better books dealing with current science of Hurricanes. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great reference
If you need a good solid reference for the world of weather, you want thisbook.The pictures are excellent.The review questions and sections onapplying your knowledge are relevant to the chapter material and arethought provoking.

The writing is not your typical dry, stuffy textbooklecture.The writing is light, easy to read and interesting.The authorsuse real life experiences to illustrate their discussions.

Anyone canrelate to the illustrations and examples used in this book as nearly everyindividual has some experience with these weather phenomena. ... Read more

Book Description

This research level text focuses on the influence of climate variability on the marine ecosystems of the North Atlantic. The ecological impact of climate variability on population dynamics is addressed at the full range of trophic levels, from phytoplankton through zooplankton and fish to marine birds. Climate effects on biodiversity and community structure are also examined. 40 scientists from around the world synthesise what is currently known about how climate affects the ecological systems of the North Atlantic and then place these insights within a broader ecological perspective. Many of the general features of the North Atlantic region are also seen in other marine ecosystems as well as terrestrial and freshwater systems. The final section of the book makes these generalities more explicit, so as to stimulate communication and promote co-operation amongst researchers who may previously have worked in semi-isolation.The book comprises 5 main sections: background (general introduction, atmospheric and ocean climate of the North Atlantic, and modelling methodology), plankton populations (phytoplankton and zooplankton), fish and seabird populations, community ecology (phytoplankton, benthos and fish), and the final section consisting of six commentaries from scientists working in areas outside the North Atlantic marine sector. In order to enhance integration, a series of introductions link chapters and sections. Throughout the book, numerous examples highlight different aspects of ecology-climate interactions.They document recent progress and illustrate the challenges of trying to understand ecological processes and patterns in the light of climate variations. ... Read more

Book Description

The increasing interst in effective energy use in buildings and of the effectof this on human health, has generated the need to consider more carefully designing buildings with climate in mind.

This book provides a unique source for those requiring guidance on climatic design. Covering theory and application, it provides examples of innovative and best practice in 'responsive architecture' through case studies.The book also covers the broader topic of technology as a generator in design which will be of interest to all those involved in design and building. The book focuses on tropical climate but some of the theory can be applied to other climates; the difference in application is clearly delineated. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful Useful Information!
What a relief it was to find this book!

After ordering and returning 'Architectural Design for Tropical Regions' by Cleveland Salmon (avoid Salmon's book, unless you don't already know that "the sun can be very bright when the sky is clear and the sunlight is intense"!), this book came to my rescue.

Packed with detailed information and design strategies, along with good illustrations, this book is well suited to architects or well-educated laymen (it is NOT written at a grade school level). I was at first hesitant to order this book, as little information was provided by Amazon. After reading it cover to cover more than once, I'm happy to recommend CLIMATE RESPONSIVE DESIGN as one of my two best books for hot humid building design.

(The other favorite is COURTYARDS: Aesthetic, Social & Thermal Delight. Not just a "pretty picture book," Courtyards contains lots of highly useful information (charts, graphs, formulas) as well as wonderful color & B&W photos, plus line drawings.)

Climate Responsive Design has provided a wealth of solid, useful, pertinent information while working on projects for the Yucatan, where the climate ranges from hot humid in the summer/rainy months, to warm humid in winter/'dry' months, to WHEW in April & May (hot hot hot & maybe humid or not). ... Read more

Book Description

Rapid progress during the last twenty years has created a host of new technologies for studying electrical storms, including lightning mapping systems, new radars, satellite sensors, and new ways of measuring electric field and particle charge. This book explains how these advances have revolutionized our understanding.The books provides enough background material to make it accessible to a wide audience. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Part of the Problem
The book, THE ELECTRICAL NATURE of STORMS, appears oblivious to interpretation of simple evidence that the earth is negatively charged. (It would be most unlikely for the sun to leave us with a perfect balance, with thermionic emission, solar wind, etc.) Such comprehension would then suggest how electrons leach their way down from the ionosphere as part of negatively charged ions to produce the prevailing lightning to ground that remains uncontested. These ions cluster up during the condensation of moisture and continue to intensify in density as raindrops combine because of their confinement to raindrop surface areas. This sometimes raises high voltages sufficient for thunderbolt production, using energy tapped from convectional forces of storms. Note that new ion production is definitely not required for lightning to be formed. How can experts so presume to explain a technology without mastering the bottom line? Not to kill the messenger: The authors did not create the admittedly flawed technology, and may have been simply reporting it.

With respect to the book: It is suggested here that little more need be spent speculating how storms might proceed to manufacture ionic material (Ch 3, Ch 4): The violent winds have all they can do to spawn sufficient high voltage from existing raw materials before the game is all over. The fact that the vertical mileage embraced by a thunderstorm covers broad temperature ranges does not necessarily establish temperature as a major player in lightning formation (Ch 3). The capacitance between solid/liquid earth and the ionosphere has nothing to do with sustained dc current in the global electrical circuit (Ch 1). Positively charged clouds are no mystery to the casual electronics technician (Ch 3): A good thunderbolt or so from a negatively charged cloud can easily produce a good one by flywheel effect aka inductive kick. An electron in air, being pulled or pushed by other charges, will travel: Conductance be damned (Ch 1).

Contemplate the Faraday cage, in its static state, and in its dynamic formative state. Overcome the subconscious kink that readily supposes repulsive force would alienate all free electrons from each other forever. Earth nets them into an array at the edge of space where they nab molecules that ballast them for descent back into our atmosphere. Scattered ions of moisture are gathered together during rain formation absorbing wind energy that accounts for the consequential increased potentials of static electricity.

The bottom line: The fair weather current; upward negative current flow of some 2 picoamps per square meter is that simple evidence of negative earth charge as mentioned above. All agree that prevailing thunderbolts bring electrons to ground (they strike earth "all of the time"). Naturally, these electrons go back up to complete the circuit. Tell your weatherman that this doesn't require a positive sky. Electrons always travel toward the cathode (negative terminal) inside a power supply! Those electrons are already almost home within the radius of the ionosphere as they emerge. Electrons above push back at them, but not as hard as the greater sky below/behind (ignore the solid earth for now). The electrons above push less against our fair weather electron than all those behind it. For that reason, a positive ionosphere would call an electron down to the center (keep ignoring solid earth) where attractions would balance out. Hence, we have a dynamic Faraday cage. Our electron needn't shun the journey, none of those already up there did.

Here is a tip of the hat to the profound tome under discussion for all its fine detail, but connecting the dots just didn't get me to where they were going. Methinks they chopped the chicken feathers too fine to ever get them put back together again. Where it is here affirmed that the endothermic kernel of lightning formation is compression of like charges, THE ELECTRICAL NATURE of STORMS professes separation of opposite charges for such conversion. What do they do for an encore? The separation concept leads to dispersal (and early termination) of charged particles without a shot at concatenation, whereas the necessary convergence of energy and reiterations of the process are conspicuous advantages of the compression theory. Nevertheless, there is strong reason to believe that our taxes support pursuit of false doctrine conveyed in this book. The writer hereby makes an appeal for thinking people to enlighten our government on this matter. The National Science Foundation apparently faults my theory on the basis of its noncompliance with doctrine from THE ELECTRICAL NATURE of STORMS. Another thing, I hate the pathetic perennial disclaimer that scientists cannot agree on what causes lightning. Show your kids the truth I bring you here. It took me 72 years to stumble upon it! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (4)

Global Warming from Two Cultures.
To most of us Global Warming is a distant and sketchy thing. We don't really know what to believe (although in recent years we haven't had nearly as much snow as before). In Alaska steady warming 'everybody knows is a fact.'

The title comes from the interplay between the whale hunting Inupiaq Eskimos and the visiting scientists trying to get a better understanding of what's happening to the climate of the world. Indeed the strength of the book is in Mr. Wohlforth's understanding of both cultures and with his gift in writing so that he is able to explain the world view of both cultures.

I feel a need to Shout
This Charles man is possessed. This book should be banned from all public libraries. No further comment.

Highly Recommended - Great Read, Lots of Information
I read The Whale and The Supercomputer in one day. It reads like a novel, not like a science book. And yet the information is not skimpy. The science is presented in a clear and engaging fashion.

I enjoyed the book very much, particularly the way the author interweaves stories with technical information. He does a great job of comparing the different cultures, beliefs, and attitudes of the people he met during his research without making judgments or being condescending towards anyone. All points-of-view contribute equally to the discussions. The Whale and The Supercomputer presents a very well-rounded look at the issues of global warming while making the characters come alive. To create change, I believe we need to address issues in both grass-roots bottom-up and political top-down processes. This book gives examples of both ends of the spectrum.

If you are interested in the science of climate, or about Alaska, buy this book.

A MUST read !
In my twenty+ years of working with enviromental issues and the hundreds and hundreds of books I've read on those topics, none have been as good a read as The Whale and the Supercomputer!

There is a clear need, no matter the science, of relating the science to the real world. This book does of great job of doing that on a topic that is so important to our world today and for our kids of tomorrow.

Be entertained as you learn, understand a world so few are fortunate enough to explore. Read this book! ... Read more

Book Description

Here is an original introduction to the weather, filled with hundreds of experiments that let you discover the way the weather works. There is also an innovative "Cloud Atlas" that explains the way clouds are classified and identifies all the main types. For ages 8-14. ... Read more

Book Description

The Second Edition of Roland Stull's METEOROLOGY FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS lets professors quantify the concepts in Ahren's METEOROLOGY TODAY, SEVENTH EDITION like never before. This book can serve as a technical companion to Ahren's text or as a stand-alone text. It provides the mathematical equations needed for a higher level of understanding of meteorology. The organization is mapped directly to the Ahrens book, making Stull's text a perfect companion. More than a lab manual or workbook, this text contains detailed math and physics that expand upon concepts presented in Ahrens' text, as well as numerous solved problems. This text demonstrates how to use mathematical equations (algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and finite differential equations) to explain the dominant characteristics of certain atmospheric phenomena and processes. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Must have reference!
Want to know a little more about hurricanes? Air pollution? Thunderstorms? Stull presents terrific synopses of many meteorological topics. He doesn't try to be the expert in every sub-specialty in the field; instead, he provides the basic material and encourages the reader to seek additional information from expert books and web sites. I'm currently taking a class in atmospheric transport and diffusion. Stull summarizes the course material and leads me to references I didn't know existed. I'm ordering this book as a reference now and as a starting point for future study.

Excellent all-encompassing book!
This is the most complete introductory-advanced book I have seen to date. It covers many pertinient subjects. Important meteorological concepts are explained in enough detail to satisfy even the more advanced users, but simple enough to give the beginner excellent insight. These concepts do not have to be presented in a difficult fashion to make the author appear intelligent - he makes a bold, simple statement by taking tough concepts and making them understandable to the masses! ... Read more

Book Description

Oceans play a pivotal role in our weather and climate. Ocean-borne commerce is vital to our increasingly close-knit global community. Yet we do not fully understand the intricate details of how they function, how they interact with the atmosphere, and what the limits are to their biological productivity and their tolerance to wastes. While satellites are helping us to fill in the gaps, numerical ocean models are playing an important role in increasing our ability to comprehend oceanic processes, monitor the current state of the oceans, and to a limited extent, even predict their future state.
Numerical Models of Oceans and Oceanic Processes is a survey of the current state of knowledge in this field. It brings together a discussion of salient oceanic dynamics and processes, numerical solution methods, and ocean models to provide a comprehensive treatment of the topic. Starting with elementary concepts in ocean dynamics, it deals with equatorial, mid-latitude, high latitude, and coastal dynamics from the perspective of a modeler. A comprehensive and up-to-date chapter on tides is also included. This is followed by a discussion of different kinds of numerical ocean models and the pre- and post-processing requirements and techniques. Air-sea and ice-ocean coupled models are described, as well as data assimilation and nowcast/forecasts. Comprehensive appendices on wavelet transforms and empirical orthogonal functions are also included.
This comprehensive and up-to-date survey of the field should be of interest to oceanographers, atmospheric scientists, and climatologists. While some prior knowledge of oceans and numerical modeling is helpful, the book includes an overview of enough elementary material so that along with its companion volume, Small Scale Processes in Geophysical Flows, it should be useful to both students new to the field and practicing professionals.

* Comprehensive and up-to-date review
* Useful for a two-semester (or one-semester on selected topics) graduate level course
* Valuable reference on the topic
* Essential for a better understanding of weather and climate ... Read more

Reviews (3)

overpriced and not necessarily useful
This is a suprisingly overpriced and depth-lacking
book. I am stunned, definitely stunned.

It may probably be used to some advantage by beginners
and/or practitionners of ocean modeling, but as an in
depth guide it just does not do.

I found myself wanting to use it when I picked up knowledge
on the Bryan-Semtner-Cox ocean model from the perspective
of an independent model developer and I found out that
the book was on the whole pretty useless in its content
and structure (i.e. layout).

It probably deserves more than one star, but the
massively exaggerated price just isn't justified.

Instead I would recommend the books by Haidvogel,
Beckman or Kowalik and Murty (both at WSPC) in
addition to some OGCM user guides and papers on the
WEB.

Anyway, similar remarks do apply to Kantha's other
book on Small-scale processes in GFD, although I
found that slightly more useful.

Nevertheless, I should acknowledge the authors' great
courage in attempting so ambitious and potentially
most useful projects. Maybe getting together in a
larger team with better articulated competences would
have helped here.

the best example to buid a model
This book is not only for ocean's specialists but all people concerned with environemental activities. Anyway I'am a teacher in advanced economics in France and I use this book as the best example of complex and multivariables model. The authors demonstrate clearly (read the foreword) the necessity for students to enlarge the field of their scientifics investigations to biochemical, numerical analysis, computing, climate. This book could be read by anyone with a little background in mathematics and with a lot of curiosity.

A great book in modeling
This book is amazing. You can learn basic physics from chapter, you can learn powerful analysis techiques from appendixs. Obviously authors can clearify very complicate physics phenomena in a simple way, with the help of modeling work. ... Read more