Book Description

Tornadoes are the most violent, magnificent, and utterly unpredictable storms on earth, reaching estimated wind speeds of 300 mph and leaving swaths of destruction in their wake. In Tornado Alley, Howard Bluestein draws on two decades of experience chasing and photographing tornadoes across the Plains to present a fascinating historical account of the study of tornadoes and the great thunderstorms that spawn them.

A century ago, tornado warnings were so unreliable that they were usually kept under wraps to avoid causing panic over a storm that might or might not materialize. Despite cutting-edge Doppler radar technology and computer simulation, these storms remain remarkably difficult to study. To date, no instrument designed to measure wind speed has ever survived a direct hit by a tornado. Leading scientists still conduct much of their research from the front seat of a speeding van and often contend with jammed cameras, flash floods, flying debris, and windshields smashed by hailstones. Using his own spectacular photographs, Bluestein documents the exhilaration of hair-raising encounters with as many as nine tornadoes in one day, as well as the crushing disappointment of failed expeditions and ruined equipment. Most of all, he recreates the sense of beauty, mystery, and power felt by the scientists who risk their lives to study violent storms.

For scientists, amateur weather enthusiasts, or anyone who's ever been intrigued or terrified by a darkening sky, Tornado Alley provides not only a history of tornado research but a vivid look into the origin and effects of nature's most dramatic phenomena. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Absolutely Amazing!
I may be from Australia but this book really was amazing. Howard Bluestein is a terrific writer and I learnt so much from his book. The pictures were really good too and because I'm so interested in Meteorology, it really gave me a great insight on this subject and has given me a more wider view of what I want as a career. Especially living in South Australia, I don't see much severe weather so this book told me more. If you're interested in Meteorology and Tornadoes, this is a must have!! ;)

Accurate, detailed information relating to severe weather.
I've had an avid interest in meteorology since I was a small child, and my bookcase is full of various weather-related books. However, Howard Bluestein's "Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of the Great Plains" is among my most favorite. While, it's more on the technical side of the topic, it still provides easily understood diagrams and stories about the tremendous storms in the midwest US.

Howard Bluestein, a professor at Oklahoma University, is a very experienced and highly regarded severe weather expert. This book definitely does his work and research justice as he walks you through information and stories regarding his experiences. Inserted among the stories are detailed photographs and diagrams, which are displayed in excellent quality. All of the information is technically accurate and it offers a plethora of knowledge about the subject of severe weather and the discipline needed to accomplish the task of researching it in the field. As the book progresses, he slowly eases the reader into the more technical information, so you don't seem deluged by intricate terminology and equations.

Overall, this book is extremely helpful for most people. While it may not be suited to those just beginning to learn about meteorology, it is a great source of information for most people who hold an interest. I highly reccommend this book to anyone looking to expand their weather reference collection.

Tornado Alley - suffers a bit from a split personality
Prof. Bluestein is one of the world's premier storm photographers, and the images alone make this book worthwhile. From where I sit, the book tries to combine the imagery with meteorology lessons that a few readers might find useful but many will probably find them pitched at too high a level to be of much value. The book is apparently trying to combine a "coffee table" content with meteorology lessons, an arguably overambitious goal. I was also disappointed that many of the images are printed too small or even in b&w. Otherwise, the image reproduction is excellent.

For Those Curious About Storms
This book is written so that anyone can (with a little thought) understand the concepts discussed in it. However, this is not to say the book is a bore for the weather enthusiast--quite the contrary, this is the audience it will satisfy most.

I highly recommend this book for any storm enthusiast. In this book, Dr. Bluestein covers a wide range of tornado and severe-weather related topics, as well as some of the history behind how we currently deal with and view weather today. It is not difficult to understand, as it is not an academic text, yet at the same time Dr. Bluestein integrates explanations of core scientific concepts into his chasing tales and weather history narratives. Thus if you only want the book for the sake of tornado pictures and desire little/no scientific content, I suggest you look elsewhere.

Great Book
I love this highly explosive book! It is for sure, for the storm lover. I plan on chasing storms after school, and if you do too, this the book for you. Proud to give it five big stars! ... Read more

Book Description

A genome revolution is transforming biomedical research in the leading laboratories. Now, a series of manuals from Cold Spring Harbor puts the tools of the revolution in everyone's hands.

Assuming only a basic knowledge of molecular biology, these manuals explain how to clone, manipulate, analyze, and sequence large segments of DNA, and relate expressed sequence to phenotypic variation.

The techniques are written for application to animal DNA as well as human genomes. They deal plainly with sources of failure - and solutions. Assembled by experienced CSH course instructors, the protocols are written by experts, often the methods' creators, and have been rigorously edited to Cold Spring Harbor standards of accuracy, consistency, and completeness.

A complement to the bible of recombinant DNA, Molecular Cloning, these manuals are essential for every laboratory in which genes are being studied. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (5)

Glacial gymnastics
Among the many mysteries surrounding human evolution is the "kick start" our cognitive abilities achieved compared with the other primates. This rapid enhancement has been attributed to many causes, new tool use Calvin, whose neuroscience qualifications are impeccable, offers a fresh view. In so doing, he doesn't cease speculating on how we got to be how we are, but takes a further step in suggesting where we might be going. And how to avoid getting there. The human brain is neither an inevitable progression, nor a divine gift, he argues. It's the result of raindrops ceasing to fall on our heads. Climate, he argues, made us what we are. Equally, it may undo us.

Calvin sets the scene at the time when climate changes forced the shrinking of the forest cover in East Africa. Our barely upright ancestors, in coping with the changing environment, learned survival skills on the savannah, then spread out over the globe. During our migrations, various new climatic conditions were being established . The suture of Central America joining North and South America set new wind and current patterns around the globe. The resulting North Atlantic Current [the Gulf Stream] and the temperature and salinity exchanges in that ocean have proven a major factor in climate. Calvin examines what is known about these mechanisms and the impact of variations. The most significant new knowledge refutes the established idea that climate changes gradually. Sudden, wild "flips" of temperature, rainfall and snow cover are now seen as the norm, not as aberrations. Change isn't on the order of centuries, but in years.

Calvin's technique of presenting his ideas is as novel as his thesis. Each chapter is an "electronic seminar" with "lectures" and questions arriving for the reader's scrutiny from locations all over the globe. Calvin thus presents himself as a field investigator, relating what on-site researchers are revealing. And much, indeed, is being exposed for assessment. Records from Greenland ice and other sources indicate "chattering" patterns of weather change. These and other finds are related and discussed. And presented for the reader to ponder. If the text doesn't give you reason to pause and reflect, there are numerous striking photographs and diagrams to seize your attention. A Glossary and excellent Further Reading section complete a work of striking significance. If you delay reading this, you may find yourself having to don mittens to take it up. Read it NOW! [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

I couldn't put it down
Yes, as a few other reviewers have noted, this book is written in a rather eccentric style. That, however, was only a problem for me when I went looking for things I'd read and discovered the table of contents made no sense.

On the other hand, the writing is conversational and detailed, thorough and startling. This is one of those books "everybody should read," because the information in it - particularly in the last third - is so incredibly critical to the fate and future of the human race.

Calvin has done one of the best jobs I've seen of explaining how and why the Atlantic currents transport heat and salt - and what happens when they shut down, plunging the entire world into an ice age in as little as 3 to 12 years. (This isn't a just a future threat - it's also an observation of times past. Every ice age has started and ended in fewer than a dozen years!)

Calvin tells us in detail how Europe will be devastated by the next ice age, how our SUV usage today in North America is leading us right to it (and much sooner than most think), and - most amazingly - offers some specific suggestions about things that can be done to stop it (like daming up some fjiords in Greenland and dynamiting others).

Along the way, we also get a completely new view of human evolution, based in the whiplash environment humans survived for the past 200,000 years.

This book is brilliant, and I highly recommend it. Just be sure to mark up the pages as you read them, because that's the only way you'll be able to find things later when you try to explain it to your friends (as you will want to do!).

repetitive and pedagogical
Reading this book I got the sense that Calvin thinks he and a couple other like-minded people are really smart, you the reader have a modicum of intelligence, and the vast majority of people are dumb as posts. If you agree with him, you'll probably enjoy the book, because he does bring up some interesting points about both human evolution and the potential dangers of climate change. But especially in the second half of the book, when he goes into jeremiad mode about the imminent global catastrophe, his disdain for the majority of humanity becomes unbearable.

The book is also incredibly repetitive, and could have been at least 100 pages shorter without losing a thing. I wrote a longer review of it elsewhere; if I hadn't been planning to do that I never would have managed to finish the book at all. Even worse, it's written in a silly 'e-seminar' format--which means that Calvin starts every chapter with a sort of email header that also includes, for some reason, latitude and longitude information. The effect is as ridiculous as John Barth's text hypertext in _Coming Soon_. The format also might explain Calvin's chatty style, which might appeal to some people but which I found rather grating and demeaningly pedagogical after about twenty-five pages.

Our brains have had a rough time for two million years!
...I consider myself up-to-date on the topic of human origins and the influence of climate change on human evolution, and I learned a few things reading this book. Such as:

1) changes in wetness/dryness patterns seem to have a much greater impact on our fate than temperature changes.

2) climate changes may have had a much greater role than previously thought on the evolution of generalized altruism (sharing with strangers not your immediate kin) as an adaptive human trait.

3) if we continue to emphasize maximizing efficiency as the goal of world gloabalization, we are truly [doomed] when the rules of the game change with the next RCCE ("rapid climate change event"), which appears to be happening as you read this.

It is true that the book could have benefited from additional editing and it does tend to ramble a bit from topic to topic, but the author's conversational style kept my interest, and he does a good job of mixing in humor. At one conference he attended the question of interbreeding with Neanderthal women came up as a possibility. One expert was asked if he believed the rate of interbreeding could have been as high as two percent. Two percent?! It is a fact that more than 2% of the male human population would mate with sheep! And they aren't even a closely related species!

Looking where we've been as a species can provide some important guideposts to where we are headed next. The lifeboat has gotten much smaller many times in the past, and there are a lot more of us in the lifeboat this time. The message of this book is an important one. It glosses over the details sometimes, but you are not going to remember all the details anyhow. Humans learn best through storytelling rather than statistics, and Calvin is a good storyteller.

Too quick, too casual, too careless of detail
A Brain for All Seasons brings together several strands of conjecture in palaeoanthropology and palaeoclimatology with recent climatological hypotheses regarding climate change. It plausibly suggests links between sudden shifts between warm, wet to cold, dry climates and bursts of rapid evolution of new species.
Organized as short "lessons" for an "e-course," the text is repetitious, threads are left unconnected, and editing lapses made it necessary for me to reread many sentences. The publisher is not to be thanked for printing the book without correcting errors of spelling and grammar that provoked me to quit after about 240 pages. I recommend reading the library's copy.
The latter part of the book is more fluently and coherently presented in the Atlantic Monthly article that was its genesis. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Popular history with some flaws
I grew up in South Florida and spent many weekends on Lower Matecumbe Key, ground zero for the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane. I went through Hurricane Donna and a few others in the early 1960s, and I don't care to do that again -- another reason why the 1935 disaster has long fascinated me. It is a story of heartbreaking human miscalculation in the face of an overwhelming natural event.

Drye writes well and moves the narrative along. When writing of factual matters and the experiences of those who endured the storm, the books succeeds pretty well. However, he buys into some of the political mythology surrounding the events of the storm -- e.g., that World War I veterans were sent to the Florida Keys by officials of Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration to prevent them from re-staging the 1932 "Bonus March" that gave such a black eye to Herbert Hoover. As Drye notes, vets also were sent to other locations, their activities were still followed by the national media, and their absence from Washington didn't stop other veterans from pressing for payment of the bonus. Sending out-of-work veterans to the Florida Keys as a labor force for highway construction can also be interpreted as an act of New Deal good intentions -- perhaps shortsighted but hardly malicious.

The actions of federal and state officials in the hours before the hurricane struck also are open to some interpretation, but Drye chooses to create villains and heroes -- in particular, Ray Sheldon, the man who managed the three labor camps that housed the veterans. No doubt, Sheldon was largely responsible for failing to arrange the evacuation of the vets well before the storm struck. The more intriguing question, which really isn't addressed in the book, is WHY Sheldon -- who had experienced earlier Florida hurricanes -- didn't order an evacuation train until the storm was almost upon the Keys. Was it pure miscalculation, denial, or was there some bureaucratic purpose in his delay? Here, some informed speculation would have been welcome. Drye doesn't really address the question; he simply portrays Sheldon as indecisive and, post-hurricane, a liar. These he may have been but such a portrayal doesn't get much below the surface of the issue.

This leads to the most glaring deficiency in Drye's work: His book is devoid of footnotes, and the origin of much of his narrative is obscure. (To be fair, the decision to omit footnotes and a comprehensive bibliography may have been the publisher's, not Drye's.) He does acknowledge assistance from several people and lists a "selected bibliography," both of which indicate some of his sources of information; but he doesn't list any of the National Archives resources or other official documents he must have consulted, nor their locations. Nor does he give sources for certain opinionated passages, such as his explanation of how the chairman of the congressional inquiry into the Labor Day disaster rigged the hearings to exonerate Roosevelt's officials. This is a major failing of what should have been a much more useful study of this event. The book also could have used a more comprehensive index and perhaps a "cast of characters" that would provide a convenient reference to the dozens of people mentioned, especially the myriad of bureaucrats. And, particularly for demonstrating the degree of miscalculation and faulty judgment involved in this disaster, a timeline of events also would have been welcomed.

Stories about natural disasters can be approached in essentially three ways: (1) Bravery/survival in the face of adversity, (2) Managerial competence and ineptitude in the face of adversity, and (3) A cautionary tale for the future. Drye does all three, succeeding fairly well on (1), stumbling somewhat on (2), succeeding commendably on (3). If you're a relatively new resident to South Florida (especially the Keys)or know someone who's planning to move there -- of if you think riding out the eye of a hurricane would be a "neat" experience -- this book, with all its flaws, is worth a read. One of the contemporary emergency management officials for the Florida Keys, quoted by Drye, hits it on the head regarding the next big Keys hurricane: "It's not if. It's when." Hurricane Andrew, another "rapidly intensifying" storm, devastated my home town of Homestead in 1992; had the eye made landfall twenty miles further north, it would have flattened Miami. Hurricanes are the price one pays for living along the south Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and anyone contemplating residence and property ownership in those regions should know what happened on Upper and Lower Matecumbe Keys on the evening of Sept. 2, 1935. This book is a good place to start learning how high that price can be. (...)

Storm of the Century - Killer in the Keys
In the summer of 1935, hundreds of World War 1 Veterans were in the Florida Keys to build the bridges linking the islands tot the mainland.

Many were curious and most unafraid when they heard a hurricane was coming. What was some wind and rain compared to bullets? Alas, the Labor Day Hurricane was perhaps the most powerful to ever assualt the U.S. mainland, moving across the Keys with 200-mph winds and a 20-foot storm surge.

More than 400 people died, including many of the veterans in their makeshift work camps. Drye's well researched narrative provides not only an hour by hour account of the storm track, but also chronicles the political fallout in it's aftermath.

Storm of the Century
I've lived through 5 hurricanes and in 4 of them the eye passed over my home. Reading this book made me feel I was in another only this time Ernest Hemingway was there as well. A great read for anyone who has been through a hurricane or wondered what one is like.

Kudos to Willie Drye
This book captures both the tremendous power of the hurricane and the terrible suffering of the people who were caught in it. It presents what I think is a fair explanation of the deaths of hundreds of American veterans of WWI and the circumstances that brought them to the Florida Keys during hurricane season. This little remembered chapter in American history should not be forgotten and Drye has done a service in bringing it back to light. It is a wonderful book that should affect everyone who reads it. I highly recommend it.

Good read, good history
What a great book. Drye takes the reader along on a fascinating tale of the most powerful hurricane to hit the mainland US and the political tempest that followed the actual storm. Effortlessly blending the story of the power and devastation of the hurricane, the personal stories of those who lived through the storm and political investigations and hearings that followed, Drye is able to keep the reader engaged throughout. Drye's analysis of the decision-making processes of the camp administrators, the role of the weather bureau and the actions of the Key's natives is thorough and thoughtful. Drye's vivid story telling brings life back to this mostly forgotten slice of national and natural history. ... Read more

Book Description

This text explores the significant concepts of modernecology using a minimum of jargon and only basic/simple mathematics. KEYTOPICS: Focuses on the development of four major concepts—includingtheir historical background: energy flow; nutrient cycles; populationecology; and community ecology. Contains coverage of abiotic factors—including air, insolation, precipitation, soils, nutrients, ionizingradiation, and fire; energy flow (with increased emphasis on decomposition);nutrient cycling; population ecology; and community ecology. Updatesmaterial on applied ecology/human ecology and ecological ethics. ... Read more

Book Description

Inverse Modeling of the Ocean and Atmosphere is a graduate-level textbook for students of oceanography and meteorology, and anyone interested in combining computer models and observations of the hydrosphere or solid earth. A step-by-step development of maximally-efficient inversion algorithms, using ideal models, is complemented by computer codes and comprehensive details for realistic models. Variational tools and statistical concepts are concisely introduced, applications to contemporary research models are examined in detail and further advanced research topics are discussed. ... Read more

Book Description

Questions surrounding the issue of climate change are evolving from "Is it happening?" to "What can be done about it?" The primary obstacles to addressing it at this point are not scientific but political and economic; nonetheless a quick resolution is unlikely.

Ignorance and confusion surrounding the issue-including a lack of understanding of climate science, its implications for the environment and society, and the range of policy options available-contributes to the political morass over dealing with climate change in which we find ourselves. Climate Change Policy addresses that situation by bringing together a wide range of new writings from leading experts that examine the many dimensions of the topics most important in understanding climate change and policies to combat it. Chapters consider:

• climate science in historical perspective
• analysis of uncertainties in climate science and policy
• the economics of climate policy
• North-South and intergenerational equity issues
• the role of business and industry in climate solutions
• policy mechanisms including joint implementation, emissions trading, and the so-called clean development mechanism

Reviews (1)

Delightful!
This was a textbook for one of my climate change classes. I thought it was excellent. All of the information is factual, and based on IPCC findings. This book is perfect for the person who wants to be informed on the subject of climate change. It offers an excellent introduction as well as possible solutions to climate change. I would recommend this book to any non-believer or anyone interested in climate change. ... Read more

Book Description

Remote sounding of the atmosphere has proved to be a fruitful method of obtaining global information about the atmospheres of the earth and other planets. This book treats comprehensively the inverse problem of remote sounding, and discusses a wide range of retrieval methods for extracting atmospheric parameters of interest from the quantities (thermal emission, for example) that can be measured remotely. Inverse theory is treated in depth from an estimation-theory point of view, but practical questions are also emphasized, such as designing observing systems to obtain the maximum quantity of information, efficient numerical implementation of algorithms for processing large quantities of data, error analysis and approaches to the validation of the resulting retrievals. The book is targeted at graduate students as well as scientists. ... Read more

Book Description

Explains those climates formed near the ground in terms of the cycling of energy and mass through systems. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Met ref......
I have found this book to be an extremely good reference over the years for a non-meteorologist; this coming from a biogeochemist - I have used it for years and am now buying it. Another very good reference is Stahl (of course)

Oke is the man
This is the most valuable book for any climatologist. It contains the staples of this subject.

Something wrong!
Why don't we make this good book even better? I happened to notice that the 2nd equation of A1.2 on page 339 was wrong. Cosine value should always be between -1 and +1. In table A3.1 on page 393, SI unit for the last threecolumns is also problematic. I think it should be sqaure meter per secondmultiplied by 10 to -6. Check those out. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The ultimate starting point for learning evaporation physics
Wilfried Brutsaert has the very impressive ability and understanding to visualize the complexities and physics of the evaporation processes and to describe them quantitatively. The book, even though it is dated, is still current in its theory. It is a must have reference for the serious student of evaporation processes from water and vegetation. It is useful for the physicist, the engineer, and the biometeorologist.

The text is well written and friendly and with lots of figures and graphs showing real world data. Even though the text is friendly, it is so full and concise, that it takes the first timer several readings to garner all of the information stored there.

The first portion of the book presents an interesting history of some of the quantitative developments in predicting evaporation. ... Read more

Book Description

Meteorology 2e, is an introduction to atmospheric science for science and non-science majors. The text covers all topics expected of an introductory text, organized and presented in a way that offers the instructor considerable flexibility of sequence.

The authors feel this text is distinctive in three major ways. First is its clear, accurate and friendly style of presentation. Second is the considerable attention given to the process of meteorological inquiry, the thoughts and actions of practicing meteorologists in finding out how the atmosphere behaves. Third is the careful attention to pedagogy. By grouping chapters into units, developing concepts from specific examples to general principles (and not the other way around), engaging the reader in questions, repeating explanations from earlier chapters when a reminder would be helpful, pausing for review several times within each chapter, and in many other ways, the Authors have strived to make the text a powerful learning tool, thereby helping the reader to become an active and successful learner. ... Read more

Book Description

The adventurous life and many accomplishments of the sea captain who invited Charles Darwin aboard

The name of Robert FitzRoy, captain of the Beagle, is forever linked with that of his most famous passenger, Charles Darwin. This exceptionally interesting biography brings FitzRoy out of Darwin’s shadow for the first time, revealing a man who experienced high adventure, suffered tragic disappointments, and—as the inventor of weather forecasting—saved the lives of countless fellow mariners.

John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin draw a detailed portrait of FitzRoy, recounting the wide range of his accomplishments and exploring the motivations that drove him. As a very young and successfulcommander in the British navy, FitzRoy’s life was in the mold of a Patrick O’Brian novel. Later disappointments, including an unpopular tenure as governor of New Zealand and a sense of dismay over his own contributions to Darwin’s ideas of evolution, troubled FitzRoy. Even his groundbreaking accomplishments in meteorological science failed to satisfy his high personal expectations, and in 1865 FitzRoy committed suicide at the age of sixty. This biography focuses well-deserved attention on FitzRoy’s status as a scientist and seaman, affirming that his was a life which, despite its sorrowful end, encompassed many more successes than failures.



John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin are visiting fellows at the University of Sussex. John Gribbin has long been interested in the weather and is a fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society. Mary Gribbin has a special interest in exploration and is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Together they have written many books on science topics.







... Read more

Book Description

In 1997 and early 1998, one of the most powerful El Ni"os ever recorded disruptedweather patterns the world over. Europe suffered a record freeze, as the American West was hit by massivefloods and snowstorms, while droughts resulted in enormous forest fires in Southeast Asia, and famine inEast Africa.

In Floods, Famines, and Emperors, Brian Fagan shows that these events were neither isolated nor new. ElNio has been disrupting weather patterns on and off for some five millennia--perhaps much longer-- sometimes with catastrophic effects on civilizations. Integrating climate science, archaeology, history, andthe superb writing of a natural storyteller, Fagan shows how the systemic interaction of climate, land, andpeople have shaped culture since the dawn of time: El Ni"o droughts have brought on the collapse ofdynasties in ancient Egypt; El Ni"o monsoon failures have caused historic famines in India, while El Ni"ofloods have destroyed entire civilizations in Peru, and changed the course of European exploration.

The material that comprises Floods, Famines, and Emperor is only now beginning to be discussed inscientific symposia. But Fagan has not written a dry, academic text. This book is a lucid, fascinating, andthoroughly readable account of climate and culture for history buffs, archaeology enthusiasts, the growinglegions of weather watchers, and science readers of all kinds. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Water, water, everywhere and nowhere
According to Brian Fagan, the phenomenon known as El Nino has abruptly entered our collective awareness. That's a good thing, since its effects have a long, and often disastrous reach. It is not, he contends, the only issue to consider in climate impact. It has been "over-hyped" by media. The issues go beyond freak storms and harsh droughts. Humans have confronted weather throughout their evolutionary history. How society copes with global weather impact is Fagan's real concern. He's collected a wealth of information in this well written account. There is much to learn from this book, which includes some intriguing
surprises.

Comfortably divided into three major themes, Fagan opens with an explanation of El Nino's "discovery". What had seemed to be freak weather events proved to have an underlying pattern. The El Nino Southern Oscillation [ENSO] is an eastward moving body of warm Pacific Ocean water. The warmth blocks the flow of the Humboldt Current moving from Antarctica along the South American coast. Fish die or depart, with birds duplicating the pattern. Fagan stresses that the effect of that warm cell has global reach and has roots deep in time. Pharonic Egypt felt its impact, perhaps contributing, if not causing, social upheaval and even a new philosophy of rule by those absolute rulers.

How society and its rulers deal with abrupt weather change is the focus of the second part. As an anthropologist, Fagan is conversant with ancient societies. He examines the Andean Moche people who engineered extensive irrigation systems to catch feeble rainfall. With El Nino, rainfall changes from feeble to fabulous and the Moche watched their canals being flushed away. The following famines broke the power of the Moche aristocracy and the culture collapsed. A similar fate occurred to the Maya, whose rigid social pattern prevented them from coping with crop loss. However, the Anasazi people of the American Southwest, long skilled in desert agriculture, had a different method for dealing with drought. A loose, flexible society encouraged sharing of resources, then departure when the soil failed. Fagan overturns the long-held view that the Anasazi "mysteriously" disappeared. He contends they simply dispersed.

In the final section, Fagan relates some historical climate events such as The Little Ice Age and the Sahel drought. He examines the short-sighted policies that have exacerbated the human impact of such events. Over expansion in good years leaves no flexibility for addressing the needs of bad times. Governments must avoid superficial solutions in the face of knowing climate will generate surprises. Better planning scenarios are required for land occupation and use. Although it's been said before, Fagan urges better understanding of what is sustainable. That, of course, means more research and the application of political will derived from its results. While that may curtail some short-term profit gains and force revision of some cultural noms, it's the survival of the species that's at stake.

Fagan's easy writing style mustn't undercut the value of this book. Enhanced with good maps tied nicely to the text and an outstanding bibliography make this book required reading. Weather, after all, is part of the human condition everywhere. We all need to understand better its impact, and cheap jokes about El Nino aren't part of that comprehension. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Good to read; a nice beginning
To be honest, I enjoyed this book far more than I anticipated. Fagan is a smart archaelogist, and does not reduce human history to weather; rather he shows how weather can influence politics, religion, agriculture, and economics. Fagan could have made this point more clearly: weather can sometimes be influential; it's not determinative.

Fagan offers a good direction for archaelogists and historians to head; more serious works would do well to take up Fagan's challenge to analyze historical weather patterns. It'll be a tough go, but well-worth the trouble.

One of the book's strongest chapters is Chapter 11, showing how French colonial rule in the Sahel helped to impoverish and starve peoples living there, while increasing desertification. Here, he echoes the theme of the vastly superior _Late Victorian Holocausts: El Nino and the Making of the Third World_. This latter book, by Mike Davis, is one of the most important books of recent decades. Where Fagan fails to consider structural inequalities and human suffering as a result of El Ninos, Davis fully succeeds. The books make for some nice contrasts (I assigned both to my college students). Turn to Davis, after you've had fun with Fagan.

Weather Side of History--One Really Big Core Idea

This book is an excellent complement to David Key's book on "Catastrophe", and I found it a worthwhile fast read.

It has one really big core idea that ties environmental, political, economic, and cultural readings together--it explores the inter-relationship between sustainability of any given society within the constraints of the time and the legitimacy of the government or other form of political organization.

Two things appear to help: long-term vision on the part of the leader, and whatever it takes to maintain the people's faith in their leadership.

The author concludes with an overview of where we stand today, and draws attention to the especially dangerous combination of overpopulation, global warming, and rapid climate changes occurring all at once.

For me, this book combined an overview of how seriously we must take ocean currents and related climate changes; and how important it is that our leaders understand these issues and take long-term views that add stability and sustainability in the face of varying challenges to our well-being.

A piece of fluff--engaging but little substance
In terms of readability, Fagan's book is a decent piece of popular science. It makes an engaging argument that human civilizations have been affected mightily by climatic shifts. But it is fraught with problems: I am an expert on the history of El Ni~no, and I can attest that the chapters about El Ni~nos past and the history of scientists' understanding of El Ni~no hit some of the bright spots. But the details are at best inaccuate and at worst highly deceptive. Fagan simply knows little about this subject, otherwise he would have distilled a more accurate account! It simply does not stand up to careful examination. Mickey Glantz's book _Currents of Change_ (1996) is better, although it suffers from similar problems and is less readable. Those who want to read a carefully researched narrative about the El Ni~no-Southern Oscillation and its impact on human history unfortunately have no where to go, yet.

Floods, Famines, and Emperors
This was a wonderful treatment of the effects of weather/climate on ancient civilizations. I found the thesis rather intriguing, as I had not considered how compelling might be the effects of major changes in the weather regime on a culture. One is quite aware of local effects of the weather, especially when it is severe. The news media make the statistics of every flood, hurricaine and draught the subject of international interest. Certainly the effects of major climatic disasters like the 7 lean years of the Bible and the Dust Bowl years of US history are familiar. Professor Fagan makes clearer the political and social impact of El Ninos world wide in antiquity as well. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

From La Canada, CA
This is the book for anyone interested in Meteorites, Meteoritics, History of Meteoritics, and hunting for and identifying Meteorites. Richard Norton has written a very readable book which does not require a scientific background to fully understand the subjects. The Parts of the book are: "Falls, Finds and Craters", "What is a Meteorite?", "Meteorite Hunters", and "Origins". Each part can be read separately and stands alone. I started reading with the section about the pioneer meteorite hunter H.H. Nininger to whom Meteoritics owes so much. When in doubt as to the meaning of a scientific term, Mr. Norton has helpfully attached a Glossary. If you want to verify, test, or etch a meteorite, turn to the Appendices for instructions. For more written sources on Meteoritics, see the book's "References" section. Dorothy Norton has illustrated beautifully in a manner which is most helpful for understanding the text. The book, in addition to being a delight to read, (once I started reading I could not put it down), does a real service to the advancement of Meteoritics.

Why Not Find The Time To Look For Meteorites?
Here's the book you'll need to take along, as meteorites are much easier to find when you know their characteristics and the places where they stand out from other rocks. I've held onto my own copy of Rocks From Space for some time, although I have not gone out hunting for meteorites yet, because this is the book that entices me to make time for it. There are a lot of good quality photographs printed here on slick magazine paper, and some are in color. The book is what it's supposed to be, but if I was going to improve it for someone planning to pack it for a hike across the Utah salt flats, I would suggest that the next edition be on a lighter weight paper. This guide fills you in on the famous meteors (In the sky) and meteorites (Striking the earth) which fell in earth's recorded history. These are great fun to learn about, as there's nothing like a surprise from outer space to brighten up everyone's day. And while meteorites can even impress us as being pretty weird in the modern era, wait until you read about the one that fell in Alsace, France in 1492. It drew so much curiosity and awe that even King Maximilian of Germany came to see it. Many people took souvenir pieces from it over the centuries, but its last 122 pounds are protected by being in a local museum. Another fall Norton records came in 1992, when a car belonging to a young lady was struck. Excited collectors soon made generous offers for both the car and the meteorite. Not too long ago an old meteorite from Mars was sliced open to reveal what many scientists suspect is evidence of past life on that planet. The possibility was considered strong enough that it prompted President Clinton to go on national television to announce it; so if you use this book, you may even help confirm one of the greatest mysteries of all time.

A fine basic review of a little known field
My primary interest in the area of meteoritics is impact strucures. This book offers a fair discussion of that field, but is primarily concerned with meteorites and those who hunt, collect, and sell them. In these respects, Norton's presentation is unparalleled. The book is an easy, enjoyable read and may be perused by persons with no background in meteoritics. The biographical sketches of Ninenger and Haag alone give unique worth to the book.
The only real reservation keeping this book from a five star rating is its Apprndix C, listing suspected impact craters. Several of the listed items appear nowhere else in the impact literature I have reviewed and the listed size of many features varies from other calculations. But, then, I should do so good.

Second Edition Worth Buying
Those readers who bought the original First Edition might wish to know whether they should invest in the Second Edition. The answer is Yes. The Second Edition is sufficiently updated to warrant purchase, and includes discussion on new topics that have become important since the 1993/1994 writing of the First Edition. Additions include expanded discussion of the Shoemaker-Levy impact on Jupiter, discussion on the disputed finding of bacteria fossils in Mars meteorites, and discussion on the Mars Pathfinder mission. Here and there, clarifications and expansions on the First Edition's text bring the reader up to date.

Great Book
I thought the book was very good for someone like myself with a beginners interest in meteorites. There is a great deal of information, where meteorites come from, what they are made of, how they have gotten here. It did a geat job of peaking my interest in meteorites, I am planning a field tiip shortly and have ordered other books on the subject. So I would say the book did it's job of creating an interest on the subject of meteorites. I only gave it a four because I expected more from the section on meteorite hunters. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Definitive Book on Weather

After reading over a dozen titles dedicated to explain weather to the sailor, I finally found the book that really explains the causes, development and forecasting in a way that can be understood and used by those going to sea.My prior efforts included attending several multi-day seminars, but I was not satisfied with the results of my reading and studying until I got this book.The concept of stable or unstable air is fundamental to understanding weather, and this is the first book (among the ones I read) that explains "adiabatic lapse rate" as it relates to the heating of the atmosphere and the effect on weather formation.It also includes easy reference tables to recognize and forecast change, the evolution of fronts and the visible signs of it: including cloud formation, etc. that makes our life aboard more predictable.These concepts are more complex and sophisticated that most authors dear to explain, but without understanding them the picture is incomplete.This book is not easy read: just going through the pages once, is not enough to grasp the concepts (at least not for me), as I had to re-read again several chapters, but it is worth it if you truly want to understand weather and be able to make predictions.This is not `reading' material, but `study' material.The one concept the book does not cover enough is the Jet Stream and its influence on the creation of pressure systems, as in a curve down would create a low, and a curve up will produce a high pressure system, but this is repeated in all other books.He does mention the 500 mb chart, but does not go over it as much as I would have liked it.This book was first published before the Internet so it does not include any reference to it as a way to obtain weather information.An updated edition would be great, but all things considered, this is still the most complete and the best book on weather I found.

Excellent Handbook for the Mariner.
This is truely a gem!For those who are going to sea or those who are weather enthusiasts, this book should be in your library.My wife and I sailed across the Pacific and were helped immensely by Crawford's book. Itis well written for both the unfamiliar reader as well as those wanting anin depth understanding of what makes weather happen and what to expectwhile it's happening.With almost every page having diagrams orphotographs, Crawford takes the reader through an explanation of theatmosphere, introducing the reader to the whys and wheres of winds, therole that heat plays in meteorology, discussions of clouds, fogs, ice, andfronts. He discusses weather instruments and weather charts.The book isdirected toward the mariner, both professional and cruiser.Though hisbook is not layed out specifically with generalities first, followed byincreased specifics and details,it is not difficult for the reader to getthe general gist of what the author is trying to convey, without having tosort through pages of confusing details.At the same time, those who arehungry for the intricacies of meteorlogical phenomina will have a hard timeputting the book down: for them it will be like a compelling novel, andtheir sleep schedule will likely suffer as a result.

I am surprised tofind that I am the first to review this fine book, because I regularly giveit as a gift, and well received it has been! ... Read more

Book Description

Initially, the role of snow and ice in the global water balance is assessed and methods of snow measurements are explained. Remote sensing is dealt with with regard to periodical snow cover mapping. Last advances and refinements refer to spatial resolution, cloud interference and separate monitoring of snow and glacier ice. Following a review of snow melt and runoff modelling, the Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) demonstrates the merits of remote sensing in snow hydrology by using the satellite data as a direct input variable. Applications in over 100 mountain basins around the world are documented, with surface areas ranging from 0.3 km2 to 900.000 km2. Based on runoff modelling, runoff forecasts are dealt with including seasonal and short term forecasts as well as computation of hydrographs from forecasted temperatures and precipitation. The climate change is becoming a major concern of our times. The effect of various climate scenarios on the seasonal snow cover and runoff is evaluated by the updated computer program which also enable the real-time runoff forecasts to be improved. As a final note, a method is outlined to predict the decline of glaciers in the warming climate. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A unique and dynamic meteorology text.
This highly acclaimed book, created for the enthusiastic students who begin to study meteorology offers a rigorous mathematical and physical treatment of the dynamics, thermodynamics and hydrodynamics of the troposphere. It also provides the indispensable background in mathematics and physics to understand the theory of atmospheric motion. Among the topics discussed are the equations of motion in inertial coordinates, meteorological equations of motion, air in motion:models of the winds, vorticity and circulation, atmospheric energetics and atmospheric wave motion. With numerous problems in each section to develop and reinforce the study. ... Read more

Book Description

Tornadoes occur in every state in the Union, and each region of the nation has its unique "tornado season." The most intense tornadoes can carry automobiles a half-mile and level a well built home. Some tornadoes have crossed mountains, seemingly unimpeded. Some have lasted more than an hour, scouring the earth with wind speeds of 250 miles per hour. Nor are tornadoes unique to the United States. In Bangladesh, for example, they have killed a thousand people in a single swath.

Reviews (10)

Ideal quick reference on tornadoes
From the intorduction, you read that the author's intent with this book was to write a modernized edition of Snowden D. Flora's 1953 book "Tornadoes of the United States" -- which was billed at the time as the first general reference book on tornadoes. In that respect, Tom Grazulis has fully succeeded.

"The Tornado" covers all the basics about tornadoes, like the highly complicated (and still enigmatic) process of tornado formation, forecasting, historical aspects of tornadoes -- as well as major tornadic events of the past, safety, climatology/frequncy, international frequency and major events, the Fujita scale, myths (more than you might think), and a pleasingly non-sensational chapter on storm chasing.

The text is never too complicated, and even the more technical points are easy to understand. The fact that the book is up-to-date is also a plus, as is the scope of the book's coverage. It's also somewhat more relevant to an American audience than Arjen and Jerrine Verkaik's "Under the Whirlwind," which -- though good, and including some of what this book covers -- was written with a Canadian audience in mind. (In which case Canadian readers are advised to read that book before this.)

About the only real minus is that there are limited illustrations, and those in the book are black and white. This text accompanied with more -- and color -- illustrations might have been more useful, although in moderation so as not to draw attention away from the text; at any rate a section of color plates would have been a nice addition.

That aside, this is a terrific guide to all things relevant (or even just the stuff you might have thought of once!) to tornadoes.

Great Book on Tornadoes
I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in tornadoes and wishing to learn more about the subject. Topics covered include nearly every aspect of tornado development and subsequent evolution, forecasting and warnings, the Fujita scale for rating damage, and tornado risks by geographical region. As a meteorologist, I think he does a great job communicating core scientific concepts to the reader in an easy-to-understand manner, and the chapters "Tornado Myths" and "Tornado Safety" contain valuable information and are must-reads, esp. for those less familiar with severe storms/tornadoes.

In short, a good read for anyone interested in tornadoes, and definitely a book you will want to have on your shelf.

Gone with the wind.
Lets start with the few negatives about this book. Grazulis does use the term, "I" fairly often in this book. This doesn't bother me as much as it does some people. He has to use the first person as he explains what brought about his interest in tornadoes and he has been involved in much of the research he talks about. The only real drawback I can find is that he gets a little too technical for the average reader on occasion. Still, considering the complicated nature of his subject I think he does a fine job of getting his point across and helping someone like me began to understand these killer storms.

Grazulis leads us down the path of tornado history making stops along the way to point out interesting facts. The reader is given stories of survival as well as tragedy. We even get a story about the one of the 18th century's most famous scientists chasing on horseback after what may or may not have been a tornado. I can just see Ben Franklin charging down the road in hot pursuit. Grazulis also spends some time trashing some tornado myths and giving some safety tips. There is also a very interesting chapter on tornadoes in other countries. I have even begun to understand what straight line winds and downbursts are because of this book.

Best of all the reader will be treated to an inside look at the progress science has made in understanding and predicting tornadoes. The new equipment, the new ideas, and the ever present danger of trying to get too close to a tornado to study it. Science has come a long way since early April, 1974 when forecasters all over the eastern U.S. watched the "Super Outbreak" on surplus World War II radar.

No matter if you are a weather junkie or are just in awe of the power of nature I feel sure you will find this to be an interesting read.

An accessible introduction to the subject
Persons interested in tornadoes will recognize Tom Grazulis as the Director of the Tornado Project and author of the massive tornado tome "Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991." In this new book, appropriately published by the University of Oklahoma Press, Grazulis discusses the long history of tornadoes in the United States (and, rare for books on the subject, includes a listing of major tornadoes outside the US), covers the process of observation and research that led to today's understanding of these chaotic storms, discusses tornado oddities, tornado safety, and tornado myths (no, that trailer park on the edge of town is not a dangerous tornado attractant). Grazulis is not a particularly stylish writer, but the book is clear and interesting and will serve as a good introduction to both the trail of terror left by these storms and the current state of severe storm research.

.... While Grazulis does on occasion refer to himself, it is not excessive and provides his own view of events and personalities in the field.

My only disagreement with Grazulis is his soft-pedaling of the state of government funding into severe storm research and warning systems. While he comments mildly that the government just can't fund everything (which of course is true), I would observe that there always seems to be money for congressional porkbarrel, like the mysterious ordering every year of C-130 aircraft that the Air Force didn't want but which were built in a certain well-known former House Speaker's district at the same time that Weather Service offices were being closed and research money drying up. As one who lives in a NEXRAD "hole" (a city that is well below the horizon of the nearest WSR-88D radars and hence in danger of being struck unexpectedly by tornadoes), I tend to object more than mildly to this kind of thing, and Grazulis should as well.

If you find this book interesting, check at your local library for a copy of Grazulis' "Significant Tornadoes." It is huge and fascinating.

Compact but thorough reference on tornadoes

In 1953, the University of Oklahoma Press launched its biggest seller to date with "Tornadoes of the United States" by Snowden D. Flora. For its era, it was unique -- a thorough, multifaceted but concise (194 pages) treatment of tornadoes, liberally sprinkled with photographs. Tom Grazulis, a friend, colleague in science and fellow tornado enthusiast, has created the same with a modern flavor: the first worthy successor to Flora's tome in 48 years.

Strongly reminiscent of Flora's framework, Grazulis effectively blends powerful personal anecdotes from tornado survivors with sharp graphics, summaries of the most recent scientific thinking on tornado development, and short synopses of tornado events through history. Grazulis explains and debunks tornado myths, including safety misconceptions like the suicidal tendency for people to hide beneath bridges in advance of a tornado. This work pays due attention and respect to the immense contributions of Ted Fujita without the undertone of hero worship in the author's previous book, "Significant Tornadoes." The text is quite straightforward -- rightfully so -- about the inconsistencies, varying methods, and flat-out-wrongs in the "official" tornado database -- such as a deadly November 1989 New York downburst (as surveyed by Fujita) which remains on the records as a tornado. Without confusion, Grazulis covers tornado risk in several ways, thanks to his enormous database of significant (deadly and/or F2 or greater) tornadoes. Also, commendably, there is an entire chapter devoted to tornadoes outside the United States, which (from personal communication with author) played a big role in scuttling his original plans to adopt Flora's title for this book as well.

The major problem with this work is in its blatantly first-person writing style. While not a fatal flaw, the appearance of the word "I" in hundreds of places lends a striking, if unintended, aura of self-importance detracting from the abundance of solid science behind the information. Why must an author talk about himself so much, unless this is supposed to be an autobiography? Also, many of the photos in "Tornadoes of the United States" were reprinted here, in lieu of many more recent, higher-quality tornado pictures from the 1980s and 90s which better illustrate the concepts written by Grazulis. Without these encumbrances, Grazulis' book gets 5 stars, easily. Still, all severe weather enthusiasts should have a copy at the core of their libraries. It will be stunning if this volume doesn't become OU Press' biggest seller, as did its forebear. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent Book!
In addition to reading this great book, I have had the good fortune of meeting Dr. Reynolds in person. He is as engaging a speaker as he is an author, and has a way of bringing you into a subject like no one else. Falling Stars is an excellent introduction to meteor observing and meteorite collecting. This really is a branch of astronomy that anyone can get involved with. I highly recommend this book!

Good Short Introduction to Meteors, Meteorites, and Tektites
Falling Stars: A Guide to Meteors and Meteorites is just that, a short introduction to the wonderful world of meteors and meteorite collecting. There are a number of good books out there on this subject, but this one is a handy quick reference guide for novice collectors and those interested in learning a little about the origins of these fascinating pieces of rock and metal from space. It gives a brief overview of meteors and comets, descriptions of the major meteor showers, major impact craters, and famous meterorite falls, as well as a breakdown of the various types of meteorites and tektites. It doesn't go into great detail on, say, the difference between an octahedrite, hexahedrite, and ataxite nickel-iron meteorite for example, but it does provide some sound info for the beginner. ... Read more