Book Description

This book introduces and explains the statistical methods used to describe, analyze, test, and forecast atmospheric data. It will be useful to students, scientists, and other professionals who seek to make sense of the scientific literature in meteorology, climatology, or other geophysical disciplines, or to understand and communicate what their atmospheric data sets have to say. The book includes chapters on exploratory data analysis, probability distributions, hypothesis testing, statistical weather forecasting, forecast verification, time(series analysis, and multivariate data analysis. Worked examples, exercises, and illustrations facilitate understanding of the material; an extensive and up-to-date list of references allows the reader to pursue selected topics in greater depth.

Key Features
* Presents and explains techniques used in atmospheric data summarization, analysis, testing, and forecasting
* Includes extensive and up-to-date references
* Features numerous worked examples and exercises
* Contains over 130 illustrations ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The quintessential text and reference.
Wilks brilliantly covers the fundamentals of statistical methods for atmospheric data with clarity and precision. This book is a classic, and a much-needed successor to the 1958 text by Panofsky and Brier. Moreover, the book's coverage is applicable to other geophysical fields, such as hydrology, which broadens its usefulness for researchers, practitioners, and students.

Essential for students; valuable for researchers
This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the most commonly used statistical methods in atmospheric research. It is written at a level that is suitable for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students with only a moderate level of mathematical ability, but is suitable also as a basic text book for researchers with moderate experience in statistics. It lacks some depth in some sections, such as in discussions of multivariate methods, but for students the coverage is ideal, and I would strongly recommend the book as a standard text for any course in research methods for atmospheric scientists. Topics covered include empirical distributions and exploratory data analysis, data distributions, hypothesis testing, forecasting and verification methods, time series, and multivariate analyses.

Statistical methods are introduced in the context of their application. The emphasis is on solutions to meteorological problems rather than on the statistical methods per se. Although I see this approach as a major strength of the book, one result is that the book may be of less interest to non-atmospheric scientists. Limitations of the methods are discussed, and the reader is given considerable assistance in interpreting the statistical results of the methods covered. The mathematical back ground is kept at a level that should be digestible by most students. Equations are relatively few, but not lacking, so the mathematically shy should be able to gain a lot from the book. The text is excellently written: very clear and the logical development is very smooth. I think in time this book will prove to appeal to a wide range of atmospheric scientists.

The Bible for Atmoshperic Sciences
Need more be said? A comprehensive guide to the most useful statistical methods in the fields of oceanographic, meteorological and climatological research. This is the bible for atmospheric research and a neccessity on every research scientist's bookshelf. ... Read more

Book Description

Air Pollution Meteorology and Dispersion provides a concise yet thorough review of the basic theories, models, experiments, and observations of pollutant dispersal in the atmosphere. It offers the theoretical and empirical bases of frequently used dispersion models while emphasizing the limitations and uncertainties inherent in these models. Organized into twelve chapters, the material is presented in order of increasing difficulty. The first half of the book treats the basic tenets of air pollution modeling; the second half deals with the more detailed theoretical and observational aspects of dispersion. Sufficient background material on atmospheric structure, dynamics, and circulation systems and their importance to atmospheric dispersion is included for students who do not yet have a strong meteorological background. Turbulence and diffusion theories, such as gradient transport, statistical, and similarity theories, as well as analytical and numerical dispersion and air quality models, are also discussed. Problems and exercises are included in each chapter, making this an ideal text for undergraduate and graduate courses in atmospheric science and mechanical engineering. ... Read more

From the publisher

Interactions between the sun, solar wind, magnetosphere, ionosphere, and thermosphere can influence the performance and reliability of space-borne and ground-based technologies, and endanger human life and health. Here is the state-of-the-art resource on our observational knowledge, theoretical understanding, and numerical capability about space weather. From discussions on broad scientific, technological, industrial, commercial, and programmatic issues to reviews of current research, Space Weather offers a rich perspective for a variety of scientists. Solar, heliosphere, and magnetosphere physicists, aeronomers, astronomers, and more will find this book an invaluable research and teaching tool. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not for the faint of heart....
In the field of meteorology, there are few individuals who understand how space weather impacts industrial concerns from a day to day operational standpoint. Attempting to educate my coworkers, I requested this text. Essentially, it's a well-organized collection of full research papers (some hitting the target near-center, and some partially if not completely in left field). It'll do, but I really wanted to share something more concise and more direct with my fellow mets. My next attempt in finding a suitable source will be "Storms from the Sun: The Emerging Science of Space Weather" by Michael Carlowicz, Ramon Lopez. ... Read more

Book Description

The Tri-State Tornado is a gripping account of the worst tornado disaster in American history. Claiming 689 lives during a three-hour rampage across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on March 18, 1925, the storm had one of the longest uninterrupted paths (219 miles) and one of the widest (up to one mile) of any recorded tornado. Its continuous energy was so extreme that it completely obliterated several small towns in its path. Although the fatality count was nearly that of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, with the exception of meteorologists and residents of the affected area, few had ever heard of this catastrophe until this book's initial release in 1992.

The Tri-State Tornado reconstructs the tragedy, using vivid eyewitness accounts of fourteen survivors who lived along the tornado's path from the Missouri Ozarks to southwestern Indiana. The clarity with which they recall that day in their lives over sixty years earlier will give readers the unsettling feeling that the tornado struck days, not decades, ago. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A must for severe weather freaks.
I first read this book while taking a class in severe & unusual weather at the University of Illinois a few years ago. If you're into jaw-dropping weather phenomena, you really need to get this book. There are great interviews with survivors, a few astounding pictures, and some good basic science to back it all up. ... Read more

Book Description

Gaskinetic Theory is an introductory text on the molecular theory of gases and on modern transport theory suitable for upper division undergraduates in physics and first year graduate students in aerospace engineering, upper atmospheric science and space research.The first part introduces basic concepts, including the distribution function, classical theory of specific heats, binary collisions, mean free path, and reaction rates.Transport theory is used to express coefficients such as viscosity and heat conductivity in terms of molecular properties.The second part of the book covers advanced transport theory. Generalized transport equations are derived from the Boltzmann equation.The Chapman-Enskog and the Grad methods are discussed to obtain higher order transport equations for low density gases.The aerodynamics of solid bodies is explored and the book concludes with the kinetic description of shock waves. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Mariner Must!
This book breaks down the basics of marine weather for any novice sailor and brings the deep details in for the seasoned seaman. A nautical must. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

A good meteorology primer
I read this book during a rainy spring weekend. It gives a good understanding of meteorology and clouds, developing everything clearly. I have since taken several meteorology courses and read numerous books about the weather, but nothing has ever explained things as well or as simply as this book did. This book is filled with full-color illustrations, distinguishing it from most other books that just have black and white illustrations.

Weather
This is a short book, similar in format to the other Golden Guides. It's gone through several revisions, but the content remains consistent.

People interested in basic meteorology may consider this book a good starting point. It provides the basics on air currents, precipitation, clouds, fronts, etc. It may not be text book calibre, but it remains true to its roots. Teens may find the information useful, particularly if they have questions that parents cannot answer. There's not a lot of technical language that will only add to the confusion and the chapters are short enough to keep the reader on track.

Fun little guide
This was one of the original Golden Guides done back in the 50's, along with The Stars, Rocks and Minerals, Birds, North American Trees, and some others. I collected and read just about all of these and it's surprising how much info they got into these little books. Each book is exactly 160 pages, if I remember right. Thus, they have a fixed format, so they have to be very careful about what they select for material since it all has to fit.

These books sold for 75 cents or 95 cents originally. They were great little educational tools when I was a schoolboy, and I could still read them with profit many years later.

The more specialized ones, such as Pond Life, Structural Geology, The Heart, Insect Pests, Spiders and Their Kin, Mushrooms and Non-Vascular plants, were also very good. ... Read more

Book Description

In Lightning Physics and Lightning Protection the

authors provide a comprehensive and up-to-date

review of lightning, including its hazards and

protection techniques. The book considers:

The mechanisms of lightning discharge

processes: the initiation of a leader, return stroke

and subsequent components, using experimental

data and theory.

The effects of large aircraft, high-voltage lines

and other high-altitude constructions on lightning

trajectory and leader attraction.

The action of lightning's electrical and magnetic

fields and the lightning current on industrial

premises, power transmission lines, underground

communications, aircraft and their electrical

circuits and the induction of a dangerous

overvoltage.

Effectiveness of conventional protective

measures, and gives technical advice and

practical recommendations.

The prospects for the preventive control of a

lightning leader.

The reader will not find here all numerous

observations on lightning, but measurements

useful for the understanding of lightning and its

effects are selected and critically discussed. The

clear, straightforward and systematic

presentation of complicated material, a deep

insight into the physics of lightning, a wide use of

simple analytical estimats as well as a detailed

illustration of effects by computer simulation

create a book that will be of use to a wide circle

of professional and advanced students of

physics, geophysics, electro-, power-, radio-,

aircraft- and spacecraft engineers, who

investigate lightning phenomena and have to

solve practical protection problems. It will help a

specialist involved in new technology to foresee

possible hazardous effects, providing them with

the information necessary to control the

destructive action of lightning. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Lightning physics and lightning protection
The title was taken from the famous book edited by R. Golde "Lightning": part 1 "Lightning physics", part 2 "Lightning protection". I expect this book will be also so important work in the field. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the first book to cover essentially all aspects of lightning, including lightning physics, lightning protection, and the interaction of lightning with a variety of objects and systems as well as with the environment. Accessible to the technical non-expert, it is addressed to anyone interested in lightning and its effects. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides a synthesis of the past decade of research into global changes that occurred in the earth system in the past. Focus is achieved by concentrating on those changes in the Earth's past environment that best inform our evaluation of current and future global changes and their consequences for human populations. The book stands as a ten year milestone in the operation of the Past Global Changes (PAGES) Project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP). It seeks to provide a quantitative understanding of the Earth's environment in the geologically recent past and to define the envelope of natural environmental variability against which anthropogenic impacts on the Earth System may be assessed. ... Read more

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

Reviews (4)

Beautifully illustrated pocket reference for all!
This pocket field guide to weather towers a few steps above the regular audubon first guide to weather. The photographs are more spectacular and much easier to see. The background behind the cloud photos is also breathtaking. The "heap cloud" family is extensively covered here, coming out at more than 15 photographs in all! This will easily encourage an amateur meteorologist to delve into studying cloud formations and phenomenons. Once again, the material is geared toward amateurs and experienced users. There is an explanation beside the cloud type listing covering: Cloud significance, season, range, and local area abundance. Please heed that you must buy this before the advanced Audubon guides.

Pictures are very good, information too.
Well I consider that this is a very well illustrated book as well as all those from Audubon Society, pictures are impressive.

The information on the book is very useful, it is also very detalailed for a pocket guide, and I consider a good aspect the way to find clouds, is quick and you will easily learn to classify them.

Good Book
Nice pics. Nice info. Good boo

So easy to read! Such beautiful pictures!
This book is similar, though much more condensed, to the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Weather. It has some of the most beautiful weather pictures I've ever seen! The text is also right next to its corresponding picture, making it very easy to use. The small size makes it perfect to carry along with you everywhere! ... 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

The interactions between tectonic uplift, river erosion and alluvial deposition are fundamental processes which have acted to shape the landscape we see today.These processes are of course ongoing, and are important not only in geomorphology, sedimentology and structural geology, but also hydrology and river engineering.The authors have combined their specialities to bring together evidence and a variety of examples from both field and experimental studies to demonstrate how alluvial rivers are responding to uplift, subsidence and lateral tilting.Such recognition of the nature of river response yield criteria for the identification of active tectonics elsewhere, especially in areas without a history of seismic activity, or in the stratigraphic record.This volume will be of interest to graduate students, consultants and academic researchers in geomorphology, sedimentology and stratigraphy, structural geology, hydrology, geophysics, and geography. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

First comprehensive book on the topic
This is the first book, in my opinion, to really focus on the effects of active tectonics in the fluvial system regime. Many books focus on tectonic geomorphology or fluvial geomorphology, but none has integrated both subject areas for a thorough discussion on the integration of the two.

I really appreciated that the authors concentrated on case studies rather than jargon. The two background chapters are sufficient to start the advanced reader on the extremely interesting case studies. I also appreciated the division of the case studies into forward and inverse modeling approaches.

The applicatons section was full of studies of modern approaches in engineering, stratigraphy, and neotectonic interpretation.

Overall, this book was the perfect synthesis of tectonics and fluvial systems. Stan Schumm is a master on river morphology. He and Holbrook and Dumont should be commended on their effort! ... 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