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Books > Earth & environment > Earth sciences > Meteorology > General
Shall we take an umbrella... or evacuate the city? The Weather Machine is about a miraculous-but-overlooked invention that helps us through our daily lives - and sometimes saves them - by allowing us to see into the future.
When Superstorm Sandy hit North America, weather scientists had predicted its arrival a full eight days beforehand, saving countless lives and astonishing us with their capability. Their skill is unprecedented in human history and draws on nearly every major invention of the last two centuries: Newtonian physics, telecommunications, spaceflight and super-computing.
In this gripping investigation, Andrew Blum takes us on a global journey to explain this awe-inspiring feat - from satellites circling the Earth, to weather stations far out in the ocean, through some of the most ingenious minds and advanced algorithms at work today. Our destination: the simulated models they have constructed of our planet, which spin faster than time, turning chaos into prediction, offering glimpses of our future with eery precision.
This collaborative invention spans the Earth and relies on continuous co-operation between all nations - a triumph of human ingenuity and diplomacy we too often shrug off as a tool for choosing the right footwear each morning. But in this new era of extreme weather, we may come to rely on its maintenance and survival for our own.
The Arctic: A Barometer of Global Climate Variability provides a
comprehensive source of information on all aspects of the Arctic
region. Through thorough research, first-hand accounts and case
studies, the book details international arctic research initiatives
and native environments, including flora and fauna. Sections
explore the impact of climate change, the effect of the Arctic on
climate change, the environmental issues facing the region and how
it is adapting. It is also a must-read source of information for
polar scientists, applicable PhD students, early researchers,
environmental scholars, and anyone searching for information on any
aspect of the Arctic region. Users will find a great resource that
brings together all aspects of Arctic research into one concise
book.
In Resilience: The Science of Adaptation to Climate Change leading
experts analyze and question ongoing adaptation interventions.
Contributions span different disciplinary perspectives, from law to
engineering, and cover different regions from Africa to the
Pacific. Chapters assess the need for adaptation, highlighting
climate change impacts such as sea level rise, increases in
temperature, changing hydrological variability, and threats to food
security. The book then discusses the state of global legislation
and means of tracking progress. It reviews ways to build resilience
in a range of contexts- from the Arctic, to small island states, to
urban areas, across food and energy systems. Critical tools for
adaptation planning are highlighted - from social capital and
ethics, to decision support systems, to innovative finance and risk
transfer mechanisms. Controversies related to geoengineering and
migration are also discussed. This book is an indispensable
resource for scientists, practitioners, and policy makers working
in climate change adaptation, sustainable development, ecosystem
management, and urban planning.
Energy and Climate Change: An Introduction to Geological Controls,
Interventions and Mitigations examines the Earth system science
context of the formation and use of fossil fuel resources, and the
implications for climate change. It also examines the historical
and economic trends of fossil fuel usage and the ways in which
these have begun to affect the natural system (i.e., the start of
the Anthropocene). Finally, the book examines the effects we might
expect in the future looking at evidence from the "deep time" past,
and looks at ways to mitigate climate change by using negative
emissions technology (e.g. bioenergy and carbon capture and
storage, BECCS), but also by adapting to perhaps a higher than "two
degree world," particularly in the most vulnerable, developing
countries. Energy and Climate Change is an essential resource for
geoscientists, climate scientists, environmental scientists, and
students; as well as policy makers, energy professionals, energy
statisticians, energy historians and economists.
"Global Change Scenarios of the 21st Century" informs readers of
conceivable environmental changes in the next hundred years.
Integrated scenarios are used to communicate large amounts of
information about different aspects of the global environmental
system, together with society's role within this system. Uniquely,
the scenarios are generated by an integrated computer model, IMAGE
2.1, which enhances consistency and provides a framework for
linking environmental and social aspects of global change.
The book is divided into four parts, the volume begins by
describing the model used to generate these scenarios, explaining
its current features. This is followed by scenarios of changing
climate, energy and food use, land cover, acidification, sea level
and many other indicators of global change up to 2100. The long
term consequences of actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are
then explored in a section which uses the concepts of 'safe
landing' and 'safe emission corridors' to address the connection
between the long-term climate protection and short-term emission
reductions. The final sections examines how the complicated and
crucial issue of how complex global scenario information can be
communicated to policy makers.
This set of conference papers covers such topics as: the need for
water to maintain life; the atmospheric water vapour in all layers
of the troposphere; the measurement of cloud water contents and the
partitionof its liquid and solid phases; and land and ocean
nutrients.
Climate change is a major challenge facing modern society. The
chemistry of air and its influence on the climate system forms the
main focus of this book. Vol. 2 of Chemistry of the Climate System
takes a problem-based approach to presenting global atmospheric
processes, evaluating the effects of changing air compositions as
well as possibilities for interference with these processes through
the use of chemistry.
Modeling and Mitigation Measures for Managing Extreme
Hydrometeorological Events Under a Warming Climate explores the
most recent computational tools, modeling frameworks, and critical
data analysis measures for managing extreme climate events. Extreme
climate events-primarily floods and droughts-have had major
consequences in terms of loss of life and property around the
world. Managing extreme occurrences, reducing their effects, and
establishing adaptation strategies requires significant policy and
planning improvements. This practical guide explores the latest
research literature, recent advanced modeling approaches, and
fundamental ideas and concepts to provide a variety of solutions
for managing extreme events.
From ice storms to fire rainbows, this is an A to Z guide to the
earth's spectacular weather phenomena. Each entry has been crafted
by experts at The Royal Meteorological Society, and many are
illustrated with dramatic imagery from their annual Weather
Photographer of the Year competition. As well as providing precise
scientific and geographic detail, the entries often reveal the
folklore that surrounds certain weather events and how they have
affected human culture.
Climate Change and Life: The Complex Co-evolution of Climate and
Life on Earth, and Beyond covers the critical tectonic and
biogeochemical cycles that drive climate and shape the modern
world. It compares the history of Earth to the histories of Venus
and Mars, including new findings of Martian climate change. The
book is multidisciplinary and will instruct readers on the range of
extremes in climate and biogeochemical cycling that shape life on
Earth. Topics covered include climate drivers on Earth (atmospheric
gases, non-gaseous particulates in the atmosphere, etc.), various
techniques to assess past climates, mass extension drivers, and
future predictions. The book takes a long view on climate change
and evolution while also focusing on defining moments in Earth
history where critical thresholds and events occur. Climate
scientists, earth scientists, environmental scientists and
researchers in all other areas related to climate change will find
value in the research presented in this book.
Climate Impacts on Extreme Weather: Current to Future Changes on a
Local to Global Scale presents fundamentals and advances in the
science of weather and climate extremes, building on the existing
knowledge by using regional and global case studies. The book
provides an analysis of historical and future changes, physical
processes, measurements, space-time variability, socioeconomic
impact, and risk management. It provides policy makers, researchers
and students working in climate change with a thorough reference
for understanding the diverse impacts of extreme weather and
climate change on varying geographic scales. With contributions
from experts across the globe, the book utilizes methods, case
studies, modeling, and analysis to present valuable, up-to-date
knowledge about the interaction of climate change, weather and the
many implications of the changing environment.
Antarctic Climate Evolution, Second Edition, enhances our
understanding of the history of the world's largest ice sheet, and
how it responded to and influenced climate change during the
Cenozoic. It includes terrestrial and marine geology,
sedimentology, glacier geophysics and ship-borne geophysics,
coupled with results from numerical ice sheet and climate modeling.
The book's content largely mirrors the structure of the Past
Antarctic Ice Sheets (PAIS) program (www.scar.org/science/pais),
formed to investigate past changes in Antarctica by supporting
multidisciplinary global research. This new edition reflects recent
advances and is updated with several new chapters, including those
covering marine and terrestrial life changes, ice shelves, advances
in numerical modeling, and increasing coverage of rates of change.
The approach of the PAIS program has led to substantial improvement
in our knowledge base of past Antarctic change and our
understanding of the factors that have guided its evolution.
The Joint Arctic Weather Stations were five meteorological and
scientific monitoring stations constructed at Resolute, Eureka,
Mould Bay, Isachsen, and Alert with the cooperation of the Canadian
Department of Transport's meteorological branch and the United
States Weather Bureau. From 1947 to the early 1970s as few as four
Canadians and four Americans worked and lived at each of the four
satellite stations, observing and collecting scientific data.This
is the first systematic account of the Joint Arctic Weather
Stations, a project that profoundly shaped state activates and
scientific inquiry in the Arctic Archipelago. Drawing on extensive
archival evidence, unpublished personal memoirs, and interviews
with former employees, The Joint Arctic Weather Stations analyzes
the diplomatic, scientific, social, military, and environmental
dimensions of the program alongside each station as a nexus of
state planning and personal agency. Contrary to previous
scholarship, The Joint Arctic Weather Stations reveals that
Canadian officials sought-and achieved-a firm policy that afforded
effective control of Canada's Arctic while enjoying the advantages
of American contribution to the joint meteorological program. It
explores the changing ways science was conducted over time and how
the details of everyday life at remote stations, from the climate
to leisure activities to debates over alcohol, hunting, and
leadership, shaped the program's effectiveness. An exploration of
the full duration of the Joint Arctic Weather Stations from
high-level planning and diplomacy to personal interactions in the
stations makes this book an essential exploration of collaborative
polar science in the North American Arctic.
Precipitation: Earth Surface Responses and Processes provides
readers with a general and indispensable overview of processing
rainfall processes through radar techniques, numerical models,
geostatistical tools, photogrammetric methods, plots, indexes of
connectivity or rainfall simulations. The handbook follows a clear
and consistent format, and is structured as follows: Introduction
(State-of-the-Art); Part 1. Rainfall and climate/atmosphere; Part
2. Models and applications; Part 3. Rainfall as a key actor playing
the main role affecting different ecosystems. Part 3: Rainfall
affecting the earth surface from different scales and landforms;
Part 4: Rainfall and stormwater quality management in urban and
rural areas. Precipitation is a key factor needed for understanding
landscape evolution and ecosystem services. Knowing the main
precipitation composition, mechanisms and processes allows for
efficient land management plans and ecosystem restoration
activities. However, precipitation shows different responses under
specific environments depending on the climate (from the arid to
the polar areas), parent material, scale (from the raindrops to
catchment scale), intensity, landscape morphologies (soil sealing,
rills, gullies or rivers) or human activities (agriculture or urban
areas). Precipitation: Earth Surface Responses and Processes bring
this information together and provides indispensable material in a
holistic manner for students, scientists and lecturers from
different environmental disciplines such as climatology,
meteorology, geomorphology, hydrology, soil science, geography,
engineering, or ecology.
Precipitation Science: Measurement, Remote Sensing, Microphysics
and Modeling addresses the latest key concerns for researchers in
precipitation science, mainly observing, measuring, modeling and
forecasting. Using case studies and global examples, the book
demonstrates how researchers are addressing these issues using
state-of-the-art methods and models to improve accuracy and output
across the field. In the process, it covers such topics as
discrepancies between models and observations, precipitation
estimations, error assessment, droplet size distributions, and
using data in forecasting and simulations. Other sections cover
improved standard approaches, novel approaches, and coverage of a
variety of topics such as climatology, data records, and more. By
providing comprehensive coverage of the most up-to-date approaches
to understanding, modeling, and predicting precipitation, this book
offers researchers in atmospheric science, hydrology and
meteorology with a comprehensive resource for improving outcomes
and advancing knowledge.
Natural and Anthropogenic Impacts on Cave Climates: Postojna and
Predjama Show Caves (Slovenia) presents an analysis of continuous
time-series data for show caves in Slovenia and their significance
in understanding global cave microclimates. The book presents
detailed guidelines and procedures for conducting temperature and
CO2 measurements in caves and uses Slovenian caves as a detailed
case study to demonstrate their application. Critical
interpretations of these temporal series provide the reader with
specific indicators of the conditions for water condensation to
occur and CO2 thresholds and how to apply them to different cave
systems. Direct comparisons are made between microclimate data from
caves with varying levels of tourism, and the linkage between the
number of visitors and microclimate changes is discussed in detail.
This book is a unique reference on cave meteorology for Climate
Scientists, Meteorologists, Geologists, Microbiologists,
Environmental and Conservation Scientists, and Cave Managers.
Climate Change and Crop Stress: Molecules to Ecosystems expounds on
the transitional period where science has progressed to
'post-genomics' and the gene editing era, putting field performance
of crops to the forefront and challenging the production of
practical applicability vs. theoretical possibility. Researchers
have concentrated efforts on the effects of environmental stress
conditions such as drought, heat, salinity, cold, or pathogen
infection which can have a devastating impact on plant growth and
yield. Designed to deliver information to combat stress both in
isolation and through simultaneous crop stresses, this edited
compilation provides a comprehensive view on the challenges and
impacts of simultaneous stresses.
Observe how weather can drastically change how a single street
looks with this science reader. With images that are easy to
identify and clear, simple sentence structures, this science reader
simplifies scientific concepts for young students as they improve
their reading skills. A fun and easy science experiment and Your
Turn! activity provide more in-depth opportunities for additional
learning. Nonfiction text features include a glossary and an index.
Engage students in learning with this dynamic text!
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