Before the drought of the early twenty-first century, the dry benchmark in the American plains was the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. But in this eye-opening work, Kevin Z. Sweeney reveals that the Dust Bowl was only one cycle in a series of droughts on the U.S. southern plains. Reinterpreting our nation's nineteenth-century history through paleoclimatological data and firsthand accounts of four dry periods in the 1800s, Prelude to the Dust Bowl demonstrates the dramatic and little-known role drought played in settlement, migration, and war on the plains. Stephen H. Long's famed military expedition coincided with the drought of the 1820s, which prompted Long to label the southern plains a ""Great American Desert"" - a destination many Anglo-Americans thought ideal for removing Southeastern Indian tribes to in the 1830s. The second dry trend, from 1854 to 1865, drove bison herds northeastward, fomenting tribal warfare, and deprived Civil War armies in Indian Territory of vital commissary. In the late 1880s and mid-1890s, two more periods of drought triggered massive outmigration from the southern plains as well as appeals from farmers and congressmen for federal famine relief, pleas quickly denied by President Grover Cleveland. Sweeney's interpretation of familiar events through the lens of drought lays the groundwork for understanding why the U.S. government's reaction to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s was such a radical departure from previous federal responses. Prelude to the Dust Bowl provides new insights into pivotal moments in the settlement of the southern plains and stands as a timely reminder that drought, as part of a natural climatic cycle, will continue to figure in the unfolding history of this region.

Shortlisted for the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award, and one of The Observer's 'Thirty books to help us understand the world'. Are we really to blame for the climate crisis? Over 70 per cent of global emissions come from the same 100 organisations, but fossil-fuel companies have taken no responsibility themselves. Instead, they have waged a 30-year campaign to blame individuals. The result has been disastrous for our planet. In The New Climate War, renowned scientist Michael E. Mann argues that all is not lost. He draws the battle lines between the people and the polluters - fossil-fuel companies, right-wing plutocrats, and petro-states - and outlines a plan for forcing our governments and corporations to wake up and make real change.

This book describes the second phase of the Qinghai-Tibetan railway construction project and is the first technological book discussing the geological routing of the Qinghai-Tibetan railway project on the "roof of the world." Based on practical experience of railway construction work, it provides a substantial number of examples with detailed descriptions and conclusions. The complex geological environment of the Qinghai-Tibetan railway as well as the selection and optimization of the route are illustrated vividly and clearly with quotes, figures, photos, and tables. Connecting Golmud and Lhasa, it has a total length of 1142 km and at the Tanggula Pass has an altitude of 5072m-higher than any other in the world. A 960 km section is on a plateau at altitudes above 4000 m, and 550 km are in the permafrost region, making it the world's longest and highest railway in the permafrost plateau region. The book is a model for the integration of theory and practice, making it a valuable reference source for civil engineering professionals working in geological routing in permafrost plateau regions, active fault zones, meizoseismal areas, nature reserves, and regions with geohazards such as steep slopes, sand and snow drifts and geothermal hazards.

Global Atmospheric-Biospheric Chemistry; R.G. Prinn. Atmospheric Chemistry and Composition of Air over the North Atlantic Ocean; S.A. Penkett, et al. Marine Aerosol and Gas Exchange and Global Atmospheric Effects; B.J. Huebert, et al. Multiphase Atmospheric Chemistry: Implications for Climate; R.J Charlson, J. Lelieveld. Atmospheric Chemistry of the East-Asian Northwest Pacific Region; H. Akimoto, et al. Biomass Burning in the Global Environment: First Results from the IGAC/BIBEX Field Campaign STARE/TRACEA/SAFARI92; M.O. Andreae, et al. Biosphere-Atmosphere Exchange of Trace Gases in the Tropics: Evaluating the Effects of Land Use Changes; M. Keller, P.A. Matson. Trace Gas Emissions from Rice Fields; H.U. Neue, R.L. Sass. Polar Atmosphere and Snow Chemistry; L.A. Barrie, R.J. Delmas. Terrestrial Biosphere-Atmosphere Exchange in High Latitudes; W.S. Reeburgh, et al. Exchange of Trace Gases between the Terrestrial Biosphere and the Atmosphere in the Mid-latitudes; K.A. Smith, et al. 4 additional articles. Index.

This volume comprises select peer reviewed papers presented at the international conference - Advanced Research and Innovations in Civil Engineering (ARICE 2019). It brings together a wide variety of innovative topics and current developments in various branches of civil engineering. Some of the major topics covered include structural engineering, water resources engineering, transportation engineering, geotechnical engineering, environmental engineering, and remote sensing. The book also looks at emerging topics such as green building technologies, zero-energy buildings, smart materials, and intelligent transportation systems. Given its contents, the book will prove useful to students, researchers, and professionals working in the field of civil engineering.

This book mainly studies the methodologies of structural design and construction for highway engineering, which are applicable to the overall control and the precise operation of engineering structures. It explores the method of comprehensive analysis, the simplification of complex problems, and the application of typical engineering tools. In turn, the book presents a number of innovative approaches, e.g. the coordinated control of structural deformation method, the theory of underground engineering balance and stability, and the soft soil foundation treatment of "bumping at the bridgehead." These methodologies are then illustrated in typical cases and representative problems, explained from a practical standpoint. Examples in special settings are also discussed, e.g. highway construction in Tibet, and rebuilding after the Wenchuan earthquake. The book offers a valuable reference guide for all those whose work involves highway engineering design, construction, management, and scientific research.

This book develops a fundamental understanding of geophysical fluid dynamics based on a mathematical description of the flows of inhomogeneous fluids. It covers these topics: 1. development of the equations of motion for an inhomogeneous fluid 2. review of thermodynamics 3. thermodynamic and kinetic energy equations 4. equations of state for the atmosphere and the ocean, salt, and moisture effects 5. concepts of potential temperature and potential density 6. Boussinesq and quasi-geostrophic approximations 7. conservation equations for vorticity, mechanical and thermal energy instability theories, internal waves, mixing, convection, double-diffusion, stratified turbulence, fronts, intrusions, gravity currents Graduate students will be able to learn and apply the basic theory of geophysical fluid dynamics of inhomogeneous fluids on a rotating earth, including: 1. derivation of the governing equations for a stratified fluid starting from basic principles of physics 2. review of thermodynamics, equations of state, isothermal, adiabatic, isentropic changes 3. scaling of the equations, Boussinesq approximation, applied to the ocean and the atmosphere 4. examples of stratified flows at geophysical scales, steady and unsteady motions, inertia-gravity internal waves, quasi-geostrophic theory 5. vorticity and energy conservation in stratified fluids 6.boundary layer convection in stratified containers and basins

The devastating impacts of tsunamis have received increased focus since the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, the most destructive tsunami in over 400 years of recorded history. The tsunamis that occurred as a result of the earthquake in Japan in March 2011 further emphasized the need for detection, monitoring, and early-warning technologies. This professional reference is the first of its kind: it provides a globally inclusive review of the current state of tsunami detection technology and will be a much-needed resource for oceanographers and marine engineers working to upgrade and integrate their tsunami warning systems. It focuses on the two main tsunami warning systems (TWS): International and Regional. Featured are comparative assessments of detection, monitoring, and real-time reporting technologies. The challenges of detection through remote measuring stations are also addressed, as well as the historical and scientific aspects of tsunamis.
Offers readers the only source of practical content on the technological details of the subjectWritten by a tsunami detection and monitoring expert who has 32 years of experience in the fieldCompanion web site featuring multi-media components, timely updates on fast-paced technological developments, and an online forum where scientists can exchange ideas, discuss technological updates and provide the author with valuable feedback

Studies of convection in geophysical flows constitute an advanced and rapidly developing area of research that is relevant to problems of the natural environment. Since the late 1980s, significant progress has been achieved in the field as a result of both experimental studies and numerical modelling. This led to the principal revision of the widely held view on buoyancy-driven turbulent flows comprising an organized mean component with superimposed chaotic turbulence. An intermediate type of motion, represented by coherent structures, has been found to play a key role in geophysical boundary layers and in larger scale atmospheric and hydrospheric circulations driven by buoyant forcing. New aspects of the interaction between convective motions and rotation have recently been discovered and investigated at the end of the 20th century. Extensive experimental data have also been collected on the role of convection in cloud dynamics and microphysics. New theoretical concepts and approaches have been outlined regarding scaling and parameterization of physical processes in buoyancy-driven geophysical flows. The book summarizes interdisciplinary studies of buoyancy effects in different media (atmosphere and hydrosphere) over a wide range of scales (small scale phenomena in unstably stratified and convectively mixed layers to deep convection in the atmosphere and ocean), by different research methods (field measurements, laboratory simulations, numerical modelling), and within a variety of application areas (dispersion of pollutants, weather forecasting and hazardous phenomena associated with buoyant forcing).

This book is a critical appraisal of the status of the so-called Climate Sciences (CS). These are contributed by many other basic sciences like physics, geology, chemistry and as such employ theoretical and experimental methods. In the last few decades most of the CS have been identified with the global warming problem and numerical models have been used as the main tool for their investigations. The produced predictions can only be partially tested against experimental data and may represent one of the reasons CS are drifting away from the route of the scientific method. On the other hand the study of climate faces many other interesting and mostly unsolved problems (think about ice ages) whose solution could clarify how the climatic system works. As for the global warming, while its existence is largely proved, scientifically it can be solved only with a large experimental effort carried out for a few decades. Problems can arise when not proved hypotheses are adopted as the basis for public policy without the recognition that they may be on shaky ground. The strong interactions of the Global Warming (GW) with the society create another huge problem of political nature for the CS. The book argues that the knowledge gained so far on the specific GW problem is enough for the relevant political decisions to be taken and that Climate Science should resume the study of the climate system with appropriate means and methods. The book introduces the most relevant concepts needed for the discussion in the text or in appropriate appendices and it is directed to the general public with upper undergraduate background. Each chapter closes with a debate between a climate scientist and a humanist to reflect the discussions between climate science and philosophy or climate scientists and society.

This book discusses various issues relating to water resources, climate change and sustainable development. Water is the main driving force behind three major pillars of sustainable development: environmental, social and economic. As stated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, development of these pillars rests on the availability and management of resources to fulfill the demand for water. By identifying the various challenges in the context of water resources and climate change, the book offers insights into achieving a better and more sustainable future. It provides a unique forum for practitioners and academics to exchange ideas on emerging issues, approaches, and practices in the area of water resources, climate change, and sustainability, while also presenting valuable information for policymakers on the changing contours of water management and climate change mitigation. As such it is a useful resource for decision-makers at the local as well as the global level.

Meteorology has made significant strides in recent years due to the development of new technologies. With the aid of the latest instruments, the analysis of atmospheric data can be optimized. Computational Techniques for Modeling Atmospheric Processes is an academic reference source that encompasses novel methods for the collection and study of meteorological data. Including a range of perspectives on pertinent topics such as air pollution, parameterization, and thermodynamics, this book is an ideal publication for researchers, academics, practitioners, and students interested in instrumental methods in the study of atmospheric processes.

This is a work of historical significance, an experimental study reproducing parts of the late Dr. Wilhelm Reich's controversial atmospheric research, specifically the technique of Cosmic Orgone Engineering ("cloudbusting"). This study took place in the late 1970s at the University of Kansas, Geography-Meteorology Department, as part of the author's graduate-level research, showing changes in cloud cover and rainfall across the state of Kansas as the apparatus was operated. Reich's original findings had been dismissed as "impossible" by the scientific community of his day, stirring up such outrage that his writings were literally "banned and burned" by Federal bureaucrats, who also threw Reich into prison on fabricated charges, where he died in 1957. This particular study was the first university-level investigation into the most extreme of Reich's claims - of an atmospheric energy which could be affected by his cloudbuster invention to bring rains over widespread areas, even during droughts or in deserts. The study verified Reich's claims. This republication of that original study also includes a major separate work as an Appendix, "Evidence for the Existence of a Principle of Atmospheric Continuity," which makes the argument for a renewed examination of the old cosmic-ether of space, as a parallel concept to Reich's orgone energy discovery. It also reviews similar inexplicable long-distance energetic phenomenon in the natural world which require a similar mechanism, such as solar-terrestrial phenomenon.

The Ozone Layer is an accessible history of stratospheric ozone, from its discovery in the nineteenth century to current investigations of the Antarctic ozone hole. Drawing directly on the scientific literature, Christie uses the story of ozone as a case study for examining fundamental issues relating to the practice of modern science and the conduct of scientific debate. Linking key debates in the philosophy of science to an example of real-world science it is an excellent and thought-provoking introduction to the philosophy of science.

This volume contains reviews on different aspects of human, animal and plant bioclimatology; the mechanisms linking human melanoma with radiation from both the sun and artificial sources; field and experimental studies on the health of farm animals in adverse climatic environments and the impact of climatic extremes on airborne disease organisms and their hosts' defense mechanisms; measurement techniques used in plant bioclimatology, including thermoelectric methods of measuring sap flow and transpiration in plants, remote sensing techniques: the use of lasers in both spectrofluorometry, and the study of the geometrical structure of plant canopies and the use of radar mounted in aircraft and satellites to monitor forest size and state.

This book presents a selection of the best papers from the HEaRT 2013 conference, held in Cosenza, Italy, which provided a valuable forum for engineers and architects, researchers and educators to exchange views and findings concerning the technological history, construction features and seismic behavior of historical timber-framed walls in the Mediterranean countries. The topics covered are wide ranging and include historical aspects and examples of the use of timber-framed construction systems in response to earthquakes, such as the gaiola system in Portugal and the Bourbon system in southern Italy; interpretation of the response of timber-framed walls to seismic actions based on calculations and experimental tests; assessment of the effectiveness of repair and strengthening techniques, e.g., using aramid fiber wires or sheets; and modelling analyses. In addition, on the basis of case studies, a methodology is presented that is applicable to diagnosis, strengthening and improvement of seismic performance and is compatible with modern theoretical principles and conservation criteria. It is hoped that, by contributing to the knowledge of this construction technique, the book will help to promote conservation of this important component of Europe's architectural heritage.

In this spirit, the ATMSS International Workshop "Advances in Laboratory Testing & Modelling of Soils and Shales" (Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland; 18-20 January 2017) has been organized to promote the exchange of ideas, experience and state of the art among major experts active in the field of experimental testing and modelling of soils and shales. The Workshop has been organized under the auspices of the Technical Committees TC-101 "Laboratory Testing", TC-106 "Unsaturated Soils" and TC-308 "Energy Geotechnics" of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. This volume contains the invited keynote and feature lectures, as well as the papers that have been presented at the Workshop. The topics of the lectures and papers cover a wide range of theoretical and experimental research, including unsaturated behaviour of soils and shales, multiphysical testing of geomaterials, hydro-mechanical behaviour of shales and stiff clays, the geomechanical behaviour of the Opalinus Clay shale, advanced laboratory testing for site characterization and in-situ applications, and soil - structure interactions.

Originally published in the early 1900s, this book is - 'primarily for the general reader who likes to know more about that much talked about, but little understood, topic - the weather'. Rather than being a dry text book, covering the entire field of meteorology, this includes general interest that the reader can use as a reference for the varying weather experienced every day. Contents Include: GENERAL NOTES AND SPRING WEATHER: Observe the Weather - Early Spring - Moisture in the Air - Clouds - Wind and Weather - rain - May Weather - Some Weather Proverbs - Summer Weather - Mountain Weather - Thunderstorms - Thunderstorms and the Vacationist - West Indian and Other Hurricanes - Autumn Foreshadows Winter - Autumn Winds and Storms - Weather Periods and Major Air Streams - Autumn Weather Proverbs - Our Atmosphere - WINTER: Winter Storms - Snow - Winter Resorts and Sports - Winter Sunshine - Winter Cold - Winter in the Home

Earthquake and tsunami disasters have been increasing rapidly and globally in the last quarter-century. The purpose of this book is to provide essential knowledge and information on the mitigation of earthquakes and tsunamis for graduate students, young researchers, and geotechnical engineers. It begins by presenting recent cases of earthquakes that have occurred in the world, referring to tsunamis and soil liquefaction and how to cope with such disasters. The final chapter proposes strategies for disaster mitigation against in Japan earthquakes and tsunamis in the future.

This book indicates the most optimal solutions for the growing civilization problem related to climate change that takes place more and more rapidly on our planet. It is divided into two parts: In the first part, the authors - based on the available analyses and reports on climate change taking place on Earth - present their own point of view in relation to the above issue, while trying to find answers to the following questions: * Why is it so difficult to admit that humans are responsible for the ongoing climate change? * Will climate change destroy life on Earth? * Can science and modern technologies stop this process? In the second part of the book, the authors propose a solution for the advancing climate change, regarding the reduction of CO2 emissions coming mainly from the energy sector. On the basis of scientific achievements and implementations of research institutions in Poland, especially the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Gdansk, the book proposes directions of development of the energy transformation in Poland and other countries for which fossil fuels currently make a large contribution to the energy production process and are the main emitter of CO2 to the atmosphere. The book is addressed to citizens, ecologists, climatologists as well as politicians and experts responsible for shaping the climate and energy policy of the country level and also the world.

This book examines the effects of incoherent noise and how it leads to the misinterpretation of seismic data. It also reviews common noise reduction approaches and their drawbacks, focusing on developments that have occurred in the past decade. The main features of this book include: * Hands-on implementation in MATLAB and/or C * In-depth discussions of both theoretical and practical aspects of the subject * Supplementary, real-world seismic data * Detailed descriptions of structure-enhancing filters. Connecting the theory and practical implementation of noise reduction, the book helps readers fill the gap from equations to code, and from classical filters to the preservation and enhancement of a robust structure. Lastly, it highlights cutting-edge research in the area. As such, it is of interest to researchers in the fields of petroleum engineering, exploration seismology, and geophysics, as well as to practitioners working in the petroleum industry.

The Encyclopedia of Air adopts a unique approach to its topic, exploring air, wind, and atmosphere in all their natural and human aspects. Its 162 entries are alphabetically arranged and cover meteorological topics such as tornados, political issues such as air pollution, important scientists and aviators, technical topics such as airplanes and dirigibles, and cultural phenomena including musical, literary, and linguistic references to air and wind. Other entries cover important organizations such as the Clean Air Trust, legal issues such as the Clean Air Act, and aerial sports and recreation such as kite-flying. Containing over 50 photos and tables, this book also includes a "Guide to Selected Topics" that traces broad themes, a general bibliography, and a detailed subject index. Most of the entries provide "See also" references to related entries in the book, a listing of addition information resources--both print and electronic--and contact information for relevant groups and organizations.

This book is an indispensable guide to the methods used by nearly all major weather forecast centers in the United States, England, Japan, India, France, and Australia. Designed for senior-level undergraduates and first-year graduate students, the book provides an introduction to global spectral modeling. It begins with an introduction to elementary finite-difference methods and moves on towards the gradual description of sophisticated dynamical and physical models in spherical coordinates. Topics include computational aspects of the spectral transform method, the planetary boundary layer physics, the physics of precipitation processes in large-scale models, the radiative transfer including effects of diagnostic clouds and diurnal cycle, the surface energy balance over land and ocean, and the treatment of mountains. The discussion of model initialization includes the treatment of normal modes and physical processes, and the concluding chapter covers the spectral energetics as a diagnostic tool for model evaluation.