Earth Science: Weather

Though climate change is normal in Earth's history, global warming has raised average temperatures to their highest in two millennia, resulting in melting ice caps, shorter winters, changes in the seasonal behaviors of animals, and more extreme weather. And though greenhouse gases are essential for keeping the planet's temperatures comfortable, fossil fuel burning and other human activities are increasing greenhouse gas levels and causing temperatures to rise. While a decade ago many scientists were skeptical that human activities could impact the climate system, their models now show that only human activities can account for the magnitude of changes being seen. ""Climate"" discusses the issue of global warming and what we can do to prevent its rise. This book addresses how people must use energy more efficiently, develop alternative energy sources, and lower emissions technologies.

Weather and Climate: An Illustrated Guide contains nine sections. The nine sections include: ""The Atmospheric Engine"" - outlines the overall structure of Earth's atmosphere, its composition, and the global processes that drive its patterns of circulation; ""Components of Weather"" - looks in detail at all the major weather phenomena, from winds to fog, rain to snow; ""Weather Systems"" - provides an overview of the formation, movement, and interaction of large air masses and shows how these determine the local weather; ""Extremes of Weather"" - looks at the range of weather phenomena across the globe, giving examples of the regions that experience extremes. Simultaneously energetic and destructive weather phenomena such as tornadoes and hurricanes are also covered in this section; ""Meteorology"" - concerns the science of observing, recording, and predicting weather and climate; ""Climate and Seasons"" - provides an overview of the major climate types and describes the crucial factors that determine climate at a particular location. ""World Climate Data"" - gives the average monthly temperatures, rainfall, and sunshine data of 83 representative cities around the worldand, ""Human Impact on Climate"" - examines the evidence for the claims that human activity is changing Earth's climate. It also outlines the likely outcome of such changes.

This work provides scholarly accounts of all major storm systems ever recorded. For many of the storms described, the author provides maps of their course, detailed chronologies of their progress, photographs of their aftermath, and comments about them from first-hand observers.