Product Description

Our weather is changing, almost everyone agrees. But what really lies behind this? Very few of us understand that we live on a planet, and that the way our planet operates largely dictates our weather. Only when we know some surprising global fundamentals can we discover what is genuinely new and what is cyclical about today's weather - and what we can do about it. In a mixture of scientific fact, personal apprehension, global experience and revelation, science writer, Anthony Smith, takes us on a tour of our world, showing in a new light what we often take for granted. Within this framework, all the disturbing contemporary manifestations of our weather - global warming, ozone depletion, glacial retreat, drought, rising sea levels, the disruption of currents such as el Nino - and even catastrophes such as major volcanic eruptions and meteor impact - make more sense. And through it he attempts to tackle today's most urgent question: are we truly altering basic weather patterns to the detriment of life on Earth?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1771085 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 285 pages

Review
Are you an unofficial member of the flat earth society? Do you comprehend that your daily life is taking place on an 8000 mile diameter ball revolving in space quite unsupported except by gravitational forces from elsewhere. And that this ball orbits its star some 92 million miles away, one of a few hundred billion stars that make up the Milky Way galaxy? And that there are at least 100 billion other galaxies out there? One of this book's aims is to raise awareness of the simple fact that we live on a planet, since to understand the weather and the changes occurring you need to understand the planetary condition, with its solstices, equinoxes, gyrations and perturbations. Why do we have summer and winter? Smith, the distinguished science writer, takes us on a revealing tour of our world. with a wonderful mix of scientific fact and personal concern he explains the many manifestations of our weather to tackle the big question: is humankind altering the basic weather patterns and damaging the very world our life depends on? (Kirkus UK)

From the Publisher
A distinguished popular scientist provides the first major overview of our planetary weather system in the light of new developments such as global warming and El Niño.

About the Author
Ever since Blind White Fish in Persia, his first book, Anthony Smith has blended personal adventure with major subjects. His book, The Body was a bestseller which was then followed by The Seasons. In all he has written twenty-six books, travelled to seventy countries, presented numerous television programmes (notably with the BBC's Natural History Unit) and given very many radio talks. He was first to balloon over East Africa, has voyaged in Amazonia on his own steamboat, has motorbiked from Cape Town to London (and back again twenty-eight years later). He has also explored the underground qanats of Iran (even finding the world's first cave loach), built the first British gas airship (after the R101), and has five children.

Customer Reviews

An excellent read for novices and experts alike!
This book provides an interesting read for people like myself who have a professional interest in the field, or for people who wish just to gain an insight into their environment. Smith manages to simplify scientific ideas that explain the way in which the weather works so that it is understandable at either level. It also puts to bed many popular misconceptions, such as 'lightning never strikes twice in the same place' - explaning how the empire state building is struck about 500 times a year, and an American park ranger 8 times! By mixing the science with the general interest, facts, and abnormalities about the weather Smith manages to produce an entertaining read with a thought provoking and factual scientific approach. Well worth a purchase!