LibGuides: Meteorology: Books & eBooks

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Analysis of Global Change Assessments Global change assessments inform decision makers about the scientific underpinnings of a range of environmental issues, such as climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, and loss of biodiversity. Dozens of assessments have been conducted to date by various U.S. and international groups, many of them influencing public policies, technology development, and research directions. This report analyzes strengths and weaknesses of eight past assessments to inform future efforts. Common elements of effective assessments include strong leadership, extensive engagement with interested and affected parties, a transparent science-policy interface, and well defined communication strategies. The report identifies 11 essential elements of effective assessments and recommends that future assessments include decision support tools that make use of information at the regional and local level where decisions are made.
Coastal Meteorology: A Review of the State of the Science Almost half the U.S. population lives along the coast. In another 20 years this population is expected to more than double in size. The unique weather and climate of the coastal zone, circulating pollutants, altering storms, changing temperature, and moving coastal currents affect air pollution and disaster preparedness, ocean pollution, and safeguarding near-shore ecosystems. Activities in commerce, industry, transportation, freshwater supply, safety, recreation, and national defense also are affected. The research community engaged in studies of coastal meteorology in recent years has made significant advancements in describing and prediciting atmospheric properties along coasts. Coastal Meteorology reviews this progess and recommends research that would increase the value and application of what is known today.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Weather Irreverent in approach, these guides include tips and advice from leading authorities, aiming to help with life's big decisions and challenges, as well as hobbies and sports. This work looks at climate change, global warming, air pollution, and changing weather patterns.
Empirical Methods in Short-Term Climate Prediction This clear and accessible text describes the methods underlying short-term climate prediction at time scales of 2 weeks to a year. Although a difficult range to forecast accurately, there have been several important advances in the last ten years, most notably in understandingocean-atmosphere interaction (El Nino for example), the release of global coverage data sets, and in prediction methods themselves. With an emphasis on the empirical approach, the text covers in detail empirical wave propagation, teleconnections, empirical orthogonal functions, and constructedanalogue. It also provides a detailed description of nearly all methods used operationally in long-lead seasonal forecasts, with new examples and illustrations. The challenges of making a real time forecast are discussed, including protocol, format, and perceptions about users. Based wherepossible on global data sets, illustrations are not limited to the Northern Hemisphere, but include several examples from the Southern Hemisphere. Includes foreword by Professor Edward Lorenz (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
Handbook of Meteorology The Handbook of Meteorology gives specialists and non-specialists alike a clear understanding of the way our weather functions. It provides scientific answers to questions that arise when looking at the world around us. It starts with the basics of weather--temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind--before moving on to cover highs, lows, fronts, and storms, and finally ending with a look at weather forecasts, cloud watching, weather tools, and much more. The Handbook of Meteorology provides a condensed but all-inclusive broad sweep of meteorology, employing several illustrations to translate detailed technical information into terms that everyone can follow and readily refer to. It is a comprehensive reference for any budding meteorologist or environmental professional in the field, laboratory, or classroom.
Meteorological Measurement Systems This book treats instrumentation used in meteorological surface systems, both on the synoptic scale and the mesoscale, and the instrumentation used in upper air soundings. The text includes material on first- and second-order differential equations as applied to instrument dynamicperformance, and required solutions are developed. Sensor physics are emphasized in order to explain how sensors work and to explore the strengths and weaknesses of each design type. The book is organized according to sensor type and function (temperature, humidity, and wind sensors, forexample), though several unifying themes are developed for each sensor. Functional diagrams are used to portray sensors as a set of logical functions, and static sensitivity is derived from a sensor's transfer equation, focusing attention on sensor physics and on ways in which particular designsmight be improved. Sensor performance specifications are explored, helping to compare various instruments and to tell users what to expect as a reasonable level of performance. Finally, the text examines the critical area of environmental exposure of instruments. In a well-designed, properlyinstalled, and well-maintained meteorological measurement system, exposure problems are usually the largest source of error, making this chapter one of the most useful sections of the book.
Precipitation : Theory, Measurement and Distribution Precipitation plays a significant role in the climate system, and this book is the first to provide a comprehensive examination of the processes involved in the generation of clouds, rain, snow and hail; how precipitation is measured; how its distribution has changed over time; and how we still need to make improvements to the way precipitation is measured. It traces our attempts to understand what clouds are, from ancient Greeks to the present day. It also discusses developments in the measurement of precipitation, from rain gauges to satellite techniques, and how these measurements have enabled researchers to estimate global trends, totals, variability and extremes of precipitation. This will be a valuable and fascinating reference for academic researchers in the fields of environmental science and climatology. It will also be of great interest to professionals in water resource and flood management.

Featured Print Books

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The AMS Weather Book : The Ultimate Guide to America's Weather America has some of the most varied and dynamic weather in the world. Every year, the Gulf Coast is battered by hurricanes, the Great Plains are ravaged by tornados, the Midwest is pummeled by blizzards, and the temperature in the Southwest reaches a sweltering 120 degrees. Extreme weather can be a matter of life and death, but even when it is pleasant—72 degrees and sunny—weather is still central to the lives of all Americans. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine a topic of greater collective interest. Whether we want to know if we should close the storm shutters or just carry an umbrella to work, we turn to forecasts. But few of us really understand the science behind them. All that changes with The AMS Weather Book. The most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to our weather and our atmosphere, it is the ultimate resource for anyone who wants to understand how hurricanes form, why tornados twirl, or even why the sky is cerulean blue. Written by esteemed science journalist and former USA Today weather editor Jack Williams, The AMS Weather Book, copublished with the American Meteorological Society, covers everything from daily weather patterns, air pollution, and global warming to the stories of people coping with severe weather and those who devote their lives to understanding the atmosphere, oceans, and climate. Words alone, of course, are not adequate to explain many meteorological concepts, so The AMS Weather Book is filled with engaging full-color graphics that explain such concepts as why winds blow in a particular direction, how Doppler weather radar works, what happens inside hurricanes, how clouds create wind and snow, and what’s really affecting the earth’s climate. For Weather Channel junkies, amateur meteorologists, and storm chasers alike, The AMS Weather Book is an invaluable tool for anyone who wants to better understand how weather works and how it affects our lives.
Climate Change : Picturing the Science Going beyond the headlines, this work by leading NASA climate scientist Gavin Schmidt and master photographer Joshua Wolfe illustrates as never before the ramifications of shifting climate. Photographic spreads show retreating glaciers, sinking villages in Alaska's tundra, and drying lakes. The text follows adventurous scientists through the ice caps at the poles to the coral reefs of the tropical seas. Marshaling data spanning centuries and continents, the book sparkles with cutting-edge research and visual records, including contributions from experts on atmospheric science, oceanography, paleoclimatology, technology, politics, and the polar regions. As Jeffrey D. Sachs writes in his powerful foreword, "Climate Change is a tour de force of public education."
Divine Wind : The History and Science of Hurricanes Imagine standing at the center of a Roman coliseum that is 20 miles across, with walls that soar 10 miles into the sky, towering walls with cascades of ice crystals falling along its brilliantly white surface. That's what it's like to stand in the eye of a hurricane. In Divine Wind, Kerry Emanuel, one of the world's leading authorities on hurricanes, gives us an engaging account of these awe-inspiring meteorological events, revealing how hurricanes and typhoons have literally altered human history, thwarting military incursions and changing the course ofexplorations. Offering an account of the physics of the tropical atmosphere, the author explains how such benign climates give rise to the most powerful storms in the world and tells what modern science has learned about them. Interwoven with this scientific account are descriptions of some of themost important hurricanes in history and relevant works of art and literature. For instance, he describes the 17th-century hurricane that likely inspired Shakespeare's The Tempest and that led to the British colonization of Bermuda. We also read about the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, by far theworst natural calamity in U.S. history, with a death toll between 8,000 and 12,000 that exceeded the San Francisco earthquake, the Johnstown Flood, and the Okeechobee Hurricane co Boasting more than one hundred color illustrations, frommbined. Boasting more than one hundred color illustrations,from ultra-modern Doppler imagery to classic paintings by Winslow Homer, Divine Wind captures the profound effects that hurricanes have had on humanity. Its fascinating blend of history, science, and art will appeal to weather junkies, science buffs, and everyone who read Isaac's Storm.
The Facts on File Dictionary of Weather and Climate As weather and climate conditions continue to fluctuate throughout the world, there is an increasing need for a comprehensive resource that will offer a better understanding of relevant terms, people, and phenomena in an easily accessible format. This updated and expanded edition of ""The Facts On File Dictionary of Weather and Climate, Revised Edition"" from the ""Science Dictionary"" series meets that need. With more than 2,000 cross-referenced entries, 150 of which are new, accompanied by 50 black-and-white illustrations that offer easy-to-understand information on a range of weather- and climate-related topics, this reference is a must-have for those students pursuing this area of study.
Handbook of Meteorology The Handbook of Meteorology gives specialists and non-specialists alike a clear understanding of the way our weather functions. It provides scientific answers to questions that arise when looking at the world around us. It starts with the basics of weather--temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind--before moving on to cover highs, lows, fronts, and storms, and finally ending with a look at weather forecasts, cloud watching, weather tools, and much more. The Handbook of Meteorology provides a condensed but all-inclusive broad sweep of meteorology, employing several illustrations to translate detailed technical information into terms that everyone can follow and readily refer to. It is a comprehensive reference for any budding meteorologist or environmental professional in the field, laboratory, or classroom.
Introducing Meteorology : A Guide to Weather In many parts of the world, the weather forms a daily topic of conversation. In other parts, the weather hardly changes from one week to the next. However, human life is governed by the weather, which affects much of our activity, from farming to fishing and from shopping to holiday-making. For students and interested amateurs wanting a topical guide to this complex area of study, Introducing Meteorology provides a succinct overview of the science of the weather. Copiously illustrated, the book describes the development of the science, weather observation, the atmosphere, and the forces which govern the weather. It then discusses weather influences at global and local scales before describing the science of weather forecasting. The book's technical terms are kept to a minimum and are explained in a glossary. *** "...excellent and enlightening resource, highly recommended for undergraduate and public library collections." - The Midwest book Review, Library Bookwatch, The Science Shelf, May 2013 *** "Introducing Meteorology is a most welcome addition to the bookshelves of students, interested amateurs, meteorology educators, and those who simply enjoy a readable, affordable book on the weather. Jon Shonk has created a marvelously succinct and up-to-date introduction to weather that serves a variety of audiences and purposes extremely well. I hope this is only the first of many excellent books from this young scientist." - American Meteorological Society, November 2013 [Subject: Meteorology, Earth Science, Atmospheric Science, Natural Science]
Meteorology Manual: The Practical Guide to the Weather Meteorology Manual follows a similar concept to the well-received Astronomy Manual, aiming to provide an easy-to-read introduction for newcomers to the subject, while providing a sufficient level of detail to prove useful to those who also have a basic understanding of the subject. This extensively illustrated book will follow the familiar Haynes Manual style, with down-to-earth text, supported by colour diagrams and photographs, including, where appropriate, step-by-step sequences of cloud and weather system formations. There is increasing interest in learning about how weather systems are formed, what causes variations in the weather, and how to study and predict the movement of weather systems to enable weather forecasting, all which can be found in this book.