Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195094859 ISBN 13: 9780195094855

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1996

Synopsis

With more than 300 entries covering topics from acid rain to zonal circulation, the Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather is the most comprehensive, up-to-date reference work available on the past, present, and future of the global environment. Authored by leading scholars from around the world, the encyclopedia masterfully brings together information derived from recent advances in computing, physics, mathematics, the environmental sciences, and space technology. Special attention is given to areas of current concern, including pollution, the ozone hole, climate change, global warming, desertification, and the recent floods in the American Midwest and France. Throughout, entries on literature, art, economics, and other cultural topics as they relate to the global environment enhance the coverage of more technical issues. And more than 400 illustrations provide an exceptional supplement to the text, giving visual immediacy to sometimes difficult topics. An extensive system of cross-references and a detailed topical index provide easy access to the broad range of subjects covered. Authoritative and engagingly written, The Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather will be sought after by a wide range of readers, from weather enthusiasts to undergraduates to specialists in a variety of fields--indeed, by anyone with an interest in the climate, weather, and environment of our planet.

About this title

About the Author

Stephen H. Schneider is at Stanford University.

Review

"At 929 pages, the Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather will take up about as much space on your shelf as the phone book. However, for many multidisciplinary researchers, teachers, and students it could be the next most used item on the shelf after the phone book, making it an excellent investment in shelf real estate....Technical explanations of topics are well conveyed for readers outside the topic or field....Contains a phenomenal wealth of information. It is a uniquely important and timely contribution to the field, and should serve as the definitive encyclopaedic reference on climate and weather for some time to come."--Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

"The Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather is ambitious and successful. It is the most up-to-date and panoramically complete treatment of its subject on the planet."--Jonathan Weiner, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Beak of the Finch

"This Encyclopedia addresses a long neglected aspect of a very important subject: the strong interaction of ecosystems with the meteorological elements. By including state-of-the-art, yet highly readable, entries on topics such as the co-evolution of climate and life, ecology, biogeochemical cycles, as well as environmental economics, this work brings weather and climate-interested readers up to date. It provides both the broad perspective and depth that will be needed to address critical environmental problems of the 21st century."--Paul R. Ehrlich, Stanford University

"The continuously changing patterns of weather are a large influence on our daily lives and increasingly we are recognizing our vulnerability as a global human community to future patterns of changing climate. The Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather contains a wealth of essential knowledge to inform the specialist and the general reader about the science behind the weather and climate we experience and about the actions that humans can take to adapt to and to mitigate climate change."--Sir John Houghton, Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

"The Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather, despite its name, supplies much needed, comprehensive information on several important topics in atmospheric chemistry, including the effects of human activities, written by world experts. Just to mention a few of these topics: Atmospheric Chemistry and Composition, Acid Rain, Ozone, Ozone Hole, Pollution, Greenhouse Gases, Trace Gases. I am very much looking forward to having the two volumes both as a reference and just for browsing through."--Paul J. Crutzen, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 1995

"Weather and climate have moved center-stage in the past decade--and the number of actors has increased very greatly. For newcomers with little background in the atmospheric sciences this exciting new encyclopedia will be the most useful reference set. It covers the ground thoroughly subject by subject. There are brief sketches of the careers of many of the leading figures, and also a coverage of related fields (such as ecology). The impact of global warming will be felt strongly in the bordering disciplines. The Editor--himself a leading figure in climatology--has hence chosen very wisely to treat climate as a broad and still expanding subject area. He has also put together an excellent team of writers."--F. Kenneth Hare

"A two-volume scientific survey aimed primarily at college students and professionals. In more than 350 signed articles, it presents detailed descriptions of weather-related processes from such fields as physics, chemistry, geology, oceanology, and glaciology."--Reference Books Bulletin

"Highly recommended for all libraries."--Choice

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0195094859
• ISBN 13: 9780195094855
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 960
• Editor: Schneider Stephen H.