A history of weather forecasting, and an animated portrait of the nineteenth-century pioneers who made it possible By the 1800s, a century of feverish discovery had launched the major branches of science. Physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and astronomy made the natural world explicable through experiment, observation, and categorization. And yet one scientific field remained in its infancy. Despite millennia of observation, mankind still had no understanding of the forces behind the weather. A century after the death of Newton, the laws that governed the heavens were entirely unknown, and weather forecasting was the stuff of folklore and superstition. Peter Moore's The Weather Experiment is the account of a group of naturalists, engineers, and artists who conquered the elements. It describes their travels and experiments, their breakthroughs and bankruptcies, with picaresque vigor. It takes readers from Irish bogs to a thunderstorm in Guanabara Bay to the basket of a hydrogen balloon 8,500 feet over Paris. And it captures the particular bent of mind—combining the Romantic love of Nature and the Enlightenment love of Reason—that allowed humanity to finally decipher the skies.

Sometimes fickle and often devastating in its most extreme forms, the weather can seem inscrutable. Yet our understanding of weather systems and climate has improved greatly over the years due to the work of scientists dedicated to studying the planet’s meteorological conditions. This absorbing volume introduces readers to individuals who have stood at the forefront of deciphering weather-related phenomena and advanced the science of climatology.

What changes can we expect with global warming? Could the ice caps melt and raise sea levels? Could farmland become desert? Why was it chilly and rainy today when the forecast called for mild sunshine? The atmosphere is an extremely complicated system. Any weather forecast can rapidly change because of the wind, a warm front, or an unexpected storm. In addition, many places around the world have broken their high-temperature records, while many coastal and Arctic communities are already witnessing the first severe effects of climate change. With the help of awe-inspiring photographs, infographics, and detailed diagrams, readers will learn about the factors that determine weather and climate, the difference between them, and exactly why long-term forecasts are so complicated.

A collection of personal stories and memories from the individuals that worked at The Weather Channel in its start-up days of the early 1980s; among these Weather Channel Pioneers, special focus is given to the leadership and vision of the channel's early champions John Coleman and Joe D'Aleo.

Compelling . . . Clark's enthusiasm shines through on every page' Sunday Times 'An engaging and lively history' Financial Times __________ A thin, invisible layer of air surrounds the Earth, sustaining all known life on the planet and creating the unique climates and weather patterns that make each part of the world different. In Firmament, atmospheric scientist and science communicator Simon Clark offers a rare and accessible tour of the ins and outs of the atmosphere and how we know what we know about it. From the workings of its different layers to why carbon dioxide is special, from pioneers like Pascal to the unsung heroes working in the field to help us understand climate change, Firmament introduces us to an oft-overlooked area of science and not only lays the ground work for us to better understand the debates surrounding the climate today, but also provides a glimpse of the future that is possible with this knowledge in hand. __________

An introduction to the complex world of climate models that explains why we should trust their predictions despite the uncertainties.