Storm watchers : the turbulent history of weather prediction from Franklin's kite to El Niño / John D. Cox.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cox, John, 1943-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Weather forecasting--History.

Weather forecasting.

History.

Physical Description:

iv, 252 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley, [2002]

Summary:

Today's weather forecasting is a marvel of digital electronics; it is more accurate, more objective, and more useful than ever. It is the product of advanced meterorological science, employing some of the most powerful and sophisticated computers on the planet. But before all this modern technology was the work of a few determined, brilliant individuals. These men persevered without the benefit of such devices as satellites and automated weather stations to discover how the atmosphere works and how to foretell its future. Storm Watchers tells the remarkable, little-known stories of these pioneering scientists. John Cox presents their epic quest to determine how to predict the weather accurately, tracing the development of meteorology from the time of Aristotle up to the recent breakthroughs in weather prediction.

Before science explained the ways of the winds and the causes of storms, the study of weather was an act of courage. Cox reveals how the early weathermen struggled to have their voices heard even as naysayers outnumbered them. He also explains how, in later years, conflicts raged on both sides of the Atlantic, with "practical" weather forecasters on one end of the debate and "pure" scientific researchers on the other -- each suppressing promising developments. Cox highlights the groundbreaking work of these storm watchers, from the invention of the thermometer by Galileo to the investigation of the character of storms to the advent of the digital electronic computer, a tool so powerful it fundamentally changed how weather forecasters and atmospheric researchers worked.

This lively narrative account also includes fascinating stories of many devastating storms, floods, shipwrecks, climate changes, and weather controversies in history. It takes a fresh, behind-the-scenes look at the "American Storm Controversy" and the conflicting forecasts that delayed D-Day. It also tells how early meteorology was considered one step removed from sorcery and about the "discovery" of El Nino. The efforts of the weathermen profiled in this book have saved and continue to save many lives. Storm Watchers is as much a tribute to their persistence and genius as it is a testament to the remarkable achievement of weather prediction -- powerful, everyday science that is too often taken for granted today.

Contents:

Part I A Newborn Babe

1. Chasing the Wind / Benjamin Franklin 5

2. Naming the Clouds / Luke Howard 13

3. Taking to the Air / James Glaisher 19

Part II American Storms

4. Walking the Path of Destruction / William C. Redfield 27

5. "The Storm Breeder" / James P. Espy 33

6. Mapping the Storm / Elias Loomis 41

7. Setting the Stage / Joseph Henry 51

8. A Storm of Controversy / Matthew Fontaine Maury 57

9. A Shy Genius / William Ferrel 65

Part III The Main Artery

10. Prophet Without Honor / Robert FitzRoy 75

11. Clouds over Crimea / Urbain J. J. Le Verrier 85

12. "Ol' Probabilities" / Cleveland Abbe 91

13. Down Tornado Alley / John P. Finley 101

14. Civilian Casualty / Mark W. Harrington 109

15. Taking Galveston by Storm / Isaac Monroe Cline 117

16. The Southern Oscillation / Gilbert Walker 125

17. Death by Daring / C. LeRoy Meisinger 135

Part IV Together at the Front

18. The Bergen Schoolmaster / Vilhelm Bjerknes 147

19. The Forecasting Factory / Lewis Fry Richardson 155

20. From Polar Front to El Nino / Jacob Bjerknes 163

21. A Gifted Vision / Tor Bergeron 171

22. Conquering the Weather Bureau / Carl-Gustaf Rossby 179

23. Forecasting for D-Day / Sverre Petterssen 189

Part V Suddenly New Science

24. Mastering the Math / Jule Gregory Charney 201

25. The Long Ranger / Jerome Namias 211

26. Calculating Chaos / Edward N. Lorenz 219

27. Divining the Downburst / Tetsuya Theodore Fujita 227

28. Out on a Limb / Ants Leetmaa 235.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-246) and index.

ISBN:

047138108X

OCLC:

49531253