Weather: Spectacular Images of the World's Extraordinary Climate

In the tradition of "Above the World" and "Inside the Body", this unique contemporary reference book takes the reader inside the weather as we experience it, from the outer atmosphere to under an umbrella. "Weather" explores not only the nature of extreme conditions such as hurricanes and tornadoes, but also the structure and properties of a gentle shower; the formation of clouds and the effects of their distribution around the globe; the startling and beautiful Aurora Borealis and Australis, and the true nature of the rainbow. With satellite imagery and computer technology as well as stunning conventional photography, this beautiful book tracks each weather system from its origins to its effects. What makes the wind blow? How do clouds form and stay in the sky? How do they produce rain, drizzle and snow? The photographs track the weather from above the clouds to a raindrop on a leaf, or the unique composition of a snowflake, and from flood to drought. Introductory text to each chapter and detailed extended captions explain both the content of the picture and the means by which it was captured.As with the preceding volumes, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between art and nature when one turns the pages of this volume, but the arresting images and straightforward text excite and then satisfy our vital curiosity about our natural world.