From Library Journal
There are few encyclopedias on weather and climate (the last was John Oliver's The Encyclopedia of Climatology, Van Nostrand, 1987), so this two-volume set is welcome. Edited by a Stanford University professor, it is an alphabetical arrangement of over 300 short articles written by "the world's experts" on everything from clouds and tornadoes to human influences on weather and climate (e.g., acid rain, deforestation, and effects of aerosols on the ozone layer). While vast in scope, it still has a few omissions: as a horticulture librarian, this reviewer naturally looked for "hardiness zones" or "climate zones for gardening," for which there was no discussion or United States Department of Agriculture map. Nor was there a listing for Heinrich Walter, an author of important climate diagrams in Europe, though some biographical entries are included. The set contains over 400 black-and-white line drawings, photographs, charts, and maps, as well as a glossary. Written at an adult level, it may also be useful to exceptional high school students. Buy where needed for specialists and serious researchers but not for elementary-school assignments or collections where attractive color illustrations and catchy, simple synopses are required.?Laura Lipton, Univ. of Washington Lib., Seattle
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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 changingclimate. 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 andprofessionals. 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
