From Library Journal
While some books on climatology (such as Bob Reiss's The Coming Storm) sensationalize the destructive aspects of weather, this book presents a balanced and scientific explanation of the environmental effects of climatology. Collier and Webb work for the U.S. Geological Survey and have written numerous books on geology and hydrology. This work shows that floods and droughts don't always signal climate change. Instead, climatology looks at weather over the long term, and individual weather events are part of the natural process of the earth's redistributing the energy it receives from the sun. Moreover, climate change is also a natural phenomenon and not necessarily caused by humans. Though probably intended for a popular audience, this work reads like a freshman college textbook. The exclusive use of metric measurements without English equivalents may also confuse some readers. Still, this is a fine survey of climatology and is recommended for academic and large public libraries.
Jeffrey Beall, Univ. of Colorado Lib., Denver Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Need a basic introduction to climate? Collier and Webb, both of the United States Geological Service, survey the subject with estimable economy and clarity. They discuss the broadest influences on climate, such as incoming solar radiation and changes in the earth's orbit and axial tilt. Another fundamental of climate, the position of continents, which, along with prevailing winds, establishes the pattern of ocean currents, receives its synopsis, as does the centrality of ocean currents to the global distribution of heat--when they change, so does climate. The authors also address the most spectacular example of climate change, the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, while noting comparable rhythms named the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation. Packed with illustrations and balanced between general and specific information, Collier and Webb's work superbly outlines and makes accessible a subject that is complex even for experts in the field.
Gilbert TaylorCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
