Intraseasonal Variability in the Atmosphere-Ocean Climate System

Download Intraseasonal Variability in the Atmosphere-Ocean Climate System PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3642139140
Total Pages : 642 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (421 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Intraseasonal Variability in the Atmosphere-Ocean Climate System by : William K.-M. Lau

Download or read book Intraseasonal Variability in the Atmosphere-Ocean Climate System written by William K.-M. Lau and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-10-25 with total page 642 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Improving the reliability of long-range forecasts of natural disasters, such as severe weather, droughts and floods, in North America, South America, Africa and the Asian/Australasian monsoon regions is of vital importance to the livelihood of millions of people who are affected by these events. In recent years the significance of major short-term climatic variability, and events such as the El Nino/Southern Oscillation in the Pacific, with its worldwide effect on rainfall patterns, has been all to clearly demonstrated. Understanding and predicting the intra-seasonal variability (ISV) of the ocean and atmosphere is crucial to improving long range environmental forecasts and the reliability of climate change projects through climate models. In the second edition of this classic book on the subject, the authors have updated the original chapters, where appropriate, and added a new chapter that includes short subjects representing substantial new development in ISV research since the publication of the first edition.

Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region

Download Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 9811543275
Total Pages : 226 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (115 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region by : R. Krishnan

Download or read book Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region written by R. Krishnan and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-06-12 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book discusses the impact of human-induced global climate change on the regional climate and monsoons of the Indian subcontinent, adjoining Indian Ocean and the Himalayas. It documents the regional climate change projections based on the climate models used in the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) and climate change modeling studies using the IITM Earth System Model (ESM) and CORDEX South Asia datasets. The IPCC assessment reports, published every 6–7 years, constitute important reference materials for major policy decisions on climate change, adaptation, and mitigation. While the IPCC assessment reports largely provide a global perspective on climate change, the focus on regional climate change aspects is considerably limited. The effects of climate change over the Indian subcontinent involve complex physical processes on different space and time scales, especially given that the mean climate of this region is generally shaped by the Indian monsoon and the unique high-elevation geographical features such as the Himalayas, the Western Ghats, the Tibetan Plateau and the adjoining Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and Bay of Bengal. This book also presents policy relevant information based on robust scientific analysis and assessments of the observed and projected future climate change over the Indian region.

The Turbulent Ocean

Download The Turbulent Ocean PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9781139445795
Total Pages : 496 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (457 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Turbulent Ocean by : S. A. Thorpe

Download or read book The Turbulent Ocean written by S. A. Thorpe and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2005-10-27 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The subject of ocean turbulence is in a state of discovery and development with many intellectual challenges. This book describes the principal dynamic processes that control the distribution of turbulence, its dissipation of kinetic energy and its effects on the dispersion of properties such as heat, salinity, and dissolved or suspended matter in the deep ocean, the shallow coastal and the continental shelf seas. It focuses on the measurement of turbulence, and the consequences of turbulent motion in the oceanic boundary layers at the sea surface and near the seabed. Processes are illustrated by examples of laboratory experiments and field observations. The Turbulent Ocean provides an excellent resource for senior undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as an introduction and general overview for researchers. It will be of interest to all those involved in the study of fluid motion, in particular geophysical fluid mechanics, meteorology and the dynamics of lakes.

Zonal Jets

Download Zonal Jets PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107043883
Total Pages : 527 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (7 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Zonal Jets by : Boris Galperin

Download or read book Zonal Jets written by Boris Galperin and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-02-28 with total page 527 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a comprehensive, multidisciplinary volume on the physics of zonal jets, from the leading experts, for graduate students and researchers.

Cloud Dynamics

Download Cloud Dynamics PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Elsevier
ISBN 13 : 0080502105
Total Pages : 605 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (85 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Cloud Dynamics by : Robert A. Houze Jr.

Download or read book Cloud Dynamics written by Robert A. Houze Jr. and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 1994-06-28 with total page 605 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Clouds play a critical role in the Earth's climate, general atmospheric circulation, and global water balance. Clouds are essential elements in mesoscale meteorology, atmospheric chemistry, air pollution, atmosphericradiation, and weather forecasting, and thus must be understood by any student or researcher in the atmospheric sciences.Cloud Dynamics provides a skillful and comprehensive examination of the nature of clouds--what they look like and why, how scientists observe them, and the basic dynamics and physics that underlie them. The book describes the mechanics governing each type of cloud that occurs in Earth's atmosphere, and the organization of various types of clouds in larger weather systems such as fronts, thunderstorms, and hurricanes.This book is aimed specifically at graduate students, advanced undergraduates, practicing researchers either already in atmospheric science or moving in from a related scientific field, and operational meteorologists. Some prior knowledge of atmospheric dynamics and physics is helpful, but a thorough overview of the necessary prerequisites is supplied. - Provides a complete treatment of clouds integrating the analysis of air motions with cloud structure, microphysics, and precipitation mechanics - Describes and explains the basic types of clouds and cloud systems that occur in the atmosphere-fog, stratus, stratocumulus, altocumulus, altostratus, cirrus, thunderstorms, tornadoes, waterspouts, orographically induced clouds, mesoscale convection complexes, hurricanes, fronts, and extratropical cyclones - Presents a photographic guide, presented in the first chapter, linking the examination of each type of cloud with an image to enhance visual retention and understanding - Summarizes the fundamentals, both observational and theoretical, of atmospheric dynamics, thermodynamics, cloud microphysics, and radar meteorology, allowing each type of cloud to be examined in depth - Integrates the latest field observations, numerical model simulations, and theory - Supplies a theoretical treatment suitable for the advanced undergraduate or graduate level

Interacting Climates of Ocean Basins

Download Interacting Climates of Ocean Basins PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108492703
Total Pages : 359 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (84 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Interacting Climates of Ocean Basins by : Carlos R. Mechoso

Download or read book Interacting Climates of Ocean Basins written by Carlos R. Mechoso and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-11-26 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive review of interactions between the climates of different ocean basins and their key contributions to global climate variability and change. Providing essential theory and discussing outstanding examples as well as impacts on monsoons, it a useful resource for graduate students and researchers in the atmospheric and ocean sciences.

Dynamics of the Tropical Atmosphere and Oceans

Download Dynamics of the Tropical Atmosphere and Oceans PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 0470662565
Total Pages : 529 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (76 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Dynamics of the Tropical Atmosphere and Oceans by : Peter J. Webster

Download or read book Dynamics of the Tropical Atmosphere and Oceans written by Peter J. Webster and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-06-08 with total page 529 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a unique and comprehensive view of the fundamental dynamical and thermodynamic principles underlying the large circulations of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system Dynamics of The Tropical Atmosphere and Oceans provides a detailed description of macroscale tropical circulation systems such as the monsoon, the Hadley and Walker Circulations, El Niño, and the tropical ocean warm pool. These macroscale circulations interact with a myriad of higher frequency systems, ranging from convective cloud systems to migrating equatorial waves that attend the low-frequency background flow. Towards understanding and predicting these circulation systems. A comprehensive overview of the dynamics and thermodynamics of large-scale tropical atmosphere and oceans is presented using both a “reductionist” and “holistic” perspectives of the coupled tropical system. The reductionist perspective provides a detailed description of the individual elements of the ocean and atmospheric circulations. The physical nature of each component of the tropical circulation such as the Hadley and Walker circulations, the monsoon, the incursion of extratropical phenomena into the tropics, precipitation distributions, equatorial waves and disturbances described in detail. The holistic perspective provides a physical description of how the collection of the individual components produces the observed tropical weather and climate. How the collective tropical processes determine the tropical circulation and their role in global weather and climate is provided in a series of overlapping theoretical and modelling constructs. The structure of the book follows a graduated framework. Following a detailed description of tropical phenomenology, the reader is introduced to dynamical and thermodynamical constraints that guide the planetary climate and establish a critical role for the tropics. Equatorial wave theory is developed for simple and complex background flows, including the critical role played by moist processes. The manner in which the tropics and the extratropics interact is then described, followed by a discussion of the physics behind the subtropical and near-equatorial precipitation including arid regions. The El Niño phenomena and the monsoon circulations are discussed, including their covariance and predictability. Finally, the changing structure of the tropics is discussed in terms of the extent of the tropical ocean warm pool and its relationship to the intensity of global convection and climate change. Dynamics of the Tropical Atmosphere and Oceans is aimed at advanced undergraduate and early career graduate students. It also serves as an excellent general reference book for scientists interested in tropical circulations and their relationship with the broader climate system.

El Niño Southern Oscillation in a Changing Climate

Download El Niño Southern Oscillation in a Changing Climate PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1119548128
Total Pages : 528 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (195 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis El Niño Southern Oscillation in a Changing Climate by : Michael J. McPhaden

Download or read book El Niño Southern Oscillation in a Changing Climate written by Michael J. McPhaden and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-11-24 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comprehensive and up-to-date information on Earth’s most dominant year-to-year climate variation The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the Pacific Ocean has major worldwide social and economic consequences through its global scale effects on atmospheric and oceanic circulation, marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and other natural systems. Ongoing climate change is projected to significantly alter ENSO's dynamics and impacts. El Niño Southern Oscillation in a Changing Climate presents the latest theories, models, and observations, and explores the challenges of forecasting ENSO as the climate continues to change. Volume highlights include: Historical background on ENSO and its societal consequences Review of key El Niño (ENSO warm phase) and La Niña (ENSO cold phase) characteristics Mathematical description of the underlying physical processes that generate ENSO variations Conceptual framework for understanding ENSO changes on decadal and longer time scales, including the response to greenhouse gas forcing ENSO impacts on extreme ocean, weather, and climate events, including tropical cyclones, and how ENSO affects fisheries and the global carbon cycle Advances in modeling, paleo-reconstructions, and operational climate forecasting Future projections of ENSO and its impacts Factors influencing ENSO events, such as inter-basin climate interactions and volcanic eruptions The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals. Find out more about this book from this Q&A with the editors.

Ocean Mixing

Download Ocean Mixing PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Elsevier
ISBN 13 : 0128215135
Total Pages : 386 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (282 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Ocean Mixing by : Michael Meredith

Download or read book Ocean Mixing written by Michael Meredith and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2021-09-16 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ocean Mixing: Drivers, Mechanisms and Impacts presents a broad panorama of one of the most rapidly-developing areas of marine science. It highlights the state-of-the-art concerning knowledge of the causes of ocean mixing, and a perspective on the implications for ocean circulation, climate, biogeochemistry and the marine ecosystem. This edited volume places a particular emphasis on elucidating the key future questions relating to ocean mixing, and emerging ideas and activities to address them, including innovative technology developments and advances in methodology. Ocean Mixing is a key reference for those entering the field, and for those seeking a comprehensive overview of how the key current issues are being addressed and what the priorities for future research are. Each chapter is written by established leaders in ocean mixing research; the volume is thus suitable for those seeking specific detailed information on sub-topics, as well as those seeking a broad synopsis of current understanding. It provides useful ammunition for those pursuing funding for specific future research campaigns, by being an authoritative source concerning key scientific goals in the short, medium and long term. Additionally, the chapters contain bespoke and informative graphics that can be used in teaching and science communication to convey the complex concepts and phenomena in easily accessible ways. - Presents a coherent overview of the state-of-the-art research concerning ocean mixing - Provides an in-depth discussion of how ocean mixing impacts all scales of the planetary system - Includes elucidation of the grand challenges in ocean mixing, and how they might be addressed

Earth's Climate

Download Earth's Climate PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : American Geophysical Union
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 426 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Earth's Climate by : Chunzai Wang

Download or read book Earth's Climate written by Chunzai Wang and published by American Geophysical Union. This book was released on 2004-01-09 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 147. It is more than 30 years since the publication of Jacob Bjerknes' groundbreaking ideas made clear the importance of ocean-atmosphere interaction in the tropics. It is now more than 20 years since the arrival of a massive El Niño in the fall of 1982 set off a cascade of observational and theoretical studies. During the following decades, the climate research community has made exceptional progress in refining our capacity to observe earth's climate and theorize about it, including new satellite-based and in situ monitoring systems and coupled ocean-atmosphere predictive numerical models. Of equal importance. is the expanding scope ofresearch, which now reaches far beyond the Pacific El Niño and includes climate phenomena in other ocean basins. In order to cover the now global context of ocean-atmosphere interaction we have organized this monograph around five principal themes, each introduced by one or more broad overview papers. Theme I covers interaction and climate variability in the Pacific sector, with extensive discussion of El Niño-Southern Oscillation, and with the possible causes and consequences of variability on both shorter and longer timescales. Theme II is devoted to interaction in the Atlantic sector. This basin exhibits complex behavior, reflecting its geographic location between two major zones of convection as well as neighboring the tropical Pacific. Theme III reviews the recent, exciting progress in our understanding of climate variability in the Indian sector. Theme IV addresses the interaction between the tropics and the extratropics, which are linked through the presence of shallow meridional overturning cells in the ocean. Finally, Theme V discusses overarching issues of cross-basin interaction.

Learning to Predict Climate Variations Associated with El Nino and the Southern Oscillation

Download Learning to Predict Climate Variations Associated with El Nino and the Southern Oscillation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309053420
Total Pages : 188 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (9 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Learning to Predict Climate Variations Associated with El Nino and the Southern Oscillation by : National Research Council

Download or read book Learning to Predict Climate Variations Associated with El Nino and the Southern Oscillation written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1997-01-12 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The TOGA (Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere) Program was designed to study short-term climate variations. A 10-year international program, TOGA made El Nino a household word. This book chronicles the cooperative efforts of oceanographers and meteorologists, several U.S. government agencies, many other nations, and international scientific organizations to study El Nino and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO). It describes the progression from being unable to detect the development of large climate variations to being able to make and use rudimentary climate predictions, especially for some tropical countries. It examines the development of the TOGA Program, evaluates its accomplishments, describes U.S. participation in the program, and makes general recommendations for developing better understanding and predictions of climate variations on seasonal to interannual time scales.

The Agulhas Current

Download The Agulhas Current PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3540372121
Total Pages : 334 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (43 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Agulhas Current by : Johann R.E. Lutjeharms

Download or read book The Agulhas Current written by Johann R.E. Lutjeharms and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-08-26 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on the research findings of 60 years, the author describes the origins of the Agulhas Current, its behaviour, its influence on the adjacent continental shelf, its effect on local weather and its role in linking the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. The text is well-illustrated and includes asides on the history of research on the Current. An exhaustive bibliography gives easy access to present knowledge on this important current system.

The Indian Ocean and its Role in the Global Climate System

Download The Indian Ocean and its Role in the Global Climate System PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Elsevier
ISBN 13 : 0128232862
Total Pages : 514 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (282 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Indian Ocean and its Role in the Global Climate System by : Caroline C. Ummenhofer

Download or read book The Indian Ocean and its Role in the Global Climate System written by Caroline C. Ummenhofer and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2024-04-18 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Indian Ocean and its Role in the Global Climate System provides an overview of our contemporary understanding of the Indian Ocean (geology, atmosphere, ocean, hydrology, biogeochemistry) and its role in the climate system. It describes the monsoon systems, Indian Ocean circulation and connections with other ocean basins. Climatic phenomena in the Indian Ocean are detailed across a range of timescales (seasonal, interannual to multi-decadal). Biogeochemical and ecosystem variability is also described. The book will provide a summary of different tools (e.g., observations, modeling, paleoclimate records) that are used for understanding Indian Ocean variability and trends. Recent trends and future projections of the Indian Ocean, including warming, extreme events, ocean acidification and deoxygenation will be detailed. The Indian Ocean is unique and different from other tropical ocean basins due to its geography. It is traditionally under-observed and understudied, yet plays a fundamental role for regional and global climate. The vagaries of the Asian monsoon affect over a billion people and a third of the global population live in the vicinity of the Indian Ocean. It is also particularly vulnerable to climate change, with robust warming and trends in heat and freshwater observed in recent decades. Advances have recently been made in our understanding of the Indian Ocean's circulation, interactions with adjacent ocean basins, and its role in regional and global climate. Nonetheless, significant gaps remain in understanding, observing, modeling, and predicting Indian Ocean variability and change across a range of timescales. As such, this book is the perfect compendium to any researcher, student, teacher/lecturer in the fields of oceanography, atmospheric science, paleoclimate, environmental science, meteorology and geology, as well as policy managers and water resource managers. - Provides interdisciplinary content with a comprehensive overview for students and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines as well as for stakeholders - Presents a broad overview and background on the current state of knowledge of the variability, change, and regional impacts of the Indian Ocean - Includes links to animations, slideshows, and other educational resources

The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate

Download The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9781009157971
Total Pages : 755 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (579 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate by : Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Download or read book The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate written by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2022-04-30 with total page 755 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body for assessing the science related to climate change. It provides policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of human-induced climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation. This IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate is the most comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the observed and projected changes to the ocean and cryosphere and their associated impacts and risks, with a focus on resilience, risk management response options, and adaptation measures, considering both their potential and limitations. It brings together knowledge on physical and biogeochemical changes, the interplay with ecosystem changes, and the implications for human communities. It serves policymakers, decision makers, stakeholders, and all interested parties with unbiased, up-to-date, policy-relevant information. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Frontiers in Decadal Climate Variability

Download Frontiers in Decadal Climate Variability PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309444640
Total Pages : 92 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (94 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Frontiers in Decadal Climate Variability by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book Frontiers in Decadal Climate Variability written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2016-07-22 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many factors contribute to variability in Earth's climate on a range of timescales, from seasons to decades. Natural climate variability arises from two different sources: (1) internal variability from interactions among components of the climate system, for example, between the ocean and the atmosphere, and (2) natural external forcings, such as variations in the amount of radiation from the Sun. External forcings on the climate system also arise from some human activities, such as the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and aerosols. The climate that we experience is a combination of all of these factors. Understanding climate variability on the decadal timescale is important to decision-making. Planners and policy makers want information about decadal variability in order to make decisions in a range of sectors, including for infrastructure, water resources, agriculture, and energy. In September 2015, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop to examine variability in Earth's climate on decadal timescales, defined as 10 to 30 years. During the workshop, ocean and climate scientists reviewed the state of the science of decadal climate variability and its relationship to rates of human-caused global warming, and they explored opportunities for improvement in modeling and observations and assessing knowledge gaps. Frontiers in Decadal Climate Variability summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Modelling and Prediction of the Upper Layers of the Ocean

Download Modelling and Prediction of the Upper Layers of the Ocean PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 325 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (974 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Modelling and Prediction of the Upper Layers of the Ocean by : Eric Bradshaw Kraus

Download or read book Modelling and Prediction of the Upper Layers of the Ocean written by Eric Bradshaw Kraus and published by . This book was released on 1977 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Our Affair with El Nino

Download Our Affair with El Nino PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780691126227
Total Pages : 292 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (262 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Our Affair with El Nino by : S. George Philander

Download or read book Our Affair with El Nino written by S. George Philander and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2006-05-07 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Until 1997, few people had heard of the seasonal current that Peruvians nicknamed El Niño. But when meteorologists linked it to devastating floods in California, severe droughts in Indonesia, and strange weather everywhere, its name became entrenched in the common parlance faster than a typhoon making landfall. Bumper stickers appeared bearing the phrase "Don't blame me; blame El Niño." Stockbrokers muttered "El Niño" when the market became erratic. What's behind this fascinating natural phenomenon, and how did our perceptions of it change? In this captivating book, renowned oceanographer George Philander engages readers in lucid and stimulating discussions of the scientific, political, economic and cultural developments that shaped our perceptions of this force of nature. The book begins by outlining the history of El Niño, an innocuous current that appears off the coast of Peru around Christmastime--its name refers to the Child Jesus--and originally was welcomed as a blessing. It goes on to explore how our perceptions of El Niño were transformed, not because the phenomenon changed, but because we did. Philander argues persuasively that familiarity with the different facets of our affair with El Niño--our wealth of experience in dealing with natural hazards such as severe storms and prolonged droughts--can help us cope with an urgent and controversial environmental problem of our own making--global warming. Intellectually invigorating and a joy to read, Our Affair with El Niño is an important contribution to the debate about the relationship between scientific knowledge and public affairs.