Weather

Weather examines the impact of weather on our everyday lives, including: global climate change and its effects, such as increased temperatures and rising sea levels, tropical storms and tornadoes-the most destructive weather systems on Earth, winds around the world, from the monsoon to jet streams.

Children's Literature

Part of the "Science in Focus" series, this piece provides a comprehensive look at meteorology. The many sections of this piece offer thorough explanations about the elements of weather. These sections (and subsections) include: "Weather (definition, climate, the importance)," "Sun's Rays (radiation, trapping and transferring heat, light)," "Temperature Differences (earth, days, seasons, land)," "Atmosphere and Pressure (air, air pressure, layers)," "Water in the Atmosphere (water, vapor, humidity, fog, dew, and frost)," "Clouds (definition, formation, inversion)," "Cloud Types (highest, cumulous, blanket clouds)," "Precipitation (showers, steady precipitation, water cycle)," "Thunder and Lightning (electrical charges, definition, thunderclouds)," "Wind (formation, Earth's rotations, around the world)," "Winds Around the World (monsoon, jet streams, local winds)," "Air Masses (formation, polar fronts, unusual weather)," "Weather Systems (cyclones, anticyclones, weather fronts)," "Tropical Storms and Tornadoes (definitions, around the world)," "Weather Stations (on the ground, at sea, in the air)," "Weather Forecasts (synoptic charts, predicting the weather, weather signs and symbols)," "Global Weather Problems (acid rain, ozone, holes, smog)," and "Climate Change (in the past, global climate, effects of climate change)." The reference section includes a time line of milestones in the history of weather, a glossary, suggestions for further reading (books and Web sites), and an index. On each page, a special piece of information is included, called either "Fact Focus," "Evidence Focus (which suggests experiments)," or "History Focus." In addition to all of the information, a myriad ofphotographs offer glimpses at not only the effects of weather in action but also many cultures and their experiences with different types of weather.