'Big freeze' conditions, storms, severe flooding, droughts, and heatwaves - recent extremes in weather, with their resultant physical, economic and human losses, highlight the vulnerability of society to changes in the atmosphere. Atmospheric pollution, urbanization, natural atmospheric disasters are causing dramatic changes in climatic environments. Applied Climatology examines the effects of climate on physical, biological and cultural environments. Specialist contributors from Europe, North America and Australasia examine the impacts of changing climates on the functioning and development of physical biological environments including glaciers, water resources, landforms, soils, vegetation and animals. Weather and climate effects day-to-day activities and lifestyles from the clothes we wear to the buildings we design, and the food and energy we produce. This book focusses on the relationship between climate and a wide range of human activities and responses relating to health and comfort, building design, transport systems, agriculture and fisheries, tourism and social, industrial and legal issues. Climate-environment relationships and impacts on human activities are predicted to change dramatically if global warming accelerates at the rates currently proposed. Applied Climatology examines the characteristics and consequences of the changing global climate and considers the future for both natural and human environments.

Over the last 40 years, applied climatologists have been producing increasingly sophisticated and insightful research which has led to the current level of recognition that climate and particularly climatic changes have important environmental, economic, and recreational impacts. Furthermore, as societal needs for optimizing the use of resources increase, applied climatology will continue to grow in importance. Selected Readings in Applied Climatology is a collection of academic-style vignettes of research over the past 40 years that represents the evolution of this important subfield, and, therefore, provides a framework for appreciating the impacts of climate on society. After an introductory editorial chapter placing the development of applied climatology in its historical context, the book is divided into topical sections on applied climatological research in atmospheric circulation variability; the biosphere; water and energy resources; agriculture; and human health, comfort and behavior. The final section includes a collection of essays on communicating climatic information to the public. Selected Readings in Applied Climatology will be beneficial to those whose field of interest affects, and is affected by, climate, such as meteorologists, ecologists, water resource planners, energy demand forecasters, commodities brokers, agriculturalists, sociologists, and media consultants.

Applied Climatology: A Study of Atmospheric Resources focuses on the management of the atmosphere as a resource. The book first discusses the atmospheric system, including atmospheric circulation and energy in the system. The text then examines the variable atmosphere. Scale variability, climatic change, air pollution, and hazards and extremes are considered. The book also focuses on weather and human behavior. Human biometeorology and climatic determinism; climate and comfort; weather and society; and climate and health are discussed. The text also describes the impacts of extreme events, including tropical cyclones, local storms, cumulative hazards, and climatic change and world food production. The selection also focuses on the effects of weather on daily human activities, including leisure and recreation, construction industry, retailing, utilities, and agriculture. The text then highlights weather forecasting and management of atmospheric resources. Types and methods of forecasting; accuracy and reliability of forecasts; dissemination and application of weather forecasts; weather and climate modification; and role of meteorologists are discussed. The book is a good source of information for readers interested to study the atmosphere as a resource.

Today, given the well-publicized impacts of events such as El Niño, there is an unequaled public awareness of how climate affects the quality of life and environment. Such awareness has created an increasing demand for accurate climatological information. This information is now available in one convenient, accessible source, the Encyclopedia of World Climatology. This comprehensive volume covers all the main subfields of climatology, supplies information on climates in major continental areas, and explains the intricacies of climatic processes. The level of presentation will meet the needs of specialists, university students, and educated laypersons. A successor to the 1986 Encyclopedia of Climatology, this compendium provides a clear explanation of current knowledge and research directions in modern climatology. This new encyclopedia emphasizes climatological developments that have evolved over the past twenty years. It offers more than 200 informative articles prepared by 150 experts on numerous subjects, ranging from standard areas of study to the latest research studies. The relationship between climatology and both physical and social science is fully explored, as is the significance of climate for our future well-being. The information is organized for speedy access. Entries are conveniently arranged in alphabetical order, thoroughly indexed, and cross-referenced. Every entry contains useful citations to additional source materials. The Editor John E. Oliver is Professor Emeritus at Indiana State University. He holds a B.Sc. from London University, and a MA and Ph.D from Columbia University. He taught at Columbia University and then at Indiana State where he was formerly Chair of the Geography-Geology Department, and Assoc iate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences. He has written many books and journal articles in Climatology, Applied Climatology and Physical Geography.

This is a theoretical and practical guide on how to undertake and navigate advanced research in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

On the occasion of its 75th anniversary, the American Meteorological Society engaged a number of eminent pioneers and leading practitioners to write about the fields they helped develop. They were joined by several professional historians of science and technology. The resulting essays constitute a substantial sampling of what has been learned since 1919 in the atmospheric sciences and services—in research, in education, and in the private sector. This volume will be of interest to weather professionals and enthusiasts, historians of science, and to students of science and history. It will help us calibrate where we are, where we have been, and where we might be going as a discipline. Hopefully it will inspire others to value the past and to dig into it more deeply. Such attention to history is a necessary step in the maturation of a scientific discipline.