Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons and Cylcones - Hardcover

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9781579581503: Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons and Cylcones

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1579581501 ISBN 13: 9781579581503

Publisher: Routledge, 1999

Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones covers all major aspects of tropical cyclone activity. More than 200 extensively cross-referenced A-Z entries define technical terms and offer narrative accounts of history's major tropical storms. Coverage includes: meteorological terms and instruments relating to these storms; biographical data on key figures in the history of hurricane scholarship; geographical highlights; the history of individual storms and their effects on civilization; the culture and folklore of cyclonic storms; methods of tracking and data accumulation; and an analysis of tropical storm structure and development. A 700-year chronology of global tropical cyclone activity is included, as are detailed appendixes on such subjects as plotting and tracking approaching hurricane and other storm systems.

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Review:

Global warming is a fact. And although policy makers continue to argue about just what that means on a practical level, scientists assure us that one of the many consequences of that pattern of global warming will be ever more frequent and ever more intense storms. All of this makes David Longshore's book a timely, and highly useful, addition to a weather-watcher's library. Longshore, a historian with a particular interest in disasters, details the effects of hundreds of storms, from 1999's deadly Hurricane Floyd to unnamed tempests that wreaked havoc on the coast of India 700 years ago. His A-to-Z encyclopedia includes little-known fragments of history (such as Benjamin Franklin's career as a meteorologist, which extends well beyond the kite-in-a-thunderstorm legend to significant contributions, which are still current, such as the Law of Storms); notes on such storm-bred phenomena as the "firefly effect", in which billions of grains of sand collide in mid air and produce sparks; chronologies of major storms; and major articles on individual storms and storm-prone nations of the world.

In a helpful appendix, Longshore reminds his readers that although surprise hurricanes are largely a thing of the past thanks to advances in storm prediction and monitoring, it is good common sense to keep your eye on the sky during hurricane and typhoon season. --Gregory McNamee

Review:

'This volume gives the reader an informative and interesting look at some terrifying and destructive weather phenomena. The history and chronology of the great storms form the major part of the book, but the human, and often tragic, side of the story is not neglected .... Intended for the general reader, it provides an excellent overview of natural disasters.' Booklist 'The author's main goal was to create an encyclopedia that focuses on scientific, historical, and cultural concepts of cyclones in tropical regions around the world: the resulting work is wonderful ... Recommended for libraries that support study of meteorology and climatology.' CHOICE 'This source contains over 200 articles describing the science, history, and culture of cyclonic storms ... Recommended for public and academic libraries.' Library Journal

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