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| Introduction | |
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| The Weather Engine | |
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| Fueled by the heat of the Sun, the weather is a system of cycles and forces within the atmosphere, the blanket of air that surrounds our planet. Vast waves of air and swirls of cloud circulate in complex, everchanging patterns, giving rise to winds, storms and other weather phenomena. | |
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| What is weather? | |
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| The solar powerhouse | |
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| The seasons | |
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| Earth's system | |
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| The energy cycle | |
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| The atmosphere | |
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| Atmospheric pressure | |
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| Global winds | |
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| Jet streams | |
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| Winds at sea | |
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| Frontal systems | |
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| Highs and lows | |
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| Heating and cooling | |
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| The monsoon | |
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| Local winds | |
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| Extreme winds | |
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| Ocean currents | |
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| Weather in Action | |
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| The beauty of a cloud formation, the symmetry of a rainbow, the life-giving power of rain and the eerie quiet of a winter snowstorm -- all these are expressions of weather in action. And all owe their origin to water in the atmosphere. | |
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| The nature of water | |
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| The water cycle | |
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| Humidity | |
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| Dew and frost | |
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| Cloud formation | |
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| Vortices and waves | |
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| Cloud classification | |
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| Types of cloud: high clouds | |
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| Types of cloud: middle clouds | |
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| Types of cloud: low clouds | |
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| Types of cloud: vertical clouds | |
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| Types of cloud: unusual clouds | |
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| Fog and mist | |
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| Kinds of precipitation | |
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| Rain and drizzle | |
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| Snow, Ice and hail | |
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| Color and light | |
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| Rainbows and coronas | |
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| Haloes and sundogs | |
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| Auroras | |
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| Extreme Weather | |
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| Weather is perhaps the last wild thing on Earth. The extreme winds of hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards and ice storms; the destructive power of avalanches, floods, wildfires and droughts -- all are reminders of the elemental forces of weather. | |
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| Thunderstorms | |
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| Lightning | |
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| Types of lightning | |
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| Hailstorms and microbursts | |
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| Blizzards and ice storms | |
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| Tornadoes | |
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| Tornado Alley | |
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| Tornado watch | |
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| Whirlwinds and dust devils | |
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| Hurricanes | |
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| Hurricane impact | |
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| Hurricane watch | |
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| Floods, landslides and avalanches | |
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| Droughts | |
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| Heatwaves and wildfires | |
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| Dust storms | |
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| Record-breaking weather | |
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| Extreme weather: USA | |
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| Extreme weather: Europe | |
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| Surviving extreme weather | |
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| Watching the Weather | |
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| Weather forecasting is today a complex and highly technical process, relying on observation, satellite photography, radar and computer simulations. It has come a long way since the days of superstition and sky gods. | |
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| Weather lore | |
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| Scientific beginnings | |
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| The Renaissance | |
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| The Age of Reason | |
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| Toward the modern era | |
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| Meteorology today | |
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| Measuring weather | |
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| Weather at home | |
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| Monitoring the Sun | |
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| Weather organizations | |
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| Weather models | |
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| Seasonal forecasts | |
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| Mapping the weather | |
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| Tracking the weather with radar | |
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| Weather from above | |
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| Natural inspiration | |
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| Global Climate | |
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| From Antarctic emperor penguins to the zebras of the African savanna, from lush tropical forests to desert cacti, the great diversity of life on Earth is largely a response to the challenges presented by our planet's different climates. Throughout the globe, humans too have made the most of this climatic variety. | |
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| Climate zones | |
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| Tropical | |
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| Subtropical | |
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| Arid | |
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| Semiarid | |
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| Mediterranean | |
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| Temperate | |
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| Northern temperate | |
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| Polar | |
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| Mountain | |
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| Coastal | |
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| Weather and landform | |
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| Adaptations to weather: plants | |
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| Adaptations to weather: animals | |
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| Adaptations to weather: humans | |
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| Harnessing the weather | |
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| Modifying the weather | |
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| Climate: inner planets | |
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| Climate: outer planets | |
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| The Changing Climate | |
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| Earth's climate has changed throughout the history of our planet. Many of these fluctuations are short-term patterns, but movements of air, water and landmasses all contribute to long-term change. The human impact, too, is significant: when we alter Earth's ecosystem, the effects can be dramatic. | |
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| The big picture | |
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| Long-term climate change | |
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| Global forces at work | |
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| Before the dinosaurs | |
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| The dinosaur era | |
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| Natural climate clues | |
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| Evidence from the glaciers | |
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| Volcanic skies | |
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| Ice ages | |
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| Recent freezes | |
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| Climate and civilization | |
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| The enhanced greenhouse effects | |
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| The human impact | |
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| Ozone depletion | |
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| Global warming | |
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| El Ni�o / La Ni�a | |
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| The future | |
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| Factfile | |
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| Glossary | |
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| Index | |