Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
ISBN-10: 0-7910-9053-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-7910-9053-4
You can find Chelsea House books on the World Wide Web at
http://www.chelseahouse.com
Bang GH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
All links and Web addresses were checked and verified to be correct at
the time of publication. Because of the dynamic nature of the Web, some
addresses and links may have changed since publication and may no
longer be valid.
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
Weather: You Like It or Not 7
CHAPTER TWO
The Air We Breathe 16
CHAPTER THREE
A Hot World Under Pressure 23
CHAPTER FOUR
It’s All About Water 32
CHAPTER FIVE
Windy,Wild Weather 42
CHAPTER SIX
How to Forecast the Weather 51
CHAPTER SEVEN
Is Our Climate Changing? 59
Glossary 66
Bibliography 68
Further Exploration 69
Index 70
About the Author 72
Picture Credits 72
I I I I I I I I
CHAPTER ONE
I
Weather:
You Like It or Not
THE THUNDERBIRD
Evangelista Torricelli built the first mercury barometer in 1644. Also known
as Torricelli’s Tube, this invention allowed scientists to measure the pressure
of the atmosphere.
I
The Air We Breathe
T ake a deep breath. The air you breathe makes up the weath-
er. The term weather describes what the air is doing in any
particular time and place. For instance, the air can be warm,
cold, wet, dry, calm, or windy, depending upon where you are in
the world.
The climate describes the typical weather of a geographic
area on Earth. For example, the climate in Antarctica is very
cold, whereas in the tropics, such as Tahiti, the climate is very
hot. We know these climates are typical because the weather
patterns there have not changed for a long, long time. Climate
can be very different, even if two regions are close in distance. It
could be snowing on top of a mountain, and in the valley below
it could be raining.
We feel the sensation of the air on our skin each day and
choose our clothes to either stay warm or cool. However, where
does air come from? We know we need oxygen to breathe, but
what else is air made of? Let’s begin at the beginning—the birth
of our planet.
It’s a Gas
About 4.5 billion years ago, the planets in the solar system
formed from the dust and gas that surrounded the Sun. The two
most abundant elements in the universe are helium and hydro-
gen. These gases cloaked the newly formed planets like a protec-
tive blanket. This is called an atmosphere. However, Earth’s
gravity was not strong enough to hold onto this new atmos-
phere, and these gases floated back into space. The other plan-
ets that orbited close to the Sun—Venus, Mars, and Mercury
—could not retain their atmospheres either.
Then something amazing happened on Earth. Our planet cre-
ated its own atmosphere. At its center, Earth was extremely hot
and unstable. All over the world, gigantic volcanic eruptions
ripped through the surface of the planet, bringing elements
from its core to the surface. Water, carbon dioxide, methane, sul-
SUNNY FACTS
they all protect life on Earth. The ozone layer in our atmosphere
acts like a filter. It blocks the Sun’s harmful UV rays 20 miles (32
km) above our heads. Without the ozone layer to protect us, the
UV rays would be too intense for life to survive. Carbon dioxide
provides food for plant photosynthesis. Water, with assistance
from the Sun, provides us with all the different types of weath-
er we have here on Earth, such as clouds, rain, and snow.
I
A Hot World
Under Pressure
Take the balloon that was full of air from the experiment you did in
Chapter Two. When you filled the balloon with air, the increasing air
pressure expanded the sides of the balloon. The air pressure inside it
is high. Now, untie the balloon, and let the air out. What happens? The
air immediately flows from inside the balloon to outside the balloon,
where the air pressure is lower.
Balancing Act
Yet, Earth does not heat up evenly. Some areas of the world, like
the tropics (near the equator), are much hotter all year round
than, say, the extremely cold areas near the North and South
I
It's All About Water
Have you ever had to scrape frost off the windshield of a car? Frost
forms when water vapor freezes into icy crystals on cold surfaces
such as windows and trees. Dew is water vapor that condenses into
drops of moisture during the cool night. You can see these dew drops
on leaves, plants, and spider webs.
there are more particles in the air, and therefore more clouds are
able to form.
As the Sun heats the surface waters of the planet, water evap-
orates. This process of evaporation—and the water cycle—con-
tinues indefinitely.
Clouds
Clouds can tell what the day’s weather holds in store for you,
based on their shape and size. There are three main types of
clouds floating in the sky: cirrus, cumulus, and stratus.
Harmless cumulus clouds can quickly develop into large towering cumulo-
nimbus clouds, which are associated with powerful thunderstorms.
As lightning strikes the ground, it heats the air around it. This
has been measured at around five times the heat of the Sun,
about 55,000°F (30,538°C). When the air gets this hot, it sounds
like an explosion. The sound is called thunder. Thunder and
lightning happen at the same time, but we see lightning before
we hear thunder. This is because light travels at a much faster
speed than sound.
When lightning hits the ground, it is called fork lightning.
Lightning actually has two bolts. First, it zigzags to the ground
from the cloud. A split second later, the lightning races up the
exact route back to the cloud. Sheet lightning is lightning that
flashes within the cloud itself.
I
Windy, Wild Weather
Coriolis Effect
Every 24 hours, Earth rotates on its axis. Half of the planet is
heated every 12 hours, while the other half is in darkness. This
is one of the main reasons Earth is heated unevenly. These dif-
ferences in temperature create changes in air pressure that pro-
duce wind.
However, the winds do not blow in simple straight lines from
high to low pressure, flowing up and down the globe. Instead,
winds curve because our planet spins. This is called the Corio-
lis Effect. It bends every wind on Earth. Anywhere north of the
equator, called the Northern Hemisphere, the winds blow to the
right. Winds blow to the left anywhere south of the equator in
the Southern Hemisphere.
A batter in the major leagues has to watch the signs from the third-
base coach. He also must be aware of wind conditions. If a batter has
a 10-mile-per-hour (16-km) wind at his back, it will add about 30 extra
feet (9 m) to a long fly ball. However, if that same wind is blowing in
at the batter, it will shorten a fly ball by about 30 feet. That’s enough
of a difference to turn a home run into an out!
Naming Winds
The direction of the wind is based on the direction from which
the wind is blowing. Easterly winds blow east to west. Westerly
winds blow west to east.
We can depend upon particular wind patterns to stay the same
in certain places of the world. Sailors and sea captains count on
these winds remaining constant. For example, there are steady
winds known as trade winds, named during the early days of
sailing. Ships that traded goods between different countries
knew they could get to their destination quicker when their sails
caught hold of these winds. Another unique wind pattern is the
doldrums. Sailors avoid this area north of the equator between
the two trade winds because the winds there are often very light
and calm. They can trap ships in one spot for weeks.
CHINOOK WINDS
In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the southern United States with
winds reaching over 155 miles per hour (249 km). However, it was the
storm surge from this powerful hurricane that devastated parts of Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Alabama.
Hurricanes are given names to help identify and track them. Each hur-
ricane season, one name for each letter of the alphabet is selected
(except for Q, U, X,Y, and Z).The same lists are reused every six years.
If a hurricane is very deadly or costly, its name is “retired” from the
list by the World Meteorological Organization, and a new name is cho-
sen. Well-known retired hurricane names include Hugo, Andrew, and
Charley.
The year 1953 marked the first season during which storms were
named using female names. The first official name went to Hurricane
Alice. Before this time, locals in the islands frequently referred to
storms by the name of the saint whose day was closest to the occur-
rence of the storm. Storms were also often named after another cat-
astrophe. The Rising Sun Hurricane of 1700 recalls the sinking of the
Rising Sun and the 97 souls lost in the wreck. Hurricanes were also
named after places where they did greatest damage, such as the Galves-
ton Hurricane of 1900. Beginning in 1979, alternating male and female
names were assigned to new storms.
This satellite photo of Hurricane Rita clearly shows the eye of this Category
5 hurricane. Hurricane Rita hit Louisiana and Texas only a month after Hur-
ricane Katrina blasted through.
The fastest wind speed ever recorded was 318 miles (512 km) per
hour. It was measured in a 1999 Oklahoma tornado. This tornado
broke the long-standing world wind record on top of Mount Washing-
ton, the highest point in New Hampshire. A surface speed of 231 miles
(372 km) per hour was recorded there in 1934.
A Twister’s Path
Tornadoes also form from cumulonimbus clouds, but over land
instead of water. Some of these clouds become so massive that
they create their own wind system within the cloud itself. A tor-
nado forms when the winds inside the storm cloud start to
rotate. This gives a tornado its telltale shape—a tall, whirling
funnel of air, also known as a twister. Tornadoes can be over 500
feet (152 m) wide.
Inside the funnel, air spins at enormous speeds, up to 250
miles (402 km) per hour. Tornadoes average 20 to 50 miles
(30–80 km) per hour as they move along the ground. The fun-
nel acts like a giant vacuum cleaner that sucks up or destroys
everything in its path. Although tornadoes usually only last
about 15 minutes or less, they can travel several miles, destroy-
ing everything in their path. Because of their short lives, torna-
does are very hard to predict.
Tornadoes contain some of the fastest winds on Earth. They
are known for picking up all kinds of objects, such as cows, cars,
and tractor-trailers, before hurling them back to the ground.
Strangely, sometimes these objects are unharmed. There are sto-
ries of tornadoes plucking all the feathers from a chicken while
leaving the chicken alive.
I
How to Forecast
the Weather
“I f you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes.” This pop-
ular saying reflects the lack of control we really have over
the weather. A basic understanding of the nature of clouds and
wind can tell you what the weather will be like over the next few
hours. With weather satellites, Doppler radar, and other sophis-
ticated tools, today’s meteorologists can predict the weather
several days in advance. However, there is no such thing as fore-
casting, or predicting, the weather with 100% accuracy.
A wind sock tells you from which direction the wind is blowing. It also
gives you an idea of how strong the wind is. To make your own wind
sock, you will need:
• sleeve from a big, old, long-sleeved shirt
• wire
• needle and thread
• small rock or other weight
• string or twine
1. Cut one sleeve off the long-sleeved shirt. Bend the wire into a circle
that is the same size as the top end of the sleeve (the end by the
shoulder). Place the wire into this end of the sleeve, and attach it
with a few stitches.This is the mouth of the wind sock.
2. Place the rock or weight on one edge of the wire. Sew it on tight to
hold it in place. Tie the string onto the side of the wire opposite the
rock.
3. Tie the other end of the string to a branch where it can move freely.
The rock will keep the wind sock facing into the wind.
4. Now your wind sock is working. Use a compass to find out from
which direction the wind is blowing.
Doppler Radar
RADAR is an acronym that stands for RAdio Detecting And
Ranging. Early radar systems sent out powerful radio pulses that
Since 1995, this “Doppler on Wheels” mobile radar system has allowed
adventurous scientists to drive directly into tornadoes. Maps are created
from the Doppler images and have provided new insights into how torna-
does form and evolve.
the United States and overseas, there are about 159 NEXRAD
Doppler radar stations. Doppler radars gather weather data and
send it immediately to computers at the National Climatic Data
Center (NCDC), a division of the National Weather Service. A
map is generated that shows patterns of precipitation and its
movement anywhere in the world. Updates are provided every
five minutes. Doppler radar can show wind direction and speed
more than 500 miles (805 km) away. Doppler radar also detects
tornadoes before they form. Forecasters can now track storms days
in advance, making Doppler radar an invaluable tool. Advance
warnings of tornadoes and hurricanes have saved many lives.
Satellites
Satellites truly provide the biggest picture of Earth’s weather. In
1960, the TIROS 1 satellite sent meteorologists the first photos
of all Earth’s clouds. Until this point, meteorologists could only
see sections of the world’s cloud cover. Since then, satellite tech-
Radiosondes
Radiosondes are carried by weather balloons. Radiosondes allow
scientists to measure winds and greatly improve our understand-
ing of the weather.
Radiosondes that measure temperature, humidity, and pres-
sure are attached to large balloons and released thousands of feet
into the air. As the balloon rises higher in the sky, a radio trans-
mitter sends the weather data to radiosonde stations on the
ground. There are more than 900 radiosonde stations world-
wide. When the balloon bursts, the weather instruments (which
are wrapped together in a type of package) float to Earth on a
parachute. The National Weather Service releases hundreds of
radiosondes each day. About one-third of them are found, and
returned. If you find one, you just drop it in a mailbox, postage
free! Radiosondes were named for the word sonde, which is Old
French for “sounding line.”
Computers
Whether it comes from an amateur weather observer, a barome-
ter, a satellite, or a weather balloon, every piece of weather infor-
mation is fed into supercomputers at the National Weather
Service. These supercomputers are able to compute more than 2
billion operations a second. Air pressure, Earth’s rotation, the
water cycle, and every other factor that completes the weather
puzzle are fed into these computers. Weather maps are created
that explain every weather action happening anywhere in the
world in that very instant.
This process is also called numerical forecasting. Numerical
forecasts allow weather forecasters to have an up-to-the-minute
knowledge of the current weather. This greatly enhances their
ability to predict the weather with as much accuracy as possible.
I
Is Our Climate
Changing?
Rising global temperatures are melting Earth’s polar ice caps and glaciers
and increasing the sea level. As global warming continues, millions of people
are at risk from floods.
In addition to infrared
light, the Sun sends ultra-
violet (UV) light to Earth.
Most of it is blocked by
the ozone layer in the
stratosphere. However,
certain man-made chem-
icals destroy this protec-
tive ozone layer, which
allows more UV light to
reach the planet’s sur-
face. Because UV light is
very harmful to living
creatures and causes can-
cer, the use of these
ozone-layer-destroying
chemicals has been limit-
ed or banned since the
1980s. This has been a A satellite mapped the pink area outlined
worldwide success, and in white as a severe depletion, or “hole,”
today the “hole” in the in the ozone layer caused by pollution
over Antarctica.
ozone is shrinking.
a 1-foot (0.3-m) rise in sea levels on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts
by 2050 and a 2-foot (0.6-m) rise by 2100. A 2-foot rise in the
oceans would severely flood all coastal communities in the
world. This much ocean water would also permanently cover a
piece of the United States bigger than Massachusetts.
Evidence shows that ocean water is also heating up. Hurricanes
receive their power from warm water. Based on computer mod-
els, some scientists say as the oceans heat up, the destructive
strength of hurricanes will increase.
Scientists point out that it rains more now in certain areas of
the world than it did 100 years ago. As temperatures rise, we
could expect even more rainfall. Yet, scientists point out that
other parts of the world will experience more droughts. There
currently is not enough evidence to say whether drought is
increasing or not.
Cut out a square piece of white cloth. Next, cut out a smaller square
of cloth and glue it onto the middle of the first, larger square. Then,
hang it outside for about a week. Peel off the square in the middle. Is
the area underneath the smaller square cleaner than the surrounding
cloth? Whatever made the cloth dirty is in the air that you breathe.
Try placing the cloth in different locations, such as a park or near a fac-
tory. Notice if there are any differences.
66 Glossary
global warming – the theory that increased concentrations of greenhouse gases
are causing Earth’s surface temperature to rise
greenhouse – the heating effect of Earth’s atmosphere. The atmosphere acts like a
greenhouse because sunlight freely passes through it and warms the surface. As
Earth sends heat back toward space, some of the heat is trapped by the atmos-
phere, which keeps Earth at a comfortable temperature.
high pressure – a whirling mass of cool, dry air that generally brings fair weather
and light winds. When viewed from above, winds spiral out of a high-pressure cen-
ter in a clockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere. These bring sunny skies.
humidity – the amount of water vapor in the air
hurricane – an intense storm with swirling winds up to 156 miles per hour.
Usually around 300 miles across, hurricanes can be 1,000 to 5,000 times larger
than tornadoes.
hurricane season – a six-month period from June 1 to November 30, when con-
ditions are favorable for hurricane development
low pressure – a whirling mass of warm, moist air that generally brings stormy
weather with strong winds. When viewed from above, winds spiral into a low-
pressure center in a counterclockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere.
meteorologist – a scientist who studies and predicts the weather. Meteorologists
use sophisticated equipment, such as Doppler radar and supercomputers, but they
also rely on old-fashioned sky watching.
meteorology – the study of the atmosphere and all its phenomena, including
weather and how to forecast it.
mist – water droplets so small that they are floating in the air. Because mist droplets
do not fall, mist is a type of fog.
monsoon – a seasonal wind, found especially in Asia, that reverses direction
between summer and winter and often brings heavy rains
National Weather Service – the federal agency that provides weather, hydro-
logic, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States
ozone – a form of oxygen that has a weak chlorine odor. Ozone heats the upper
atmosphere by absorbing ultraviolet rays from sunlight. In the troposphere, ozone
is a pollutant, but in the stratosphere, it filters out harmful ultraviolet radiation.
precipitation – the general name for water in any form falling from clouds. This
includes rain, drizzle, hail, snow, and sleet. Dew, frost, and fog are not considered
precipitation.
smog – visible air pollution in urban areas that looks like dirty fog in large cities
storm – any disturbed state of the atmosphere that creates unpleasant weather such
as rain, lightning, thunder, hail, snow, sleet, and freezing rain
Sun – The star in the center of our solar system. The Sun is responsible for most of
Earth’s weather, even though it is 93 million miles away. The Sun’s intense heat
gives energy to Earth’s atmosphere and sets it in motion.
temperature – the measurement of how hot or cold something is
thermometer – an instrument that measures temperature
thunder – the explosive sound of air expanding as it is heated by lightning. This
air is about 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
thunderstorm – a storm produced by a cumulonimbus cloud that always has
lightning and thunder. Rain, hail, high winds, and tornadoes may or may not
occur.
Tornado Alley – the region of the United States where tornadoes occur most fre-
quently. Tornado Alley is the corridor along the Great Plains. It extends from the
Rocky Mountains in the West to the Appalachian Mountains in the East.
Glossary 67
Bibliography
Keen, Richard A. Skywatch: The Western Weather Guide. Fulcrum Publishing: Golden,
Colo., 1987.
Kloesel, Dr. Kevin. “At ARM’s Length: Using Radiosondes to Extend Our Grasp of
Weather and Climate.” Climate Education Update (newsletter).
Kristof, Nicholas D. 2005. “The Storm Next Time.” The New York Times, 2005.
Lagassé, Paul (Ed.). The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia University
Press: New York, 2000.
“National Climatic Data Center: Protecting the Past, Revealing the Future.” NOAA
Satellite and Information Service.
www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html
Wagner, Ronald L. and Bill Adler, Jr. The Weather Sourcebook. Adler & Robin Books:
Washington, D.C., 1997.
“Weather and Climate Basics.” The National Center for Atmospheric Research.
eo.ucar.edu/basics/index.html
Williams, Jack. The Weather Book. An Easy-to-Understand Guide to the USA’s Weather.
Random House: New York, 1997.
68 Bibliography
Further Exploration
BOOKS
Blanchard, Duncan C. Snowflake Man: A Biography of Wilson A. Bentley. Newark, Ohio:
McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company, 1998.
Demarest, Chris L. Hurricane Hunters! Riders on the Storm. New York: Margaret K.
McElderry, 2006.
Libbrecht, Ken. Ken Librecht’s Field Guide to Snowflakes. Stillwater, Minn.: Voyageur
Press, 2006.
Vogel, Carole G. Weather Legends: Native American Lore and the Science of Weather.
Brookfield, Conn.: The Millbrook Press, 2001.
Williams, Jack. The Weather Book: An Easy-to-Understand Guide to the USA’s Weather.
New York: Random House, 1997.
WEB SITES
ametsoc.org
The American Meteorological Society
www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov
Climate Prediction Center
eo.ucar.edu/kids/links.html#science
Everything about the weather, including activities, links, glossary
www.extremescience.com/mainweather.htm
Extreme weather record breakers
ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate
Weather satellite data and information from the National Climatic Data Center
www.nhc.noaa.gov
Hurricane Central from the Tropical Prediction Center of the National Weather Service
www.nws.noaa.gov
The National Weather Service
www.nws.noaa.gov/om/coop
The National Weather Service’s Cooperative Observer Program
www.rcn27.dial.pipex.com/cloudsrus/home.html
Everything about the weather, including activities, links, glossary
www.tornadoproject.com
The Tornado Project
weather.yahoo.com
Worldwide five-day forecasts
www.weatherwizkids.com
Includes facts, folklore, games, jokes, experiments, and activities
www.wildwildweather.com
Everything about the weather, including activities, links, glossary
yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/index.html
Global warming site
Further Exploration 69
Index
Page numbers for illustrations are in italic Fahrenheit, Gabriel Daniel, 28
flooding, 10, 61, 62–63
air pressure, 14, 24–26, 42 fog, 34, 38, 61
Alberti, Leon Battista, 13 forecasting
altitude, 27–28 clouds and, 37–39, 38
animals, 8–9, 11, 12 importance of, 8–9
archaeology, 10–11 meteorologists and, 51–53
Aristotle, 13 tools for, 9, 26, 53–58
asthma, 18, 61 tornadoes and, 50
atmosphere, 17, 17–23 fossil fuels, 60, 64
friction, 43
balloons, 19, 22, 24, 30, 54, 57 frost, 34
barometers, 14, 14, 24, 26
baseball, 43 Galilei, Galileo, 13–14, 28
Beaufort scale, 45 geostationary satellites, 57
Blanchard, Duncan, 21 glaciers, 61, 61–62
blizzards, 42 global warming, 59–65
gods, 10–11, 12–13
carbon dioxide, 20–21, 59, 60, gravity, 17, 19, 21, 23–24
64–65 greenhouse gases, 59–65, 65
Celsius, Anders, 28 growing seasons, 63–64
ceremonies, 11, 11
chasers, storm, 53 hail, 37
chinook winds, 45 humidity, 9, 33
cirrus clouds, 37–38, 38 hurricane hunters, 55
climate, 16 hurricanes
climate change, 59–65 friction and, 43
clouds, 33–34, 35–36, 37–40, 38, 39 global warming and, 63
computers, forecasting and, 58 images of, 8, 44, 46, 48, 54
condensation, 34, 34–35 naming of, 47
condensation nuclei, 34–35 overview of, 46–49
conversions, 28 hydrogen, 17
Cooperative Observation Program, 15, hydrologic cycle, 32, 33
52–53
Coriolis effect, 43, 47 infrared light, 20
cumulonimbus clouds, 39, 39–40, 49 intensity ratings, 48–49
cumulus clouds, 37, 38, 38, 39–40
cyclones, 49 Jefferson, Thomas, 15
70 Index
naming of storms, 47 changing, 45, 59
National Weather Service, 52, 53, 56, 58 clouds and, 38, 39
NEXRAD, 55–56 evaporation, condensation and, 33–34,
NOAA, 52 34
nuclei, 34–35 ocean water and, 46–47, 63
numerical forecasting, 58 water cycle and, 30–32
thermometers, 13–14, 28
observations, 15, 52–53
thermosphere, 22, 22
ocean level rises, 61, 62–63
thunder, 12–13, 41
oxygen, 19, 26, 27–29
thunderbird, 12, 12
ozone, 19, 20–21, 62
thunderstorms, 39, 40, 40–41
photosynthesis, 19 TIROS 1 satellite, 56, 56
pinecones, 9 Tornado Alley, 50, 50
plants, 8–9, 19 tornadoes, 42, 49, 49–50, 50, 56
polar regions, 31 Torricelli, Evangelista, 14, 14
polar-orbiting satellites, 57–58 totem poles, 12, 12
pollution, 18, 34–35, 60, 61, 64 trade winds, 43
precipitation, 33, 35, 36–37 Tropical Prediction Center, 51, 55
prediction. See forecasting tropical storms, 47
pressure, 14, 24–26, 42 troposphere, 20, 21, 22
turbines, 25
radar, 15, 42, 54–56, 55
typhoons, 49
radiosondes, 54, 57, 58
rain, 36, 36
ultraviolet radiation, 19, 62
rain ceremonies, 11, 11
rainbows, 35
raindrop photography, 21 volcanic eruptions, 17–19, 59
Rita, Hurricane, 48, 54
rituals, 11, 11–12 Washington, Mount, 49
water, 20–21, 32, 33
Saffir-Simpson scale, 48 weather balloons, 54, 57, 58
satellites, 15, 56, 56–58, 62 weight of air, 19–20, 26–29
seasons, 29 wind socks, 45, 52
sky, 12–13 wind vanes, 13
sleet, 37 winds
smog, 61 air pressure and, 42
snow, 36–37, 37 baseball and, 43
snowflakes, 36, 36–37
chinook, 45
storm chasers, 53
Coriolis effect and, 43
storm surge, 44
fastest recorded, 49
stratosphere, 21–22
stratus clouds, 37, 38 friction and, 43
Sun, 17, 19–21, 20, 29–30, 33, 35 hail and, 37
hurricanes and, 43, 46–49
telegraphs, 15 naming of, 44
temperature sensing of, 45
air movement and, 43–44 temperature and, 31
atmosphere and, 20, 21–22 tornadoes and, 49–50
Index 71
About the Author
RANDI MEHLING is the author of several nonfiction books for
young readers. She has written on a wide variety of health and sci-
ence topics, including Great Extinctions of the Past and this book in
Chelsea House’s Scientific American series. Mehling has a passion
for the natural world and our relationship with it. She is a pub-
lished poet and essayist and holds a masters degree in public health.
Picture Credits
PAGE 3: © Jim Reed /Corbis
8: © Jim Reed /Corbis
9: © Wolfgang Kaehler /Corbis
11: © Lindsay Hebberd /CORBIS
12: © Ron Watts /CORBIS
14: © Science Source /Photo Researchers, Inc.
17: © G. Baden /zefa /Corbis
18: © Novastock /Photo Researchers, Inc.
20: © Denis Scott /Corbis
22: © Science Source /Photo Researchers, Inc.
25: © Eric Nguyen /Jim Reed Photography/Corbis
26: © Sam Ogden /Photo Researchers, Inc.
27: © Nawang Sherpa /Bogati /ZUMA/Corbis
28: © SPL / Photo Researchers, Inc.
29: © Mark Garlick /Photo Researchers, Inc.
33: © Science Source /Photo Researchers, Inc.
34: © Pekka Parviainen /Photo Researchers, Inc.
35: © P. Jude /Photo Researchers, Inc.
36: © Edward Kinsman /Photo Researchers, Inc.
38 (left): © NASA /Photo Researchers, Inc.
38 (right): © David R. Frazier /Photo Researchers, Inc.
39: © Paul A. Souders /CORBIS
41: © Mike Theiss /Jim Reed Photography /Corbis
44: © Jim Edds /Jim Reed Photography /Photo Researchers, Inc.
46: © NOAA /ZUMA/Corbis
48: © NOAA /Corbis
50: © Jim Zuckerman /CORBIS
53: © Jim Reed /CORBIS
54: © NASA /Photo Researchers, Inc.
55: © Jim Reed /Photo Researchers, Inc
56: © David A. Hardy /Photo Researchers, Inc.
57: © David Parker /Photo Researchers, Inc.
60: © Andrew Holbrooke /Corbis
61: © Carlos Corvalan /Intendecia El Calafate /Reuters /Corbis
62: © NASA /GSFC /GLA /Photo Researchers, Inc.
63: © Chico Batata /epa /Corbis
65: © Tolga Bozoglu /epa /Corbis
COVER IMAGES, FROM LEFT:
Clouds © Tim Pleasant /Shutterstock.com
Lightning © John C. Panella Jr. /Shutterstock.com
Rainbow © Diane Webb /Shutterstock.com