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Rough Winds: Extreme Weather and Climate Change
For the last few years, and especially in 2011, a new extreme weather event seems to pop up each week. Some decide to stick Texas and Oklahoma have been suffering from historic droughts for six months, with no sign of relief. No sooner does Hurricane Irene disappear than Tropical Storm Lee appears to flood Louisiana and stir up wildfires in nearby Texas. We seem beset by more, and more extreme, heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, torrential rainstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards than any of us can remember. Are we witnessing just the normal ups and downs of the weather or is the climate changing? This book arms readers with the facts about the recent extreme weather so that they can answer that question for themselves.
- GenresScienceNonfiction
47 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 9, 2011
14 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
James Lawrence Powell
34 books30 followersDr. James L. Powell graduated from Berea College with a degree in Geology. He holds a Ph.D. in Geochemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and taught Geology at Oberlin College for over 20 years.
He served as Acting President of Oberlin, President of Franklin and Marshall College, President of Reed College, President of the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia, and President and Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History.
Powell currently serves as Executive Director of the National Physical Science Consortium. Asteroid 1987 SH7 is named for him.
He served as Acting President of Oberlin, President of Franklin and Marshall College, President of Reed College, President of the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia, and President and Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History.
Powell currently serves as Executive Director of the National Physical Science Consortium. Asteroid 1987 SH7 is named for him.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 16, 2012
This book asks the question: does the recent spate of extreme weather events provide sufficient evidence to persuade an open-minded person that human caused global warming has begun?
The author then compares recent weather events in a broader context than just "the heat wave in the Mid-West", or the Drought in Texas. Most of us are rather myopic and tend to think of weather that is over own head. However, the earth's weather-making system is interrelated and connected.
All of us here in the US complain of heat waves. As I write this 9/16/12, the West Coast of the US is sweltering with temps over a 100 degrees. Does anyone remember the 2003 heat wave in Europe that killed 46,000 people, and caused temps in Switzerland to exceed 100 degrees?
How about the 2010 Russian heat wave that also killed thousands? How about later that year when the mid-Atlantic US States had record snow fall and storm after storm after storm?
The author discusses the April 2011 drought in Texas and Oklahoma when the governor's of both states set aside a day and asked residents to pray for rain. That same year Arctic sea ice was at a historic low. Everything is connected, and interrelated.
The author drops a bombshell and barely even highlights it. While he discusses the record highs at night across Texas in July 2011; he points out that, as expected, the temps dropped several degrees after the sun went down and then stopped falling. This is proof of global warming folks, right here. During the day the suns rays penetrate the atmosphere and warms the ground (not the air). Some of the warmth that is not absorbed by the soil is reflected back up to exit the atmosphere--if a dense layer of pollution, carbon, and industrial effluent isn't blocking it's exit. But of course there is a layer of greenhouse gases that prevent the escape. Where else can it go but back down and keep warming the ground? And make record breaking highs at night-when the sun is not shining and can't possibly be the culprit.
I don't personally understand how anyone is not convinced that global warming is a reality. But then I don't understand how any adult in this day and age cannot read and write, either.
I found it eerie that in 2011 Hurricane Irene followed the exact same path as Katrina did in 2005 and hit on the exact same day and place as Katrina did; as did Issac in 2012. Perhaps not scientific omens... But man has infinite capacity for superstition.
The author then compares recent weather events in a broader context than just "the heat wave in the Mid-West", or the Drought in Texas. Most of us are rather myopic and tend to think of weather that is over own head. However, the earth's weather-making system is interrelated and connected.
All of us here in the US complain of heat waves. As I write this 9/16/12, the West Coast of the US is sweltering with temps over a 100 degrees. Does anyone remember the 2003 heat wave in Europe that killed 46,000 people, and caused temps in Switzerland to exceed 100 degrees?
How about the 2010 Russian heat wave that also killed thousands? How about later that year when the mid-Atlantic US States had record snow fall and storm after storm after storm?
The author discusses the April 2011 drought in Texas and Oklahoma when the governor's of both states set aside a day and asked residents to pray for rain. That same year Arctic sea ice was at a historic low. Everything is connected, and interrelated.
The author drops a bombshell and barely even highlights it. While he discusses the record highs at night across Texas in July 2011; he points out that, as expected, the temps dropped several degrees after the sun went down and then stopped falling. This is proof of global warming folks, right here. During the day the suns rays penetrate the atmosphere and warms the ground (not the air). Some of the warmth that is not absorbed by the soil is reflected back up to exit the atmosphere--if a dense layer of pollution, carbon, and industrial effluent isn't blocking it's exit. But of course there is a layer of greenhouse gases that prevent the escape. Where else can it go but back down and keep warming the ground? And make record breaking highs at night-when the sun is not shining and can't possibly be the culprit.
I don't personally understand how anyone is not convinced that global warming is a reality. But then I don't understand how any adult in this day and age cannot read and write, either.
I found it eerie that in 2011 Hurricane Irene followed the exact same path as Katrina did in 2005 and hit on the exact same day and place as Katrina did; as did Issac in 2012. Perhaps not scientific omens... But man has infinite capacity for superstition.
January 20, 2012
This is a very interesting offering from the Kindle Single series that looks at the issue of Global Warming from the perspective of recent weather events. He reviews the historical record on temperature readings and measures these past events against various climate models and how those climate models compared to the actual events. One of the interesting observations, for me, was that by adding so much carbon to the atmosphere we have set of a feedback loop where each addition sets of the release of more greenhouse gases, mostly water vapor, that further warms the atmosphere and the ocean which results in the release of more greenhouse gas, etc., etc., etc. A chilling read on a hot topic.
May 10, 2021
Why anyone doubts it is beyond reason it seems to me. The storms, heat, sea level rise, habitat changes, extinction of species, changes in growing and harvesting seasons, wildlife and vegetation migration and dead zones in areas where marine life once flourished aren't enough evidence? Yeah. Right. Whatever.
January 13, 2013
Do today's extreme weather events corroborate global warming? This is the question that Rough Winds attempts to answer. Skeptics will find facts to consider without which their opinion is incomplete. Those who demand a "preponderance of the evidence" before committing to action may find it here. Regardless of your opinion about global warming, if you want to be informed on this subject Rough Winds is worth reading.
Author James Lawrence Powell methodically examines the occurrence of record temperatures, drought, fires, rain and snow, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes to understand the connection between these events and climate change. He quotes government and scientific authorities worldwide each of whom expresses his or her opinion about their nation's extreme weather disasters and global warming.
Global warming is the megatrend of our lifetimes. This book serves a specific purpose: it documents the geophysical evidence as of late 2011 that global warming is responsible for an increase in the frequency and severity of weather-related disasters. And it does so in a very interesting and entertaining fashion for the lay reader.
In particular I appreciate the succinct summary and conclusion chapter entitled "Playing Dice with the Planet." This is the section what I wanted to see in Powell's earlier novella "2084" as mentioned in my review of that book.
When you put all of the evidence together in one short book, the phenomenon of global warming is at once fascinating, frightening and undeniable. I rate this book four stars. See my profile for an explanation of my Amazon rating system.
Author James Lawrence Powell methodically examines the occurrence of record temperatures, drought, fires, rain and snow, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes to understand the connection between these events and climate change. He quotes government and scientific authorities worldwide each of whom expresses his or her opinion about their nation's extreme weather disasters and global warming.
Global warming is the megatrend of our lifetimes. This book serves a specific purpose: it documents the geophysical evidence as of late 2011 that global warming is responsible for an increase in the frequency and severity of weather-related disasters. And it does so in a very interesting and entertaining fashion for the lay reader.
In particular I appreciate the succinct summary and conclusion chapter entitled "Playing Dice with the Planet." This is the section what I wanted to see in Powell's earlier novella "2084" as mentioned in my review of that book.
When you put all of the evidence together in one short book, the phenomenon of global warming is at once fascinating, frightening and undeniable. I rate this book four stars. See my profile for an explanation of my Amazon rating system.
April 17, 2013
Modern history of climate change in five minutes is an adequate summation of this essay. It ignores the idea that there was climatic changes prior to the 20th century except when it suits the writer. While it has some good information about modern climate trends, the conclusions drawn are short sighted and narrow minded. While not a good scientific look at climate change it is a good banner essay for the climate change movement.
March 14, 2015
Climate change clearly explained.
This is the clearest and most succinct explanation of the relationship between the theory and the factual supporting evidence for global warming. What is made especially clear is the relationship between the increasing water surface temperatures and the apparent increasing severity of weather events. It gives much evidence and argument to rebut the climate change deniers.
This is the clearest and most succinct explanation of the relationship between the theory and the factual supporting evidence for global warming. What is made especially clear is the relationship between the increasing water surface temperatures and the apparent increasing severity of weather events. It gives much evidence and argument to rebut the climate change deniers.
December 31, 2011
a well written description of the climate change scenario as it is happening under us. pretty convincing tale of the mess we are in and the inevitable challenges of a future where the worst polluters maintain denial out of greed more than science.
March 4, 2012
A Kindle single --- nice summary of the facts about global warming. I did not realize that water vapor is a greenhouse gas.
May 11, 2013
Informative
November 28, 2013
anothe climate change book that helps keep up with what is going on in the media
March 17, 2015
it was an awesome read but quite scary let's hope we can change things fast.
October 11, 2016
Short book, seemed like more of a journal article, but reasonable for the .99 Kindle price. Good information, but geared more toward research than general appeal.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews