Divine Wind: The History and Science of Hurricanes

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Oxford University Press, 2005 M09 1 - 296 páginas
Imagine standing at the center of a Roman coliseum that is 20 miles across, with walls that soar 10 miles into the sky, towering walls with cascades of ice crystals falling along its brilliantly white surface. That's what it's like to stand in the eye of a hurricane. In Divine Wind, Kerry Emanuel, one of the world's leading authorities on hurricanes, gives us an engaging account of these awe-inspiring meteorological events, revealing how hurricanes and typhoons have literally altered human history, thwarting military incursions and changing the course of explorations. Offering an account of the physics of the tropical atmosphere, the author explains how such benign climates give rise to the most powerful storms in the world and tells what modern science has learned about them. Interwoven with this scientific account are descriptions of some of the most important hurricanes in history and relevant works of art and literature. For instance, he describes the 17th-century hurricane that likely inspired Shakespeare's The Tempest and that led to the British colonization of Bermuda. We also read about the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, by far the worst natural calamity in U.S. history, with a death toll between 8,000 and 12,000 that exceeded the San Francisco earthquake, the Johnstown Flood, and the Okeechobee Hurricane co Boasting more than one hundred color illustrations, frommbined. Boasting more than one hundred color illustrations, from ultra-modern Doppler imagery to classic paintings by Winslow Homer, Divine Wind captures the profound effects that hurricanes have had on humanity. Its fascinating blend of history, science, and art will appeal to weather junkies, science buffs, and everyone who read Isaac's Storm.

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Contenido

1 Kamikaze
3
2 Anatomy of a Meteorological Monster
7
3 Huracán
18
4 The Tropical Hothouse
23
5 Columbuss Hurricane
30
6 The Tropical Downpour
34
7 France Gives Up La Floride 1565
38
8 The Trade Winds
41
21 The Great New England Hurricane of 1938
155
22 Waves
165
23 Bull Halseys Typhoons
174
24 Rain
182
25 The Hunters
193
26 Hurricane Camille
205
A Photo Essay
213
28 The Great East Pakistan Cyclone of November 1970
221

9 The Tempest
49
10 Natures Steam Engine
54
11 The Hurricanes of 1780
63
12 Hurricane Intensity
72
13 Galveston 1900
83
14 Genesis
93
15 Miami 1926
104
16 Death and Transfiguration
109
San Felipe and the Okeechobee Disaster of 1928
117
How Hurricanes Move
125
19 The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935
136
20 The Storm Surge
147
29 Forecasting Hurricanes
227
30 Cyclone Tracy
240
31 Hurricane Andrew 1992
245
32 Hurricanes and Climate
252
Epilogue
260
Notable Tropical Cyclones
262
Hurricane Records
267
Vortex on a Chip
268
Sources and Further Reading
269
Credits
275
Index
278
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Acerca del autor (2005)

Kerry Emanuel is Professor of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science at MIT. His writings have appeared in American Scientist and Nature, among other publications.

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