Precipitation

Precipitation plays a significant role in the climate system, and this book is the first to provide a comprehensive examination of the processes involved in the generation of clouds, rain, snow and hail; how precipitation is measured; how its distribution has changed over time; and how we still need to make improvements to the way precipitation is measured. It traces our attempts to understand what clouds are, from ancient Greeks to the present day. It also discusses developments in the measurement of precipitation, from rain gauges to satellite techniques, and how these measurements have enabled researchers to estimate global trends, totals, variability and extremes of precipitation. This will be a valuable and fascinating reference for academic researchers in the fields of environmental science and climatology. It will also be of great interest to professionals in water resource and flood management.

Was the only book to deal with precipitation comprehensively
Provides interesting background to the subject by tracing the evolution of matters relating to precipitation
Contains suggestions for future action by the international community in the measurement of precipitation

Reviews & endorsements

"Any reader of 'Weather' interested in precipitation, any user of precipitation datra and any climate modeller wishing to find out more about the source of precipitation data would benefit from reading [this book]. ... The book...ends with a proposed solution--a new global climatological observing network. This would require a transformation of political will to obtain (and maintain) suitable observing sites. This may sounds like idealism, but it certainly provides a novel crescendo to an interesting book that deserves to be read by anyone interested in precipitation and our ability to observe climatic change." - Julian Mayes, Weather

"...easy, descriptive reading..." - Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

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