Description
This is a provocative and useful summary of what we know, and what we would like to know about El Nino's influence on humankind. The book is a clear, scientifically definitive statement on an issue of concern to us all. -- Brian Fagan, University of California, Santa Barbara The most important thing I can tell you about Our Affair with El Nino is that I genuinely enjoyed reading it. Like the author, it is erudite, cultured, original, imaginative, idiosyncratic, and opinionated. George Philander is especially adept at providing easy-to-grasp analogies to illuminate complex material. Both the general reader and those who know a great deal about El Nino will appreciate this book. -- Mark A. Cane, Columbia University
About the Author
George Philander is Knox Taylor Professor of Geosciences (Meteorology) at Princeton University. He is the author of "Is the Temperature Rising: The Uncertain Science of Global Warming" (Princeton).
Reviews
"George Philander provides [an understanding of El Nino] simply and authoritatively. He does so, not by losing the reader in elaborate descriptions of data acquisition and mathematical modeling, but by the apt use of analogies drawn from the viewpoints of the poet, musician and painter."--Richard Shelton, Times Literary Supplement "Our Affair with El Nino is a very readable, entertaining and instructive book that will appeal to scientists and non-scientists alike... [Philander] writes with the enthusiasm of an eye-witness and the authority of an expert. The book skillfully weaves together descriptions of El Nino physics, the historical backdrop that led to widespread interest in El Nino, and the philosophical perspectives on the role of scientific research in addressing present-day environmental problems."--Michael J. McPhaden, Nature "[Philander] presents the current scientific understanding of El Nino concisely, explaining the details of circulation in the ocean and atmosphere with lucid analogies and thoughtful examples. He describes the broad outlines of how this understanding emerged, piecemeal, along complex and tangled paths. It is as a work in the history of science that the book makes its greatest contributions."--Benjamin S. Orlove, American Scientist
Book Information
ISBN 9780691126227
Author S. George Philander
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publisher Princeton University Press
Weight(grams) 425g