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Snow : a history of the world's most fascinating flake / Anthony R. Wood.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: Guilford, Connecticut : Prometheus Books, [2021]Description: xii, 244 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781633885943
  • 1633885941
Subject(s):
Contents:
First snows : colonial ambushes -- Snowmen : giants of snow research -- Pax nivalis : when snow was welcome -- Majestic silence : the storm that changed America -- Mighty streams : the co-conspirators of blizzards -- Of bombs and 'flakegate' : when forecasts fail -- Battle of the Titans : the rise of commercial weather -- Westward snow : the great white reservoir -- Making it : the art of man-made snow -- The vanishing : the future of snow.
Summary: "The complete story of snow, this is the first book to fully examine snow as a historical, cultural, and scientific phenomenon"-- Provided by publisher.Summary: Snow, beautiful and magical, is sometimes considered one of nature's blessings. It is also a nuisance needing to be managed and moved, and worse, a sometimes-crippling catastrophe to be battled. Wood looks at snow in all its delightful and fearsome manifestations as he delves into science, history, economics, and popular culture to examine snow's enduring hold on the imagination. He summarizes the current scientific understanding of major winter weather events and what is known about the complex interplay between the jet stream and the Gulf Stream, and considers the impact of global warming on snowfall. -- adapted from jacket
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Dr. James Carlson Library NonFiction 551.5784 W873 Available 33111009782240
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 551.5784 W873 Available 33111010462584
Adult Book Adult Book Northport Library NonFiction 551.5784 W873 Available 33111009831195
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

From "Winter Wonderland" to "Snowmageddon," we've had a long, love-hate relationship with snow. This entertaining look at snow in all its delightful and fearsome manifestations delves into science, history, economics, and popular culture to examine snow's enduring hold on the imagination.

Through profiles and anecdotes, the author discusses the reactions throughout history to snowfall. Snow, beautiful and magical, was sometimes considered one of nature's blessings. But then it was also a nuisance needing to be managed and moved, and worse, a terrifying, sometimes-crippling catastrophe to be battled. Blizzards and high-volume snowfall presented a serious obstacle to progress, travel, growth, and industry.

Readers will learn about the making and removing of snow, the psychology of winter, and the history of snow in literature, art, and popular culture. The author also summarizes the current scientific understanding of major winter weather events and what is known about the complex interplay between the jet stream and the Gulf Stream. Despite sophisticated computer modeling, accurate forecasting is still a challenge.

Finally, the book considers the impact of global warming on snowfall and the potential for causing a water crisis in the West and major losses in the winter recreation industry.

Whether you look forward to months on the ski slopes or loathe the effects of winter on your daily commute, you'll come away from this book with a new appreciation for this amazing and important natural phenomenon.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

First snows : colonial ambushes -- Snowmen : giants of snow research -- Pax nivalis : when snow was welcome -- Majestic silence : the storm that changed America -- Mighty streams : the co-conspirators of blizzards -- Of bombs and 'flakegate' : when forecasts fail -- Battle of the Titans : the rise of commercial weather -- Westward snow : the great white reservoir -- Making it : the art of man-made snow -- The vanishing : the future of snow.

"The complete story of snow, this is the first book to fully examine snow as a historical, cultural, and scientific phenomenon"-- Provided by publisher.

Snow, beautiful and magical, is sometimes considered one of nature's blessings. It is also a nuisance needing to be managed and moved, and worse, a sometimes-crippling catastrophe to be battled. Wood looks at snow in all its delightful and fearsome manifestations as he delves into science, history, economics, and popular culture to examine snow's enduring hold on the imagination. He summarizes the current scientific understanding of major winter weather events and what is known about the complex interplay between the jet stream and the Gulf Stream, and considers the impact of global warming on snowfall. -- adapted from jacket

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