Windswept: The Story of Wind and Weather.

WINDSWEPT: The Story of Wind and Weather

MARQ DE VILLIERS

The wind, whether it's a gentle breeze or a destructive gale, has a presence that can seem almost personal. Indeed, throughout human history, people ascribed to wind godlike power and great malevolence. The wind carries away excess heat, making life more comfortable, and serving as the driver of the planet's system of weather. De Villiers chronicles the history of people's attempt to understand the wind and weather, tying together each chapter with an account of 2004's Hurricane Ivan, the category 5 storm that ravaged the East coast from Texas all the way to the author's home in Nova Scotia. The tempest began as a mere rainstorm in Darfur, Sudan, and then grew. From Homer's four winds to the discovery of aircirculation patterns during the World War I, the movement of air has captured the minds of philosophers and scientists for centuries. In clear language, de Villiers describes how wind forms, what forces affect the movement of air masses, and how air coalesces into vortexes, including tornadoes and hurricanes. He addresses the many ways that plants and animals, including people, exploit the power of the wind and discusses how global warming is changing the atmosphere. The book concludes with several useful appendixes. Walker, 2005, 352 p., hardcover, $25.00.