Named for the evil Caribbean deity Huracan, hurricanes are presented in verse, art, history, and science in this well-designed album by MIT professor Emanuel. His discussions encompass hurricane formation and dissolution, the uncertainty in predicting a storm's behavior, digressions into historical catastrophes, and the risk inherent in building along tropical coastlines. With exceptionally clear prose, Emanuel explains the atmospheric forces that restrict hurricanes to tropical latitudes and upends popular misconceptions about their frequency, noting that "the problem for research scientists is not why hurricanes develop, but why they hardly happen." Noting the genesis of many Atlantic hurricanes in easterly waves flowing off the Sahara Desert, Emanuel delves into the array of physical factors that impinge on the strength and direction of a tempest, points reinforced by a wealth of diagrams, satellite imagery, and a majestic photo-essay about flying into a hurricane. The science is reinforced by evocative artwork of storm-tossed ships and ravaged landscapes. A gripping popular treatment of peril, that will have great resonance in light of recent disasters.
Gilbert TaylorCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Pressestimmen
'...excellent photographs and satellite images of hurricanes and their dramatic impact. Anyone wanting to know the current state of our scientific understanding of hurricanes should get hold of this attractively produced book. 'Divine Wind' is the best introduction to hurricanes that I have come across.' Andrew Robinson, THES Other books have dealt with the historical accounts with more depth, but the overall effect of those in Divine Wind is unique. A pioneering hurricane researcher, Emanuel presents the science at a level that is not too technical for non-specialists, yet is sufficient to describe the basic physics with few equations. Howard B Bluestein, Nature
