Two hundred years of soil moisture at Kew? Smog in the valley of Mexico? From details such as these, Hugh Lamb built up an extraordinarily detailed picture of the world’s changing climate. In the second edition of Climate, History and the Modern World (Routledge, £60 hbk, £15.99 pbk, ISBN 0 415 12734 3), Lamb explains how the climate works, and then pieces together records from around the world to show broad trends. In the 13 years since the first edition, climate has moved to the fore – people are now alive to the dangers of ozone depletion and long-term changes in the climate, but he mourns the sloppiness in the way that the changes are reported. Weather forecasters, for example, suggest that Britain is having a “bad” summer if it doesn’t resemble a Mediterranean.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Orangutan mothers seem to plan playdates for their offspring
2
A volcano has erupted remnants of Earth's primordial magma ocean
3
A type of fibre that stimulates GLP-1 release approved for use in food
4
Humans sleep the least of all apes – is it the secret to our success?
5
The 4 must-watch science-fiction films of the year so far
6
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
7
Random wobbles in time could finally solve gravity’s greatest mystery
8
Ancient human DNA found on cave art for the first time
9
The most detailed survey of the universe ever conducted starts now
10
Woman with Alzheimer's starts conversing again after taking psilocybin
