Treading on Thin Air

by Elizabeth Austin

Overview

Weather, water, and climate. How we feel, how productive we are, even our sheer existence, depends on these three things. The United States' economic activity varies annually by 1.7% due to weather—that is more than $500 billion dollars each year. Weather applications on mobile devices are the second most popular apps—more popular than social networking, maps, music, and news.In Treading on Thin Air, Dr. Elizabeth Austin, a world-renowned atmospheric physicist, reveals how the climate is intimately tied to our daily lives. The effects and impacts of weather on humans, society and the planet are changing with the times. Dr. Austin will demystify climate change, revealing what is really happening with our climate and why, whether it is El Nino, tornadoes, floods or hurricanes.Weather and society are at its most fascinating at extremes, and as Dr. Austin is one of a handful of forensic meteorologists around the globe. She has been called upon to investigate plane crashes, murders, wildfires, avalanches, even bombing cases. Drawing upon her rich experiences, Austin’s Treading on Thin Air promises to be an enlightening and informative journey through the wild word of weather.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781605988238
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	04/15/2016
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	48 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Dr. Elizabeth Austin is the founder and president of WeatherExtreme Ltd. and is recognized as one of America’s foremost  experts on climate change and extreme weather conditions. An aviation and forensic meteorologist, cloud and ice physicist, Dr. Austin has worked with NASA, the United Nation, the U.S. Department of Justice, and has counseled on cases ranging from aviation and wildfires to avalanches and tornadoes. An active member of the National Weather Association and the American Meteorological Society, she resides at Lake Tahoe, Nevada with her family.

Table of Contents

Author's Note xi

1 Surfing In the Stratosphere 1

2 The Business of Weather 21

3 Where's the Dead Body! 33

4 The War Effect 45

5 The Art of Clouds 57

6 It's Super Cool to Supercool 66

7 A SAGE Experience 79

8 Water Wars 90

9 La Réunion 105

10 The Wind Is from the Left 115

11 The Healing Power of Music and Women in Science 130

12 A Toxic Awakening 138

13 La Calamidad de México 151

14 The China Factor 162

15 Plane Crashes 176

16 A Canary in the Coal Mine 191

17 Extreme Extremes 202

18 Forensics, Extreme Wx, and Death 211

19 "Saint Francine" of Assisi 235

Acknowledgments 245

Selected References/Suggested Reading/Suggested Listening 247

Glossary 259

Index 267

Editorial Reviews

06/13/2016
In this mix of memoir and popular science, Austin, founder and president of WeatherExtreme Ltd., takes readers on a global tour and up into the heights of the stratosphere to learn about weather, climate, and how it affects our planet and our lives. "Weather is tied to profits, margins, demands, inventory, planning, and retail expansion," Austin writes, illuminating the rationale behind creating her own company to put her degree in atmospheric physics to work. She has studied cloud chemistry, weather modification, and the structure of the upper atmosphere. As a forensic meteorologist, Austin has been an expert witness in hundreds of legal cases, explaining how weather can be a factor in murder investigations, tornado destruction, and deadly auto and plane crashes. Austin jumps from topic to topic over the course of the narrative, but what her book lacks in structure, it makes up for in raw enthusiasm, whether she is discussing the evidence for climate change, chiding the media for failing to get their science correct, or encouraging more women to take up science careers. This far-ranging book should whet readers' appetites for learning more about meteorology and its surprisingly broad applications. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Terrific. Treading on Thin Air explains highly complicated weather patterns and tackles global warming. But what really caught my attention was how Dr. Austin coached women on how to navigate a career in science fields. A fascinating read that captivated my attention.

Jeff Tieferman

I loved this book. As a customs and intelligence officer, the deductive versus inductive reasoning is what I found particularly fascinating.

Geoff Soper

A world-renowned atmospheric physicist, revealing how the climate is an inescapable part of our daily lives, shows how the effects and impacts of weather on humans, society and the planet are changing with the times and what it means for our future.

Delaware Gazette

If you have more than a passing interest in the weather, then Treading on Thin Air by Dr. Elizabeth Austin will be a great read. Austin has the ability of taking highly complex concepts and putting them into terms that aren’t just understandable, but instead, brings the reader into her world of passion for the weather.

Eureka Times-Standard

I found it fascinating, especially the discussing of flight KAL 801 in Guam, where she buried the contentions of the FAA about what was going on weather wise at Agana, when the flight was inbound.

Jerry Sterns

Brilliant! Dr. Austin takes us on a journey around the world and covers so many topics in a fascinating and engaging way. From the implications of today’s weather and its changes, to aviation and how our atmosphere affects it, how meteorology plays into accidents and crime investigations, she covers it all. I am amazed, but not surprised, at her knowledge in so many scientific areas and her ability to covey them in ways that will be fascinating to anyone reading this book. Her stories are a 'must read.'

Robert "Hoot" Gibson