Imagine standing at the center of a Roman coliseum
that is 20 miles across, with walls that soar 10 miles
into the sky, towering walls with cascades of ice
crystals falling along its brilliantly white surface.
That's what it's like to stand in the eye of a
hurricane. In Divine Wind, Kerry Emanuel,
one of the world's leading authorities on hurricanes,
gives us an engaging account of these awe-inspiring
meteorological events, revealing how hurricanes and
typhoons have literally altered human history, thwarting
military incursions and changing the course of
explorations. Offering an account of the physics of the
tropical atmosphere, the author explains how such benign
climates give rise to the most powerful storms in the
world and tells what modern science has learned about
them. Interwoven with this scientific account are
descriptions of some of the most important hurricanes in
history and relevant works of art and literature. For
instance, he describes the 17th century hurricane that
likely inspired Shakespeare's The Tempest and
that led to the British colonization of Bermuda. We also
read about the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, by far the
worst natural calamity in U.S. history, with a death
toll between 8,000 and 12,000 that exceeded the San
Francisco earthquake, the Johnstown Flood, and the
Okeechobee Hurricane combined. Boasting more than
one hundred color illustrations, from ultra-modern
Doppler imagery to classic paintings by Winslow Homer,
Divine Wind captures the profound effects that
hurricanes have had on humanity. Its fascinating blend
of history, science, and art will appeal to weather
junkies, science buffs, and everyone who read
Isaac's Storm.
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