Publisher's Synopsis
We live at the bottom of an ocean of air - 5,200 million million tons, to be exact. It sounds like a lot, but Earth's atmosphere is smeared onto its surface in an alarmingly thin layer. Shrink the earth to the size of a basketball and our atmosphere would be as thick as a layer of food wrap - 99% contained within 18 miles. Yet within this fragile margin lies a magnificent realm - at once gorgeous, terrifying, capricious, and elusive. '18 Miles' is a kaleidoscopic journey through our atmosphere and weather. Christopher Dewdney reveals to us the invisible rivers in the sky that affect how our weather works, and the rollercoaster of our climate. He details the history of weather forecasting, looking at weather events from ancient history to the present day, and introduces us to the eccentric and determined pioneers of science and observation whose efforts gave us the understanding of weather we have today.
