Routledge Revivals: A History of Climate Changes – serie

First published in 1966 these collected papers, written by the distinguished and visionary climatologist Hubert H. Lamb, describe how climates come about and give a history of climatic changes from the last ice-age to the 1960s.

First published in 1988, this is a reissue of a groundbreaking collection of essays written by Hubert Lamb, one of the world’s foremost experts on weather and climate and a uniquely authoritative voice in the history of climatology. Hubert Lamb is able to provide a mature assessment of the effect of weather on people, and vice versa. His is a uniquely authoritative voice in the current debates about today’s environment and the prospects for the future.After a general introduction the book is divided into three parts. The first part consists of a chronological series of portraits of climate and its impact on human affairs and the environment. These extend from the warm climates of the geological past to the current drought in Africa. There are several studies of the last few centuries and, in particular, of the various effects of the so-called ‘little Ice Age’. The second part is concerned with the causes and mechanisms of climate and weather changes, including chapters discussing Christmas weather, fronts and volcanoes. In the final part Hubert Lamb looks to the future, and attempts to put into perspective some of the pessimistic forecasts currently available. The text, which is consistently authoritative but always readable, is augmented by numerous maps, diagrams and photographs.

First published in 1972, this first volume of Professor Lamb’s study of our changing climate deals with the fundamentals of climate and climatology, as well as providing global data on the contemporary climates of the twentieth century.

First published in 1977, the second volume of Climate: Present, Past and Future covers parts 3 and 4 of Professor Hubert Lamb’s seminal and pioneering study of climatology. Part 3 provides a survey of evidence of types of climates over the last million years, and of methods of dating that evidence. Through the earlier stages of the Earth’s development the book traces what is known of the various geographies presented by the drifting continents and indicates what can be learnt about climatic regimes and the causes of climatic change. From the last ice age to the present our knowledge of the succession of climates is summarized, indicating prevailing temperatures, rainfalls, wind and ocean current patterns where possible. Part 4 considers events during the fifteen years prior to the book’s initial publication, leading on to the problems of estimating the most probable future course of climatic development, and the influence of Man’s activities on climate.Alongside the reissue of volume 1, this Routledge Revival will be essential reading for anyone interested in both the causes and workings of climate and in the history of climatology itself.

First published between 1966 and 1988, the four volumes in this collection demonstrate the immense breadth and depth of work on climate change by the pioneering English climatologist Hubert Lamb.Detailing everything from the fundamentals of climate and climatology, as well as a history of climatic change from the ice-age to the second half of the twentieth century, through to a consideration of how future climatic trends should be approached, this is a very comprehensive and laudable collection.As one of the first scientists to suggest that climate could change within human experience, and the founder of the ground-breaking Climatic Research Centre at the University of East Anglia, it is hard to overestimate the impact of Professor Lamb’s work in establishing the study of climate change as a serious research subject and in developing our understanding of how and why climate change occurs. At a time when climate change and the environment are considered amongst the most important issues facing mankind and its future, this reissue serves as both a timely reminder that this was not always the case and a very welcome acknowledgement of the work of a truly path-breaking scientist.

First published in 1972, this first volume of Professor Lamb’s study of our changing climate deals with the fundamentals of climate and climatology, as well as providing global data on the contemporary climates of the twentieth century.

First published in 1977, the second volume of Climate: Present, Past and Future covers parts III and IV of Professor Hubert Lamb’s seminal and pioneering study of climatology. Part III provides a survey of evidence of types of climates over the last million years, and of methods of dating that evidence. Through the earlier stages of the Earth’s development the book traces what is known of the various geographies presented by the drifting continents and indicates what can be learnt about climatic regimes and the causes of climatic change. From the last ice age to the present our knowledge of the succession of climates is summarized, indicating prevailing temperatures, rainfalls, wind and ocean current patterns where possible. Part IV considers events during the fifteen years prior to the book’s initial publication, leading on to the problems of estimating the most probable future course of climatic development, and the influence of Man’s activities on climate.Alongside the reissue of volume 1, this Routledge Revival will be essential reading for anyone interested in both the causes and workings of climate and in the history of climatology itself.

This wide-ranging collection of essays is written by one of the world’s foremost experts on weather and climate. Six of the chapters have not been published before. The rest, taken from a variety of sources, have been thoroughly revised and brought right up to date – taking account, for example, of the Chernobyl disaster, the risks of nuclear power, and the ozone controversy. Hubert Lamb is able to provide a mature assessment of the effect of weather on people, and vice versa. His is a uniquely authoritative voice in the current debates about today’s environment and the prospects for the future.After a general introduction the book is divided into three parts. The first part consists of a chronological series of portraits of climate and its impact on human affairs and the environment. These extend from the warm climates of the geological past to the current drought in Africa. There are several studies of the last few centuries and, in particular, of the various effects of the so-called ‘little Ice Age’. The second part is concerned with the causes and mechanisms of climate and weather changes, including chapters discussing Christmas weather, fronts and volcanoes. In the final part Hubert Lamb looks to the future, and attempts to put into perspective some of the pessimistic forecasts currently available. The text, which is consistently authoritative but always readable, is augmented by numerous maps, diagrams and photographs.