Waters of the World

September 13, 2019

British science historian Dry (The Newton Papers; The Strange) delves into the work of scientists and explorers who were key in developing the still fairly new (her subjects were born between 1819 and 1923) discipline of climate science using a biographical approach. Dry focuses on eccentric Victorian scientist and glacier adventurer John Tyndall, who looked at water as the vehicle for climate. The author's lyrical discussion of Charles Piazzi Smyth, one of the first to study clouds deeply, brings in both literary and historical allusions. Dry notes that computer pioneer Charles Babbage performed some study of climate aspects as well, and also covers how the advent of aviation seriously advanced climatology, as researchers such as Joanne and Herbert Riehl used aircraft to make observations of hurricanes and other natural phenomena. Near the end of the book is a fascinating look at meteorologist France Bretherton's now famous social process diagram of systems underpinning human influence on global climate change.

VERDICT Characterized by strong storytelling within a scholarly framework, this book will appeal to readers interested in how science is performed and accomplished, and anyone curious about Earth's changing climate.--Sara R. Tompson, Lawrence, KS

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2019
Science historian Dry takes readers on a journey through the history of climate science in this smart, compelling, and timely title. By focusing on specific scientists, Dry gifts readers with entertaining portraits of some thoroughly interesting if largely unknown individuals. From John Tyndale and his mid-nineteenth-century glacial investigations to Joanne Gerould and her flights into hurricanes a century later, Dry picks and chooses scientists who steadfastly studied the climate via epic research into the power of water in all of its forms. Driven by determined curiosity, Dry discovers the conventional and the controversial, the dedicated and the somewhat outrageous on her archival hunts. Along the way, she dips into the social and economic consequences of ignoring climate science while also delighting readers with insights into her subjects gained from their diaries, letters, and other sources. Make no mistake, in the midst of discussing Gerould's navigation of love and science and Charles Piazzi Smyth's almost lunatic attempt to record the face of the skies alone, Dry shows how an artful blending of the personal and professional can result in unusually affecting scientific profiles. A true success on every literary level.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)