The Met Office Book of the British Weather

The Met Office Book of the British Weather 978-07153-3640-3 · £9.99 · paperback with flaps · Includes the latest climate science research and predictions of how the weather will change where you live · Authoritative Met Office information · A great gift – everyone talks about the weather – especially in light of the extreme weather over Christmas 2009 and into 2010, and for anyone whose hobby or sport relies heavily on the weather e.g. sailors, pilots, fisherman & walkers · Forecasts the likely weather for the British “It is commonly observed, that when two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather” Samuel Johnson Who doesn’t discuss the weather? It’s one of our most talked about subjects that affects almost every aspect of our lives, from the simplest of things such as what coat to wear to devastating natural disasters that leave lives and countries torn apart. Not only that, but climate change and the effect it’s having on our planet is a daily feature in the news. The Met Office Book of the British Weather is a unique and entertaining reference to the British weather presented in a series of colourful maps showing every aspect of national and local weather throughout the year. Using statistics gathered by the world’s leading meteorological organisation, the maps chart sunshine hours, rainfall, temperature, wind and many other aspects of the weather. In addition the statistics forecast the likely weather for the British Isles over the next thirty years, providing a fascinating and detailed insight into how climate change is likely to affect Britain. Contents: · The Weather Month By Month · Sunshine and Temperature by Season · Wind and Rain by Season · Extreme Weather by Season · The Future of British Weather Section from Extreme Weather by Season: The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow…’ 16th century nursery rhyme For much of the year Britain is blessed with relatively benign weather. Reports from news stations and national weather services around the world confirm that the most extreme weather occurs elsewhere. However, British weather still has the ability to disrupt our lives – especially affecting travel and outdoor events. Motorists can get stranded in snow and tennis matches at the Wimbledon Championships in late June can be washed out by a thunderstorm. Perhaps it’s the relative rarity of extreme weather over most of Britain that means we are sometimes not very well prepared for it. Fortunately, though, any disruption is usually over as quickly as it began. Section from The Future of British Weather: ‘All sorts of things and weather must be taken in together, to make up a year and a sphere’. Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803–1882 The climate is changing, globally and in the UK, and rarely does a day go by without a reference to this in the news. In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated that it is very likely that man-made greenhouse gas* emissions have caused most of the observed increase in global average- temperatures since the mid-20th century. Recent international research has increased confidence in this statement. Our understanding of how the Earth’s complex climate system works and our ability to simulate it in computer models have improved. These models have been used to predict Britain’s possible future climate with the results presented in different scenarios of global greenhouse gas emissions, within different time periods and for different probabilities. A sample of these results is provided in the following maps. There are three greenhouse gas emissions scenarios – low, medium and high – linked to different assumptions about the burning of fossil fuels. International efforts could reduce emissions significantly, but there is a time lag for the effect of gases that have already been emitted. The medium scenario assumes a balance between the use of fossil fuels and non-fossil energy sources, and that scenario is used here. The time periods used are 2010 to 2039 (representing the 2020s), 2040 to 2069 (the 2050s) and 2070 to 2099 (the 2080s). Each map shows the expected changes, compared to the climate at the end of the 20th century. Articles are available from The Met Office. About the Author: The Met Office was founded in 1854 and has since evolved into one of the world’s leading authorities on weather. Its key public task is to provide the information for weather forecasts and warnings. It continues to research and develop new services in response to our changing weather and climate For further information/author interview or to set up a reader offer of £1 off plus FREE p&p, please contact Stacy Hill – 01626 323254 – stacy.hill@fwmedia.com Book Jacket: a colour jpeg of the book jacket is available via email Stockists: buy online from www.davidandcharles.co.uk or call our customer hotline on 0870 9908222