Includes bibliographical references (pages 197-202) and index.
What is a drought? -- When the rains fail -- Water and life -- Water in the ground -- What droughts can do -- Coping with drought -- Bibliography and further reading -- Appendixes -- Index.
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In recent years, climate research has intensified, and concern over the possibility that humans may be altering the global climate has stimulated funding for increased study of global warming and its consequences. With the 2002 drought in the United States having been especially severe, and droughts in other parts of the world causing conflicts over scarce resources, it becomes increasingly important for young people to have a quality resource that answers their questions about this phenomenon. Droughts, Revised Edition is a fully revised and updated version of the successful previous edition. Several new chapters include coverage of topics such as the geography of deserts; climate cycles and oscillations, describing the ways climates change for entirely natural reasons. Reasons that have nothing to do with our emissions of greenhouse gases; and life in deserts. Sidebars display detailed explanations or interesting pieces of information without interrupting the main flow of the text. They explain concepts from atmospheric science, such as adiabatic cooling and warming, potential temperature, lapse rates, and the intertropical convergence and equatorial trough, as well as biological processes. This volume is illustrated with tables, charts, maps, and figures; and it contains an index; a bibliography; and appendixes.