El Niño, 1997-1998: The Climate Event of the Century

This book will cover the time span from the first indications of El Nino (May 1997) until its reversal (June 1998). The focus will be largely on the United States, where El Nino produced widespread changes in how the public perceives weather and in the accuracy of forecasts Among the key issues it will examine are how the news media interpreted and dramatixed El Nino and the reaction both of the public and decision-makers (the latter based on interviews with agribusiness, utilities, water management agencies, etc.); the scientific issues emerging from the event; and the social and economic consequences of the event. Finally, it will suggest what can and should be done when El Nino occurs in the future.

Table of Contents:
Abbreviations Contributors 1: Stanley A. Changnon: What Made El Niño 1997-1998 Famous? The Key Events Associated with a Unique Climate Event 2: Vernon E. Kousky and Gerald D. Bell: Causes, Predictions, and Outcomes of El Niño 1997-1998 3: Lee Wilkins: Was El Niño a Weather Metaphor--A Signal for Global Warming? 4: Stanley A. Changnon: The Scientific Issues Associated with El Niño 1997-1998 5: David Changnon: Who Used and Benefited from the El Niño Forecasts? 6: Stanley A. Changnon: Impacts of El Niño's Weather 7: Roger A. Pielke, Jr.: Policy Responses to El Niño 1997-1998: Implications for Forecast Value and the Future of Climate Services 8: Stanley A. Changnon et al.: Summary: Surprises, Lessons Learned, and the Legacy of El Niño 1997-1998 Index

Review :
"The title of this work reflects its focus on the media's coverage of the 'event' that was El Niño. Highlighting the 14 months when it became a nationally known news story, the book explores both meteorological topics (causes, forecasting, relation to global warming) and socioeconomic perspectives (storm damage, media hype, energy production and use). This is an accessible work that will appeal to students, professors, policy-makers, and weather enthusiasts."--Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society "El Niño 1997-1998 provides a refreshing and interesting examination of the results and the perception of weather and weather forecasting." -- Randy Cerveny, Weatherwise, Jan/Feb 2001 "Multidisciplinary books, such as this one , which not only attempt a broad approach but also reach a wide audience, must be encouraged. I enjoyed the book. . .and would recommend it for undergraduate course work. It is a good example to the new generation of scientists that they must acknowledge the wider framework in which science operates."--International Journal of Climatology "The title of this work reflects its focus on the media's coverage of the 'event' that was El Niño. Highlighting the 14 months when it became a nationally known news story, the book explores both meteorological topics (causes, forecasting, relation to global warming) and socioeconomic perspectives (storm damage, media hype, energy production and use). This is an accessible work that will appeal to students, professors, policy-makers, and weather enthusiasts."--Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society "El Niño 1997-1998 provides a refreshing and interesting examination of the results and the perception of weather and weather forecasting." -- Randy Cerveny, Weatherwise, Jan/Feb 2001 "Multidisciplinary books, such as this one , which not only attempt a broad approach but also reach a wide audience, must be encouraged. I enjoyed the book. . .and would recommend it for undergraduate course work. It is a good example to the new generation of scientists that they must acknowledge the wider framework in which science operates."--International Journal of Climatology