David Carle 
Introduction to Air in California 

What is air? Why is the sky blue? Why do people react favorably to mountain or sea air? How does desert air differ from the air of California’s Central Valley? How is air pollution affecting plants and animals? This book is a unique guide to the air we breathe in California. More than a natural history guide, it approaches this fascinating topic by recognizing the overwhelming role played by humans in the story of California’s air. In a highly engaging style, David Carle explains daily weather patterns, seasonal climate, characteristic winds, and sky phenomena. He explores air as the gases in our atmosphere, but also considers the aspects of air that influence all of our senses—its taste, smell, feel, and look. The guide discusses California’s history of air quality management, air pollution and its effect on humans and the environment, and the technological and individual measures needed to address these challenges. The book also functions as a handbook for more environmentally conscious living by providing information on alternative energy sources for consumers and tips for cleaner running cars.




* Features 80 color photographs, 23 figures, 18 maps


* Covers regional differences of topography, weather, and the character of the air in California’s fifteen designated air basins


* Includes a field guide to the sky, explaining color and light, clouds and wind, and the nature of flight


* Addresses issues surrounding global climate change in California




A book in the Californians and Their Environment subseries, dedicated to understanding human influences on the state’s ecology and natural resources

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Nature of California Air


THE THIN BLANKET: THE ATMOSPHERE


Layers of the Blanket

The Elegant Balance: Photosynthesis and Respiration

Why Is There Air? Evolution of the Atmosphere

    What a Difference an O Makes,

The Essence of Air

    The Nitrogen Cycle, ¦ The Carbon Cycle, ¦

    The Essential “Greenhouse Effect, ” ¦

    A Dating Game: Ions and Radiation,

Weighty Matters: Air Pressure

Highs and Lows: California’s “Mediterranean Climate”

    El Niño,

“It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Humidity”

Temperature Upside Down


AIR APPARENT: A FIELD GUIDE TO THE SKY


Why Is the Sky Blue?

How to Find Cloud 9

    Lightning, Then Thunder, ¦ Clouds on Your Level, ¦

    Contrails, ¦ The Sierra Wave,

Air in Motion

    Daily and Seasonal Winds, ¦ Santa Ana and Diablo Winds,

    ¦ Dust Devils and the Occasional Tornado,

    ¦ Blowing in the Wind,

    ¦ Pollination, Planting, and Perfumes,

Motion in Air: Taking Flight

    Designing California Birds, ¦ California

    Condors, ¦ California Gulls, ¦ California

    Quails, ¦ Can Bumblebees Fly? ¦

    Mammals Overhead,

    

CALIFORNIA AIR BASINS


San Diego County

South Coast

South Central Coast

North Central Coast

San Francisco Bay

North Coast

Lake County

Sacramento Valley

San Joaquin Valley

Mountain Counties

Lake Tahoe

Northeast Plateau

Great Basin Valleys

Mojave Desert

Salton Sea


FOOTPRINTS IN THE AIR


The Breath of Life

What’s a ppb to Me?

The Pollutants

    Photochemical Smog: NOx, VOCs, and Ozone,

    ¦ Ozone’s Health Effects, ¦ The Mysterious

    “Weekend Effect, ” ¦ Particulates, ¦

    Carbon Monoxide, ¦ Sulfur Dioxide, ¦

    Lead, ¦ Toxics,

The Enemy Is Us: Emission Sources

    Tailpipes, ¦ Diesel, ¦ Ports of Call,

    ¦ “Air Spray, ” ¦ Downwind from the Farm,

    ¦ Natural Emissions Too,

Sharing Air with the Wildlands

    Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks:

    A Case Study,

    

SHARING AIR WITH THE GLOBE


Adrift from Asia

Ozone Depletion

The Enhanced Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change

    Gambling with Greenhouse Gases,

    Slow or Sudden? ¦ Reacting to Change,

    ¦ California and Climate Change,

Climate Stewardship


BREATHING EASY


Who Takes Regulatory Responsibility?

    Tensions over Jurisdiction,

Cleaning the Car

    Smog Check Program, ¦ Getting Older Cars

    off the Road ¦ Reporting Smoking Vehicles,

    ¦ Weaning Ourselves from Oil, ¦ Clean Diesel,

    ¦ Hydrogen Fuel Cells,

Renewable Energy: Here Today, Much More Tomorrow

    Air Power, ¦ Solar, ¦ Cool Communities,

    

Success Stories

What You Can Do, Every Day

    Cars, ¦ At Home, ¦ What about Indoor Air?

Finally, Think about Numbers


Glossary

References

Art Credits

Index

Über den Autor

David Carle worked as a California State Park ranger for 27 years. He is author of Introduction to Water in California (UC Press, 2004), Water and the California Dream: Choices for the New Millennium (2003) and Burning Questions: America’s Fight with Nature’s Fire (2002), among other books.