In her book , Gabrielle Walker reveals that we don’t just live in the air; we live because of it. This popular science work explores the history of atmospheric discovery through the stories of eccentric mavericks who unmasked the "invisible" substance surrounding us. Key Scientific Revelations
The book details how humanity gradually understood the complex layers above our heads: An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other M...
Walker highlights the "wacky characters" behind these breakthroughs: Go to product viewer dialog for this item. In her book , Gabrielle Walker reveals that
: Reclusive genius Oliver Heaviside predicted a "mirror in the sky"—a layer of electrically charged metal that allows radio signals to bounce around the globe, a discovery that would later aid in the rescue of the Titanic. The Human Side of Discovery : Reclusive genius Oliver Heaviside predicted a "mirror
: A one-eyed barnstorming pilot discovered invisible "rivers of air" five miles above the Earth that blow with hurricane force.
: William Ferrel, a self-taught 19th-century American farmer, used a pitchfork to carve equations into a barn door to explain why hurricanes move in circles and how heat flows from the equator to the poles.