History of weather. Prehistoric climates -- Religion and folklore -- Climates in ancient times -- Medieval climate changes -- Warfare and exploration -- The Scientific Revolution -- Weather in the modern era -- Weather and world affairs -- The science of meteorology -- Mapping the weather -- Military meteorology -- Weather and society today -- How weather works. The earth's energy source (the sun, solar radiation) -- Composition of the atmosphere -- Heating the atmosphere -- How energy is transferred -- Global energy transfer -- Air masses -- Weather fronts -- Highs and lows -- Convergence and divergence -- The Coriolis effect -- Global circulation patterns -- Upper circulation and jet streams -- Evaporation and condensation -- Global precipitation patterns -- Weather phenomena. Clouds -- Precipitation -- Rain, snow, ice pellets, and hail -- Dew and frost -- Low visibility -- Cyclones & storms -- Hurricane Katrina -- Frontal depressions -- Bombs -- Thunder & Lightning -- Optical effects -- Tornadoes -- Tornado alley -- Flash floods -- World climates. Climate zones -- Humid, tropical climates -- Case study: South America -- Subtropical, arid climates -- Temperate climates -- Mediterranean climates -- Cold, continental interior climates -- Polar climates -- Local climates -- El Niño -- North Atlantic oscillation -- Urban microclimates -- How local winds form -- Mountain climates -- Climate extremes -- Weather forecasting. The science of forecasting -- gathering weather data -- Remote sensing -- Weather instruments -- Computer forecasting -- Ensemble forecasting -- The short to medium term -- The season ahead -- Broadcasting the weather -- Weather in the news -- Forecasts for sailing -- Forecasts for aviation -- Forecasts in sports -- ...for farming -- ...for industry -- Weather and health -- Amateur forecasting -- Home weather station -- Weather sayings -- Watching the wind -- Cloud watching - Atmospheric stability -- Climate change. Climate monitoring -- Evidence of global warming -- The human contribution -- Climate modeling -- Modeling recent change -- Predicting future climates -- Extreme events -- Dangerous, sudden change -- Impact on life and earth -- Tackling climate change -- Lobbying for change -- Sustainable energy -- Low-carbon solutions -- Geoengineering.