Windows on Meteorology: Australian Perspective answers a host of questions about Australia's weather and climate, and explains the underlying causes of floods, droughts and cyclones. Vivid accounts of dust storms and the mysteries of the 'morning glory' cloud lines are revealed. The book highlights the perception in Aboriginal culture of the connection between seasons and natural cycles, through aspects of Aboriginal mythology and language, and contains a unique Aboriginal seasonal calendar. The influence of climate on Australia's wildlife is illustrated with fascinating accounts of the evolution of burrowing frogs, shrimps and desert kangaroos. A history of Australian meteorology from early European settlement onwards, covers subjects such as a nineteenth century view of the links between climate and health, the development of instruments, cloud physics research and the Southern Oscillation connection. The final chapters bring the reader up to date with the most recent technical developments in research and applications such as satellite remote sensing, radar and fast response instruments.

Australian Official Publications is a six-part book that begins with a separate chapter on the framework of Australian government. Part I then describes the main features of the commonwealth parliament. Part II details the commonwealth government departments and statutory authorities. Parts III and IV elucidate the distribution and availability of Australian official publications and the main forms of official publishing in each State of Australia. Part V discusses the internal territories of the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. The last part contains the bibliography of Australian official publications. This book will be helpful to general readers to understand the system of government which prevails and something of the working of its organs.

Drought draws together contributions from over 75 leading international researchers in the field to present the most comprehensive body of research on the physical and social dimensions of drought to date. Including an extensive range of case-studies covering the most drought-prone and most affected countries, the contributors examine new technology, planning methodologies and mitigation actions from recent drought experiences worldwide. Following a discussion of the critical concepts of drought, the work is divided into the following additional parts: · causes and predictability · monitoring and early warning techniques · impacts and assessment methodologies · links between drought and other global issues · conclusions and future challenges