Title: Lightning - Physics and Effects Author: Vladimir A. Rakow and Martin A.Uman
Published: (2003) 2006
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK
ISBN: 0-521-03541-4 (Paperback Re-issue)
Format: 20,8 x 27,8 cm
Pages: 687
Rear cover text:
Lightning was present on earth long before human life evolved and it may even have played a crucial role in the evolution of life on our planet. Each year, some 25 mllion cloud-to-ground lightning discharges occur in the United States alone, killing more people than tornadoes and hurricanes. Lightning is involved in 5 percent of all US residential-property-damage insurance claims , including those tens of thousands of home fires, with total claims of over one billion dollars annually. Lightning initiates many forest fires, and over 30 percent of all electric power failures are lightning related. Each commercial aircraft is struck by lightning on average once a year. A lightning strike to an unprotected object or system can be catasrophic.
Lightning - Physics and Effects is the first book that covers essentially all aspects of lightning, including lightning physics, lightning protection, and the interacion of lightning with a variety of objects and systems as well as with the environment. It is written in a style that will be accesssible to the technical non-expert and is addressed to anyone interested in lightning and its effects. This will include physicists, engineers, working in the power industry and in the communications, computer and aviation industries, meteorologists, atmospheric chemists, foresters, ecologists, phyisicians working in the area of electrical trauma, and architects. This comprehensive reference volume contains over 300 illustrations, 70 tables containing quatitative information, and a bibliography of over 6000 references.
The colour figures referred to within this publication have been removed for this digital reprinting. At the time of going to press the original images were available in colour for download from http://www.cambridge.org/978521035415