Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-258) and index.

Between the idea and the reality -- Is our planet fragile or robust? -- Light and air -- Why the peak of a mountain is cold -- Capricious clouds -- The climate tapestry -- Weather, the music of our sphere -- The ocean in motion -- El Nino, La Nina, and the Southern Oscillation -- The paradox of the faint sun but warm earth -- Why summer is warmer than winter -- The ozone hole -- Global warming -- Appendixes. In explaining why there is no consensus on whether global warming is real or a myth based on misleading data, Philander "guides the nonscientific reader through new ideas about the remarkable and intricate factors that determine the world's climate."--Jacket.