Water from Heaven

By Robert S. Kandel

Book Overview

From where--and what--does water come? How did it become the key to life in the universe? Water from Heaven presents a state-of-the-art portrait of the science of water, recounting how the oxygen needed to form H2O originated in the nuclear reactions in the interiors of stars, asking whether microcomets may be replenishing our world's oceans, and explaining how the Moon and planets set ice-age rhythms by way of slight variations in Earth's orbit and rotation. The book then takes the measure of water today in all its states, solid and gaseous as well as liquid.

How do the famous El Nino and La Nina events in the Pacific affect our weather? What clues can water provide scientists in search of evidence of climate changes of the past, and how does it complicate their predictions of future global warming? Finally, Water from Heaven deals with the role of water in the rise and fall of civilizations. As nations grapple over watershed rights and pollution controls, water is poised to supplant oil as the most contested natural resource of the new century. The vast majority of water "used" today is devoted to large-scale agriculture and though water is a renewable resource, it is not an infinite one. Already many parts of the world are running up against the limits of what is readily available.

Water from Heaven is, in short, the full story of water and all its remarkable properties. It spans from water's beginnings during the formation of stars, all the way through the origin of the solar system, the evolution of life on Earth, the rise of civilization, and what will happen in the future. Dealing with the physical, chemical, biological, and political importance of water, this book transforms our understanding of our most precious, and abused, resource. Robert Kandel shows that water presents us with a series of crucial questions and pivotal choices that will change the way you look at your next glass of water.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231122446
• ISBN13: 9780231122443
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.3"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Water from Heaven/ rain from space

When I talk with some of my friends, most cannot believe that water fall on earth from ice crystals from deep space. I wondered a long time ago, if the water and atmosphere would escape from the Earth's gravitational field, what would happen to the Earth and us at that time. A physics professor told me that water did fall on the earth as well as other substances and the Earth actually grew somewhat bigger over time. That was reassuring. I just did not realize that the water that fell was so large an amount. I would tell you the figures but that is for you to find out by reading the book. It is quick reading and enjoyable.

Hydrologic cycle, the unexpurgated version

This book is a gem. Kandel has collected a delightful assemblage of facts, interspersed with history and myth, into a wonderful story of water and its importance to every aspect of life, present and past. The book has a wealth of connections between history, society, cosmology, and meteorology, all centered around a single molecule possessing wonderful properties. The book is a good read in itself although the last chapters seem, for some reason, not quite as smoothly-composed as the earlier chapters. The book is also a great place to begin if one is interested in almost any topic regarding water. Kandel lists numerous sources and authorities for further reading and research. I highly recommend this book.