It wasn't until the mid-19th century that the science of meteorology was recognized as a bona fide science. Transitioning from a barely reputable weather-guessing art to a computer-driven science through the years, meteorology addresses some of the world's most important issues of the 20th century. Some of the factors that have affected the study and practice of meteorology include the improvement of old instruments and the development of new ones, the creation of research and educational institutes for gathering data, exchanging ideas, educating young scientists about the atmosphere, and the rise of the aviation industry. Featuring the most up-to-date information on this topic, "Weather and Climate: Decade by Decade" traces the fascinating and often frustrating transformation of the study of weather phenomena and climatic conditions into the scientific disciplines of meteorology and climatology. This insightful volume discusses how scientists radically changed their ideas about weather and climate during the course of the 20th century. No longer content with determining tomorrow's weather, atmospheric scientists sought answers about current and future climate conditions by peering into the past to uncover information about Earth's atmosphere tens of thousands of years ago. Chock-full of useful information, this volume will give middle and high school students a closer look at meteorology and its effect on the rest of the world, now and in the future.