Book excerpt: Weather, water, and climate. How we feel, how productive we are, even our sheer existence, depends on these three things. The United States' economic activity varies annually by 1.7% due to weather—that is more than $500 billion dollars each year. Weather applications on mobile devices are the second most popular apps—more popular than social networking, maps, music, and news.In Treading on Thin Air, Dr. Elizabeth Austin, a world-renowned atmospheric physicist, reveals how the climate is intimately tied to our daily lives. The effects and impacts of weather on humans, society and the planet are changing with the times. Dr. Austin will demystify climate change, revealing what is really happening with our climate and why, whether it is El Nino, tornadoes, floods or hurricanes.Weather and society are at its most fascinating at extremes, and as Dr. Austin is one of a handful of forensic meteorologists around the globe. She has been called upon to investigate plane crashes, murders, wildfires, avalanches, even bombing cases. Drawing upon her rich experiences, Austin’s Treading on Thin Air promises to be an enlightening and informative journey through the wild word of weather.