Desert Air
by George Steinmetz
Abrams, 2012 (($60))

Shooting from his one-seat motorized paraglider, geophysicist-turned-photographer Steinmetz spent 15 years documenting the world's “hyperarid regions”—areas that get fewer than four inches of precipitation a year. The result is a coffee-table book of stunning images that also serves as a sober scientific exploration of the nature of these extreme environments.

COMMENT AT ScientificAmerican.com/dec2012

This article was originally published with the title Recommended: Desert Air.

1 Comments

1. 1. TobyNSaunders 08:29 AM 12/1/12

   I thought maybe the article would be about air with cations in it... it's weird how little I read about that. ---when particles in the air get a positive electrical charge, they affect your physiology, & increase metabolism & serotonin production (I've actually had serotonin sickness after sitting in front of an industrial fan for hours on a hot, dry day.) The affect is great though; here outside Atlanta, in the summer, for about a week, everyone gets a mood increase because this hot, dry wind blows & boosts our serotonin. The same thing happens in the Mediterranean & in other places... it's great. How about some science about that? Like I say: I never read about it, even though it seems like a sort of big deal.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this