Experimenting on a Small Planet (PDF)

Bill Hay began his academic career at University of Illinois in Urbana in 1960. From 1968 to 1974 he was Professor at both Illinois and the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. After serving as Dean of the Rosenstiel School he moved to Washington, D.C. to work on ensuring future scientific drilling in the ocean. In 1982 he moved to the University of Colorado, investigating ancient climates with colleagues at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Since 1988 he has also served as Guest and/or Professor at the Universities of Munich, Kiel and Greifswald in Germany, the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, and the University of Vienna in Austria. He retired from the University of Kiel in 2002. He now lives in the Rocky Mountains, but returns to Europe frequently to teach intensive short courses.

From the reviews:

Selected by Choice magazine as an "Outstanding Academic Title" for 2013

“Geologist Hay (Univ. of Colorado at Boulder) provides a thorough but accessible description of the climate system and its history … . Experimenting on a Small Planet covers a lot of ground, starting with basic scientific principles before transitioning to climate science specifics. … Given the scope and presentation style, the book should interest experts looking to broaden their perspective as well as curious readers seeking reliable information on climate change. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.” (J. Schoof, Choice, Vol. 51 (1), September, 2013)

“Hay presents clear explanations and examples of climate chemistry, physics and oceanography for professional scientists as well as teachers and anyone interested in the scientific underpinnings of the current paradigm shift in understanding climate change. … Each chapter is a concise explanation of a specific scientific discipline of physics, chemistry, geology, oceanography, and climatology.” (Robert W. Scott, AAPG Bulletin, December, 2013)

“The book is aimed at both the general public readership and the scientific community. … it attempts to give the reader a thorough background in the basics that are needed to understand climate science and it succeeds extremely well in that goal. … I highly recommend the book … . I would certainly not be surprised if this book became a best seller, a mainstay in many college level courses as a text book, and contributed hugely towards resolving the on-going global climate change debate.” (Bilal U. Haq, Global and Planetary Change, Vol. 101, January, 2013)