Art and the Atmosphere: The Science of Clouds - a new first book for UHI’s 'weather man' Eddy Graham

Edward (Eddy) Graham is an atmospheric scientist based at UHI North, West and Hebrides, who teaches part-time on sustainable development, geography, environmental science and M.Ed. degrees and leads the new MSc programme in Extreme Weather - and he is just about to have his first book ,'Clouds', published.

'Clouds: How to Identify Nature’s Most Fleeting Forms' not only describes the scientific aspects of cloud development and formation but also showcases the work of famous artists who have painted clouds from a scientific viewpoint as well as stories of physicists and even an explanation of how clouds are named. It’s described as 'A one-of-a-kind' illustrated guide to clouds, cloud formations, and the artists who painted them.'

Eddy explained:

“The mystery of clouds has captivated scientists and artists alike. This unique book shows you how to use the meteorological techniques of nephology (the study of clouds) to identify these elusive and transmutable shapes. It curates, classifies, and measures every species—including those recently discovered—considering the height, size, texture, arrangement, modifications, and movement of their many shifting forms”.

‘Clouds’ has been described online as:

“...blend(ing) a lively and engaging narrative by one of today’s leading meteorologists with an essay on historic cloud art and includes a wealth of breath-taking cloud studies by some of the greatest artists ever to look skyward.”

As well as clouds and water vapour, Eddy’s research specialities include meteorological observation and modelling, historical climate, as well as the many atmospheric nuances which influence astronomical observation and site characterisation.

Eddy has been fascinated by clouds from a young age

Since a young age, Eddy has been fascinated by both the weather and clouds, achieving his ambition to become a media weather forecaster in his early twenties. Later, after completing his PhD 'Site Selection for Extremely Large Telescopes' at the University of Bern in Switzerland in the early 2000s, he has worked and collaborated with the European Southern Observatory, the Vera Rubin observatory, the South African Astronomical Observatory, the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Isles and others. In 2018, he was a joint winner of the prestigious United Arab Emirates Rain Enhancement Programme. From 2019-2024, Eddy was Editor-in-Chief of the Royal Meteorological Society’s popular journal, Weather.

His new book 'Clouds' will be published by Princeton University Press on 22 April 2025 and you can pre-order a copy now and benefit from free postage online.