Meteorology (Aristotle)


Meteorology is a treatise by Aristotle. The text discusses what Aristotle believed to have been all the affections common to air and water, and the kinds and parts of the earth and the affections of its parts. It includes early accounts of water evaporation, earthquakes, and other weather phenomena.
An Arabic compendium of Meteorology, called al-'Athar al-`Ulwiyyah and produced by the Antiochene scholar Yahya ibn al-Bitriq, was widely circulated among Muslim scholars over the following centuries. This was translated into Latin by Gerard of Cremona in the 12th century – and by this means, during the Twelfth-century Renaissance, entered the Western European world of medieval scholasticism. Gerard's "old translation" was superseded by an improved text by William of Moerbeke, the nova translatio, which was widely read, as it survives in numerous manuscripts; it received commentary by Thomas Aquinas and was often printed during the Renaissance.

Physics

In On the Universe, Aristotle writes:
This is a reference to the unmoved movers, a teleological explanation. Although On the Universe is included in the Corpus Aristotelicum, its status as a genuine Aristotelian text is disputed.

Four elements

All terrestrial matter consists of these four elements. Various ratios of the elements combine to create the diverse materials found in nature.

Atmosphere

Water vapor

Weather

Aristotle describes the properties of tornadoes and lightning.

Geology

Geography

Hydrology

Spherical Earth

Aristotle is describing a spherical lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.