Val Eichenlaub (1933-2020) was emeritus professor of Geography at Western Michigan University. Holding a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Michigan University, a Master of Arts degree from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.d from Ohio State University - his fields of specialization were meteorology and climatology. He is also the author of The Climatic Atlas of Michigan (1989).Thomas W. Hodler is emeritus professor in the Geography department at the University of Georgia. He is the author of The Atlas of Georgia (1986), Cartographic Design Using Arcview Gis and Arc/INFO: Making Better Maps (1997), and Cartography: Thematic Map Design (1990).

"Eichenlaub discusses how weather and climate affect the lakes, but the lakes also affect the weather. In Racine, Wisconsin, Lake Michigan loses heat during winter, and that slows the spring, since the lake is heated more slowly than is the land away from the lake. In compensation, our autumn also lasts longer than does land away from the lake, because the heat the lake absorbed during summer dissipates from the lake more slowly than the land. Eichenlaub's book retains its value today, though more recent knowledge on global warming presents an opportunity for someone to reexamine the subject. —Ecological Society of America