Terry Nathan doesn't just stop to smell the flowers, or listen to a fog-capped sea roar or watch a sultry sunset.

He eternalizes them.

Nathan, a professor in atmospheric science, is also an outdoorsman and photographer. He is a field contributor for Nature Photographer magazine. Last summer he wrote and provided the photos for an article about the visual aspects of the Lewis and Clark Expedition that began in 1806. Nathan has shown his growing body of images in galleries in the Sacramento region and has an upcoming show at Stanford University from June 28 through Aug. 26.

Nature photography, he says, is a creative process, one that requires him to soak in his environment and hone in on its beauty.

"It's about a sense of discovery," said Nathan, who teaches in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, "whether I'm hiking through Yellowstone or devising mathematical models to study atmospheric circulation. Every step of the way there's something new."

He aims for shooting photographs that "make the viewer a participant -- as if they could step right into the scene and touch the trees and feel the wind." His subjects range from 4,000-year-old trees to intimate close-ups of water rushing over a few blades of grass. Rather than grand panoramas, Nathan prefers photographing abstracts and intimate portraits of nature. He also has a keen interest in architectural photography, which he says is similar, in many ways, to nature photography.

In graduate school, Nathan drew inspiration about the Lewis and Clark Expedition from the classic book, The Wilderness Reader while driving out West from the East Coast himself. Since then he's traveled portions of the thousands of miles that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark trekked for almost three years from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, experiencing lands, rivers and peoples that no explorers had ever before seen.

The American Philosophical Society will soon publish a paper of Nathan's that shows evidence that Lewis and Clark likely reached the Pacific Ocean in an unusually rainy year -- a La Niña season -- the first time this has been suggested.

Why did you choose a career in the atmospheric sciences?

I'm a native of Long Island, New York. As a child I was always fascinated with the weather, especially with the storms we saw where I grew up. Since 8th grade I knew I wanted to study weather.

What's the biggest issue in your field today?

Trying to obtain a better understanding of the variables that affect our climate. Climate is so important in how it affects individual lives to public policy and what resources are spent on climate-related issues.

Any similarities between photography and science?

The tendency to search, observe and focus in on details characterizes what a photographer and a scientist both do. My academic research involves combining observations with advanced mathematical models of the atmosphere to study climate variability, stability of geophysical fluid flows, stratospheric ozone, and the impacts of meteorological events on exploration -- such as the Lewis and Clark expedition.

What are your thoughts on the greenhouse effect?

We always have had a greenhouse effect -- this was necessary to start life as we know it. The concern today is about how to cope with an enhanced greenhouse effect and, for example, what a global increase in temperature means to civilization.

What do you like most about your job?

Discovery. Every day I come to work there is an opportunity to conduct research and learn about something new. I also enjoy working with students -- they have a remarkable energy and enthusiasm for discovery.

And the least?

Committee work and administrative routines. But that's part of the job.

What's something surprising about you that people don't know?

My interest in photography and art. My fiancé, Laura, is a designer, so we spend a lot of time talking about art and visiting galleries. Also, I'm teaching photography courses on lighting and composition at the Davis Art Center and the Craft Center on campus.

What sparked your interest in photography?

It can be traced back to a desire to document what I see while hiking and canoeing. I want people to share my experience in the outdoors.

What are some of your most treasured possessions?

My family photographs from when I was a child.

What's your guilty pleasure?

Being outdoors. Backpacking to remote places.

Any close calls in the wild?

In Yellowstone, a moose nearly trampled me. I was standing near some photographers shooting the moose, and a coyote sneaked up behind her and spooked her. Well, she charged toward us into the thickets. Fortunately, she stopped and we just ended up in the bushes. My legs were quivering from the adrenaline rush -- the only time I've had that happen.

Any upcoming trips?

This fall I'm planning a trip to the Bitterroot Mountains in Idaho where Lewis and Clark nearly met their fate except for a stroke of monumental luck. But that's another story.

Why is discovery so fascinating for you?

Discovery is everywhere, and not always tucked away in some remote nook of the world. A spirit of adventure is about noticing what is going on around you, what is different and unusual, and drawing in the pure beauty of these images and forms, whether you're in Yellowstone National Park or in the Yolo Wildlife Refuge.

If you had three wishes, what would they be?

My first two would be to have longer days -- more time for work and play -- and to have Yellowstone only a half hour away. My ultimate wish would be to have a time machine so I could go back in time and be a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. •