The Great Ice Age : Climate Change and Life

ISBN-13: 9780415198417 / Angielski / Twarda / 1999 / 267 str.

R. C. L. Wilson; S. A. Drury; J. L. Chapman

Opis

The Great Ice Age is also our age. The four and a half billion year evolution of the Earth and its biota culminated in the appearance of a life form capable of studying and manipulating the planetary systems. With human consciousness focusing as never before on the world around us, we are now beginning to realize the enormity of the global experiment we are conducting as the conscious forcing function in the evolution of the Earth System. This text documents and explains the natural climatic and palaeoecologic changes that have occurred during the past 2.6 million years, outlining the emergence and global impact of our species during this period. Exploring a wide range of records of climate change, the authors demonstrate the interconnectivity of the components of the Earths climate system, show how the evidence for such change is obtained, and explain some of the problems in collecting and dating proxy climate data.

Recenzje

'A useful synthesis of information and ideas on environmental change in the last 3 million years.' - Dr Antoinette Mannion, Reading University

'A very clear and concise update of our present state of knowledge on long term climate and environmental change - perfect primer for advanced courses and essential reading for introductory geography and earth science courses.' - Dr D. J. A. Evans, Glasgow University

Spis treści

Cycles of Climate Change: Evidence and Explanations. 1. The Great Ice Age. 2. Understanding Present and Past Climates. 3. Understanding the Cryosphere. 4. The Deep Sea Record. 5. Revealing the Milankovich Pacemaker. 6. Evidence for Rapid Climate Change. 7. Explanations. Human Origins, Evolution and Environmental Change 8. Climate Change and Life On Land. 9. The Record of Humanity. 10. Changing Environments and Changing Habits. 11. Human Impact During the Holocene.

O autorze

Chapman, J.A.; Drury, S.A. all at The Open University; Wilson, R.C.L.