The Two-Mile Time Machine: Ice Cores, Abrupt Climate Change, and Our Future: Ices Cores, Abrupt Climate Change, and Our Future - Rilegato

Alley, Richard B.

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0691004935 ISBN 13: 9780691004938

Casa editrice: Princeton Univ Dept of Art &, 2000

Riassunto

A history of global climate change as revealed by the annual rings of ice from Greenland's cores covers the chronology of the research in Greenland and what these studies revealed about the last 110,000 years.

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Recensione

Winner of the 2001 Book Award in Science, Phi Beta Kappa
One of Choices Outstanding Academic Titles for 2001
"Although not all scientists will agree with Alley's conclusions, [this] engaging book--a brilliant combination of scientific thriller, memoir and environmental science--provides instructive glimpses into our climatic past and global future . . . "--Publisher's Weekly

"Alley's . . . striking finding is that the earth's climate has always been wildly variable and subject to dramatic swings--except during the past 10,000 years. So the period during which humankind has established itself across the globe and made the transition from grubby bands of hunter-gatherers to the dubious majesty of global capitalism corresponds exactly to a freakishly stable period in the earth's climate."--Angus Clarke, The Times of London

"With a highly readable style designed to capture and stimulate the imagination of his students, Alley explains some of the complexities of Earth system science with a minimum of jargon. This book is not just for students: it will be readily accessible to a wide audience that should be aware of its contents."--David Peel, New Scientist

"[A] provocative little book . . . a compelling tale of climate sleuthing . . .[Alley] is authoritative without being dogmatic, concerned without being alarmist."--Robert C. Cowen, Christian Science Monitor

"A fascinating journey into the geologic past and the history of the Earth's climate . . . Alley ends his entertaining book by polishing his crystal ball, envisioning what the future climate will be, and what we might do about it."--J.A. Rial, American Scientist

"A superlative account of a complex topic . . . It is refreshingly straightforward to read, often humorous, yet still deadly serious, complete with anecdotes and understandable explanations of complex processes."--Choice

"Books in which scientists write about their professional experience and describe in lay terms the stuff that makes them excited about science rarely disappoint. Richard Alley's The Two Mile Time Machine is no exception. It describes a fascinating journey into the geologic past and the history of the Earth's climate. . . . Alley ends his entertaining book by polishing his crystal ball, envisioning what the future climate will be, and what we might do about it."--J.A. Rial, American Scientist

"[A] superb book. . . . Alley demonstrates that the scientific understanding of climate is both a lot more complex, and a lot simpler, than public perceptions might indicate. . . .The Two-Mile Time Machine restores some of the joy of discovery that has always been present in scientific work, but is often lost amidst today's furious research pace and compressed news cycles."--Cathering H. Crouch, Books and Culture

"A fascinating first-hand story. . . . [A]n engaging narrative about the processes of obtaining, analyzing, and interpreting the ice cores. . . . Scientists, students, and the general public all need to know the present state of our incomplete understanding of the global climate system. This book provides an excellent foundation"--Al Bartlett, American Journal of Physics

Contenuti

List of Illustrations vii
Part I Setting The Stage
Chapter 1 Fast Forward 3
Chapter 2 Pointers to the Past 11
Part II Reading The Record
Chapter 3 Going to Greenland 17
Chapter 4 The Icy Archives--Ice Sheets and Glaciers 31
Chapter 5 Ice Age through the Ice Age 41
Chapter 6 How Cold of Old? 59
Chapter 7 Dust in the Wind 71
Chapter 8 Tiny Bubbles in the Ice 77
Part III Crazy Climates
Chapter 9 The Saurian Sauna 83
Chapter 10 The Solar System Swing 91
Chapter 11 Dancing to the Orbital Band 99
Chapter 12 What the Worms Turned 109
Part IV Why The Weirdness?
Chapter 13 How Climate Works 131
Chapter 14 A Chaotic Conveyor? 147
Chapter 15 Shoving the System 159
Part V Coming Craziness?
Chapter 16 Fuelish 169
Chapter 17 Down the Road 181
Chapter 18 An Ice-Core View of the Future 185
Appendixes
1. A Cast of Characters 193
2. Usage of Units 199
Sources and Related Information 201
Acknowledgments 223
Index 225

Dettagli dell?edizione

• Editore: Princeton Univ Dept of Art &
• Data di pubblicazione: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0691004935
• ISBN 13: 9780691004938
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Lingua: Inglese
• Numero di pagine: 229