The Ice Chronicles: The Quest to Understand Global Climate Change

Title Page, Copyright Page

Advance Praise for The Ice Chronicles— “Almost everybody seems to be aware of the fact that significant changes have been taking place in our climate—but . . . The Ice Chronicles tells us, in marvelous detail, exactly why these changes are taking place, and the fact that this earth-warming process has been going on steadily for many centuries . . . This book is a remarkable document. Everyone should read it and heed its warning.” —bradford washburn, Founding Director, Boston Museum of Science “Paul Mayewski and Frank White have written an exciting account of what has been learned about past climates from drilling into ice sheets. From scientists to lay persons, readers will be involved on a first-hand basis in one of the greatest scientific activities of our time, understanding how climate changes and the impact of these changes on human society. It’s simply a great read!” —w. berry lyons, Byrd Polar Research Center, Ohio State University “The Ice Chronicles is at once a thoroughly enjoyable adventure story of intrepid explorers, an exciting history of expeditions into alpine and polar regions, an introduction to glaciology, and a chronicle of our sometimes turbulent climate. Ice layers provide a detailed script of Rapid Climate Change Events, or RCCEs, that have punctuated periods of relative stability—often with profound impacts on the evolution of species and societies. The Ice Chronicles reveals how multiple human activities—changing land use/land cover, stratospheric ozone and greenhouse gas concentrations—are together altering natural climate variability and destabilizing the climate system. This work demonstrates that we have underestimated the potential for abrupt climate change, and the authors do not flinch from asserting the need for bold solutions.” —paul r. epstein, m.d., m.p.h., Associate Director, Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Medical School “In The Ice Chronicles, Professor Mayewski shares vividly with us not only the exciting science of the Earth but also the extraordinary adventure of doing this science. Shifting glaciers, expansive ice sheets, towering mountaintops, and enormous valleys fill this remarkable canvas, and through them we are able to peer back into time and thereby gaze into the future. This remarkable book should be read by all citizens of the planet Earth.” —berrien moore, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, & Space, University of New Hampshire “Through this book you will travel over the coldest places on Earth, glaciers, Greenland, Antarctica, and high mountains in the Himalayas. You will participate in the birth of an ambitious deep drilling project and discover the wealth of ice archives . . . Beyond the fascination of exploration and scientific discoveries , you will be disturbed by the expected impact of global warming on our societies. This is a challenge that all of us have to face at the dawn of the twenty-first century.” —claude lorius, Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement, France “Locked within ice cores are secrets about Earth’s past—its geology, its climate, and its ecosystems. Leading expeditions to the most inhospitable corners of the globe, Mayewski and co-workers have unlocked many of these secrets to assist the current debate on climate change. This book portrays the dangers of these expeditions while illustrating the excitement of scientific discovery and the urgency of incorporating science into policy-making.” —cliff i. davidson, Editor, Clean Hands: Clair Patterson’s Crusade Against Environmental Lead Contamination “The book is told from the perspective of Paul Mayewski, but the reader is also introduced to many of the scientists behind the great project of coring through the 3,000-meter-thick ice sheet of central Greenland. Perhaps this is the single project that has added the most to our knowledge of climate history. The authors give details about the long, cold, often monotonous field and laboratory work, and insight into the force that drives scientists to spend many years of their lives in some of the most remote and forbidding places on Earth. Through it all, Mayewski and White also manage to describe the beauty of the arctic and alpine regions, and the very special experience of working in a group isolated by distance and weather.” —wibjörn karlén, Professor, Department of Physical Geography and Quarternary Geology, Stockholm University The Ice Chronicles THE ICE CHRONICLES Paul Andrew Mayewski & Frank White u n iv er sit y of ne w ha mpshi re published by u n...