The field of paleoclimatology relies on physical, chemical, and biological proxies of past climate changes that have been preserved in natural archives such as glacial ice, tree rings, sediments, corals, and speleothems. Paleoclimate archives obtained through field investigations, ocean sediment coring expeditions, ice sheet coring programs, and other projects allow scientists to reconstruct climate change over much of earth's history. When combined with computer model simulations, paleoclimatic reconstructions are used to test hypotheses about the causes of climatic change, such as greenhouse gases, solar variability, earth's orbital variations, and hydrological, oceanic, and tectonic processes. This book is a comprehensive, state-of-the art synthesis of paleoclimate research covering all geological timescales, emphasizing topics that shed light on modern trends in the earth's climate. Thomas M.
Cronin discusses recent discoveries about past periods of global warmth, changes in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, abrupt climate and sea-level change, natural temperature variability, and other topics directly relevant to controversies over the causes and impacts of climate change. This text is geared toward advanced undergraduate and graduate students and researchers in geology, geography, biology, glaciology, oceanography, atmospheric sciences, and climate modeling, fields that contribute to paleoclimatology. This volume can also serve as a reference for those requiring a general background on natural climate variability.
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List of Tables Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations 1. Paleoclimatology and Modern Challenges 2. Methods in Paleoclimatology 3. Deep Time: Climate from 3.8 Billion to 65 Million Years Ago 4. Cenozoic Climate 5. Orbital Climate Change 6. Glacial Millennial Climate Change 7. Millennial Climate Events During Deglaciation 8. Holocene Climate Variability 9. Abrupt Climate Events 10. Internal Modes of Climate Variability 11. The Anthropocene I: Global and Hemispheric Temperature 12. The Anthropocene II: Climatic and Hydrological Change During the Last 2000 Years Epilogue Appendix: Paleoclimate Proxies References Index
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Sheds light on modern trends on modern trends in the Earth's climate. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society A promising overview of the science of paleoclimatology... recommended. Choice Everyone curious about the climate system, its history and current state of understanding... would be well-advised to acquire a copy of this erudite and elegantly written book. -- D.Q. Bowen Quarternary Science Reviews I strongly recommend this book as essential background material for graduate students, an up-to-date review for researchers in the field and an important resource for anyone with a general interest in climatic change. -- Iain Robertson The Holocene an excellent review and stimulating discussion of the state of art and current hot topics in this socio-economically important discipline to the scientific community of palaeoclimate researchers and students in this field. Polar Research There is much to be recommended, and the book will serve well in many libraries, both institutional and personal. -- A. Townsend Peterson Quaterly Review of Biology
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Encyclopedic in its coverage, Paleoclimates features a truly incredible breadth of topics. -- Benjamin P. Flower, University of South Florida Paleoclimates is a most useful reference. Thomas M. Cronin's command of such a broad scope is impressive. -- Tom Johnson, University of Minnesota, Duluth
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780231144940
Publisert
2009-11-09
Utgiver
Vendor
Columbia University Press
Høyde
279 mm
Bredde
216 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Forfatter