Principles of Paleoclimatology

Informationen zum Autor Thomas M. Cronin Klappentext Greenhouse gases! global warming! thinning ozone layers -- understanding the Earth's climatic changes is one of today's most pressing international concerns. How fast has the climate changed? Where and why is it changing? What is the impact of climate change on our ecosystems! coastal regions! glaciers! forests! and lakes! and even on the evolution of our own species? This introduction to the rapidly emerging field of paleoclimatology explains the patterns and processes in the history of the Earth's climate to answer such essential questions. Using the geologic records of ocean and lake sediment! ice cores! corals! and other natural archives! Principles of Paleoclimatology describes the history of the Earth's climate -- the ice age cycles! sea level changes! volcanic activity! changes in atmosphere and solar radiation -- and the resulting! sometimes catastrophic! biotic responses. These paleoclimate records provide a baseline against which we can compare modern climate trends. Designed to give a fundamental background -- including both history and methodology -- to the discipline of paleoclimatology! this book is the first to advance our understanding of how climate change develops! how those changes are detected! and how the climate of the past can shape the climate of the future. Zusammenfassung Using the geologic records of ocean and lake sediment! ice cores! corals! and other natural archives! Principles of Paleoclimatology describes the history of the Earth's climate-the ice age cycles! sea level changes! volcanic activity! changes in atmosphere and solar radiation-and the resulting! sometimes catastrophic! biotic responses. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1. Contemporary Issues in Climate Change: The Role of PaleoclimatologyModels and ObservationsPaleoclimatology: The Time DimensionEarly Thoughts and Contemporary SourcesA Brief Outline of This Book2. Principles of PaleoclimatologyIntroduction: A Multidisciplinary Approach in PaleoclimatologyDefining the Principles of PaleoclimatologyCauses of Climate Change: The Climate System"Time is of the essence''Strategies to Study Climate HistoryThe Development of an Annual-Resolution Deglacial ChronologyProxies of ClimateThe Evolution of Glacial-Age Climatology3. Vital Effects: Biological Aspects of PaleoclimatologyBiological Principles in PaleoclimatologyA Conceptual Framework of Biology and Climate ChangeScale in PaleoclimatologyReal Biological Entities or Heuristic Constructs?Biological Concepts in PaleoclimatologySummary4. Orbital Climate ChangeThe Jia-Li MonumentEarly Development of Orbital TheorySupport for Orbital Theory from GeochronologyThe Deep-Sea Record of Orbital Climate ChangeFundamental Tenets of Modern Orbital TheoryGeologic and Biotic Evidence for Orbital Climate ChangeChallenges to Orbital TheoryModeling Orbital Climate ChangeClosing Comments5. Millennial-Scale Climate ChangeDryas octopetalaEarly Evidence for Rapid Climate ChangeIce and Millennial-Scale Climate ChangeThe Younger Dryas and Other Rapid Climate Events During DeglaciationHeinrich Events and Dansgaard-Oeschger Cycles: Millennial-Scale Climate Change During Glacial PeriodsThe Eemian: Climatic Variability During the Last Interglacial PeriodSummary6. Holocene Centennial and Decadal Climatic VariabilityPolar Bears and Potatoes: Human History and Holocene ClimateClassical Holocene Climate ChronologyEarly and Middle Holocene Climatic HistoryLate Holocene Climate HistoryForcing Mechanisms of Centennial and Decadal Holocene ClimateConcluding Remarks7. Interannual Climate Change in the Tropics: ENSOLa Corriente del NinoInterannual PaleoclimatologyAspects of Modern El Nino--Southern OscillationPaleoclimate Records of Tropical Seasonal and Interannual ClimateGoddard Institute of Space Studies General Circulation Model of Isotopic Response to Interannual Climate8. Sea-Level ChangeBy Land or by Sea?Early Concep...

Product details

• Authors: Thomas Cronin, Thomas M. Cronin, Cronin Thomas M.
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 27.07.1999
• EAN: 9780231109550
• ISBN: 978-0-231-10955-0
• No. of pages: 592
• Series: The Critical Moments and Perspectives in Earth History and Paleobiology; Perspectives in Paleobiology a; The Critical Moments and Perspectives in Earth History and Paleobiology
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Geosciences > Miscellaneous; SCIENCE / Earth Sciences / Geology, SCIENCE / Earth Sciences / Meteorology & Climatology, Science / Environmental Science, Meteorology and climatology, Earth Sciences, Palaeontology, Environmental science, engineering and technology