The Ice Chronicles: The Quest to Understand Global Climate Change

265 Pages·2002·3.336 MB·English

by  Paul Andrew Mayewski, Frank White, Lynn Margulis

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Advance Praise for The Ice Chronicles—
“Almost everybody seems to be aware ofthe fact that significant changes have
been taking place in our climate—but ...The Ice Chronicles tells us,in mar-
velous 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 ofScience
“Paul Mayewski and Frank White have written an exciting account ofwhat 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 ofthe greatest
scientific activities ofour time,understanding how climate changes and the im-
pact ofthese changes on human society.It’s simply a great read!”
—w. berry lyons,
Byrd Polar Research Center,
Ohio State University
“The Ice Chroniclesis at once a thoroughly enjoyable adventure story ofintrepid
explorers,an exciting history ofexpeditions into alpine and polar regions,an in-
troduction to glaciology,and a chronicle ofour sometimes turbulent climate.Ice
layers provide a detailed script of Rapid Climate Change Events,or RCCEs,
that have punctuated periods ofrelative stability—often with profound impacts
on the evolution ofspecies and societies.The Ice Chroniclesreveals how multiple
human activities—changing land use/land cover,stratospheric ozone and green-
house gas concentrations—are together altering natural climate variability and
destabilizing the climate system.This work demonstrates that we have underes-
timated 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 ofthe Earth but also the extraordinary adventure ofdoing this
science. Shifting glaciers, expansive ice sheets, towering mountaintops, and
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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 ofthe planet Earth.”
—berrien moore,
Institute for the Study ofEarth,Oceans,& Space,
University ofNew Hampshire
“Through this book you will travel over the coldest places on Earth,glaciers,
Greenland,Antarctica,and high mountains in the Himalayas.You will partici-
pate in the birth ofan ambitious deep drilling project and discover the wealth
ofice archives ...Beyond the fascination ofexploration and scientific discov-
eries,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 ofincorporating 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 ofPaul Mayewski,but the reader is also
introduced to many ofthe scientists behind the great project ofcoring through
the 3,000-meter-thick ice sheet ofcentral Greenland.Perhaps this is the single
project that has added the most to our knowledge of climate history.The au-
thors 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 ofthe
arctic and alpine regions,and the very special experience ofworking in a group
isolated by distance and weather.”
—wibjörn karlén,Professor,
Department ofPhysical Geography and Quarternary Geology,
Stockholm University
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The Ice Chronicles
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T H E The Quest
to Understand
I C E
Global Climate Change
C H R O N I C L E S
Paul Andrew Mayewski
&
Frank White
university of new hampshire
published by
university press of new england
hanover and london
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University ofNew Hampshire
Published by University Press ofNew England,One Court St.,Lebanon,nh03766
© 2002 by Paul Andrew Mayewski and Frank White
All rights reserved
First paperback edition 2002
Printed in the United States ofAmerica 5 4 3 2 1
Watercolor by Lyn Weisman Mayewski entitled “Ascent ofthe Nun Kun Plateau,
Ladakh,India,in Search ofthe Ice Chronicles.”
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mayewski,Paul A.
The ice chronicles / by Paul Andrew Mayewski and Frank White.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ).
isbn 1–58465–061–3 (cl.:alk.paper);isbn 1–58465–062–1 (pa.:alk.
paper)
1.Glaciers. 2.Climatic changes. I.White,Frank,1944– II.Title.
gb2405 .m282002
551.6—dc21 2001004980
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From Paul to Lyn
&
From Frank to Donna
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Contents
List of Illustrations xi
Forewordby Lynn Margulis xv
Preface xix
Acknowledgments xxiii
Introduction 1
Breakthrough /1
Climate Change and Social Change /4
The Ice Chronicles /9
Technical Feature:How Glaciers RecordClimate /12
Implications /14
1. Setting the Stage for our Modern Understanding 19
of Climate Change
Adventure Feature:The Wright Stuff /21
The Ice Core Connection /24
Initiation /27
Adventure Feature:Polar Reflections/29
Unfinished Business /32
A Heated Discussion /35
Technical Feature:Global Warming,Global Warning/37
2. The Making of an Ice Core “Time Machine” 38
Sleepless in Seattle /41
Debating in Durham /42
Waiting for Washington /43
Detour to Antarctica /44
Getting Ready for Greenland /49
Adventure Feature:Lost!/50