Glaciers
Glaciers
Out of Print
Glaciers are among the most beautiful natural wonders on Earth, but for most of us the least known and understood. This book describes how glaciers grow and decay, how they move, and how they influence human civilisation. Today covering a tenth of the Earth's surface, glacier ice has shaped the landscape over millions of years by scouring away rocks, transporting and depositing debris far from its source. Glacier meltwater drives turbines and irrigates deserts, yields mineral-rich soils, and has left us a wealth of valuable sand and gravel. However, glaciers also threaten human property and life. Our future is indirectly bound up with the fate of glaciers and their influence on global climate and sea level. A lively running text develops these themes and is supported by over 200 stunning photographs, taking us from the High-Arctic through North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, New Zealand and South America to the Antarctic.
- Informative and authoritative text
- Global coverage
- Over 200 full colour illustrations
- First edition won 'Outstanding Publication Award' 1995 Earth Science Editors Association
Reviews & endorsements
"The book is a fine introduction to the world of glaciers. It is authoritative and yet written in an appealingly straightforward manner... This is a book that will appeal to all interested in glaciers. The specialist will dwell on the marvelous pictures. The General Reader will enjoy the introduction to the realm of glacier ice." Times Higher Education Supplement
"The book includes a valuable select bibliography and an excellent glossary and location and subject index. It makes a landmark contribution to natural science and its interplay with real world issues. Highly recommended." CHOICE July 2005
Product details
December 2004Hardback
9780521828086
394 pages
255 × 194 × 28 mm
1.27kg
220 colour illus. 7 tables
Unavailable - out of print January 2010
Table of Contents
- 1. Earth, the icy planet
- 2. The glacier family
- 3. Birth, growth and decay of glaciers
- 4. Fluctuating glaciers
- 5. Ice on the move
- 6. Nature's conveyer belt
- 7. Ice and water
- 8. Antarctica: the icy continent
- 9. Glaciers and volcanoes
- 10. Shaping the landscape
- 11. Glaciers and wildlife
- 12. Benefits of glaciers
- 13. Glacier hazards
- 14. Living and travelling on glaciers
- 15. Earth's glacial record
- 16. Postscript: future prospects of glaciers
- Glossary
- Subject index
- Location index.
