Ice Age Earth

The reconstruction of past climatic change is dependent upon the application of reliable dating techniques and an understanding of the context of these methods. The study of Quarternary palaeoenvironments must draw from a range of disciplines. In an areas of increasing interest and specialisation, Ice Age Earth combines a summary of research and a synthetic description of the Late Quarternary. It focuses on changes in the Earth's geology and climate between the last interglacial and the final melting of the last great ice sheets: 130 000 to 7 000 year ago. The book describes the study of ocean sediments and ice cores and the value of these findings to the development of advance circulation models. Emphasis is placed on regional variability in glacial history, the rapidity of past climate change and the complexity of environmental responses to widespread deglaciation. Periglacial environmnents - lakes, rivers, mires, volcanic and aeolian activity, crustal and sea-level movement - are also considered. The book closes with a contextual discussion on Milankovitch insolation theory. Ice Age Earth provides the first detailed review of global environmental change in the Late Quaternary. It should prove essential reading for all students interested in Quaternary environments.