The Great Ocean Conveyor: Discovering the Trigger for Abrupt Climate Change

Product Details

Wally Broecker is one of the world's leading authorities on abrupt global climate change. More than two decades ago, he discovered the link between ocean circulation and climate change, in particular how shutdowns of the Great Ocean Conveyor--the vast network of currents that circulate water, heat, and nutrients around the globe--triggered past ice ages. Today, he is among the researchers exploring how our planet's climate system can abruptly "flip-flop" from one state to another, and who are weighing the implications for the future. In The Great Ocean Conveyor, Broecker introduces readers to the science of abrupt climate change while providing a vivid, firsthand account of the field's history and development.

Could global warming cause the conveyor to shut down again, prompting another flip-flop in climate? What were the repercussions of past climate shifts? How do we know such shifts occurred? Broecker shows how Earth scientists study ancient ice cores and marine sediments to probe Earth's distant past, and how they blend scientific detective work with the latest technological advances to try to predict the future. He traces how the science has evolved over the years, from the blind alleys and wrong turns to the controversies and breathtaking discoveries. Broecker describes the men and women behind the science, and reveals how his own thinking about abrupt climate change has itself flip-flopped as new evidence has emerged.

Rich with personal stories and insights, The Great Ocean Conveyor opens a tantalizing window onto how Earth science is practiced.

Customer Reviews ::

Fascinating Story, But Written in Heavy Scientific Terms - Frederick S. Goethel - Central Valley, CA
This book tells the story of the discovery of one of the most amazing aspects of our oceans...the ability of the water to circulate and transmit salinity and temperature from one area of the world to another. It also details how this movement affects air temperatures in various regions and what would happen if the system were disrupted. It describes, it detail, how the author set the hypothesis, and then went about proving that such a geologic system existed. It also details findings that contradicted the author's assumptions and how that affected the thought process. The process was a puzzle, with each new piece adding, and sometimes subtracting, from the entire end result.

The book is readable and enjoyable, but I would warn readers that it is heavily scientific and there is a lot of knowledge of geology and chemistry needed to fully appreciate the story. If you don't know your isotopes of oxygen, or have a strong feeling for geologic time, you will have a very difficult time reading this book.

Related : >#@ Buy Best Sales Now