Frozen Earth: The Once and Future Story of Ice Ages

From Publishers Weekly
With all the concern about global warming, it may be surprising to read that "today's climate is just a geologically short warm spell in a continuing ice age." In this lucid and informative book, Macdougall (A Short History of Planet Earth), an earth science professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, introduces some of the scientists who have studied the Earth's ice ages, including the celebrated 19th-century naturalist Louis Agassiz, who put forth the theory, revolutionary at the time, of a global ice age; the amateur scientist James Croll, who propounded the idea that cycles of glacial and interglacial climates are related to changes in Earth's orbit around the Sun; and J. Harlan Bretz, who studied the catastrophic glacial flood that produced the "Channeled Scablands" of Washington state. That glaciers once extended from the North Pole to the Mediterranean was a fact accepted only gradually, and Macdougall examines in detail the clues—rock formations, glacial deposits, fossils and sediment cores—that scientists have used to prove the existence of continental ice sheets, as well as to study them. He closes with a discussion of our current ice age, suggesting that global warming may bring it to a premature end. Some of the science can get a bit technical, but Macdougall's readable style makes it accessible to the interested layperson. Illus. not seen by PW. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
People commonly think the earth's climate is warming, but on a geological time scale, the earth has been cooling for the past 35 million years and is in the midst of a three-million-year ice age--the Pleistocene Ice Age. Earth-sciences professor Macdougall presents the scientific history behind ice ages, emphasizing the roles of four great scientists in the field: Louis Agassiz, James Croll, Milutin Milankovitch, and Harlan Bretz. Each made milestone contributions, and the author interestingly highlights their characters and the resistance to their hypotheses. Their biographies will draw readers into the story of geology's emergence as a science in the nineteenth century. Another hook for readers is the author's discussions of evidence, appearing in landforms and geochemical analysis, which also incorporate the narration of contemporary scientists on the natural history of climate. By grounding general readers in the science of ice ages and by underscoring climate's propensity for abrupt gyrations, Macdougall's account promotes a welcome, reasoning attitude toward ice-age research and its relevance to global warming. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Book News, Inc.
Initially resisted, the idea that the earth experiences periodic ice ages is now widely accepted among scientific circles. MacDougall (earth science, U. of California at San Diego) describes the historical development of the science, from its first popularizers to present day investigators, explaining the basic concepts for a general audience along the way. He also briefly speculates on the possibility of another ice age awaiting us just around the corner.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Book Description
In this engrossing and accessible book, Doug Macdougall explores the causes and effects of ice ages that have gripped our planet throughout its history, from the earliest known glaciation-nearly three billion years ago-to the present. Following the development of scientific ideas about these dramatic events, Macdougall traces the lives of many of the brilliant and intriguing characters who have contributed to the evolving understanding of how ice ages come about. As it explains how the great Pleistocene Ice Age has shaped the earth's landscape and influenced the course of human evolution, Frozen Earth also provides a fascinating look at how science is done, how the excitement of discovery drives scientists to explore and investigate, and how timing and chance play a part in the acceptance of new scientific ideas. Macdougall describes the awesome power of cataclysmic floods that marked the melting of the glaciers of the Pleistocene Ice Age. He probes the chilling evidence for "Snowball Earth," an episode far back in the earth's past that may have seen our planet encased in ice from pole to pole. He discusses the accumulating evidence from deep-sea sediment cores, as well as ice cores from Greenland and the Antarctic, that suggests fast-changing ice age climates may have directly impacted the evolution of our species and the course of human migration and civilization. Frozen Earth also chronicles how the concept of the ice age has gripped the imagination of scientists for almost two centuries. It offers an absorbing consideration of how current studies of Pleistocene climate may help us understand earth's future climate changes, including the question of when the next glacial interval will occur. Illustrations: 14 line illustrations, 12 b/w photographs

From the Back Cover
"This is a highly readable account of the nature of ice ages throughout earth's history and the evolution of their scientific understanding since the introduction of the term by Louis Agassiz in the 1830s.The shifts in opinion on the merits of the various explanations of ice ages traced by Macdougall make fascinating reading."-Roger Barry, Director, National Snow and Ice Data Center "Frozen Earth is a thorough and compelling account of the history of ice on earth and of the scientists who uncovered the extraordinary role that ice ages have played in shaping our world."-Gabrielle Walker, author of Snowball Earth "A fascinating and important read."-Jack Repcheck, author of The Man Who Found Time "Macdougall takes us on a fascinating journey through the realm of ice age science. He deciphers some of the basic mysteries of the bitter climatic regimes that have gripped the earth in the past and will probably grip it again in the future. This engrossing book has important lessons for anyone concerned with global warming and future climatic change."-Brian Fagan, author of The Little Ice Age

About the Author
Doug Macdougall is Professor of Earth Science at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. He is the author of A Short History of Planet Earth: Mountains, Mammals, Fire and Ice (1996).


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Like Gabrielle Walker's Snowball Earth, this book is serious science made accessible to armchair geologists and adult readers interested in natural history. Macdougall (earth science, Univ. of California, San Diego) explores the causes of ice ages, beginning with the earliest known glaciation nearly three billion years ago, and the effects they have had on Earth's geography, climate, and even human evolution and culture. The author brings to life the scientists of the past 200 years who have made the study of ice ages their life's work. This is really their story, as it chronicles the discoveries, ideas, and opinions that have shaped our understanding of our planet's history today and may help us understand the climate changes of tomorrow. The book is packed with detailed information, and Macdougall's engaging style makes it a pleasurable and thought-provoking read. Highly recommended for public libraries of all sizes and small academic libraries.-Denise Dayton Hamilton, Heritage Christian Sch., Rindge, NH Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.


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