Synopses & Reviews
Praise for the first edition:
"An indispensable work of reference for scientists and students alike."
--Quarternary Science Reviews
"There can be little doubt that overall this book is a great success in the way the information is assimilated, explained and placed in a global context."
--Journal of Quarternary Science
"A book which ought to be read as a primer by anyone with a critical interest in the field."
--Earth Surface Processes and :Landforms
"Unrivaled in the sophistication with which it examines a wide range of methods."
--K.W. Butzer, Journal of Archeological Science
"A resounding success... indispensable reading for anyone involved in paleoclimatic reconstruction or paleoclimatic modeling."
--L.D.D. Harvey, University of Toronto
In the fourteen years since the highly successful first edition of Paleoclimatology was published, there have been many advances in the principles and methods used in paleoclimatic reconstruction, dating, and paleoclimate modeling. The Second Edition has been extensively rewritten and updated to reflect these advances.
Paleoclimatology: Reconstructing Climates of the Quarternary is the only book that:
* Covers all the important methods of dating
*Addresses all the important methods used in paleoclimatic reconstruction
*Reviews the use of models in paleoclimatology
*Contains an extensive and up-to-date bibliography of over 1,700 references
*Is abundantly illustrated with comprehensive figure captions
About the author
Ray Bradley is Professor and Head of the Department of Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He has authored/edited five books and published more than 100 articles on climatology and climate change over a wide range of time scales.
Review
] a comprehensive compilation of approaches to paleoclimatology.... The approaches and methods employed for Quaternary studies are well covered in the book."
- J.P. Kennett, Chair, Department of Geological Sciences, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA (letter; February 2, 1998)
Review
] a comprehensive compilation of approaches to paleoclimatology.... The approaches and methods employed for Quaternary studies are well covered in the book."
- J.P. Kennett, Chair, Department of Geological Sciences, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA (letter; February 2, 1998)
Review
"This thorough, well referenced text will prove to be indispensable to anyone involved in the study of past and current climate change and modeling."
-SOUTHEASTERN NATURALIST, 2005
Praise for the First Edition
"[The first edition of Quaternary Paleoclimatology] is THE REFERENCE FOR QUATERNARY PALEOCLIMATES, especially for dating, methodologies, and an overview of our knowledge of the history and evolution of Quaternary environments. Ray Bradley is uniquely situated to undertake this second edition because of his broad knowledge...and his recent and current leadership roles in the national and international research community, which ensures that he is totally up to date."
-J. Kutzbach, Center for Climatic Research, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, MADISON
"There is no question about the author's competence as a paleoclimatologist [or] his ability to complete the task.... The book [is] a comprehensive compilation of approaches to paleoclimatology.... The approaches and methods employed for Quaternary studies are well covered in the book."
- J.P. Kennett, Chair, Department of Geological Sciences, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA (letter; February 2, 1998)
Synopsis
as authored/edited five books and published more than 100 articles on climatology and climate change over a wide range of time scales.
Synopsis
Raymond S. Bradley provides his readers with a comprehensive and up-to-date review of all of the important methods used in paleoclimatic reconstruction, dating and paleoclimate modeling. Two comprehensive chapters on dating methods provide the foundation for all paleoclimatic studies and are followed by up-to-date coverage of ice core research, continental geological and biological records, pollen analysis, radiocarbon dating, tree rings and historical records. New methods using alkenones in marine sediments and coral studies are also described.
Paleoclimatology, Second Edition, is an essential textbook for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students studying climatology, paleoclimatology and paleooceanography worldwide, as well as a valuable reference for lecturers and researchers, appealing to archaeologists and scientists interested in environmental change.
* Contains two up-to-date chapters on dating methods
* Consists of the latest coverage of ice core research, marine sediment and coral studies, continental geological and biological records, pollen analysis, tree rings, and historical records
* Describes the newest methods using alkenones in marine sediments and long continental pollen records
* Addresses all important methods used in paleoclimatic reconstruction
* Includes an extensive chapter on the use of models in paleoclimatology
* Extensive and up-to-date bibliography
* Illustrated with numerous comprehensive figure captions
Synopsis
Raymond S. Bradley provides his readers with a comprehensive and up-to-date review of all of the important methods used in paleoclimatic reconstruction, dating and paleoclimate modeling. Two comprehensive chapters on dating methods provide the foundation for all paleoclimatic studies and are followed by up-to-date coverage of ice core research, continental geological and biological records, pollen analysis, radiocarbon dating, tree rings and historical records. New methods using alkenones in marine sediments and coral studies are also described.
Paleoclimatology, Second Edition, is an essential textbook for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students studying climatology, paleoclimatology and paleooceanography worldwide, as well as a valuable reference for lecturers and researchers, appealing to archaeologists and scientists interested in environmental change.
* Contains two up-to-date chapters on dating methods
* Consists of the latest coverage of ice core research, marine sediment and coral studies, continental geological and biological records, pollen analysis, tree rings, and historical records
* Describes the newest methods using alkenones in marine sediments and long continental pollen records
* Addresses all important methods used in paleoclimatic reconstruction
* Includes an extensive chapter on the use of models in paleoclimatology
* Extensive and up-to-date bibliography
* Illustrated with numerous comprehensive figure captions
Synopsis
Raymond S. Bradley provides his readers with a comprehensive and up-to-date review of all of the important methods used in paleoclimatic reconstruction, dating and paleoclimate modeling. Two comprehensive chapters on dating methods provide the foundation for all paleoclimatic studies and are followed by up-to-date coverage of ice core research, continental geological and biological records, pollen analysis, radiocarbon dating, tree rings and historical records. New methods using alkenones in marine sediments and coral studies are also described. Paleoclimatology, Second Edition, is an essential textbook for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students studying climatology, paleoclimatology and paleooceanography worldwide, as well as a valuable reference for lecturers and researchers, appealing to archaeologists and scientists interested in environmental change.
x Contains two up-to-date chapters on dating methods
x Consists of the latest coverage of ice core research, marine sediment and coral studies, continental geological and biological records, pollen analysis, tree rings, and historical records
x Describes the newest methods using alkenones in marine sediments and long continental pollen records
x Addresses all important methods used in paleoclimatic reconstruction
x Includes an extensive chapter on the use of models in paleoclimatology
x Extensive and up-to-date bibliography
x Illustrated with numerous comprehensive figure captions
Synopsis
> is Professor and Head of the Department of Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He has authored/edited five books and published more than 100 articles on climatology and climate change over a wide range of time scales.
Synopsis
e Second Edition has been extensively rewritten and updated to reflect these advances.
Paleoclimatology: Reconstructing Climates of the Quarternary is the only book that:
* Covers all the important methods of dating
*Addresses all the important methods used in paleoclimatic reconstruction
*Reviews the use of models in paleoclimatology
*Contains an extensive and up-to-date bibliography of over 1,700 references
*Is abundantly illustrated with comprehensive figure captions
About the author
Ray Bradley is Professor and Head of the Department of Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He has authored/edited five books and published more than 100 articles on climatology and climate change over a wide range of time scales.
Synopsis
e change over a wide range of time scales.
About the Author
Raymond S. Bradley has been involved in many national and international activities related to paleoclimatology, most notably as the current Chair of the Scientific Steering Committee for the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program on Past Global Changes (IGBP-PAGES). He has published dozens of articles in scientific journals, and has edited several important books in paleoclimatology. The first edition of
Quaternary Paleoclimatology has been the definitive text in this field for over a decade. His research is in climatology, specifically in climatic change and the evidence for how the earth’s climate has varied in the past. He has carried out research on climate variation, both on the long (glacial and interglacial) time-scale and on the short (historical and instrumental) time-scale, involving the analysis of data from all over the world. In recent years he has been involved in studies of natural climate variability, to provide a background for understanding potential anthropogenic changes in climate resulting from rapid increases in "greenhouse gases" over the last century or so. R.S. Bradley has been a professor in the Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA, since 1984. He has been Head of the Department of Geosciences since 1993. Additionally, he is a member of Clare Hall at Cambridge.
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Table of Contents
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
Paleoclimatic Reconstruction.
Introduction.
Sources Of Paleoclimatic Information.
Levels Of Paleoclimatic Analysis.
Modeling In Paleoclimatic Research.
Climate And Climatic Variation.
The Nature Of Climate And Climatic Variation.
The Climate System.
Feedback Mechanisms.
Energy Balance Of The Earth And Its Atmosphere. Timescales Of Climatic Variation.
Variations Of The Earth's Orbital Parameters. Dating Methods I.
Introduction And Overview.
Radioisotopic Methods.
Dating Methods II.
Paleomagnetism.
Dating Methods Involving Chemical Changes. Biological Dating Methods.
Ice Cores.
Introduction.
Stable Isotope Analysis.
Dating Ice Cores.
Paleoclimatic Reconstruction From Ice Cores.
Marine Sediments And Corals.
Introduction.
Paleoclimatic Information From Biological Material In Ocean Cores.
Oxygen Isotope Studies Of Calcareous Marine Fauna. Relative Abundance Studies.
Paleotemperature Records From Alkenones. Dissolution Of Deep-Sea Carbonates.
Paleoclimatic Information From Inorganic Material In Ocean Cores.
Coral Records Of Past Climate.
Thermohaline Circulation Of The Oceans.
Ocean Circulation Changes And Climate Over The Last Glacial-Interglacial Cycle.
Changes In Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide: The Role of the Oceans.
Orbital Forcing: Evidence From The Marine Record.
Non-Marine Geological Evidence.
Introduction.
Loess.
Periglacial Features.
Snowlines And Glaciation Thresholds.
Mountain Glacier Fluctuations.
Lake-Level Fluctuations.
Lake Sediments.
Speleothems.
Non-Marine Biological Evidence.
Introduction.
Former Vegetation Distribution From Plant Macrofossils.
Insects.
Pollen Analysis.
Introduction.
The Basis Of Pollen Analysis.
How Rapidly Does Vegetation Respond To Changes In Climate?
Pollen Analysis Of A Site: The Pollen Diagram. Mapping Vegetation Change: Isopolls And Isochrones.
Quantitative Paleoclimatic Reconstructions Based On Pollen Analysis.
Paleoclimatic Reconstruction From Long Quaternary Pollen Records.
Dendroclimatology.
Introduction.
Fundamentals Of Dendroclimatology.
Dendroclimatic Reconstructions.
Isotope Dendroclimatology.
Documentary Data:
Introduction.
Historical Records And Their Interpretation. Regional Studies Based On Historical Records.
Records Climate Forcing Factors.
Paleoclimate Models
Introduction.
Types Of Models.
Sensitivity Experiments Using General Circulation Models.
Model Simulations: 18ka B.P. To The Present.
Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Model Experiments Of The Thermohaline Circulation.
GCM Paleoclimate Simulations And The Paleo Record. Appendix A: Further Considerations On Radiocarbon Dating
Calculation Of Radiocarbon Age And Standardization Procedure.
Fractionation Effects.
World Wide Web-Based Resources In Paleoclimatology
References.
Index.