Natural Environmental Change (PDF)

Environmental Change has been transforming the Earth throughout its 5 billion year history. The dynamism of planet Earth is especially well illustrated by the changes that have occured during the past 3 million years; during this period, cycles of climatic change have been dominant, involving fluctuations in global temperatures by as much as 10 degrees celcius, and including warm episodes similar to those of the last ten thousand years. In order to predict and manage future change caused by both natural and human agencies, contemporary research is focusing on archives of environmental data and on the response of environmental components. Natural Environmental Change offers a concise introduction to this key topic in the study of the environment, geography, and earth science. Illustrated throughout, each chapter provides a broad spectrum of international case studies from diverse regions along with guides to further reading.
Introductory chapters examine theories developed to explain environmental change, and provide a summary of Earth history. The records of environmental change are then explained, as revealed by data from various archives such as ocean sediments, ice cores, terrestrial deposits (such as glacial moraines and lake sediments), tree rings, and historical and meteorological records. Final chapters detail the changes that have occured in high, middle and low latitudes, and the book concludes with a critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current understanding. The extensive bibliography will also prove invaluable to those pursuing courses covering environmental change.