July 16, 2008

Book Review - Global Outlook for Ice & Snow

This is not simply a book about ice and snow. Certainly, it discusses in depth the polar regions and changes in ice and snow that are occurring there. However, this is really a scientific study of systems that include ice and snow. Early chapters provide historical background on ice and snow and explain how polar regions are studied. Ice and snow are both analyzed in depth. The second half of the book discusses the role of ice and snow within larger systems. As ice and snow melt, plant and animal habitats diminish, people are affected, the environment changes, ocean waters rise, and islands begin to disappear. Scientists agree that the cause and effect relationships here are complex, often feeding on one another. The consequences of changes in ice and snow are considered, as current trends are examined and the outlook for this century and beyond are projected. This book is global in its scope and presents environmental science in a way that is approachable for non-scientists.

This book can be found in HECSA Library:

Global Outlook for Ice & Snow
United Nations Environment Programme
QC 926.32 .G59 2007