Product Description
Glaciers are among the most beautiful natural wonders on Earth, as well as the least known and understood, for most of us. Michael Hambrey describes how glaciers grow and decay, move and influence human civilization. Currently covering a tenth of the Earth's surface, glacier ice has shaped the landscape over millions of years by scouring away rocks and transporting and depositing debris far from its source. Glacier meltwater drives turbines and irrigates deserts, and yields mineral-rich soils as well as a wealth of valuable sand and gravel. However, glaciers also threaten human property and life. Our future is indirectly connected with the fate of glaciers and their influence on global climate and sea level. Including over 200 stunning photographs, the book takes the reader from the High-Arctic through North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, New Zealand and South America to the Antarctic. Michael Hambrey is Director of the Centre for Glaciology at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. A past recipient of the Polar Medal, he was also given the Earth Science Editors' Outstanding Publication Award for the first edition of Glaciers (Cambridge, 1995). Hambrey is also the author of Glacial Environments (British Columbia, 1994). JÜrg Alean is Professor of Geography at the Kantonsschule ZÜrcher Unterland in BÜlach, Switzerland.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 1 review)

Good overview with great photos

This lavishly illustrated book provides a relatively non-technical textbook-like survey of worldwide glacial phenomenon. Besides covering the typical geologic and climate aspects of the subject there are chapters about wildlife and human interaction with glaciers, both hazards and benefits. Note that the British and Swiss authors' perspective is Euro-centric with very sparse coverage of the American West. For instance, Mt. Rainier, the most extensive glacial system in the Lower 48 gets only two small mentions.

There are dozens of outstanding color photographs but relatively few maps or exhibits of statistical information. There's a 14-page glossary that will prove useful as a reference but the bibliography is quite sparse and most of the entries are also textbooks as opposed to sources of more in-depth coverage.

Recommended as an introduction to those wanting a survey glacial phenomenon or as a refresher for people who have not studied the topic in a long while. Those who have a solid basic knowledge of glaciers or want to focus on American glaciers should look elsewhere.

November 14, 2007

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Glaciers and Glaciation
by Douglas I Benn, David J.A. Evans

Glacial Geology: Ice Sheets and Landforms
by Matthew R. Bennett, Neil F. Glasser

Frozen Earth: The Once and Future Story of Ice Ages
by Doug Macdougall

Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue: Reading Glaciers, Team Travel, Crevasse Rescue Techniques, Routefinding, Expedition Skills 2nd Edition
by Andrew Selters, Andy Selters

A History of Ideas in Science Education: Implications for Practice
by George E. DeBoer