Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments

Earned Outstanding Academic Title distinction for Earth Sciences titles 2010 from the library magazine CHOICE

While the human imprint is becoming increasingly apparent, Earth’s climate has shifted dramatically and frequently during the last few million years, alternating between ice ages, when vast glaciers covered Northern Europe and much of North America, and interglacials — warm periods much like today. Farther back in geologic time, climates have differed even more from the present. Thus, to fully understand the unusual changes of the 20^th century and possible future trends, these must be placed in a longer-term context extending beyond the period of instrumental records.

The Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments, a companion volume to the recently-published Encyclopedia of World Climatology, provides the reader with an entry point to the rapidly expanding field of paleoclimatology — the study of climates of the past. Highly interdisciplinary in nature, paleoclimatology integrates information from a broad array of disciplines in the geosciences, ranging from stratigraphy, geomorphology, glaciology, paleoecology, paleobotany to geochemistry and geophysics, among others. The encyclopedia offers 230 informative articles written by over 200 well known international experts on numerous subjects, ranging from classical geological evidence to the latest research. The volume is abundantly illustrated with line-drawings, black-white and color photographs. Articles are arranged alphabetically, with extensive bibliographies and cross-references.

From the reviews:

"This book is an A-Z series of entries on paleoclimatology and ancient environments. … offers a good overview of its subject matter and would be a suitable reference for any academic library that supports research in paleoclimatology and ancient environments or related fields. It would also be of interest to the general public who were interested in this subject area. … here is a chronological list of the geological time-periods as an appendix. This makes the text more accessible to the non-specialist … .” (Clari Hunt, Reference Reviews, Vol. 23 (8), 2009)

“I was very impressed by the sedimentology encyclopedia … and I had therefore great expectations of this new title. … seems to be more interesting for Quaternary geologists and climatologists … . I must conclude that the volume comprises a wealth of valuable information, and that most chapters are truly useful. … the book is well printed, most figures are instructive and well-readable, and the binding has the quality that is required for such a huge work.” (A. J. Tom van Loon, Journal of Sedimentary Research, February, 2010)

“This companion volume focuses on paleoclimatology and spans Earth’s climate history from the early Precambrian to the Little Ice Age, which ran from the 16th to the mid-19th centuries. … All articles contain excellent bibliographies leading to additional information. The work is well indexed, entries are cross-referenced, and the text is profusely illustrated with maps, graphs, and charts. Summing Up: Essential. Reference collections supporting programs in climate studies, lower-level undergraduates through professionals/practitioners, and general readers.” (J. C. Stachacz, Choice, Vol. 47 (6), February, 2010)

“The chapters of the encyclopaedia are informative … . Palaeoclimatology, palaeogeography, geomorphology, geochemistry, and several more disciplines that are important for the climatologicalreconstruction of the geological past form a wide spectrum, and the encyclopaedia is, therefore, truly comprehensive. … easy to use. … Each chapter ends with cross-references, which indicate relevant chapters on related topics. … very useful for all geoscientists. It belongs in each geoscience library.” (Dmitry A. Ruban, Geologos, Vol. 16 (2), 2010)

“The first major reference work covering the field of palaeoclimatology through the whole of Earth’s history from the early Precambrian to recent times. … the authors and editor have done a great job in making each entry accessible, creating a work that is extremely useful for providing introductions to undergraduate students approaching palaeoclimatology for the first time, or to postgraduates and academics wanting a quick explanation of an area outside of their area of expertise or an insight into how theories have developed over time.” (Jonathan R. Dean, Journal of Paleolimnology, Vol. 47, 2012)