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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
December 15, 2023 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780061942549
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780061942549
- File size: 1634 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Publisher's Weekly
December 2, 2009
For decades, scientists knew that the Arctic's summer ice had been slowly shrinking, but they did not anticipate that "an enormous area" would suddenly melt away in 2007: "Explanations kept changing as the Arctic sprang new surprises." Global warming in itself was not a sufficient explanation, nor was "Arctic Oscillation," fluctuating wind patterns that create changes in atmospheric pressure. Searching for answers, Anderson, former editor-in-chief of New Scientist magazine, travelled extensively in the region-"Svalbard, Alaska, Norway, the Canadian Islands and both Coasts of Greenland"-checking out a hypothesis that the Oscillation had formed thinner surface layers, which melt more quickly. Satellite pictures, combined with underwater submarine probes, tracked the motion of the ice over several summers, allowing scientists to "follow areas of ice as they moved... and track which ice survived," chart the effects of salinity variations, and more. Anderson also meets members of the Inuit community, traditional hunter- trappers who share "troubled stories" of forced relocations, efforts to preserve self-rule, and adapting to the realities of climate change. In this fascinating, insightful overview, Anderson asserts that the days of the "iconic big beasts of the Arctic" are numbered, but remains hopeful about the Arctic's uncertain future. -
Kirkus
Starred review from October 1, 2009
New Scientist senior consultant Anderson debuts with a dazzling account of the rapidly changing Arctic environment.
Although the author lands a few punches on the near-sighted noses of those who deny global warming, he mostly ignores them and focuses on key factors in the change, significant consequences that continuing change would deliver and some good-news/bad-news ambiguities. All Arctic ice scientists and other northland specialists agree that the summer of 2007 was significant. More than 1.1 million square miles of ice turned to water, rapidly advancing the date when the Arctic could see summers virtually clear of all ice, a situation that would have dire consequences for wildlife now living in the region. Anderson begins and ends his narrative with polar bears, current monarchs of the Arctic. Without ice-ways to take them to their prey, particularly seals, they starve and retreat. Seals will also suffer, and warmer waters will bring southern fish species north, followed by the fishing boats that pursue them with such rapacity. Anderson blasts ineffectual government regulation of commercial fishing and lists the species that toothless policies have devastated. The author also examines the effects on the indigenous peoples living in the region, the geopolitics involved (who owns the Arctic? how are claims established or negotiated?), the difficulties of extracting the region's important natural resources and the potential devastation wrought by oil spills caused by greatly increased tanker traffic. The breadth of Anderson's research is exhaustive, and his conclusions are simultaneously convincing and frightening.
A satisfying blend of graceful writing, riveting data, troubling paradoxes, alarming possibilities and chilling scenarios.(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
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Library Journal
January 15, 2010
Offering a fascinating look at the multifaceted effects of changing climate in the Arctic, Anderson, a distinguished science journalist and former editor of (and now senior consultant to) "New Scientist" magazine, summarizes his approach by noting that while science provides the heart of the future, people and creatures form the soul. Instead of stressing narrow topics, he presents a comprehensive, integrated portrait of the environmental, cultural, and geopolitical transformations occurring now and in the future. Examples of his appealing style include descriptions of reindeer herders in northern Russia in the vicinity of a major gas field, the stench of walrus breath, and the ecological consequences of replacing the polar bear with the killer whale at the top of the Arctic food chain. The description of how a shift in ocean temperature led Greenlanders to begin dancing the tango is a keeper. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers interested in a clear and balanced global view of climate change but without the usual hysteria.Roland Brosemer, Washington State Univ., PullmanCopyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Booklist
December 15, 2009
Anderson, a biologist and former editor in chief for New Scientist, was thrilled to see his first polar bear on his first trip to the High Arctic, until a colleague pointed out that the bear was starving to death. Endangered polar bears are emblematic of the drastic changes under way in the Arctic, but there are many more stories to tell about this land in flux. Anderson traveled far and wide, speaking with reindeer herders, hunters, and dozens of experts in diverse fields, piecing together the most panoramic picture yet of this crucial region. Delving into Arctic history, he offers fresh insights into the traditions of indigenous people and the consequences of Arctic exploration, colonization, exploitation, and pollution; and he is equally adept at parsing the growing international scramble for the Arctics oil, gas, and minerals. With measurements from satellites and submarines quantifying the rapid shrinking of Arctic ice, Anderson joins the call to reduce carbon emissions to slow global warming. Inquisitive, cogent, and compelling, Anderson shares his findings, concerns, and fascination with this vulnerable place of profound and diverse beauty.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)
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