Paleoclimatology

Paleoclimatology is a review of the history of the Earth's climate from the time of its formation four-and-a-half billion years ago to the present. The field, according to John Imbrie, a leading paleontologist at Brown University, is "ripe for synthesis," with broad implications in geology, geophysics, geochemistry, oceanography, and the atmospheric sciences. This book addresses several topics rarely discussed in paleoclimate summaries, including the modeling of Paleozoic climates and the environmental consequences of asteroid impacts. In addition, the book identifies areas for future research and offers a frame of reference for interpreting the likely consequences of greenhouse warming. A new chapter has been added updating the information since 1991.