Ice Age by A Very Short Introduction

The Ice Age: A Very Short Introduction by Jamie Woodward is a book that examines the wonders of the Quaternary ice age. It looks at evidence from the continents, the oceans, and the ice core records, as well as the human stories behind it.

The book covers the history of the discovery of the cycle of ice ages, the people behind it, and what causes the Earth to cycle from extended periods of a cooler ice age to a warmer interglacial and back again.

The book begins by describing the nature of the Quaternary in terms of landforms, flora, and fauna. It then explores some of the puzzles facing geologists in the early 19th century and how the social element in debates was important.

t also covers the development of the Glacial Theory, its initial rejection and final acceptance. Chapters 7 to 9 cover the nature and causes of Ice Age climate and what we have learned in the 20th and 21st centuries about Ice Age climate from a wide range of sources.

The book provides insight into the large-scale processes that change our global climate. It also explains why the Ice Age theory was initially rejected and how it was eventually accepted.

It also looks at the tremendous advances in Quaternary climate studies that came about as the result of isotopic analysis of marine sediments and other sources.

Overall, The Ice Age: A Very Short Introduction is an informative and engaging book that provides a comprehensive overview of the Ice Age. It is a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating period in Earth’s history.

Useful Takeaways

• Examines the wonders of the Quaternary ice age (which I knew about from “general science at museums & documentaries, etc” but didn’t really understand)
• Looks at evidence from the continents, the oceans, and the ice core records. The amazing bit is that they all independently tell the same story – that’s how we can tell causation from simple correlation
• Covers the history of the discovery of the cycle of ice ages – and how people figured this out….before computers, satellites, etc
• Explains why the Ice Age theory was initially rejected and how it was eventually accepted
• Looks at the tremendous advances in Quaternary climate studies that came about as the result of isotopic analysis of marine sediments and other sources

What I Liked

The Very Short Introduction series of books is always simply brilliant. They are exactly what their name says – and it’s great for topics that I sort of want to know about…but don’t want to track down the “best” book on the topic, or wade through a college textbook.

I loved how the author connected the Ice Age to current, real-world geography (like the Great Lakes…and how there are Balsam / Fir trees in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park).

It did a fabulous job of putting the current warming in context – both in time and in degree (pun intended). In short, Earth has warming / cooling cycles. The previous cooling cycle was a very big deal…and it cooled less than the Earth is on track to warm within the next 50 years…instead of over the course of 1000s of years.

What I Did Not Like

Not a whole lot – this book was especially readable and accessible. Some of the discussions of Quaternary, etc get confusing, so it could have used a timeline at the beginning of the book.

Find this book at your local library or at Amazon.