After the Ice
Life, Death and Politics in the New Arctic
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- 14,99 €
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- 14,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
We all now know that the arctic is the canary in the coal mine of climate change, but that is only part of the story. As Alun Anderson reveals in this fascinating book, the melting snow and ice are now giving way to a much bigger story of battles over vast deposits of gas, oil and minerals, arguments over control of new sea lanes and disputes over access to huge new, untapped fisheries in rich, warming seas. The arctic has become a new frontier, where the future wealth and power of northern nations - including Britain - is being fought out today.
From the titanium Russian flag that now sits on the sea bed beneath the North Pole to disagreements over where Greenland starts and ends, this is a topic that is only going to become more important. This compelling book reveals the full story of what is happening today in this most important of regions and what needs to be done to preserve it for all humanity - but also shows how the arctic will have its own revenge if we're unable to find a solution now.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.