Volcanic dust, climate change, tsunamis, earthquakes—geoscience explores phenomena that profoundly affect our lives. But more than that, as Doug Macdougall makes clear, the science also provides important clues to the future of the planet. In an entertaining and accessibly written narrative, Macdougall gives an overview of Earth’s astonishing history based on information extracted from rocks, ice cores, and other natural archives. He explores such questions as: What is the risk of an asteroid striking Earth? Why does the temperature of the ocean millions of years ago matter today? How are efforts to predict earthquakes progressing? Macdougall also explains the legacy of greenhouse gases from Earth’s past and shows how that legacy shapes our understanding of today’s human-caused climate change. We find that geoscience in fact illuminates many of today’s most pressing issues—the availability of energy, access to fresh water, sustainable agriculture, maintaining biodiversity—and we discover how, by applying new technologies and ideas, we can use it to prepare for the future.
This is a highly readable account of the nature of ice ages throughout earth's history and the evolution of their scientific understanding since the introduction of the term by Louis Agassiz in the 1830s. The shifts in opinion on the merits of the various explanations of ice ages traced by Macdougall make fascinating reading."—Roger Barry, Director, National Snow and Ice Data Center "Frozen Earth is a thorough and compelling account of the history of ice on earth and of the scientists who uncovered the extraordinary role that ice ages have played in shaping our world."—Gabrielle Walker, author of Snowball Earth "A fascinating and important read."—Jack Repcheck, author of The Man Who Found Time "Macdougall takes us on a fascinating journey through the realm of ice age science. He deciphers some of the basic mysteries of the bitter climatic regimes that have gripped the earth in the past and will probably grip it again in the future. This engrossing book has important lessons for anyone concerned with global warming and future climatic change."—Brian Fagan, author of The Little Ice Age
A gripping tale of exploration aboard H.M.S. Challenger, an expedition that laid the foundations for modern oceanography From late 1872 to 1876, H.M.S. Challenger explored the world’s oceans. Conducting deep sea soundings, dredging the ocean floor, recording temperatures, observing weather, and collecting biological samples, the expedition laid the foundations for modern oceanography. Following the ship’s naturalists and their discoveries, earth scientist Doug Macdougall engagingly tells a story of Victorian-era adventure and ties these early explorations to the growth of modern scientific fields. In this lively story of discovery, hardship, and humor, Macdougall examines the work of the expedition’s scientists, especially the naturalist Henry Moseley, who rigorously categorized the flora and fauna of the islands the ship visited, and the legacy of John Murray, considered the father of modern oceanography. Macdougall explores not just the expedition itself but also the iconic place that H.M.S. Challenger has achieved in the annals of ocean exploration and science.
A lucid and engaging account of the scientific revolution that changed the way we think about our planet and ourselves."—James Lawrence Powell, author of Grand Canyon and Mysteries of Terra Firma
Doug Mayberry is a nationally syndicated lifestyle columnist for Creators Syndicate. This is a collection of the very best of Dear Doug from January to June of 2014.
A gripping tale of exploration aboard H.M.S. Challenger, an expedition that laid the foundations for modern oceanography From late 1872 to 1876, H.M.S. Challenger explored the world's oceans. Conducting deep sea soundings, dredging the ocean floor, recording temperatures, observing weather, and collecting biological samples, the expedition laid the foundations for modern oceanography. Following the ship's naturalists and their discoveries, earth scientist Doug Macdougall engagingly tells a story of Victorian-era adventure and ties these early explorations to the growth of modern scientific fields. In this lively story of discovery, hardship, and humor, Macdougall examines the work of the expedition's scientists, especially the naturalist Henry Moseley, who rigorously categorized the flora and fauna of the islands the ship visited, and the legacy of John Murray, considered the father of modern oceanography. Macdougall explores not just the expedition itself but also the iconic place that H.M.S. Challenger has achieved in the annals of ocean exploration and science.
Volcanic dust, climate change, tsunamis, earthquakes—geoscience explores phenomena that profoundly affect our lives. But more than that, as Doug Macdougall makes clear, the science also provides important clues to the future of the planet. In an entertaining and accessibly written narrative, Macdougall gives an overview of Earth’s astonishing history based on information extracted from rocks, ice cores, and other natural archives. He explores such questions as: What is the risk of an asteroid striking Earth? Why does the temperature of the ocean millions of years ago matter today? How are efforts to predict earthquakes progressing? Macdougall also explains the legacy of greenhouse gases from Earth’s past and shows how that legacy shapes our understanding of today’s human-caused climate change. We find that geoscience in fact illuminates many of today’s most pressing issues—the availability of energy, access to fresh water, sustainable agriculture, maintaining biodiversity—and we discover how, by applying new technologies and ideas, we can use it to prepare for the future.
In this engrossing and accessible book, Doug Macdougall explores the causes and effects of ice ages that have gripped our planet throughout its history, from the earliest known glaciation—nearly three billion years ago—to the present. Following the development of scientific ideas about these dramatic events, Macdougall traces the lives of many of the brilliant and intriguing characters who have contributed to the evolving understanding of how ice ages come about. As it explains how the great Pleistocene Ice Age has shaped the earth's landscape and influenced the course of human evolution, Frozen Earth also provides a fascinating look at how science is done, how the excitement of discovery drives scientists to explore and investigate, and how timing and chance play a part in the acceptance of new scientific ideas. Macdougall describes the awesome power of cataclysmic floods that marked the melting of the glaciers of the Pleistocene Ice Age. He probes the chilling evidence for "Snowball Earth," an episode far back in the earth's past that may have seen our planet encased in ice from pole to pole. He discusses the accumulating evidence from deep-sea sediment cores, as well as ice cores from Greenland and the Antarctic, that suggests fast-changing ice age climates may have directly impacted the evolution of our species and the course of human migration and civilization. Frozen Earth also chronicles how the concept of the ice age has gripped the imagination of scientists for almost two centuries. It offers an absorbing consideration of how current studies of Pleistocene climate may help us understand earth's future climate changes, including the question of when the next glacial interval will occur.
Humanity is running out of time. Ariyl Moro, superstrong amazon from the 22nd century, has changed history again...and again...as Earth’s climate ricochets from hothouse planet to ice age. Ariyl and her main squeeze, historian David Preston, have to travel through time and fight to restore her lost utopia...while battling Civil War assassins and Roman gladiators...and solving a deadly mystery in 1933 Hollywood. Sci-fi meets romantic comedy with sword-swinging adventure!
This work tracks every move in the Kinks' career. With the help of band members, Doug Hinman has reconstructed their meteoric rise to fame in the early 60s through its dissolution and revival in the 70s, stadium success in the 80s, and an apparently final breakdown in the late 90s
Writing with anger but with a deep affection for the trade, he examines the growing economic pressures within the industry, the roots of the managerial revolution, and the impact of marketplace journalism on the operation of the newsroom and employee morale.
Nestled in the hills of scenic western Pennsylvania, the borough of Indiana is a center of learning and the seat of county government. Incorporated in 1816, the borough lies in the heart of the state's bituminous coal region. Indiana has been home to a wide variety of industries and businesses, from breweries and lumber companies to higher education and Christmas tree farms. Among thousands of successful families and individuals, Indiana is famous as the home of actor Jimmy Stewart, Gov. John S. Fishe, and author Ed Abbey. Indiana, Pennsylvania is a compilation of stunning photographs that reveal a historical community. Included in this valuable history are the secret connections to the Underground Railroad, the arrival of electricity and telephones, the first automobiles, and the last Civil War veteran. Indiana, Pennsylvania also features many parts of the borough that have vanished, such as Indiana's early buildings and most of the old downtown hotels.
‘In 1993, Manning Clark came under severe (posthumous) attack in the pages of Quadrant by none other than Peter Ryan, who had published five of the six volumes of Clark’s epic A History of Australia. In applying what he called “an overdue axe to a tall poppy”, Ryan lambasted the History as “an imposition on Australian credulity” and declared its author a fraud, both as a historian and a person. This unprecedented public assault by a publisher on his best-selling author was a sensation at the time and remains lodged in the public memory. In History Wars, Doug Munro forensically examines the right and wrongs of Ryan’s allegations, concluding that Clark was more sinned against than sinning and that Ryan repeatedly misrepresented the situation. More than just telling a story, Munro places the Ryan-Clark controversy within the context of Australia’s History Wars. This book is an illuminating saga of that ongoing contest.’ — James Curran, University of Sydney ‘The Ryan-Clark controversy … speaks to the place of Manning Clark in Australia’s national imagination. Had Ryan taken his axe to another historian, it’s unlikely that we would be still talking about it 30 years later. But Clark was the author and keeper of Australia’s national story, however imperfect his scholarship and however blinkered that story. Few, if any, historians in the Anglo-American world have occupied the space that Clark occupied by dint of will, force of personality, and felicity of pen.’ — Donald Wright, University of New Brunswick
Fire ecology is a scientific discipline concerned with natural processes involving fire in an ecosystem and the ecological effects, the interactions between fire and the abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem, and the role of fire as an ecosystem process.
Taking something away from others — their possessions, their dignity, their liberty, their lives — is the root of taboo. All the stories in this, the fourth collection of tales from Plan B Magazine, touch on what happens when people put their will above that of others. Sometimes it’s amusing, other times heartbreaking, but it no matter what, someone’s day won’t be going according to plan. Table of Contents “Old Friends” by Frank Byrns “Write Your Epitaph” by Laird Long “An Unexpected Invitation” by Daniel Marshall Wood “Bad John” by Adam Howe “Death by Fiction” by J. M. Vogel “The Chunk” by Michael McGlade “The Basement” by MJ Gardner “The Bulldog Ant is Not a Team Player” by Dan Stout “The Mystery of the Missing Puskat” by Lavie Tidhar “Other Wishes” by Richard Zwicker “Afterwards” by Jeff Poole “The World’s Best Coffee” by C. D. Reimer “Zero Sum Game” by Doug J. Black
The Magarini Settlement Project in Kenya is typical of many large Third World rural development projects of recent years, not least in its failure to fulfil even minimum goals. First published in 1991, Development in Practice explores the reasons for this projects failure, and looks at the lessons to be learned from this experience for development in general. Challenging many assumptions and approaches, its provocative conclusions will generate much interest amongst development practitioners.
Through the last half of the nineteenth century, numbers of Canadians began to regard the West as a land of ideal opportuniy for large-scale agricultural settlement. This belief, in turn, led Canada to insist on ownership of the region and on immediate development. Underlying the expansionist movement was the assumption that the West was to be a hinterland to central Canada, both in its economic relationship and in its cultural development. But settlers who accepted the extravagant promises of expanionism found it increasingly difficult to reconcile the assumption of easstern dominance with their own perception of the needs of the West and of Canada. Doug Owram analyses the various phases of this development, examining in particular the writings - historical, scientific, journalistic, and promotional - that illuminate one of the most significant movements in the history of nineteenth-century Canada.
Why do millions of people attend the victory parades of winning sports teams, travel across the world to attend a carnival, march and chant for social justice, cheer homecoming soldiers, or watch enraptured as a princess or celebrity rides in a stately coach to their wedding? The author answers these questions and more in this unique examination of the great parades and processions of history. Part chronology, part social history, this book outlines why parades are more than the simplistic, ephemeral entertainment we sometimes assume them to be, as people are often deeply affected by regalia, costumes and uniforms, dances and floats. The book traces the fascinating origins and development of carnival parades, religious processions, protest marches, victory parades, circus parades, parade floats, ship sail-pasts and aerial fly-pasts.
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