Burlington Public Library MA

The oceans, a deep history, Eelco J. Rohling

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-249) and index

illustrationsmaps

index present

non fiction

The oceans

bibliography

983825045

Eelco J. Rohling

a deep history

"The 4.4-billion-year history of the oceans and their role in Earth's climate system. It has often been said that we know more about the moon than we do about our own oceans. In fact, we know a great deal more about the oceans than many people realize. Scientists know that our actions today are shaping the oceans and climate of tomorrow--and that if we continue to act recklessly, the consequences will be dire. In this timely and accessible book, Eelco Rohling traces the 4.4 billion-year history of Earth's oceans while also shedding light on the critical role they play in our planet's climate system. Beginning with the formation of primeval Earth and the earliest appearance of oceans, Rohling takes readers on a journey through prehistory to the present age, vividly describing the major events in the ocean's evolution--from snowball and greenhouse Earth to the end-Permian mass extinction, the breakup of the Pangaea supercontinent, and the changing climate of today. Along the way, he explores the close interrelationships of the oceans, climate, solid Earth processes, and life, using the context of Earth and ocean history to provide perspective on humankind's impacts on the health and habitability of our planet--and on what the future may hold for us. An invaluable introduction to the cutting-edge science of paleoceanography, The Oceans enables you to make your own informed opinions about the environmental challenges we face as a result of humanity's unrelenting drive to exploit the world ocean and its vital resources."--Publisher's website

1. Introduction -- 2. Origins. Building a planet, shaping the oceans ; Water, salt, and circulation ; Life, oxygen, and carbon -- 3. Controls on change. Orbital and solar changes ; Greenhouse gases ; Plate tectonics ; Impacts -- 4. Snowball Earth and the explosions of life. Into the freezer ; Out of the freezer, into a greenhouse ; A tale of two explosions ; Reverberations -- 5. Oceans on acid. About acidification ; Acidification in action -- 6. The age of reptiles. Choking oceans ; Salty giants -- 7. Winter is coming. Reconstructing sea-level change ; The great northern ice ages ; Ocean controls on CO₂ ; A seesaw in the ocean -- 8. Future oceans and climate. Our carbon emissions ; Consequences -- Epilogue