This book provides a structured account of the full range of environments in Antarctica and of the microbial communities that live within them. Environments examined include: snow and ice; benthic marine; sea ice; lakes and streams; marginal ice; soil; the open ocean; rock. In the more extreme habitats of this region microscopic life forms constitute the entire biology of the habitat, but in all antarctic environments the microbial communities play a major and often dominant role in the transfer of carbon, nutrients and energy throughout the ecosystem. The book examines the major features of the chemical and physical environment in each habitat, and the influence of these features on the population structure and dynamics of their microbiota.
This book was first published in 2004. Wind erosion and deposition are important factors in cold climates because of the open space and scarce vegetation. Aeolian processes connected with sand drift in polar environments are similar to those in deserts but in cold environments, frost and snow also play an important role. The Arctic is characterised by strangely eroded rocks, wind-formed lakes, sand dunes and loess deposits that owe their formation to aeolian processes controlled by frost and snow cover. Wind as a Geomorphic Agent in Cold Climates presents a detailed description and explanation of these wind-generated polar landforms. It includes numerous illustrations that will assist the reader in identifying and interpreting these features; both modern-day and those preserved in the geological record. This book provides an important introduction to this area of geocryology and will form a useful reference for graduate students and researchers in a variety of fields, including
In the cold regions, freezing of the ground presents major geotechnical and environmental challenges. In Russia, oil and gas gives these regions special economic and geopolitical significance. After glasnost, it became evident that research there was more comprehensive but the problems far greater than elsewhere. This translation of a wide-ranging account of the effects of freezing and their importance for geotechnical undertakings, has been prepared by an international team of specialists. It makes available a uniquely readable and technically accurate review, especially valuable to international organisations and those involved in joint ventures. The English edition of the 16-sheet geocryological map of Russian has been prepared by the same international team. For more details please see: www.freezingground.org/map or contact Scott Polar Research Institute, (Attn. Prof. P. J. Williams), Lensfield Rd., Cambridge, CB2 1ER, UK. - or e-mail: pjw1005@cus.cam.ac.uk.
Negotiations to create an International Arctic Science Committee have increased public awareness of issues involving the Arctic. This book provides a timely review of the situation from a social, political and human standpoint and provides an in-depth study of contemporary global controversies involving the Arctic. The authors describe the military, political and socio-economic conflicts emerging in the far north and consider the interests of the four major groups involved - the military, industry, natives, and environmentalists. Possible solutions are discussed, exploring US policy options, the role of non-governmental bodies and opportunities for international cooperation in the Arctic. This book offers a comprehensive and systematic framework for understanding and responding to conflicts in the Arctic and will be essential reading for all interested in, and concerned with, this important region of the earth.
This book was first published in 2004. Wind erosion and deposition are important factors in cold climates because of the open space and scarce vegetation. Aeolian processes connected with sand drift in polar environments are similar to those in deserts but in cold environments, frost and snow also play an important role. The Arctic is characterised by strangely eroded rocks, wind-formed lakes, sand dunes and loess deposits that owe their formation to aeolian processes controlled by frost and snow cover. Wind as a Geomorphic Agent in Cold Climates presents a detailed description and explanation of these wind-generated polar landforms. It includes numerous illustrations that will assist the reader in identifying and interpreting these features; both modern-day and those preserved in the geological record. This book provides an important introduction to this area of geocryology and will form a useful reference for graduate students and researchers in a variety of fields, including
Bill Cassidy has led meteorite recovery expeditions in the Antarctic for many years. His searches have resulted in the collection of thousands of meteorite specimens from the ice. This fascinating story is a first-hand account of his field experiences on the US Antarctic Search for Meteorites Project, which he carried out as part of an international team of scientists. Cassidy describes this hugely successful field program in Antarctica and its influence on our understanding of the moon, Mars and the asteroid belt. In this 2003 book, he describes the hardships and dangers of fieldwork in a hostile environment, as well as the appreciation he developed for the beauty of the place. In the final chapters he speculates on the results of the trips and the future research they might lead to.
Areas of barren rock and scree around the edge of Antarctica provide a breeding ground for two of the continent's most well-known species of bird: the south polar skua and the Adélie penguin. This book considers the relationship between these two species, taking as its study site Ross Island. Through detailed observations of the foraging ecology of the skua, the traditional view that skuas are totally dependent on penguin eggs and chicks for food is challenged. In addition, studies of the impact of skuas on penguin breeding and the extent to which the skua breeding cycle is functionally related to that of the penguin provide further evidence to suggest that the two species occur together independently as a consequence of limited breeding space, rather than as a result of a distinct predator-prey relationship.
Ice exists in water, in air, in earth and in living organisms. The purpose of this book is to describe in mathematical, physical and biological terms, the growth and decay of ice, on a scale ranging from molecular to macroscopic. Consideration of the growth of ice in each of the above contexts provides a clearer understanding of the processes involved and results in a comprehensive overview not available elsewhere. This book will be of particular use to any graduate student, scientist or engineer requiring an introduction and reference for ice-related projects: theoretical or experimental; in the laboratory or the field.
This wide-ranging account of the life of the tundra provides a fascinating insight into the ways in which animals, plants and climate interact in an inhospitable environment. Although the tundra is not rich in species compared with habitats in the tropics or even in temperate regions, it is an area of great interest to ecologists, botanists and zoologists alike, as an excellent example of nature contending with extreme environmental stress. As a biogeographer and ecologist the author has used his firsthand experience of the Eurasian Sub-Arctic to present an overview of life on the tundra of the Soviet Northlands that has become a classic of ecological literature. The tradition of interdisciplinary studies is very strong among Soviet tundra scientists. This important book is a valuable guide to the life of the tundra and will interest all those interested in the conservation of its flora and fauna.
A modern compilation of the taxonomy, ecology and distribution of Antarctic lichen-forming fungi. The systematic accounts provide sufficient descriptive information to allow specialists to identify ta
This book is the first to describe the development of scientific activity in the Antarctic (as distinct from exploration) in all its aspects. Coverage spans three centuries, starting with Halley who laid the foundations of geophysics which was to be the principal driving force behind Antarctic science for most of its history. Although early researchers built up a picture of the main features of the Antarctic environment, the idea of science specific to the continent emerged only later. As the main disciplines of oceanography, earth sciences, the sciences of atmosphere and geospace, terrestrial biology, medicine, and conservation developed, the clear interactions between them within an Antarctic context led to the emergence of the holistic view of Antarctic science which we hold today. For anyone with an interest in the history, conservation or politics of this special part of the world, or in the history of the development of science, this book will provide a mine of information and
The Antarctic Treaty, set up in 1961 to provide a means for managing international relations in Antarctica, was reviewed in 1991. The book considers the question of the region's future with the ever growing international interest in the area as a source of important mineral resources. In this survey, a study group, brought together by the David Davies Memorial Institute of International Studies, looks at the political and environmental questions raised by the potentially conflicting interests in the Antarctic. What are the stresses, internal and external, on the Antarctic Treaty System and can it develop to cope with these? Could these stresses be resolved in a new instrument? If not, what is the likely political outlook for Antarctica? This book does not describe the components of the Antarctic Treaty System. These are discussed in The Antarctic Treaty Regime, edited by Gillian Triggs. Together, the two books will form an authoritative basis for the study of the Antarctic Treaty and
This book describes the effects of cold climates on the surface of the earth. Using scientific principles, the authors describe the evolution of ground thermal conditions and the origin of natural features such as frost heave, solifluction, slope instabilities, patterned ground, pingos and ice wedges. The thermodynamic conditions accompanying the freezing of water in porous materials are examined and their fundamental role in the ice segregation and frost heave processes is demonstrated in a clear and simple manner. This book concentrates on the analysis of the causes and effects of frozen ground phenomena, rather than on the description of the natural features characteristic of freezing or thawing ground. Its scientific approach provides a basis for geotechnical analyses such as those essential to resource development.
Arctic atmospheric pollution is now a major international issue. This volume presents the most authoritative review of this increasingly important subject for an audience of both scientists and administrators concerned with worldwide, as well as polar, pollution problems. Arctic Air Pollution is an edited collection of papers, first presented at a conference helo as the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge in 1985. Building on foundations established at earlier meetings, this volume examines the problem of Arctic air pollution in an integrated, multidisciplinary fashion, with contributions from leading authorities in chemistry, ecology, climatology and epidemiology. To chemists, physicists and climatologists, it presents scientific problems. Ecologists are concerned with environmental threats; medical researchers with potential threats to human health. International lawyers and administrators are concerned with the legal implications of pollutants transferred across continents.
