Reconstructing Quaternary Environments

by John J. Lowe, Mike J. Walker

This third edition of "Reconstructing Quaternary Environments" has been completely revised and updated to provide a new account of the history and scale of environmental changes during the Quaternary. The evidence is extremely diverse ranging from landforms and sediments to fossil assemblages and geochemical data, and includes new data from terrestrial, marine and ice-core records. Dating methods are described and evaluated, while the principles and practices of Quaternary stratigraphy are also discussed. The volume concludes with a new chapter which considers some of the key questions about the nature, causes and consequences of global climatic and environmental change over a range of temporal scales. This synthesis builds on the methods and approaches described earlier in the book to show how a number of exciting ideas that have emerged over the last two decades are providing new insights into the operation of the global earth-ocean-atmosphere system, and are now central to many areas of contemporary Quaternary research.

This comprehensive and dynamic textbook is richly illustrated throughout with full-colour figures and photographs. The book will be of interest to undergraduates, postgraduates and professionals in Earth Science, Environmental Science, Physical Geography, Geology, Botany, Zoology, Ecology, Archaeology and Anthropology

Genres: Geology

568 pages, Hardcover

First published November 19, 1984

Reviews

[Sierra Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very dense textbook that relies heavily on the reader's preexisting knowledge of geology, biology, chemistry, and ecology. However, when paired with an effective lecturer, it becomes easier to digest the information. Lowe and Walker are well-renowned in Quaternary science and this text sets the stage for the basis of paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Though at times it was challenging to read, this is an excellent textbook for understanding how environments are reconstructed with different proxies and why this is a significant field.