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\"The Nile Basin contains a record of human activities spanning the last million years. However, the interactions between prehistoric humans and environmental changes in this area are complex and often poorly understood. This comprehensive book explains in clear, non-technical terms how prehistoric environments can be reconstructed, with examples drawn from every part of the Nile Basin. Adopting a source-to-sink approach, the book integrates events in the Nile headwaters with the record from marine sediment cores in the Nile Delta and offshore. It provides a detailed record of past environmental changes throughout the Nile Basin and concludes with a review of the causes and consequences of plant and animal domestication in this region and of the various prehistoric migrations out of Africa into Eurasia and beyond. A comprehensive overview, this book is ideal for researchers in geomorphology, climatology and archaeology.\"--back cover

\"This volume commemorates the eclectic research of Douglas James Shearman into evaporites, which was initiated by his studies of the prograding UAE coastal sabkhas or salt flats that incorporate evaporite minerals which displace and replace earlier carbonate sediments. His subsequent proselytization of the study of ancient evaporites in sedimentary sections all over the world led to fundamental advances in our understanding of arid zone carbonate sedimentology. The papers presented here are based on presentations made in Abu Dhabi, UAE 12-14th October 2004 and 7th -8th November 2006. They provide a retrospective from the 1960's and 70's of Holocene evaporites and carbonates, recapturing Shearman's contribution by revisiting the Holocene coastal evaporite and carbonate sediments of the Arabian/Persian Gulf from Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Oman. The first set of papers considers these sediments from the perspective of their coastal geomorphology, sedimentary character and their geochemistry. Later papers examine the significance of these settings in the ancient geological section world-wide, including examples from the Mesozoic-Cenozoic of the Moroccan Atlantic margin and the Upper Jurassic Arab Formation of the Arabian Gulf\"--

Late Quaternary Environments of the Soviet Union was first published in 1984. In the late 1970s American and Russian scientists met twice in conferences on Quaternary paleoclimates sponsored by the U.S.-U.S.S.R. Bilateral Agreement on the Environment. The conferees agreed to prepare volumes summarizing the current status of research in the two countries. Late Quaternary Environments of the Soviet Union provides the first comprehensive summary of modern research on virtually all aspects of the Late Quaternary environmental history in the Soviet Union. The Late Quaternary of the Soviet Union includes the last interglacial period - about 125,000 years of geologic time. The pronounced climatic changes of the Late Quaternary brought about not only fluctuations of ice sheets and mountain glaciers but also shifts in the levels of lakes and seas, in the extent of the permafrost and wind-borne deposits, in the distribution of environmentally sensitive plants and animals, and in the development of human cultures. These are some of the research areas covered in this book by Soviet specialists in the earth sciences, paleoecology, and paleoclimatology. Their 30 papers on Late Quaternary environmental history cover the vast territory from the Russian plain to the maritime region of the Soviet Far East, and from the Arctic coast to the Black Sea and the high mountains of Central Asia. Much of this research has been accomplished only within the last three decades, during the exploration and development of the natural resources of the country, especially in distant parts of Siberia. Because the Soviet Union occupies so much of Eurasia’s temperate zone, information on its environmental history not only greatly expands out geological and climatological knowledge of the world but also allows us to make enlightening comparisons with the history of the North American continent. Scientists in all branches of Quaternary studies will find this book a valuable source of data heretofore largely unavailable in the West. Its usefulness is further enhanced by an introduction that synthesizes the volume’s contents, prepared by the English-language editors. The companion volumes of the Late Quaternary in the United States are also published by the University of Minnesota Press.

Paleoclimatology: Reconstructing Climates of the Quaternary, Third Edition-winner of a 2015 Textbook Excellence Award (Texty) from The Text and Academic Authors Association-provides a thorough overview of the methods of paleoclimatic reconstruction and of the historical changes in climate during the past three million years. This thoroughly updated and revised edition systematically examines each type of proxy and elucidates the major attributes and the limitations of each. Paleoclimatology, Third Edition provides necessary context for those interested in understanding climate changes at present and how current trends in climate compare with changes that have occurred in the past. The text is richly illustrated and includes an extensive bibliography for further research. Winner of a 2015 Texty Award from the Text and Academic Authors AssociationA comprehensive overview of the methods of paleoclimate reconstruction, and the record of past changes in climate during the last ~3 million yearsAddresses all the techniques used in paleoclimatic reconstruction from climate proxiesWith full-color throughout, and thoroughly revised chapters on dating methods, climate forcing, ice cores, marine sediments, pollen analysis, dendroclimatology, and historical recordsIncludes new chapters on speleothems, loess, and lake sedimentsMore than 1,000 new references and 190 new figures Essential reading for those interested in how present trends in climate compare with changes that have occurred in the past

The Quaternary, which spans approximately the last 2 million years, is characterized by dramatic environmental changes, commonly known as the \"ice age\". During this period, man with his manifold cultures evolved. Attempts at dating these events as accurately as possible have made great progress. The broad spectrum of physical and chemical dating methods, now available for dating human artifacts and Quaternary rocks, is becoming increasingly difficult to grasp. In this book the various chronometric techniques are comprehensively and intelligibly treated. By means of numerous case studies, taken from archaeology and Quaternary geology, the potential and limitation of these techniques are demonstrated. The book is intended mainly for scientists and students of these fields, but the interested layman may also find its rewarding.

During the later part of the last century there was rapid development of the study and understanding of the changing environments of the last 2 million years. This came to provide a firm background for today’s knowledge of the significance and importance of climatic change. Interdisciplinary research has been a prominent, if not essential, contributor to the successes achieved. In illustration of this connection, this volume describes here such developments in the University of Cambridge. In 1948 the University established a Subdepartment of Quaternary Research, with teaching and research activities covering geological, biological and archaeological topics. An interdisciplinary approach was an essential ingredient, and the research covered both terrestrial and marine spheres. The book traces the history of Quaternary research in Britain and Ireland, particularly the continental influences which stimulated research and indeed led to the establishment of the Subdepartment.The early years of the Subdepartment were an exceptionally exciting time for Quaternary researchers. This period saw the development of radiocarbon dating and of marine geochemical studies, together with the improvement of interpretation of palaeobotanical data, and the consequent incorporation of a vast accession of new information relating to these subjects. Stratigraphy, the binding topic of Quaternary research, became much better understood: first, in the terrestrial sphere with the formulation of divisions of the Quaternary based on accepted geological principles and providing a measure of the passage of time to students of the several disciplines involved, including landscape history, ecosystem history and archaeology, and secondly in the marine sphere a formulation of units defined by isotope studies.The organisation of the Subdepartment and the problems of developing interdisciplinary science are considered. An important aspect is the variety of staff and students involved in interdisciplinary research and teaching. In order to give a complete an account as possible of the activities of the Subdepartment, a listing of staff and students and their interests is compiled, which I think is necessary to give a rounded view of the Subdepartment as a whole.Research topics and their development are considered one-by-one, and the numbers of publications in each sphere are summarised over the life of the Subdepartment, giving a clear view of how research developed over the period of 45 years. These activities were brought to an end in 1994, with the dissolution of the Subdepartment, which is described, together with a discussion of achievements and the voicing of some reflections.In a final part, I take a wider view of the history of Quaternary research, with aspects of geology and biology considered, together with notes on the Quaternary community, research support and journals.

Examines the various forms of evidence used to establish the history and scale of environmenal changes during the Quaternary. The evidence is extremely diverse, ranging from landforms and sediments to fossil assemblages and isotope ratios, bringing the book fully up to date since its last publication.