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Climate, past, present and future, Vol. 2, Climatic history and the future
Agricultural Meteorology, 20(1 979) 427--428
427
© Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands
B o o k Review
Climate, Past, Present and Future, Vol. 2, Climatic History and the Future. H. H. Lamb. Methuen, London, 1977, 835 pp., £38.00. Since the publication of the first volume of Professor Lamb's major work in 1972, the companion volume has been eagerly awaited. Vol. 1 dealt mainly with the mechanisms and present-day patterns of climate, with some discussion of climatic variability, whereas Vol. 2 is concerned primarily with past climates, with a relatively short section on the future. Although five years between volumes appears a very long time, one can well understand the reasons when the enormous magnitude of the task which Professor Lamb set himself is appreciated. He states in the introduction to Vol. 2 that had he foreseen that the two volumes would take 12 years to complete; he d o u b t s whether he would have seen it through. We can only extend our gratitude that someone of such standing as Professor Lamb has succeeded in the daunting task of assembling such an extraordinarily diverse range of interdisciplinary material, which is characteristic of studies of climatic change. Although the subtitle mentions b o t h climatic history and the future, only t w o of the nine chapters deal with the latter aspect, and the bulk of the volume's 835 pages are concerned with climates of the past. After a relatively brief introduction describing the evolution of man's awareness of climatic change, Professor Lamb launches into a very long, wide-ranging chapter, which occupies the next 259 pages, describing the various kinds of evidence of past climates. The breadth of subject matter encountered is huge, ranging from physical scientific methods such as oxygen isotope ratios, through biological sources such as pollen analysis and dendroclimatology, to archaeological e~ridence of human migrations, historical records and weather logs. An extremely useful section in this chapter describes in considerable detail the various dating m e t h o d s at present in use. Chapters 14 to 18 deal with the climatic patterns and variations inferred from such evidence. It is in this sphere, the reconstruction and interpretation of past climatic patterns, that Professor Lamb is internationally eminent, and this is u n d o u b t e d l y apparent in the authoritative treatment of these chapters. The pre-Quaternary era is treated only briefly, b u t chapters on the Quaternary Ice Ages and interglacials, post-glacial times, historical times, and the climate since instrument records began, form the real substance of the book, occupying 240 pages, with an invaluable appendix of historical climatic data. The future, although appearing over-prominently on the cover, is, in comparison with the previous sections, dealt with rather cursorilly, covering man-made climatic changes and climatic forecasting. An appendix presents
42S
details of published climatic forecasts with occasional comments by the author, but the physical basis of many of these forecasts is at best dubious and one would wish for a greater critical assessment of their validity. Although Professor Lamb is to be congratulated on producing a most scholarly text, with a particularly comprehensive reference list, at a time when research into every aspect of climatic change appears to be rapidly accelerating, there is one major drawback. The b o o k is much too long. This makes reading it a formidable proposition, and contributes to the very high price, even by today's inflated standards, of £38. Unfortunately this immediately relegates it to a background reference b o o k for most students and researchers. And even libraries are likely to think twice and swallow hard before ordering, at such a price. The considerable overlap which perhaps unavoidably in some cases exists between chapters, and the confusing detail and footnotes which often intrude, could be quite severely pruned without detriment to the academic standard. One can readily understand the temptation during so long a gestation period, to include as much material as possible, but greater selectivity would und o u b t e d l y have improved the readability. A reduction in length would also have considerably reduced the price, ensuring a wider audience than the volume will at present achieve. The standard of production is unquestionably very high, matching the scholarly standard of the text. Misprints and errors, apart from minor caption mistakes, are virtually absent, which is remarkable in such a lengthy and complex volume. Despite these criticisms, Professor Lamb has produced a work which will u n d o u b t e d l y and rightly assume its position as the major reference work on climatic change. The long wait for Vol. 2 has been well worth-while. DEREK O. LEE
(London)
427
© Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands
B o o k Review
Climate, Past, Present and Future, Vol. 2, Climatic History and the Future. H. H. Lamb. Methuen, London, 1977, 835 pp., £38.00. Since the publication of the first volume of Professor Lamb's major work in 1972, the companion volume has been eagerly awaited. Vol. 1 dealt mainly with the mechanisms and present-day patterns of climate, with some discussion of climatic variability, whereas Vol. 2 is concerned primarily with past climates, with a relatively short section on the future. Although five years between volumes appears a very long time, one can well understand the reasons when the enormous magnitude of the task which Professor Lamb set himself is appreciated. He states in the introduction to Vol. 2 that had he foreseen that the two volumes would take 12 years to complete; he d o u b t s whether he would have seen it through. We can only extend our gratitude that someone of such standing as Professor Lamb has succeeded in the daunting task of assembling such an extraordinarily diverse range of interdisciplinary material, which is characteristic of studies of climatic change. Although the subtitle mentions b o t h climatic history and the future, only t w o of the nine chapters deal with the latter aspect, and the bulk of the volume's 835 pages are concerned with climates of the past. After a relatively brief introduction describing the evolution of man's awareness of climatic change, Professor Lamb launches into a very long, wide-ranging chapter, which occupies the next 259 pages, describing the various kinds of evidence of past climates. The breadth of subject matter encountered is huge, ranging from physical scientific methods such as oxygen isotope ratios, through biological sources such as pollen analysis and dendroclimatology, to archaeological e~ridence of human migrations, historical records and weather logs. An extremely useful section in this chapter describes in considerable detail the various dating m e t h o d s at present in use. Chapters 14 to 18 deal with the climatic patterns and variations inferred from such evidence. It is in this sphere, the reconstruction and interpretation of past climatic patterns, that Professor Lamb is internationally eminent, and this is u n d o u b t e d l y apparent in the authoritative treatment of these chapters. The pre-Quaternary era is treated only briefly, b u t chapters on the Quaternary Ice Ages and interglacials, post-glacial times, historical times, and the climate since instrument records began, form the real substance of the book, occupying 240 pages, with an invaluable appendix of historical climatic data. The future, although appearing over-prominently on the cover, is, in comparison with the previous sections, dealt with rather cursorilly, covering man-made climatic changes and climatic forecasting. An appendix presents
42S
details of published climatic forecasts with occasional comments by the author, but the physical basis of many of these forecasts is at best dubious and one would wish for a greater critical assessment of their validity. Although Professor Lamb is to be congratulated on producing a most scholarly text, with a particularly comprehensive reference list, at a time when research into every aspect of climatic change appears to be rapidly accelerating, there is one major drawback. The b o o k is much too long. This makes reading it a formidable proposition, and contributes to the very high price, even by today's inflated standards, of £38. Unfortunately this immediately relegates it to a background reference b o o k for most students and researchers. And even libraries are likely to think twice and swallow hard before ordering, at such a price. The considerable overlap which perhaps unavoidably in some cases exists between chapters, and the confusing detail and footnotes which often intrude, could be quite severely pruned without detriment to the academic standard. One can readily understand the temptation during so long a gestation period, to include as much material as possible, but greater selectivity would und o u b t e d l y have improved the readability. A reduction in length would also have considerably reduced the price, ensuring a wider audience than the volume will at present achieve. The standard of production is unquestionably very high, matching the scholarly standard of the text. Misprints and errors, apart from minor caption mistakes, are virtually absent, which is remarkable in such a lengthy and complex volume. Despite these criticisms, Professor Lamb has produced a work which will u n d o u b t e d l y and rightly assume its position as the major reference work on climatic change. The long wait for Vol. 2 has been well worth-while. DEREK O. LEE
(London)