Thin Ice: Unlocking the Secrets of Climate in the World’s Highest Mountains (John MacRae Books)
Thin Ice: Unlocking the Secrets of Climate in the World’s Highest Mountains (John MacRae Books) – Review
My son mentioned and eventually bought this book for me. At university studying ecological science he originally started as a sceptic on anthropogenic climate change. He widely read widely. This book moved him by clearly portraying the thrill of systematic discovery. Written by a physicist it describes the career of Lonnie Thomson an ice-core specialist and his research group. He had to fight bureaucracy to make to collect and analyse ice cores from the world’s hot ice fields. They have subsequently spent more time above 22,000 feet than any others. In parts it reads like a mountaineering epic such as Annapurna. But all the heroics are obviously determined by technical goals. It is a piece of team work and the thrill of discovery. They usually made the connection between prehistoric climate change and rise and fall of civilisations from ice cores dated to a particular year or even a time of a particular year. This is complementary to a more full story of rise and fall of civilisations Collapse by Jared Dimond. Bowen, being a physicist, provides a simple obvious account of carbon dioxide rise and its connection to climate change. This book collects on the science and pre-dates but underpins the latest IPCC reports on the importance of anthropogenic climate change. My son has subsequently converted to believer and is vigorously pursing a research career after being partly inspired by this book. It is a well written and gripping story of new day science which should be usually read. Thoroughly recommended.