BORFAE BOOK REVIEWS

@ Boreus, Vol IS. pp 9%9Y Oslo. 1986 03 01

Viewing the scenes of palaeoclimatology

M A T I ERONEN

'Ioolcy. Michael J . & Sheail. Gillian M. (eds.) 1985. The Cli- t n a m Scent.. 306 pp. George Allen & Unwin. London. ISBN 004-551089-x. Price G B P 23.00.

Hecht. Alan D. (cd.) 1985. Puleoclimnte A n u l w i ~ utid Model- ing . U S pp. John Wilcy & Sons. New York. Price USD 63.25.

I hese two b o d s on palaeoclimatic studies have come out in the course of the present proliferation of that branch of science. The ('limurir Scene has bcen compiled in honour of the late Professor Gordon Manley. who was an eminent figure in mod- ern climatology Gordon Manley constructed the frequently cited Central England instrumental temperature record. Pal- ?or/irnare Analjsis and Modeling gives an overview of the meth- ods used in palaeoclimatic studies and a synthesis of current in- formation o f pabt climates. Both books are collections of many papcrs.

The C'lirnutic Scanr is designated as a 'volume of essays' by (;ordon Manley's pupils and colleagues. Some of the papers may bc regarded as scientific essays. but generally speaking it i s often very difficult to distinguish between reviews and essays in

Gordon hlanley's life and work are described in the intro- ductory chapter. The following three chapters are devoted to the sources of certain English long weather records. After those considerations. proxy data used in climatic reconstructions are :isscssed by H. Flohn. H. H . Lamb makes a diagnosis of some wvcrc storms which raged in the North Sea region between the late 16th and lXth centuries. J . M. Grove's article on Little Ice Agc glacier advances in Scandinavia is an extremely interesting scrutiny of different kinds of field evidence and historical docu- ments. Another interesting contribution is that by F. Oldfield and S. G. Robinson on geomagnetism and palaeoclimate. The magnetic minerals in wdiments are products of weathering and erosion processes which arc strongly influenced by climatic con- ditions. Thus changes in mineral magnetism in sediment cores can reflect changes in regional climate. Other topics discussed include characteristics of snowy seasons in Central Europe since the 16th century. peat stratigraphy and climatic change. climate and coastal changes. the effect of climate on plant dis- tributions. and weather-diseases relationships.

The emphasis in this book is very clearly oil the climatic vari- ations in Europe, especially in England As such, the volume is an important source of information.

fa/eor/imore Anulysis urid Modeling is an interdisciplinary comprehensive documentation of new research in the science of palae~iclimat(ilogy. Contrary to TIw Climatic Scene, the view- point is mohtly global and long geological climatic records arc di\cusscd in many papers. As the title suggests, there are intro- ductions to analpis of different palaeoclimatic data and to tech- niques used in palaeoclimate modelling.

At the hcginning of the book. the editor reviews the devel- opment of palaeoclimatology during the last 20 years. In the next chaprcr H. t. Lmdsherg thoroughly examines historical

ntific litcrature.

weather data and early meteorological observations. He crit- icizes the use of the term 'Little Ice Age', because that period is difficult to define and was in the first place characterized by very variable climatic conditions. Perhaps it would be better to speak about the cool katarhertnal and warm anathermal decades of the past centuries. On the other hand, it is probably impos- sible to expurgate such a handy term as 'Little Ice Age', even though the name could be considered misleading.

C. W. Stockton. W. R. Boggess, and D. M. Meko discuss in a lengthy paper how climatic information can be obtained from tree-ring data. Tree rings can be precisely dated, but the cli- matic signal is often difficult to find in the material. Modern computers and the use of sophisticated statistical techniques are necessary for the dendroclimatic constructions. A large number of climatic sensitive tree-ring series are listed by Stockton et al., hut surely there are still many others; these series are increasing a11 the time with the advance of dendrochronology. Tree-ring studies using isotopes are reviewed by M. Stuiver and R . L. Burk. Also the stable isotope measurements from tree-ring are very difficult to interpret in climatic terms.

Thompson Webb. 111. writes from palaeoclimatic reconstruc- tions based on Holocene pollen studies. Pollen data and pal- aeoclimatic maps from the American Midwest serve as an il- lustration of the methods. The COHMAP (Cooperative Holo- cene Mapping Project) programme is presented as an enterprise producing global climatic maps for the Holocene. In addition to pollen data, plant macrofossils, lake-level vari- ations, data o f glacial moraines and marine microfossils are wed in the climatic interpretations.

The ocean cores contain the longest continuous climatic rec- ords. and W. F. Ruddiman gives an account of the current state of the art of those studies. Oxygen-isotope studies from deep- \ea cores form the skeleton of the modern Quaternary strati- graphical system and provide an important basis for climatic models. The paper by Ruddiman is a good summary of the re- cent advanccs in this field.

The responses of the cryospheric system to climatic changes and ice-core temperature records are described by R. G. Barry. I t i \ shown that the relationship between climate and glaciers is very complex and that the parameterization of the cryospheric system presents a major problem in palaeoclimate modelling.

Important information for climatic reconstruction can be ob- tained from lake level variations. F. A. Street-Perrot and S. P. Harrison describe how certain lake types are sensitive to changes in precipitation and can leave behind a good record of water level fluctuations. A wide variety of research methods are used in palaeolake studies. Climatic changes affecting the water level. volume. chemistry. and biology of lakes are detect- able from geomorphological, sedimentological. geochemical, and palaeoecological studies. Past precipitation patterns are re- constructed from data networks.

The paper by B. Saltzman is an insightful approach to mod- ern palaeoclimate modelling. IIis contribution can perhaps be regarded as the core of the whole volume. It is pointed out how

BOREAS 15 (1986) Scenes of palaeoclimatology 99

Pre-Pleistocene climatic models and the future of palaeocli- matology are discussed in the final chapters by E. J. Barron and J . Imbrie, respectively.

Paleoclimate Analysis and Modeling is a milestone in palaeo- climatology. It will serve as an important source book for ad- vanced students and research scientists of Quaternary geology and many neighbouring fields.

Matti Eronen, Karelian Institute, University of Joensuu, I? 0. Box I l l , SF-80201 Joensuu, Finland; 8th January, 1986.

mathematical techniques, including often extremely compli- cated computer calculations, are required in these studies. A comprehensive simulation of long-term climatic development is still impossible at this date. The models help us to understand the interaction of different parts of the climatic system. New in- formation of the climatic variations can be obtained by testing the modelling results against field data and observations. Per- haps this is the path to the unifying theory of global climatic changes.

BOREAS BOOK REVIEWS

b@ Boreas, Vol. 15, p. 99. Oslo, 1986 03 01

An exciting textbook of Quaternary paleoclimatology JAN MANGERUD

Bradley, R. S. 1985: Quaternary Paleoclimatology. 472 pp. Al- len & Unwin, Boston, London and Sydney. Price: paperback (ISBN M4-55106%7) GBP 13.95. Also available with hard cover (GBP 30.-).

Let me first simply state that I found this to be an exciting text- book, at least half of which I read through more or less continu- ously. There are several reasons for my opinion, and I am not sure which is the most important. One is that the book is writ- ten entirely by one man, Ray Bradley, so it has the same style throughout, with not too many overlaps or inconsistencies. The book is well organized, but nevertheless comments are made here and there that point to items distant from the chapters in which they are found, and I was surprised how much space is used for the treatment of dating methods. Even though most, if not all, subjects were familiar to me from before, many of them were viewed from a slightly different angle than I am used to, and that angle was consistent throughout the book. I also ap- preciated Bradley’s critical attitude, although sometimes he is almost provocative.

The book has a subtitle, ‘Methods of paleoclimatic recon- structions’, which could in fact have been the main title. ‘Meth- ods’ to a major degree means field and laboratory methods, so much of the book is devoted to Quaternary stratigraphy, and relativelv little to e.e. climatic modelline.

climate and climatic variation and related theories, etc. Then two chapters follow on dating methods (more than 70 pages) giving a thorough introduction to most methods. This must be considered one of the best textbook presentations available. The author has devoted 50 pages to ice-cores, a fascinating new field during the last decades, but I find Bradley unbalanced both in volume and attitude if this chapter is compared with his very critical chapter on non-marine geological evidence (40 pages). Between these two chapters, marine sediments are dealt with on some 50 pages.

Nearly 120 pages have been devoted to non-marine biological evidence, including a separate chapter on pollen analysis, and a long one on dendroclimatology. There is also a chapter on his- torical data, before some concluding remarks on current status and future directions in Quaternary paleoclimatology.

All scientists working with the Quaternary must have some interest in paleoclimate, as climatic changes have played such an overwhelming role in the youngest period of the earth’s his- tory. This book bridges over many of the specialized disci- plines, and can be used as a textbook or as recommended read- ing for nearly all types of classes of Quaternary geology, pal- eoecology, archeology, etc.

- I Jan Mangerud, University of Bergen, Department of Geology, See. B, AN&. 41, N-5000 Bergen, Norway; September, 1985. After the Introduction the book has a chapter of 35 pages on