num_pages: 304
description: Volcanic dust climate change tsunamis earthquakesgeoscience explores phenomena that profoundly affect our lives. But more than that as Doug Macdougall makes clear the science also provides important clues to the future of the planet. In an entertaining and accessibly written narrative Macdougall gives an overview of Earths astonishing history based on information extracted from rocks ice cores and other natural archives. He explores such questions as: What is the risk of an asteroid striking Earth? Why does the temperature of the ocean millions of years ago matter today? How are efforts to predict earthquakes progressing? Macdougall also explains the legacy of greenhouse gases from Earths past and shows how that legacy shapes our understanding of todays human-caused climate change. We find that geoscience in fact illuminates many of todays most pressing issuesthe availability of energy access to fresh water sustainable agriculture maintaining biodiversityand we discover how by applying new technologies and ideas we can use it to prepare for the future.
language: English
title: Why Geology Matters: Decoding the Past, Anticipating the Future
publisher: University of California Press