Environmental change in the Pacific Basin
Subtitle: chronologies, causes, consequences
By: Patrick D. Nunn.
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 1999
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 357
Subjects: Oceanography -- Pacific Area.; Climatic changes -- Pacific Area.; Paleoecology -- Pacific Area.
Description: This book focuses on the Pacific Basin, a vast region which can be considered a microcosm of the entire surface of the Earth and which has suffered from being marginalized in most accounts of Earth-surface processes and phenomena. In this book, the Pacific Basin includes the Pacific Ocean and Islands and also the Pacific Rim which is divided into the subregions of Antarctica, South America, Central America, North America, Beringia, East Asia and Australasia.

The effects of human activities on most Pacific Basin environments began to be registered only during the Holocene - the last 12,000 years - culminating in the environmental crisis which currently afflicts many parts of this region. While the role of humans in altering Pacific Basin environments is discussed in detail, considerable attention is also given to the ways in which environmental change caused changes to human lifestyles which had far-reaching consequences.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [311]-346) and indexes.