"Climate change affects just about everything
on the planet. It even affects where people live.
As countries face droughts, floods, rising
temperatures, and rising sea levels, parts of
the world are quickly becoming uninhabitable.
This is especially true in places in the Third
Pole, where even small changes in climate
can have big affects and governments don't
have the resources to deal with the needs of
large populations."
Do you know about the Third Pole? I did not. This book informs that it "is home to the Tibetan Plateau and to the Himalayan, Pamir-Hindu Kush, and Tien Shan mountain ranges. It gets that nickname because it holds the third-largest amount of ice, after the North and South Poles. This is only one of the facts I learned reading this book about ice cores and the information they provide for scientists studying climate change.
Paleoclimatologists cut deep into ice layers in remote areas of the world for purposes of analysis and preservation. It is not an easy job. By doing so, they learn what these cores tell about patterns from past climate change. They are frozen time capsules. Ms. Van Vleet provides all the facts concerning the gear they need, the methods they use, and the many dangers they face. Once they have excavated the cores needed, they must keep them viable as they move from the cold to warmer areas.
Following a lot of intricate work that takes time and effort, they work to discover what the ice cores have to tell them about the past, and perhaps find clues to the future. She discusses natural climate periods, while explaining that what is happening now is not usual in any way.
Divided into four parts, she begins with snow which needs cold temperatures and moisture in the air to form. A growing amount of it in one place weighs a great deal. There is much to learn through math puzzles to solve, information boxes, useful diagrams and archival photos. As this first part ends, the author offers a list of cool vocabulary that corresponds to its presentation. She also encourages readers to take action to see how the science works by providing clear directions for making an ice core.
The following three sections follow a similar pattern and discuss Where Do We Find Ice Cores?, How Do Scientists Retrieve Ice Cores?, and What Can Ice Cores Tell Us About Climate Change? Photographs, diagrams, charts and maps are useful at every turn. Back matter includes sources, videos, interviews, photo credits, and an index.
“It’s all pretty cool,” she tells her readers.
This book will engage and inform middle graders with an interest in learning more about climate change and the paleoclimatologists whose work is showcased here. It is both historical and contemporary in its findings. The writing and careful organization ensure it is a great resource for readers.
It is a recent addition to the Books for a Better Earth series which inspire readers to become active, knowledgeable participants in caring for the planet they live on.
No comments:
Post a Comment