Vegetation and the Terrestrial Carbon Cycle: The First 400 Million Years

by David Beerling, F. Ian Woodward

Overview

Plants have colonized and modified the world's surface for the past 400 million years. In this book the authors demonstrate that an understanding of the role of vegetation in the terrestrial carbon cycle during this time can be gained by linking the key mechanistic elements of present day vegetation processes to models of the global climate during different geological eras. The resulting interactive simulations of climate and vegetation processes tie in with observable geological data supporting the validity of the authors' approach.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521801966
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	10/18/2001
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	7.09(w) x 10.04(h) x 1.10(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Investigating the past from the present; 3. Climate and terrestrial vegetation of the present; 4. The global climate system and terrestrial carbon cycle; 5. The late Carboniferous; 6. The Jurassic; 6. The Cretaceous; 8. The Eocene; 9. The late Quaternary; 10. Climate and terrestrial vegetation in the future; 11. Endview; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"Readers will learn about the changing dynamics of atmospheric oxygen, temperature, and carbon dioxide during different geological eras. In addition, readers will understand relationships among atmospheric changes and current global climate change, carbon sequestration, and predicted warming. An important resource for graduate students, scientists of climatology, geoscientists, ecologists, and the general public interested in global change." Choice

"...an excellent reference to a new approach using data on vegetation and the carbon cycle." Environmental Geology

"...well written and understandable, especially given the subject matter...I would recommend this book for those interested in a better understanding of large-scale simulation and the integration of GCMs with terrestrial vegetation models." Natural Areas Journal

"...a fine contribution to this topic.... The book is an impressive integration of geology, climatic modeling and plant ecology, spanning large differences in temporal and spatial scales. It shows what can be achieved with the mixture of these three components, and thus how vegetation has affected the evolution of the Earth, and vice versa." Ecoscience

From the Publisher