Our planet has over 400,000 glaciers and ice caps scattered across its surface, some 5.8 million square miles of ice. Fascinatingly, where there are glaciers, there are people, and the two have been interacting for the entirety of human history. But we know so little about that interaction, those human stories of glaciers. The Secret Lives of Glaciers explores glacier diversity in Iceland, highlighting the rich social and cultural context and variability amongst glaciers and people. Investigating glaciers and people together teaches us about how human society experiences being in the world today amidst increasing climatic changes and anthropogenic transformation of all of Earth's systems.
The voices, most of them from first-person narratives, range from wonder at the magnificence of the terrain, through frustration with the rigors of its harsh conditions, to the often humorous and sometimes tragic anecdotes of daily life in what was still mostly unexplored wilderness.".
Exploring Alaska’s Kenai Fjords is an ideal planning guide for small boat mariners, ocean kayakers, and weekend beachcombers. This 2013 update includes 40 maps, annotated with easy-to-follow symbols and notes, and detailed narrative describing the Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Sites, Alaska State Marine and Recreational Parks and Kachemak Bay State and Wilderness Parks. Also includes color photographs and vintage drawings illustrating the history, glaciers, wildlife, and ever-changing seascapes of one of America's most diverse and rugged coastlines.
In 1901, naturalist George Bird Grinnell took note of an extensive network of mountains, ridg26.95es, valleys, lakes and rivers on both sides of the Continental Divide from northern Montana into southern British Columbia and Alberta. Disregarding political boundaries, he named it 'The Crown of the Continent.' Grinnell was obviously inspired by the region's majestic landscape and the wildlife it sustained. He also recognized the need to conserve it. But while 'Crown of the Continent' speaks eloquently of the region's beauty with more than a passing nod to European monarchy and history, the Blackfeet name carries a more vital and universal meaning: 'Mo'kakiikin', the 'backbone of the world.' At the heart of this complex landscape lies the Castle Wilderness.The book is divided into two main sections. The Meaning of Place: Why the Castle Matters gives an overview of the area's culture, natural history, climate, flora and fauna, as well as explanations of present day uses and developments.
Discover 69 wilderness areas--including seven new ones--showcasing everything from mountains to canyons, rushing rivers to desert landscapesA comprehensive guide to Colorado's wild areas Totally updated and revised Includes 74 maps and 90 photosMuch has changed in the landscape of Colorado's wilderness designations since the first edition of this book appeared in 1992. At the newly designated Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, visitors peer into the depths of this narrow canyon that drops 2,000 feet to the Gunnison River below--and some choose to follow rugged backcountry routes down to the inner canyon. A trail in Spanish Peaks Wilderness, established in 2000, leads up one of these twin sentinels that rise above the edge of the high plains. Nestled at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and standing up to 750 feet high, the dunes of the newly enlarged Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve are the tallest in the Western Hemisphere. Other recent additions to Colorado's protected lands include the Castle Peak Wilderness Study Area, Bull Gulch Wilderness Study Area, San Luis Hills Wilderness Study Area, and Demaree Canyon Wilderness Area. Colorado is one of the nation's primary adventure-travel destinations, and both visitors and locals will find this book the most all-inclusive reference available to the state's wildness areas. From the state's high peaks to its spectacular canyons and deserts, Exploring Colorado's Wild Areas provides detailed information on seasons, flora and fauna, geology, history and activities.
With the state of global ice constantly in the news, one mountain journalist examines Canadian glaciers to uncover their secrets and their future. From a mother/daughter duo who spent five months skiing across icefields from Vancouver to Alaska, to scientists discovering biofilms deep inside glacier caverns, to protesters camping for weeks to protect their beloved local glacier, western Canada's glaciers are dynamic, enigmatic, exquisitely beautiful, sometimes dangerous environments where people play, work, run businesses, explore, and create art every single day. Author Lynn Martel is one of them. With gorgeous images by some of the country's best outdoor photographers, Stories of Ice shares the excitement, the mystery, and the wonder of Canada's glaciers and poses questions about their future.
Starting with the final expedition of John Franklin, 19th-century England's most honored and respected Arctic explorer, the opening of the polar regions resulted in the establishment of the multitudes of research stations that produce observations, measurements, and data crucial to all areas of scientific inquiry. The first mariners to venture south signed on for voyages that lasted for years with no guarantee they would return. If they did come back from the frigid zones, it was with their health permanently damaged by bouts of scurvy and months of inadequate diet. Yet, there was never a shortage of eager, courageous men willing to replace the unfit. ""Exploring the Polar Regions, Revised Edition"" tells the story of polar exploration and the men who wittingly put themselves in danger to take on the unknown frozen straits. Coverage of this title includes: the mythical stories of a 'Great Southern Continent' and the numerous Spanish, French, and British explores who searched for it; a description of the race to the North Pole, including various explorers' theories on how to achieve this goal; Roald Amundsen's and Robert Scott's race to the South Pole in 1911 and 1912; how developments in equipment, machines, and communications changed exploration; and, Ernest Shackleton's epic voyage between 1914 and 1916 to Antarctica Aerial exploration of Antarctica.