Climatic Changes: Their Nature and Causes

The authors examine the causes and patterns of climatic change, giving particular attention to glacial periods while relating them to other climate sequences. They review competing hypotheses—astronomical variations in the sun and the earth's orbit, variability in solar activity, and movements of the earth's crust—and assess geological, astronomical, and biological evidence for each. The text explains mechanisms by which these factors modify temperature, precipitation, and regional environments and links climatic shifts to large-scale geological revolutions and effects on plants, animals, and human settlement. Empirical data and interdisciplinary collaboration are used to weigh explanations and propose integrated causes.