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| 50-5606 | GC89 | 2012-37149 MARC | | Science & Technology Earth Science | | Janin, Hunt. Rising sea levels: an introduction to cause and impact, by Hunt Janin and Scott A. Mandia. McFarland, 2012. 211p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780786459568 pbk, $35.00. Reviewed in 2013jun CHOICE. | | Janin (The University in Medieval Life, 1179-1499, CH, Feb’09, 46-3393) and Mandia (physical sciences, Suffolk Community College) are to be commended for their impressive writing skills, intelligent presentations, and unusually intensive information-gathering efforts. Their book begins with a brief introduction to global climate change and then ranges widely over the causes, mechanisms, and effects of sea level rise. Though geared to popular audiences, the work is free of trivia and condescending devices like describing distances in football fields. The 16 chapters include “The World Ocean and Hydrologic Cycle,” “Storm Surges and Extreme Events,” and “The West Antarctic Ice Sheet.” The book also discusses the practical prediction of future conditions in coastal areas around the world. An unusual feature is the matter-of-fact projection of the long-term future of the Netherlands under successive conditions of sea level rise up to five meters. The authors acknowledge errors in the 2007 Nobel Prize-winning report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change but answer skeptics by noting that “one would not throw away an entire encyclopedia set if a few random errors were found within.” The book’s clear writing and special qualities make it valuable for a wide audience. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. — F. T. Manheim, George Mason University |
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