A passionate eyewitness account of the mysteries and looming demise of
glaciers--and what their fate means for our shared future
The ice sheets and glaciers that cover one-tenth of Earth's land surface
are in grave peril. High in the Alps, Andes, and Himalaya,
once-indomitable glaciers are retreating, even dying. Meanwhile, in
Antarctica, thinning glaciers may be unlocking vast quantities of
methane stored for millions of years beneath the ice. In Ice Rivers,
renowned glaciologist Jemma Wadham offers a searing personal account of
glaciers and the rapidly unfolding crisis that they--and we--face.
Taking readers on a personal journey from Europe and Asia to Antarctica
and South America, Wadham introduces majestic glaciers around the globe
as individuals--even friends--each with their own unique character and
place in their community. She challenges their first appearance as
silent, passive, and lifeless, and reveals that glaciers are, in fact,
as alive as a forest or soil, teeming with microbial life and deeply
connected to almost everything we know. They influence crucial systems
on which people depend, from lucrative fisheries to fertile croplands,
and represent some of the most sensitive and dynamic parts of our world.
Their fate is inescapably entwined with our own, and unless we act to
abate the greenhouse warming of our planet the potential consequences
are almost unfathomable.
A riveting blend of cutting-edge research and tales of encounters with
polar bears and survival under the midnight sun, Ice Rivers is an
unforgettable portrait of--and love letter to--our vanishing icy
wildernesses.
