A Farewell to Ice

June 26, 2017
Wadhams, professor of ocean physics at Cambridge University, explains the loss of Arctic ice in this important, if dense, discussion on the effects of climate change. In the 1970s, sea ice covered roughly eight million square kilometers of the surface of the Arctic Ocean. But by 2012 it only covered approximately 3.4 million square kilometers. Wadhams outlines the hows and whys of this dramatic change, looking at the greenhouse effect and increasing atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Methane derives from a number of sources, including natural gas-pipeline leaks, hydraulic fracturing, agriculture, and landfills; nitrous oxide “originates mostly from the use of artificial fertilizers.” Wadhams also details the phenomenon of Arctic amplification—“the main reason why changes due to global warming happen in the Arctic first”—and its causes. Unfortunately, the book’s early chapters on “the properties of sea ice and how it forms and grows on the sea surface” and on glaciers and ice sheets prove difficult to get through. Too academic and dry, they can be hard for general audiences to decipher. Wadhams’s in-depth scientific examination undoubtedly adds to the ongoing study of polar ice caps, but his tone and approach may limit the book’s overall appeal.

October 1, 2017

Is the ice within glaciers melting so quickly that it could disappear entirely in the coming years? As a polar researcher for almost five decades, Wadham (head, Polar Ocean Physics Group, Cambridge Univ.) has documented the changes in ice since 1970. His research in the Arctic specifically explains the dramatic ice decreases during this time, and his experience and expertise creates a completely enthralling nonfiction text. Besides the obvious change in the water, Wadham describes other challenges that stem from melting glaciers, such as methane being released into the atmosphere and the importance of the sun's radiation reflecting off the ice, expertly translating scientific research into everyday terms. VERDICT While Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction focuses more holistically on all aspects of climate change, Wadhams's book concentrates on its global and lasting effects, offering readers a successful examination.--Teri Davis, Council Bluffs, IA

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