Review
From the reviews: Selected by Choice magazine as an “Outstanding Academic Title” for 2013 “Geologist Hay (Univ. of Colorado at Boulder) provides a thorough but accessible description of the climate system and its history … . Experimenting on a Small Planet covers a lot of ground, starting with basic scientific principles before transitioning to climate science specifics. … Given the scope and presentation style, the book should interest experts looking to broaden their perspective as well as curious readers seeking reliable information on climate change. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.” (J. Schoof, Choice, Vol. 51 (1), September, 2013) “Hay presents clear explanations and examples of climate chemistry, physics and oceanography for professional scientists as well as teachers and anyone interested in the scientific underpinnings of the current paradigm shift in understanding climate change. … Each chapter is a concise explanation of a specific scientific discipline of physics, chemistry, geology, oceanography, and climatology.” (Robert W. Scott, AAPG Bulletin, December, 2013) “The book is aimed at both the general public readership and the scientific community. … it attempts to give the reader a thorough background in the basics that are needed to understand climate science and it succeeds extremely well in that goal. … I highly recommend the book … . I would certainly not be surprised if this book became a best seller, a mainstay in many college level courses as a text book, and contributed hugely towards resolving the on-going global climate change debate.” (Bilal U. Haq, Global and Planetary Change, Vol. 101, January, 2013)
From the Back Cover
This book is an introduction to climate science and global change. It includes the scientific background in physics, chemistry and biology. The science chapters are interleaved with biographical material including personal reminiscences.
The science chapters discuss the history of development of ideas in geology, the discovery of Earth s very different climates in the distant past, and the climate oscillations of the ice ages. Special treatment is given to past warm climates. The role of greenhouse gases in controlling Earth s climate, along with a discussion of the associated physics. It develops the idea that humans have played a role in climate change throughout the past few millennia, rather than just since the beginning of the industrial revolution. It concludes by introducing the idea that the result of the present perturbation may be the transition to an ice-free warm world.
About the Author
Bill Hay began his academic career at University of Illinois in Urbana in 1960. From 1968 to 1974 he was Professor at both Illinois and the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. After serving as Dean of the Rosenstiel School he moved to Washington, D.C. to work on ensuring future scientific drilling in the ocean. In 1982 he moved to the University of Colorado, investigating ancient climates with colleagues at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Since 1988 he has also served as Guest and/or Professor at the Universities of Munich, Kiel and Greifswald in Germany, the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, and the University of Vienna in Austria. He retired from the University of Kiel in 2002. He now lives in the Rocky Mountains, but returns to Europe frequently to teach intensive short courses.
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