Concerns about the effects of global climate change have focused attention on the vulnerability of circumpolar regions. Long-term historical data are needed to better understand the magnitude and direction of environmental change related to both natural and anthropogenic causes, as well as to assess patterns of natural variability. The paucity of instrumental data requires that proxy methods be used. The abundance of lakes throughout the Arctic and Antarctic makes paleolimnological approaches especially powerful tools to assist interpretations of environmental change.

This book provides a synthesis of the broad spectrum of techniques available for generating long-term environmental records from circumpolar lakes. It also provides overviews of the geographic extent of paleolimnological work completed thus far in these regions. It explores the diverse ways in which paleolimnology is used to address the pressing and emerging environmental issues of high-latitude regions. By providing both an introduction and in-depth reviews, this volume is of interest to students and advanced researchers alike who are studying earth, atmospheric and environmental sciences.

From the reviews:

"It is a detailed synthesis of rigorous palaeoenvironmental research in polar regions, and an overview showing the potential and limits of the different geological archives that can be examined to understand past and future climatic trends. this book provides an excellent reference for palaeolimnologists, and I highly recommend it as a 'must-have' book for anyone interested in the climate change debate." Massimo Gasparon, Environmental Geology, Vol. 50 (3), 2006

"This book provides a synthesis of the broad spectrum of techniques available for generating long-term environmental records from circumpolar lakes, in addition to providing overviews of the geographic extent of paleolimnological work completed thus far in these regions. It explores the diverse ways in which paleolimnology is used to address the pressing and emerging environmental issues of high-latitude regions" SIL News 50: June 2007

Autorentext
John P. Smol is a professor in the Biology Department at Queen's University (Canada), with a cross-appointment at the School of Environmental Studies. He co-directs the Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Lab (PEARL). Professor Smol is co-editor of the Journal of Paleolimnology and holds the Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change.

Inhalt
Major Indicators and Approaches.- Paleolimnological research in polar regions: An introduction.- Geochronology of high latitude lake sediments.- Physical and chemical properties and proxies of high latitude lake sediments.- Palynology of North American arctic lakes.- Algal indicators of environmental change in arctic and antarctic lakes and ponds.- Aquatic invertebrates and high latitude paleolimnology.- Use of water isotope tracers in high latitude hydrology and paleohydrology.- Lake sediments as records of arctic and antarctic pollution.- Regional Syntheses.- Paleolimnology of the middle and high Canadian Arctic.- Paleolimnology of the North American Subarctic.- Holocene paleolimnology of Greenland and the North Atlantic islands (north of 60°N).- Paleolimnological research from northern Russian Eurasia.- Paleolimnological studies in arctic Fennoscandia and the Kola Peninsula (Russia).- Paleolimnological studies from the Antarctic and subantarctic islands.- Paleolimnology of extreme cold terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments.- Epilogue: Paleolimnological research from arctic and antarctic regions.