• Renowned author. Bill Ruddiman is recognized in the science community as one of a select group of researcher/teachers with the interdisciplinary qualifications to write an authoritative textbook on Earth’s climate systems.
• Multidisciplinary presentation. The text synthesizes material from many disciplines— geology, ecology, paleobotany, glaciology, oceanography, meteorology, biogeochemistry, climate modeling, atmospheric chemistry, and hydrology, among others—into a coherent, step by step presentation.
• Following Earth’s timeline. The Second Edition explores the climatic responses of Earth’s major systems (ice, water, air, vegetation, and land) as they developed through Earth’s history, moving from the earliest known climate history to historical, modern, and future changes.
• Mystery solving approach. Chapters revolve around the search for the answers as to why specific climatological phenomena occurred.
• Superb art program—The book is designed to showcase the art program, which features over 400 two-color illustrations (developed by the author with a grant from the National Science Foundation) depicting climatological phenomena and processes.
• Features boxes—These features include discussions of climate feedbacks and interactions, tools and techniques used by climate scientists, and ongoing debates about the Earth’s climate system.