Ice Ages and Astronomical Causes Data, spectral analysis and mechanisms [Hardcover]

It is not possible to understand the present or future climate unless scientists can account for the enormous and rapid cycles of glaciation that have taken place over the last million years, and which are expected to continue into the future. A great deal has happened in the theory of the ice ages over the last decade, and it is now widley accepted that ice ages are driven by changes in the Earth's orbit. The study of ice ages is very inter-disciplinary, covering geology, physics, glaciology, oceanography, atmospheric science, planetary orbit calculations astrophysics and statistics.1. Brief Introduction.- 2. Astronomy.- 3. Spectral Analysis.- 4. Climate proxies.- 5. Time scale and timing.- 6. Mechanisms, models and theories.- 7. Accretion climate models.- 8. Evidence.- 9. Status of our understanding.- Appendix 1. Bispectral analysis.- Appendix 2. Matlab programs.- Appendix 3. Maximum entropy plots.- Appendix 4. Websites for data.Ice Ages and Astronomical Causes is concerned with one of the most active interdisciplinary areas of the present day, with new discoveries and data emerging all the time. This information must be carefully and rigorously analysed using sophisticated mathematical techniques, and the authors successfuly explain both the data an the methods of analysis. This book combines a theoretical presentation of the methods with practical instructions and numerous Matlab recipes making it of the greatest use to the practising geologist and paleoclimatologist. This unique book provides a foundation for students and professionals alike who want answers to questions about the Earth's past, thus helping them to predict what is to come.