Description |
1 online resource (xi, 231 pages, 22 unnumbered pages of plates) : illustration (black and white, and colour), maps (black and white) |
Contents |
Introducing fire -- Getting dirty : what charcoal can tell us -- Kindling -- The rise, fall, and rise of fire -- Fire, flowers, and dinosaurs -- Fire and the coming of the modern world -- Prometheus -- The future of fire |
Summary |
Andrew Scott, who played a key role in identifying fossilized charcoal, describes the profound impact of fire through Earth history, from its role in mass extinctions and the spread of flowering plants, to early hominid use of fire, and the role of wildfires on landscapes today |
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"Raging wildfires have devastated vast areas of California and Australia in recent years, and predictions are that we will see more of the same in coming years as a result of climate change. But this is nothing new. Since the dawn of life on land, large-scale fires have played their part in shaping life on Earth. Andrew C. Scott tells the whole story of fire's impact on our planet's atmosphere, climate, vegetation, ecology, and the evolution of plant and animal life. It has caused mass extinctions, and it has propelled the spread of flowering plants. The exciting evidence we can now draw on has been preserved in fossilized charcoal, found in rocks hundreds of millions of years old, from all over the world. These reveal incredibly fine details of prehistoric plants, and tell us about climates from deep in earth's history. They also give us insight into how early hominids and humans tamed fire and used it. Looking at the impact of wildfires in our own time, Scott also looks forward to how we might better manage them in future, as climate change has an increasing effect on our world"--Oxford University Press website, October 17, 2018 |
Notes |
Previously issued in print: 2018 |
Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index |
Audience |
Specialized |
Notes |
Description based on print version record |
Subject |
Wildfires.
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Wildfires -- History
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Wildfires -- Climatic factors.
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Forest fires.
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Fire ecology.
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Fire management.
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Wildfires -- Climatic factors
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Wildfires
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Forest fires
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Fire management
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Fire ecology
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Genre/Form |
History
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Form |
Electronic book
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ISBN |
9780191916847 (ebook) |
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0191916846 (ebook) |
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