Frozen in Time: Prehistoric Life in Antarctica

Description

No other continent on Earth has undergone such radical environmental changes as Antarctica. In its transition from rich biodiversity to the barren, cold land of blizzards we see today, Antarctica provides a dramatic case study of how subtle changes in continental positioning can affect living communities, and how rapidly catastrophic changes can come about. Frozen in Time presents a comprehensive overview of the fossil record of Antarctica framed within its changing environmental settings, providing a window into a past time and environment on the continent. It reconstructs Antarctica’s evolving animal and plant communities as accurately as the fossil record permits. The story of how fossils were first discovered in Antarctica is a triumph of human endeavor. It continues today with modern expeditions going out to remote sites every year to fill in more of the missing parts of the continent’s great jigsaw of life. KEY FEATURES * Copiously illustrated with magnificent color images * Provides an overview of the discovery and exploration of Antarctica * Gives a clear guide to the palaeontology of Antarctica * Includes contemporary issues of heritage and preservation * Outlines the possible major impacts of climate change