Describes the history of a variety of dinosaurs discovered in Canada and focuses on their physical characteristics.

The most diverse fossil bed in the United States provides a unique picture of what life was like 34 million years ago. In the rocks of Florissant, Colorado, lying in the shadow of Pike's Peak, is the evidence of a long-lost world. Encased by the ash of volcanoes that erupted tens of millions of years ago, animals such as insects, fish, and mammals were fossilized in the same deposits as flowers, trees, and the delicate leaves of plants. This amazing collection of animals and plants from the same place at the same time providse a rare, uniquely comprehensive glimpse of life in the past. Through more than 200 color photographs and vivid descriptions of the fossils, Herbert Meyer brings the fossils of Florissant, Colorado to life, not only providing background on the plants and animals, but also exploring the warm environment in which they lived. The site was once a treasure trove for paleontologists who acquired the fossils for museums around the world; it is now protected as Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. Meyer’s book reveals the beauty of both the site and its delicate fossils, and offers a compelling story of life long ago.

The wreck in 1866 of the General Grant in the desolate sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands is one of the world’s great nautical mysteries, a story that still tantalises and thrills. When the ship was crushed in a cave beneath a sheer cliff face, a few crew members and a handful of passengers managed to escape in a lifeboat. For more than two years they lived a hand-to-mouth existence on a nearby island before they were rescued. This story is extraordinary in itself, but soon compelling legends spread that the ship had sunk with a fabulous hoard of gold from the Victorian goldfields. For 140 years, expeditions and bounty hunters have searched for the ship and her elusive cargo. In the relentless seas of the Auckland Islands, it has been a soul-destroying endeavour. Locating the vessel has been difficult enough; finding the gold has proved impossible – unless one of those early expeditions really did find it … In this book Madelene Ferguson Allen and Ken Scadden tell the full story of the voyage from Melbourne, the shipwreck, the plight of the castaways and the search for the gold. At this distance in time, separating the facts from the legends is difficult, but they have scrupulously researched the events of the shipwreck and examined every subsequent search for the gold. The story is more remarkable than fiction, a tale of heroes and cads, heartbreak and loss, hope and despair, hunger and greed. As it has bewitched so many in the past, so it will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.

Since its discovery Antarctica has held a deep fascination for biologists. Extreme environmental conditions, seasonality and isolation have lead to some of the most striking examples of natural selection and adaptation on Earth. Paradoxically, some of these adaptations may pose constraints on the ability of the Antarctic biota to respond to climate change. Parts of Antarctica are showing some of the largest changes in temperature and other environmental conditions in the world. In this volume, published in association with the Royal Society, leading polar scientists present a synthesis of the latest research on the biological systems in Antarctica, covering organisms from microbes to vertebrate higher predators. This book comes at a time when new technologies and approaches allow the implications of climate change and other direct human impacts on Antarctica to be viewed at a range of scales; across entire regions, whole ecosystems and down to the level of species and variation within their genomes. Chapters address both Antarctic terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and the scientific and management challenges of the future are explored.

The dangers that we face from geohazards appear to be getting worse, especially with the impact of increasing population and global climate change. This collection of papers illustrates how remote sensing technologies - measuring, mapping and monitoring the Earth's surface from aircraft or satellites - can help us to rapidly detect and better manage geohazards. The hazardous terrains examined include areas of landslides, flooding, erosion, contaminated land, shrink-swell clays, subsidence, seismic activity and volcanic landforms. Key aspects of remote sensing are introduced, making this a book that can easily be read by those who are unfamiliar with remote sensing. The featured remote sensing systems include aerial photography and photogrammetry, thermal scanning, hyperspectral sensors, airborne laser altimetry (LiDAR), radar interferometry and multispectral satellites (Landsat, ASTER). Related technologies and methodologies, such as the processing of Digital Elevation Models and data analysis using Geographical Information Systems, are also discussed.

The long-standing Western fascination with the polar regions resonates anew with the growing concerns over global climate change. Scientists exploring the role of the extremem latitudes now recognize the importance of polar oceans and sea ice for our climate. While the exploits of polar explorer's efforts to comprehend the polar oceans are for the first time chronicled in this volume.

"In a Crystal Land for the first time chronicles the adventures of Canadians who, often at the risk of their lives, contributed to the exploration of Antarctica, the last terrestrial frontier. More than a dozen Canadians were recruited as members of landmark south polar expeditions, largely for their cold-weather expertise. Physicists, geologists, surveyors, dog-drivers, aviators - many of them were the first to set eyes on Antarctica's ice plains, nunataks, mountain ranges, and glaciers. Their stories are told here, based on accounts found in journals, logbooks, and letters, and, in some cases, on personal interviews." "From a Victorian expedition (1899-1900) that was the first to winter on the continent, to the first multinational assault on Antarctica; from a windswept encampment named Camp Winnipeg to the 'crystalline chambers and sapphire corridors' of the Ross Ice Shelf, Dean Beeby animates a wealth of research uncovering tales of bravery and madness, heartbreak and revelry. In a Crystal Land restores these Canadians to their rightful place in the history of Antarctic exploration."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved