Antarctic Ecosystems Environmental Contamination, Climate Change, an
Choice Outstanding Title! (January 2006) The image of Antarctica as a symbol of the last great wilderness and pristine environment has changed considerably in the last two decades. Environmental problems such as the ozone hole and the break-up of ice-shel
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Edited by M.M. Caldwell, Logan, USA G. Heldmaier, Marburg, Germany R.B. Jackson, Durham, USA O.L. Lange, Würzburg, Germany H.A. Mooney, Stanford, USA E.-D. Schulze, Jena, Germany U. Sommer, Kiel, Germany
Ecological Studies Volumes published since 1998 are listed at the end of this book.
R. Bargagli
Antarctic Ecosystems Environmental Contamination, Climate Change, and Human Impact
With 50 Figures and 18 Tables
1 23
Professor Dr. Roberto Bargagli University of Siena Department of Environmental Sciences Via P.A. Mattioli, 4 53100 Siena Italy email: [email protected]
Cover illustration: A view of an iceberg in the Ross Sea from an ice-free area on Prior Island (northern Victoria Land, Antarctica)
ISSN 0070-8356 ISBN 3-540-22091-7 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York
Library of Congress Control Number: 2004110300
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To Guido and Pietro, the grandchildren born when I was writing this book, wishing them a world where man will be reconciled with the environment
Preface
The picture of Antarctica as the remotest continent and the symbol of the last great wilderness and pristine environment on Earth has changed considerably in the last two decades. Environmental problems such as the recurring appearance of the “ozone hole” and the break-up of Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves have shown that Antarctica is inextricably linked to global atmospheric, oceanographic and climatic processes, and is therefore exposed to the impact of human activities in the rest of the world. Possible effects of global warming on the stability of ice sheets and the consequent rise in sea level are stimulating interest in this continent. There is also an increased awareness that near-pristine Antarctic ice, marine sediments and biota are archives of climatic and evolut
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