*NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEST TRAVEL BOOKS OF 2020*
The curious and vanishing world of ice in Greenland, told through 24 hours in the life of a polar scientist.
‘Insightful, lyrical, and personal’ – Jon Gertner
‘Evokes the ice sheet’s magnificence and fragility’ – Elizabeth Kolbert
One of the least inhabited and most mysterious parts of the world, Greenland is a singular place on Earth from which to look for the future of our planet and question its history.
Polar scientist Marco Tedesco, a world-leading expert on ice and on climate change, takes us along as he and his fellow researchers conduct all-important measurements to understand the dramatic changes afoot on the immense polar ice cap. Following a day in the life of this disappearing world, Tedesco tells us about improbable ‘polar camels’, cryoconite holes, gigantic meteorite debris, the epic deeds of great Arctic explorers and the legends of Greenland’s earliest populations.
Through these stories, anecdotes and curiosities, Tedesco passionately explains why this continent is something to be treasured and how it could tip the balance of our fate as a species. Blending science and Tedesco’s personal journey, ICE is a book full of both wonder and urgency.
The curious and vanishing world of ice in Greenland, told through 24 hours in the life of a polar scientist.
‘Insightful, lyrical, and personal’ – Jon Gertner
‘Evokes the ice sheet’s magnificence and fragility’ – Elizabeth Kolbert
One of the least inhabited and most mysterious parts of the world, Greenland is a singular place on Earth from which to look for the future of our planet and question its history.
Polar scientist Marco Tedesco, a world-leading expert on ice and on climate change, takes us along as he and his fellow researchers conduct all-important measurements to understand the dramatic changes afoot on the immense polar ice cap. Following a day in the life of this disappearing world, Tedesco tells us about improbable ‘polar camels’, cryoconite holes, gigantic meteorite debris, the epic deeds of great Arctic explorers and the legends of Greenland’s earliest populations.
Through these stories, anecdotes and curiosities, Tedesco passionately explains why this continent is something to be treasured and how it could tip the balance of our fate as a species. Blending science and Tedesco’s personal journey, ICE is a book full of both wonder and urgency.
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Reviews
When it comes to ice and snow, and to understanding the cold and exotic climates of Greenland and Antarctica, Marco Tedesco is one of the most knowledgeable scientists alive. Ice is a terrific complement to his important academic work - a book that is insightful, lyrical, and personal, and that will help guide readers through the science of a warming world
As Marco Tedesco explains, the Greenland ice sheet plays an oversized role in life on earth. Tedesco and Alberto Flores d'Arcais have done a wonderful job evoking the ice sheet's magnificence and fragility
Tedesco shares scientific and historical insight into Arctic ice, discussing the hardy microorganisms that live in it, the famed explorers behind major discoveries about the ice, and the threat posed by climate change
Imagine a science book that's truly informative but without an intimidating slew of equations, graphs, and references. That book is Ice - a book about ice, climate, Greenland, and the daily life of scientists who study these esoteric topics. It's a beautifully told story that will make you wish you could spend a year alone on the Greenland ice sheet
In this illuminating narrative, history, science and the deeply personal experiences of living on ice are woven together in a way that offers the reader a unique perspective on the past, present, and future of the Greenland ice sheet. The colors and sounds of migrating ice, the challenges of tent life in one of the planet's harshest settings, the importance of companionship, and the wild world's power to inspire deep reflection and contemplation all make this book a must-read for anyone who is curious about the frozen Arctic landscape or concerned about the impacts of climate change
Marco Tedesco tells us a story we need to hear. Most of us will never see Greenland with our own eyes, but we can see it, in all its splendor, through his. Tedesco teaches us that we are not just caretakers of our home planet, although we need to be that and do that, but also that we are intimately connected to the snow and ice of Greenland. As it melts, all of us, everywhere, are changed.
Greenland is ground zero for the monumental change sweeping over our world during the Anthropocene. Dr. Tedesco makes a valuable and much-needed contribution toward the dire story unfolding in this great and sometimes enigmatic land
Glaciologist Marco Tedesco, working with Italian journalist Alberto Flores d'Arcais, does a gripping job of evoking Greenland's ice sheet.