Darkening peaks : glacier retreat, science, and society /

Darkening Peaks edited by Orlove (Univ. of California) and colleagues appears at a time of heightened interest in the fate of glaciers. Stemming from workshops and meetings held in 2003-04, the book contains 20 chapters, grouped into six evenly balanced sections: "Overview--Glaciers in Science and Society," "Societal Perceptions," "Scientific Observations," "Trends in Natural Landscapes," "Impacts on Human Landscapes," and "Responses, Adaptation and Accommodation." The geographic coverage of mountain glaciers is extensive but not exhaustive. There are no references, for example, to glacier responses in Iceland or areas in the Arctic--the latter is understandable as there is little impact on human societies in this region. The geographic focus is primarily on the midlatitude areas (e.g., European Alps, Norway, Canadian and US Rockies, and parts of the Andes), but tropical Africa, New Zealand, and parts of central Asia are also included. This well-crafted volume represents a multidisciplinary approach to the importance and impact of mountain glaciers on both natural and human landscapes. Globally, the impact on sea-level changes might be the most critical issue, but in many countries, changes in glaciers have social and economic consequences. Chapters contain references and a rich variety of black-and-white photographs and graphs. Includes geographic/subject index. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. J. T. Andrews University of Colorado at Boulder