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The Great Ocean Conveyor: Discovering the Trigger for Abrupt Climate Change
Exploring the link between the ocean's currents and rapid climate change
Wally Broecker is one of the world's leading authorities on abrupt global climate change. More than two decades ago, he discovered the link between ocean circulation and climate change, in particular how shutdowns of the Great Ocean Conveyor―the vast network of currents that circulate water, heat, and nutrients around the globe―triggered past ice ages. Today, he is among the researchers exploring how our planet's climate system can abruptly "flip-flop" from one state to another, and who are weighing the implications for the future. In The Great Ocean Conveyor , Broecker introduces readers to the science of abrupt climate change while providing a vivid, firsthand account of the field's history and development.
Could global warming cause the conveyor to shut down again, prompting another flip-flop in climate? What were the repercussions of past climate shifts? How do we know such shifts occurred? Broecker shows how Earth scientists study ancient ice cores and marine sediments to probe Earth's distant past, and how they blend scientific detective work with the latest technological advances to try to predict the future. He traces how the science has evolved over the years, from the blind alleys and wrong turns to the controversies and breathtaking discoveries. Broecker describes the men and women behind the science, and reveals how his own thinking about abrupt climate change has itself flip-flopped as new evidence has emerged.
Rich with personal stories and insights, The Great Ocean Conveyor opens a tantalizing window onto how Earth science is practiced.
Wally Broecker is one of the world's leading authorities on abrupt global climate change. More than two decades ago, he discovered the link between ocean circulation and climate change, in particular how shutdowns of the Great Ocean Conveyor―the vast network of currents that circulate water, heat, and nutrients around the globe―triggered past ice ages. Today, he is among the researchers exploring how our planet's climate system can abruptly "flip-flop" from one state to another, and who are weighing the implications for the future. In The Great Ocean Conveyor , Broecker introduces readers to the science of abrupt climate change while providing a vivid, firsthand account of the field's history and development.
Could global warming cause the conveyor to shut down again, prompting another flip-flop in climate? What were the repercussions of past climate shifts? How do we know such shifts occurred? Broecker shows how Earth scientists study ancient ice cores and marine sediments to probe Earth's distant past, and how they blend scientific detective work with the latest technological advances to try to predict the future. He traces how the science has evolved over the years, from the blind alleys and wrong turns to the controversies and breathtaking discoveries. Broecker describes the men and women behind the science, and reveals how his own thinking about abrupt climate change has itself flip-flopped as new evidence has emerged.
Rich with personal stories and insights, The Great Ocean Conveyor opens a tantalizing window onto how Earth science is practiced.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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55 people want to read
About the author
Wallace S. Broecker
15 books5 followersWallace Smith Broecker (born November 29, 1931 in Chicago is the Newberry Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University, a scientist at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and a sustainability fellow at Arizona State University. He developed the idea of a global "conveyor belt" linking the circulation of the global ocean and made major contributions to the science of the carbon cycle and the use of chemical tracers and isotope dating in oceanography. Broecker has received the Crafoord Prize and the Vetlesen Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 21, 2016
This elegantly written book describes the journey of discovery the author, Scientist Wally Broecker, took to describe and discover the Great Ocean Conveyor. While the book describes the theory itself in sufficient detail to satisfy anyone, the charm of the book is in the journey of discovery. The ups and downs, the research from other scientists that supported (or sometimes seemed to disprove) the theory the small look into the mind that was developing it, that was the charm. There are moments of lightness and humour, there is the excitement of 'aha' moments and it is beautifully written, with the lightness that so rarely can be included in purely scientific articles.
The Great Ocean Conveyor is the network of currents that circulate the water around the different oceans of the world, even more importantly the different layers of the different oceans of the world. They are so very complex and fascinating that years of modeling only scratches the surface of how they operate, how salinity, precipitation, air movement, contents and glaciation affect the movements of the ocean.
For anyone interested in any part of the marine world some understand of the Great Ocean Conveyor goes a long way. It's existence has helped shape humanity as well as the face of the plant. Sailors use them, as they have for hundreds of years, modern fisheries depend on them and so does agriculture. And, today the topical concern, so does the climate system; the Great Ocean Conveyor is central to the planets climate system being inextricably bound up in global warming, glaciations, sea level changes and atmospheric variations.
I read this book because the ocean is my thing and it was a good refresher for some things I learnt at uni as well as having a lot of newer material. It is however, let's be very clear, a scientific book: While not large it includes a lot of physical science and the reader with no background it the earth sciences (be it academic or personal interest) will likely find it heavy going or even not be able to follow it. Certainly I had to slow down a few times, re-read and back up to follow the the Puzzles and Hot Clues sections.
In my opinion, it is totally worth reading for anyone interested in climate change or any aspect of oceans.
The Great Ocean Conveyor is the network of currents that circulate the water around the different oceans of the world, even more importantly the different layers of the different oceans of the world. They are so very complex and fascinating that years of modeling only scratches the surface of how they operate, how salinity, precipitation, air movement, contents and glaciation affect the movements of the ocean.
For anyone interested in any part of the marine world some understand of the Great Ocean Conveyor goes a long way. It's existence has helped shape humanity as well as the face of the plant. Sailors use them, as they have for hundreds of years, modern fisheries depend on them and so does agriculture. And, today the topical concern, so does the climate system; the Great Ocean Conveyor is central to the planets climate system being inextricably bound up in global warming, glaciations, sea level changes and atmospheric variations.
I read this book because the ocean is my thing and it was a good refresher for some things I learnt at uni as well as having a lot of newer material. It is however, let's be very clear, a scientific book: While not large it includes a lot of physical science and the reader with no background it the earth sciences (be it academic or personal interest) will likely find it heavy going or even not be able to follow it. Certainly I had to slow down a few times, re-read and back up to follow the the Puzzles and Hot Clues sections.
In my opinion, it is totally worth reading for anyone interested in climate change or any aspect of oceans.
January 27, 2022
I found this to be quite technical and had to read some parts several times to make sure I grasped the more complex analyses. It does give great insight into the multiple and varied systems that can trigger a major climatic event such as an Ice Age, and especially into the role of the oceans in such events. Recommended for anyone intested in climatology or geological processes.
May 31, 2023
Wally Broecker was instrumental in positing how the ocean has been a great driver of our changing climate. However, in his humility, he was able to tie together in this book some of the science that had been done in the field around paleoclimatology. My closeness to the field probably helped me appreciate this book more than others.
December 2, 2018
Exceptionally well written. Renowned oceanographer tells how the oceans work, and doing the science to discover it.
May 3, 2010
Whereas this is a VERY important topic, I had a difficult time following the flips and flops in the author's personal thinking and the graphs were pretty cryptic. My high school chemistry and college earth science classes were both a long time ago. And I had long forgotten that there is a difference in the salinity between the Atlantic and Pacific. However, if I'm understanding correctly, the great ocean conveyor has slowed and/or stopped at certain times in the past, causing glacial ice ages. And the most common cause seems to have been a great influx of fresh water busting in to the north Atlantic and changing the ocean's salinity relative to other areas (such as from Lake Agassiz flooding down the St. Lawrence seaway?). I does leave one with the chilling realization that rapidly melting glaciers might have a similar effect.
August 10, 2011
Broecker is doubtless an eminent paleoclimatologist and has made brilliant contributions to understanding the sometimes crazy swings in oceanic circulations and global climate. But this book is going to be very hard going for a general audience. Even if you know a reasonable amount on the subject it can be a difficult read. (The complexities of oxygen isotopes' role as a proxy for precipitation and temperature are truly staggering -- matched only by the cleverness of those who figured out how to use them.)
Other than being a tough read at times, I did find the apparent slights against climate models (and modellers) unnecessary and a little grating.
Other than being a tough read at times, I did find the apparent slights against climate models (and modellers) unnecessary and a little grating.
September 3, 2016
Good stuff here. Well beyond my depth, but I did find this really helpful for some work that I'm doing, and it pointed me on to other good sources.
I'm not conversant with the technical terms, but the style is clear and easy to follow. It helps that Broecker holds to a narrative line that follows the development of his own thinking, and the short length (just 150 pages) keeps it from becoming intimidating. Every once in a while I bumped into an obstacle, such as a concept I'm not familiar with or a term that's being used in a technical way I'm not familiar with, but there's a lot to be gleaned from context even for laymen like me. Loved it!
I'm not conversant with the technical terms, but the style is clear and easy to follow. It helps that Broecker holds to a narrative line that follows the development of his own thinking, and the short length (just 150 pages) keeps it from becoming intimidating. Every once in a while I bumped into an obstacle, such as a concept I'm not familiar with or a term that's being used in a technical way I'm not familiar with, but there's a lot to be gleaned from context even for laymen like me. Loved it!
January 27, 2011
This is a very interesting monograph dealing with the oceanic currents which have a profound effect on the earth's climate. More accurately it is a history of how the monograph came to be written, covering the various discoveries and false leads along the way to the present understanding of the science. Still it is a very technical work and probably only of interest to scientists.
On a personal note I had the author as instructor in a geochemistry course 51 years ago in 1960. I think it is wonderful he is still producing excellent contributions to the field.
On a personal note I had the author as instructor in a geochemistry course 51 years ago in 1960. I think it is wonderful he is still producing excellent contributions to the field.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews