Waking the Giant
by Prof Bill McGuire
How a changing climate triggers earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes
Date:
Venue: Manor Pavilion Theatre & Arts Centre
Ticket Information:
| Adults: | £2 |
| Children: | FREE |
Entrance fee to be paid at the door and to include refreshments. Bar also open both before and after the talk.
An astonishing transformation over the last 20,000 years has seen our planet flip from a frigid wasteland into the temperate world, upon which our civilisation has grown and thrived. This most dynamic episode in Earth's history saw the crust bouncing and bending in response to the melting of the great ice sheets and the filling of the ocean basins, triggering earthquakes, spawning tsunamis and provoking a lively response from the world’s volcanoes. Now there are signs that human-induced climate change is encouraging the sleeping giant beneath our feet to stir once again. Could it be that we are on track to bequeath to our children and their children not only a far hotter world, but also a more geologically dangerous one?Professor Bill McGuire is a leading academic, science writer and broadcaster. He is currently Emeritus Professor of Geophysical and Climate Hazards at University College London.
Bill was a member of the UK Government Natural Hazard Working Group established in January 2005, in the wake of the Indian Ocean tsunami, and in 2010 a member of the Science Advisory Group in Emergencies (SAGE) addressing the Icelandic volcanic ash problem. In 2011, he was one of the authors of the IPCC report on climate change and extreme events. He has written numerous articles and books, his most recent being the topic for tonight's talk: Waking the Giant: How a Changing Climate Triggers Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Volcanoes. He has contributed to countless television and radio programmes, including the lauded BBCHorizon films; Supervolcanoes and Megatsunami - Wave of Destruction, and the BBC drama, Supervolcano. Bill has a regular Doomwatch column in the science magazine, Focus, and contributes features to Focus, New Scientist and Science Uncovered.
You will be able to buy Bill's books on the night and he has kindly agreed to sign the bought copies.
Download the Waking the Giant Poster.
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Sidmouth Science Festival - Bill McGuire
Prof McGuire is often on the BBC's flagship science programme Horizon:
Bill McGuire (volcanologist) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Here's a look at his extraordinary book:
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WAKING THE GIANT: HOW A CHANGING CLIMATE TRIGGERS EARTHQUAKES, TSUNAMIS, AND VOLCANOES
W.J. McGuire
Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Oxford University Press Language: English ISBN: 0199592268  An astonishing transformation over the last 20,000 years has seen our planet flip from a frigid wasteland into the temperate world upon which our civilisation has grown and thrived. This most dynamic episode in Earth history saw the crust bouncing and bending in response to the melting of the great ice sheets and the filling of the ocean basins; triggering earthquakes, spawning tsunamis and provoking a lively response from the world’s volcanoes. Now there are signs that human-induced climate change is encouraging the sleeping giant beneath our feet to stir once again. Could it be that we are on track to bequeath to our children and their children not only a far hotter world, but also a more geologically dangerous one?The ground beneath our feet may seem safe and solid, but earthquakes, volcanic blasts and other hazardous natural phenomena leave us in no doubt that this isn’t the case. The Earth is a dynamic planet of shifting tectonic plates that is responsive to change, particularly when there is a dramatic climate transition. We know that at the end of the last Ice Age, as the great glaciers disappeared, the release in pressure allowed the crust beneath to bounce back. At the same time, staggering volumes of melt water poured into the ocean basins, warping and bending the crust around their margins. The resulting tossing and turning provoked a huge resurgence in volcanic activity, seismic shocks, and monstrous landslides—the last both above the waves and below. The frightening truth is that temperature rises expected this century are in line with those at the end of the Ice Age. All the signs, warns geophysical hazard specialist Bill McGuire, are that unmitigated climate change due to human activities could bring about a comparable response. Using evidence accumulated from studies of the recent history of our planet, and gleaned from current observations and modelling, he argues convincingly that we ignore at our peril the threats presented by climate change and the waking giant beneath our feet. REVIEWS"McGuire traces this fascinating and disturbing story from the past in order to alert us to present and future perils" - Geographical Magazine"The author succeeds at interpreting complex earth science into compelling reading for a popular audience. Anyone with an interest in climate change, geology, and atmospheric science will enjoy this work." - Jeffrey Beall, Library Journal "Professor Bill McGuires new book is a well-timed and beautifully written work on the links between the Earths climate and its geological processes." - The Climate Hub “Just out, and dreadfully alarming. Bill McGuire, a distinguished geologist and brilliant science writer, charts how changing climate may trigger not just wild weather but also volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis.” The Guardian | |
Seven Years To Save The Planet: The Questions And The Answers | Popular Science | Books | Bill McGuire
Waking the Giant: How a changing climate triggers earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes | University of Hertfordshire
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