Land of Wondrous Cold: The Race to Discover Antarctica and Unlock the Secrets of Its Ice

Antarctica, the frozen desert hosting the South Pole, has long fascinated explorers due to its brutal climate and glacial shores. Land of Wondrous Cold tells the story of nineteenth-century voyages when British, French, and American commanders raced to penetrate Antarctica's glacial rim, laying the foundation for our current understanding of Terra Australis Incognita. Today, scientists race to uncover Earth's climate history and monitor the increasing instability of the Antarctic ice cap, which threatens coastal cities worldwide. The book interweaves the breakthrough research of the modern Ocean Drilling Program with the dramatic discovery tales of its Victorian forerunners, illuminating our profound connection to Antarctica in its past, present, and future incarnations.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 12 October 2021
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Antarctica, the icy realm that holds the South Pole, captivates the human imagination with its vastness and enigmatic allure. Despite its harsh climate and treacherous shores, explorers have long been drawn to its secrets, but their attempts to venture into this frozen desert have often met with resistance.

In the nineteenth century, a race to the South Pole unfolded as British, French, and American commanders embarked on daring voyages to breach the icy rim of Antarctica. These intrepid Victorian explorers, James Ross, Dumont DUrville, and Charles Wilkes, laid the foundation for our current understanding of Terra Australis Incognita.

Today, Antarctica presents new challenges as scientists strive to unravel Earth's climate history, preserved in the south polar ice and ocean floor. They also monitor the increasing instability of the Antarctic ice cap, which poses a global threat of inundating coastal cities.

Through the groundbreaking research of the modern Ocean Drilling Program and the dramatic discovery tales of its Victorian forerunners, Gillen DArcy Wood paints an original and multifaceted portrait of Antarctica. The book explores the continent's role in a planetary drama of plate tectonics, climate change, and species evolution that spans over thirty million years.

Land of Wondrous Cold offers a profound connection to Antarctica, illuminating its past, present, and future incarnations. It brings the distant world within reach, revealing its significance in shaping planetary history and human fortunes.

Weight: 282g
Dimension: 134 x 203 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691229041