Book Review

by Paul Ganderton

Hansom JD. and Gordon JE. 1998. Antarctic Environments and Resources. Longman. pp xiv + 402. ISBN 0 582 08127 0.

With new interest in polar regions there is a need to find a text which provides a comprehensive overview. Here the authors have attempted this task. The introduction really sets the scene by asking (among other questions) why should one study the Antarctic. The next four chapters describe various aspects of the natural environment. Starting with chapters on geology/geography/climate, terrestrial environment and the Southern Ocean, this part finishes with a consideration of interactions and changes in the system. Part two focuses on the human impact. Since it has been uninhabited until very recently this sudden human influx on a marginal ecosystem has had implications. The authors devote chapters to history, resource impacts and human impacts. Part three looks at past, present and future management of the area. Each chapter starts with a table of objectives and an introduction outlining key points. At the end there are conclusions, summaries and further reading lists.

This is a useful reference text filled with data hard to find elsewhere. It would provide students from senior school and upwards with some key information upon which to base resource usage decisions. It addition the sheer wealth of data helps us to appreciate more fully the variability of the place and our ability to degrade it.