Quaternary glaciations extent and chronology. Part I. Europe / Масштабы и хронология четвертичных оледенений. Часть I. Европа

"Quaternary Glaciations- Extent and Chronology, Part I: Europe '" edited by J~gen Ehlers and Philip Gibbard is the second volume in the Elsevier Book Series on "Developments in Quaternary Science". This book represents the first volume of three covering Quaternary glaciations across the Earth. Part II will cover North America and Part III: South America, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. These books represent the activities of Working Group 5 of the INQUA Commission on Glaciation, which had the mission of bringing together up-to-date information about the extent, volume and timing of Quaternary glaciations. This programme was established at the 1995 INQUA Congress in Berlin and early results were presented to members of the Quaternary community at the INQUA Congresses at Durban in 1999 and Reno in 2003. A brief preview of the work and the background to its development is given in a Viewpoint Article in Quaternary Science Reviews (Ehlers and Gibbard, 2003, Volume 22, Issue 15-17, pp 1561-1568).

The books contain contributions from over 200 scientists working in more than 80 countries and territories around the world, and will provide the most complete survey of the evidence for Quaternary glaciation ever attempted. Initially, publication of this book was discussed in terms of a special issue of Quaternary Science Reviews or Quaternary International, following the path of other output from INQUA commissions. However, as discussion progressed, it became apparent that the size and scope of the book was such that it would swamp the journal in its year of publication, and little space would be available for normal research-and-review-papers or other special issues. It was partly for this reason that the book series: Developments in Quaternary Science was instigated. This series is designed to provide an outlet for topics that require substantial space, are linked to rrmjor scientific events, require special production facilities (i.e. use of interactive electronic methods), or are archival in character. The subjects covered by the series will consider Quaternary science across different parts of the Earth and with respect to the diverse range of Quaternary processes. The texts will cover the response to processes within the fields of geology, biology, geography, climatology archaeology and geochronology. Particular consideration will be given to issues such as the Quaternary development of specific regions, comprehensive treatments of specific topics such as global scale consideration of patterns of glaciation, and compendia on timely topics such as dating methodologies, environmental hazards and rapid climate changes. This series will provide an outlet for scientists who wish to achieve a substantial treatment of major scientific concerns and a venue for those seeking the authority provided by such an approach. 
"Quaternary Glaciations - Extent and Chronology, Part I: Europe'" edited by Jiirgen Ehlers and Philip Gibbard not only reflects many of the aspirations of the Book Series in terms of size and substantial treatment of a major Quaternary topic, it also reflects the requirement for special production facilities. With the need to represent such large quantifies of cartographic information about different-age ice limits and the effects of glaciation, the editors have chosen to use the ArcView GIS package based on the 1:1,000,000 Digital Chart of the World, and to provide this information on a CD included in each volume. The use of this electronic format means that users can interrogate the maps with GIS software (ArcView, Arclnfo), and the maps can then be used as part of future research. 
I know from personal experience that the use of digital representation has caused the Editors considerable work. Just before publication, Jiirgen Ehlers found that the original version of the Digital Chart of the World could not be accessed by the latest version of Arclnfo, and so he had to reformat the entire document in order to make it accessible to present and near future users. The Editors have also had to deal with the diverse views of the many contributors, with some areas being represented by quite contrasting interpretations. This gives the work outstanding value as it allows long-held traditional, or even individual idiosyncratic views to be included and compared with the results of ecent research based on new methodologies and incorporating contemporary Quaternary concepts. The publication of this book gives me great pleasure, and reflects outstanding efforts by the editors over the last eight years. I look forward to the appearance of Volumes II and III, which are already with the publishers and should be in press later in 2004. The Editors are to be admired and congratulated on their achievement. These volumes will be a major archive for the future, and because of the use of the interactive digital imagery will be documents that are part of future work on Quaternary glaciations. <...>