When the Ice Is Gone

“A remarkable scientific detective story, told with panache—and carrying a very real and dangerous sting. Read it, and then do something about it.” – Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature“We are Scrooge and Bierman is Marley’s ghost with a fascinating tale, all too true, of a great ice sheet that holds our future.” – James E. Hansen, director of Columbia University’s Program on Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions“Paul Bierman paints a vivid portrait not only of the human characters involved with exploration of the Greenland ice cap but also of the personality of the ice itself. Both the humans and the ice are more idiosyncratic—and more sensitive—than one might expect. When the Ice is Gone is a cautionary story about hubris in the Anthropocene.” – Marcia Bjornerud, author of Timefulness“In his gripping new book, When the Ice Is Gone, paleoclimate expert Paul Bierman provides a firsthand account—through the lens of science and history, of how human-caused warming is rapidly melting the massive Greenland ice sheet and the dire consequences this poses for us and our planet. Read this book to be informed about the problem and inspired to make a difference.” – Michael E. Mann, author of Our Fragile Moment“When the Ice is Gone tells the story of the scientists who pieced together the history of the Greenland ice sheet and, as a result, can now peer into its future. Paul Bierman is himself one of these scientists, and he brings to his subject a deep affection and a wealth of experience. The result is at once fascinating, sobering, and eye-opening.” – Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction

Paul Bierman, environmental science professor at the University of Vermont, develops methods to date ice and rocks. He has published in Science and Nature, with the findings covered by CNN, USA Today, and the Weather Channel. He lives in Burlington, Vermont.