The Arctic: A Very Short Introduction

Description

The Arctic is a complex space. This book considers the competing elements surrounding the region, from geopolitical claims on its rich resources to environmental concerns over the effects of climate change and shrinking sea ice. It examines the impact of ongoing cultural, physical, and economic changes, and considers the future of the Arctic.

• Offers a contemporary geopolitical and cultural commentary of the Arctic
• Discusses the physical geography of the region, and current and future environmental concerns
• Brings together the various competing elements surrounding the Arctic to offer a rich discussion of the current issues for the region
• Part of the Very Short introductions series - over ten million copies sold worldwide

About the Author(s)

Klaus Dodds, Professor of Geopolitics, Royal Holloway University of London, and Jamie Woodward, Professor of Physical Geography, The University of Manchester

Klaus Dodds is Professor of Geopolitics at Royal Holloway University of London and Fellow of the Academic of Social Sciences. He is a Trustee of the Royal Geographical Society and a UK representative of the International Arctic Science Committee's Social and Human Working Group. He has travelled extensively around the Arctic and co-authored The Arctic: What Everyone Needs to Know, (with Mark Nuttall, OUP, 2019), as well as authoring The Antarctic: A Very Short Introduction, (OUP, 2012), and Geopolitics: A Very Short Introduction, (OUP, 2019, third edition). Between 2017-2020, he held a Major Research Fellowship (funded by the Leverhulme Trust) on the 'Global Arctic'.

Jamie Woodward is Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Manchester and a Fellow of the British Society for Geomorphology. His research explores how landscapes and people are impacted by environmental change from the Pleistocene ice age to the present day. He is the author of The Ice Age: A Very Short Introduction, (OUP, 2014) and was a trustee of the Royal Geographical Society (2017-2020).

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Arctic world
Chapter 2: The physical environment
Chapter 3: Arctic ecosystems
Chapter 4: Peoples of the Arctic
Chapter 5: Exploration and exploitation
Chapter 6: Arctic governance
Chapter 7: The Arctic carbon vault
Chapter 8: Arctic futures

Reviews

"This book is an excellent introduction to the region and will appeal to almost every geographer." - Robert A. Francis, Progress in Physical Geography (2022)

"This book will be of significant use to students and publics new to the Arctic. The authors have achieved exactly what is suggested by the title: a short but detailed introduction to the Arctic. Accessible and concise but comprehensive, tackling both physical and human Arctic worlds, The Arctic is a strong and necessary addition to the Very Short Introduction series." - Alice Oats, The Polar Journal