Heard Island Two Centuries of Change, and More Coming

This highly illustrated volume is a compendium of evidence and examples of change on Heard Island, a World Heritage Site near Antarctica and one of the most remote places on earth. Drawing on records from the past two centuries, as well as his own expeditions to the island in 1997 and 2016, the author provides visual evidence for the changes wrought by climate change, erosion, and environmental policy. Various phenomena not previously observed on Heard Island are documented, such as fluid dynamic instabilities and the destruction of the seawalls of a major lagoon. Based on the past, the author makes predictions about Heard Island for specific years in the future: 2031 (decade), 2051 (tricade), 2121 (century), 3021 (millennium), and 1,002,021 (millionium). The book serves as an important link between the past and future of Heard Island.

Part1. Two centuries of change.- Section1. Island.- Chapter1. Description.- Chapter2. Images.- Chapter3. Maps.- Section2. History.- Chapter4. Events.- Chapter5. Facilities.- Chapter6. Debris.- Part2. Rocks.- Section3. Provinces.- Chapter7. Atlas Cove.- Chapter8. Laurens Peninsula.- Chapter9. The Spit.- Section4. Volcano.- Chapter10. Big Ben.- Chapter11. Mawson Peak.- Chapter12. Volcanic features.- Section5. Lithics.- Chapter13. Outcroppings.- Chapter14. Till.- Chapter15. Sediment.- Part3. Water.- Section6. Glaciers.- Chapter16. Stephenson Glacier.- Chapter17. AU1141 Glacier.- Chapter18. Glacial features.- Section7. Streams.- Chapter19. Inland streams.- Chapter20. Tidewater streams.- Section8. Lakes.- Chapter21. Stephenson Lagoon.- Chapter22. Large lakes.- Chapter23. Small lakes.- Part4. Ecosystem.- Section9. Biota.- Chapter24. Plants.- Chapter25. Invertebrates.- Chapter26. Birds.- Chapter27. Mammals.- Section10. Environment.- Chapter28. Ocean.- Chapter29. Atmosphere.- Chapter30. Sky.-Part5. More Coming.- Section11. Dynamics.- Chapter31. Populations.- Chapter32. Systems.- Chapter33. EcoSimulation.- Section12. The Future.- Chapter34. Research.- Chapter35. Resources.- Chapter36. The Future of Heard Island.

Robert William Schmieder is an American scientist and explorer. Schmieder has had a multidisciplinary career, broadly divided between physics and related physical sciences, and natural science and exploration. In most of his projects, he created and led teams of both professional scientists and volunteers. His work is documented in about 100 technical publications and 10 books. Among his most significant work was the invention of laser spark spectroscopy (now commercialized), the formulation of nanologic (the use of nanoscale devices in computers), and the concept of underwater islands (which led to designation of the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary).