It's no secret that ice is melting faster than ever all around the world. In Age of Melt, science writer Lisa Baril examines what that means on an archeological level for humanity. Spanning the icy regions of the globe, including the Alps, the Himalayas, and other places where humans have historically resided, Baril discusses not just archeological finds in melted ice but also how cultures have lived with ice and the traditions they formed. She describes how men in Pakistan "seed" glaciers to provide water for their crops and villages, and what ice patches mean for reindeer and the people who rely on them for survival. She even attends a pilgrimage in Peru to a glacier.
Beginning with the well-known story of Ötzi, the iceman discovered in the Alps in the '90s, Baril takes readers on a knowledgeable journey through the ice with reverence for those who came before. The Age of Melt is easily readable and entertaining, pausing to explain scientific terms like "albedo" (the amount of energy reflected by an object), ensuring readers can follow the narrative and understand not just that something happened, but how and why.
Baril deftly introduces readers to the world of ice-patch archeology and explains its importance and how it differs from regular archeology. Concise and fascinating, The Age of Melt emphasizes the risks of climate change and clearly illustrates how it is not just a natural climate variation. Readers are then left to ponder what they're leaving to future generations with the question that ends the book, "Did we accomplish what needed to be done?" --Alyssa Parssinen, freelance reviewer and former bookseller