Planetary Timemaking : Paleoclimatology and the Temporalities of Environmental Knowledge, 1945-1990
This thesis concerns the history of paleoclimatology in the postwar period. It follows the trajectory of two climate proxy records – ice cores and deep-sea cores – in the North Atlantic region, from their emergence as scientific objects in the 1940s to their incorporation into Earth System Science i...
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KTH, Historiska studier av teknik, vetenskap och miljö
2023
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ftkthstockholm:oai:DiVA.org:kth-337203 2023-11-05T03:42:39+01:00 Planetary Timemaking : Paleoclimatology and the Temporalities of Environmental Knowledge, 1945-1990 Isberg, Erik 2023 application/pdf http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-337203 eng eng KTH, Historiska studier av teknik, vetenskap och miljö Stockholm TRITA-ABE-DLT 2337 orcid:0000-0002-3041-2466 http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-337203 urn:isbn:978-91-8040-709-0 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess paleoclimatology environmental history temporality ice core deep-sea core North Atlantic timemaking theory of history planetary-scale environmental knowledge paleoklimatologi miljöhistoria temporalitet iskärna borrkärna Nordatlanten tidsskapande historieteori planetär miljökunskap History Historia History of Technology Teknikhistoria Environmental Sciences Miljövetenskap Doctoral thesis, monograph info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis text 2023 ftkthstockholm 2023-10-11T22:32:58Z This thesis concerns the history of paleoclimatology in the postwar period. It follows the trajectory of two climate proxy records – ice cores and deep-sea cores – in the North Atlantic region, from their emergence as scientific objects in the 1940s to their incorporation into Earth System Science in the 1980s. In doing so, the thesis highlights how scientists have used these records to produce time and how this has affected the temporalities of the environment as a scientific and political concept. As anthropogenic impact on the planet arose as a political problem, the vast timescales of paleoclimatology became increasingly interwoven with climate modeling and environmental policy. Often, the records were understood as “natural archives”, providing unmediated access to past environmental conditions. This thesis shows how the times of ice- and deep-sea cores were, on the contrary, constantly re-shaped by scientific practices, institutional frameworks andcompeting temporal sensibilities in different scientific fields. With the rise of the Anthropocene concept in the last two decades, historians have begun to question the division between historical and natural times. Scientifically produced times, such as those made by ice- and deep-sea core drilling, have permeated discussions about the properties of historical time in the twenty-first century. Yet, the origins of thesetimes often remain out of view. This thesis argues that environmental historians and historians of science can contribute to these discussions by treating environmental times as objects of historical inquiry. Looking beyond planetary-scale models and following environmental times in situ, as they emerge, form and travel, can open up for more multi facettedapproaches to historical time in the proposed new geological epoch. The history of postwar paleoclimatology is therefore both a history of how scientists have produced environmental times and how planetary pasts enter the political present. Den här avhandlingen handlar om paleoklimatologins ... Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis ice core North Atlantic Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm: KTHs Publication Database DiVA |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm: KTHs Publication Database DiVA |
op_collection_id |
ftkthstockholm |
language |
English |
topic |
paleoclimatology environmental history temporality ice core deep-sea core North Atlantic timemaking theory of history planetary-scale environmental knowledge paleoklimatologi miljöhistoria temporalitet iskärna borrkärna Nordatlanten tidsskapande historieteori planetär miljökunskap History Historia History of Technology Teknikhistoria Environmental Sciences Miljövetenskap |
spellingShingle |
paleoclimatology environmental history temporality ice core deep-sea core North Atlantic timemaking theory of history planetary-scale environmental knowledge paleoklimatologi miljöhistoria temporalitet iskärna borrkärna Nordatlanten tidsskapande historieteori planetär miljökunskap History Historia History of Technology Teknikhistoria Environmental Sciences Miljövetenskap Isberg, Erik Planetary Timemaking : Paleoclimatology and the Temporalities of Environmental Knowledge, 1945-1990 |
topic_facet |
paleoclimatology environmental history temporality ice core deep-sea core North Atlantic timemaking theory of history planetary-scale environmental knowledge paleoklimatologi miljöhistoria temporalitet iskärna borrkärna Nordatlanten tidsskapande historieteori planetär miljökunskap History Historia History of Technology Teknikhistoria Environmental Sciences Miljövetenskap |
description |
This thesis concerns the history of paleoclimatology in the postwar period. It follows the trajectory of two climate proxy records – ice cores and deep-sea cores – in the North Atlantic region, from their emergence as scientific objects in the 1940s to their incorporation into Earth System Science in the 1980s. In doing so, the thesis highlights how scientists have used these records to produce time and how this has affected the temporalities of the environment as a scientific and political concept. As anthropogenic impact on the planet arose as a political problem, the vast timescales of paleoclimatology became increasingly interwoven with climate modeling and environmental policy. Often, the records were understood as “natural archives”, providing unmediated access to past environmental conditions. This thesis shows how the times of ice- and deep-sea cores were, on the contrary, constantly re-shaped by scientific practices, institutional frameworks andcompeting temporal sensibilities in different scientific fields. With the rise of the Anthropocene concept in the last two decades, historians have begun to question the division between historical and natural times. Scientifically produced times, such as those made by ice- and deep-sea core drilling, have permeated discussions about the properties of historical time in the twenty-first century. Yet, the origins of thesetimes often remain out of view. This thesis argues that environmental historians and historians of science can contribute to these discussions by treating environmental times as objects of historical inquiry. Looking beyond planetary-scale models and following environmental times in situ, as they emerge, form and travel, can open up for more multi facettedapproaches to historical time in the proposed new geological epoch. The history of postwar paleoclimatology is therefore both a history of how scientists have produced environmental times and how planetary pasts enter the political present. Den här avhandlingen handlar om paleoklimatologins ... |
format |
Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis |
author |
Isberg, Erik |
author_facet |
Isberg, Erik |
author_sort |
Isberg, Erik |
title |
Planetary Timemaking : Paleoclimatology and the Temporalities of Environmental Knowledge, 1945-1990 |
title_short |
Planetary Timemaking : Paleoclimatology and the Temporalities of Environmental Knowledge, 1945-1990 |
title_full |
Planetary Timemaking : Paleoclimatology and the Temporalities of Environmental Knowledge, 1945-1990 |
title_fullStr |
Planetary Timemaking : Paleoclimatology and the Temporalities of Environmental Knowledge, 1945-1990 |
title_full_unstemmed |
Planetary Timemaking : Paleoclimatology and the Temporalities of Environmental Knowledge, 1945-1990 |
title_sort |
planetary timemaking : paleoclimatology and the temporalities of environmental knowledge, 1945-1990 |
publisher |
KTH, Historiska studier av teknik, vetenskap och miljö |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-337203 |
genre |
ice core North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
ice core North Atlantic |
op_relation |
TRITA-ABE-DLT 2337 orcid:0000-0002-3041-2466 http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-337203 urn:isbn:978-91-8040-709-0 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
_version_ |
1781699975734886400 |