Ian Fairchild was originally a geologist, then more specifically a sedimentologist, morphing into a physical geographer with leanings to environmental chemistry, before putting more geology back in the mix.  Hence, he is now Professor of Geosystems at the University of Birmingham, UK, researching both on modern environments and interpreting those in deep time, with carbonates, waters and climates as linking themes.  Andy Baker was trained as a physical geographer, and worked at the interface of geology, physical geography, and environmental engineering.   He is currently a Professor at the University of New South Wales and a chief investigator in Australia’s National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training.

“Speleothem Science sets high standards for any successor. It is a must-have for researchers working on karst geology and terrestrial Quaternary palaeoclimatology. For all those who always wanted to know how dripstones “grow”, why speleothems rival ice cores as top climate archives, or just want to learn the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite: get your hands on this book.”  (Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, 1 December 2013)“The book is comprehensive; it brings together all the relevant disciplines (geology, biology, hydrology, chemistry…) and, whichever way you cut it, Fairchild and Baker have succeeded in bringing an important subject to a wider readership.  Speleothem Science is highly recommended.”  (Descent, 1 August 2013)“The target readership of  Speleothem Science is threefold.  First, researchers who are already working with the stalagmite archive can widen and considerably deepen their knowledge in sub-disciplines not already covered in their own training.  Second, climate researchers who are not yet working on speleothem should be catapulted to the front-end once they will have studied the book together with the relating bench mark papers.  Third, graduate students who are looking for a topic for their PhD dissertation.  They might have found their textbook.”  (Computers & Geosciences, 27 January 2013)“The volume will no doubt serve as a fine textbook and reference volume.  A companion website provides access to slides of all figures and tables.  Summing Up: Essential.  Upper-division undergraduates through professionals.”  (Choice, 1 December  2012)                   “I highly recommend the landmark and very thorough book Speleothem Science: From Process to Past Environments by Ian J. Fairchild, Ph.D., and Andy Baker, Ph.D., to any students and professional scientists from a wide range of disciplines, who are seeking a holistic and comprehensive examination of the many topics and areas of research and study surrounding speleothems, climate, caves, and Quaternary science.”  (Blog Business World, 8 May 2012)

• Preface, xiAcknowledgements, xiiiI Scientifi c and geological context, 11 Introduction to speleothems and systems, 31.1 What is all the fuss about?, 31.2 How is this book organized?, 111.3 Concepts and approaches of system science, 131.4 The speleothem factory within the karst system, 182 Carbonate and karst cave geology, 282.1 Carbonates in the Earth system over geological time, 282.2 Lithologies of carbonate host rocks, 342.3 Carbonate diagenesis and eogenetic karst, 472.4 Speleogenesis in mesogenetic and telogenetic karst (with contributions from John Gunn and David J Lowe), 552.5 Cave infilling, 642.6 Conclusion, 713 Surface environments: climate, soil and vegetation, 733.1 The modern climate system, 733.2 Water isotopes in the atmosphere, 843.3 Soils of karst regions, 943.4 Vegetation of karst regions, 1023.5 Synthesis: inputs to the incubator, 104II Transfer processes in karst, 1054 The speleothem incubator, 1074.1 Introduction to speleophysiology, 1074.2 Physical parameters and fl uid behaviour, 1094.3 Water movement, 1144.4 Air circulation, 1224.5 Heat flux (authored by David Domínguez-Villar), 1374.6 Synthesis: cave climatologies, 1455 Inorganic water chemistry, 1485.1 Sampling protocols for water chemistry, 1485.2 The carbonate system, 1525.3 Weathering, trace elements and isotopes, 1565.4 Carbon isotopes, 1735.5 Evolution of cave water chemistry: modelling sources and environmental signals, 1806 Biogeochemistry of karstic environments, 1876.1 Introduction, 1876.2 Organic macromolecules, 1886.3 Pollen and spores, 1986.4 Cave faunal remains, 1996.5 Synthesis and research gaps, 200III Speleothem properties, 2057 The architecture of speleothems, 2077.1 Introduction, 2077.2 Theoretical models of stalagmite growth and of stalagmite and stalactite shapes, 2077.3 Geometrical classifi cation of speleothems, 2137.4 Mineralogy and petrology, 2237.5 Synthesis, 2418 Geochemistry of speleothems, 2458.1 Analysis and the sources of uncertainty, 2458.2 The growth interface, 2498.3 Trace element partitioning, 2558.4 Oxygen and carbon isotope fractionation, 2638.5 Evolution of dripwater and speleothem chemistry along water flowlines, 2778.6 Process models of variability over time, 2819 Dating of speleothems, 2909.1 Introduction, 2909.2 Dating techniques, 2919.3 Age–distance models, 3009.4 Conclusions, 301IV Palaeoenvironments, 30310 The instrumental era: calibration and validation of proxy-environment relationships, 30510.1 Available instrumental and derived series, 30610.2 Methodologies, 31110.3 Case studies of calibrated speleothem proxies, 31610.4 Questions raised and future directions, 32311 The Holocene epoch: testing the climate and environmental proxies, 32411.1 A brief overview of the Holocene, 32511.2 The past millennium, 32711.3 Holocene environmental changes: speleothem responses, 33411.4 Questions raised and future directions, 35112 The Pleistocene and beyond, 35312.1 Pleistocene proxy records (ice-age climate fl uctuations defined and drawn), 35312.2 Insights into pre-Quaternary palaeoenvironments, 36112.3 Questions raised and looking to the future, 365APPENDIX 1 Archiving speleothems and speleothem data, 368References, 371Index, 421