Out of Thin Air - Dinosaurs, Birds, and Earth's Ancient Atmosphere.pdf - • Paleobiologia - sororita

OUT OF THIN AIR

DINO SAURS, BIRDS, AND EARTH’S

ANCIENT ATMOSPHERE

OUT OF THIN AIR

PETER D. WARD

ILLLUSTRATIONS BY

DAVID W. EHLERT, MAMS, CMI

JOSEPH HENRY PRESS

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Joseph Henry Press • 500 Fifth Street, NW • Washington, DC 20001

The Joseph Henry Press, an imprint of the National Academies Press,

was created with the goal of making books on science, technology, and

health more widely available to professionals and the public. Joseph

Henry was one of the founders of the National Academy of Sciences and

a leader in early American science.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in

this volume are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the National Academy of Sciences or its affiliated institutions.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wa rd, Peter Douglas, 1949-

Out of thin air : dinosaurs, birds, and Earth’s ancient atmosphere / Peter

D. Ward.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-309-10061-5 (cloth)

1. Dinosaurs—Extinction. 2. Dinosaurs—Evolution. 3. Paleoecology.

4. Paleobotany—Carboniferous. I. Title.

QE861.6.E95W37 2006

567.9—dc22

2006020396

Cover design by Van Nguyen.

Cover images: Jerry L. Ferrara and

Francois Gohier / Photo Researchers, Inc

Printed in the United States of America.

Out of Thin Air - Dinosaurs, Birds, and Earth's Ancient Atmosphere.pdf