Includes bibliographical references (page 30) and index.

As the Earth's climate continues to warm, the permafrost melts, glaciers are receding and ice patches are shrinking. It is a unique time on our planet, one that has resulted in a treasury of preserved organic material (e.g., caribou droppings and human and animal remains) and inorganic artifacts (e.g., tools and clothing) is being revealed by the big melt, providing us with entirely new information about how people and animals lived up to several thousand years ago. But it's a race against time for archaeologists because as soon as the objects begin to thaw, they also begin to disintegrate.