This volume provides a textbook and reference work on the physical and biotic landscapes of Southern Africa. It examines the links between these environments and the ways in which they have been, are and will likely be subject to change. It covers the geomorphology, soils, vegetation and land use across a range of landscapes, including mountains, coasts, savannah, drylands and wetlands, and identifies the impacts of current and potential climate change and other factors on these environments.

The geographical focus is on the region defined by Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Swaziland. Illustrated throughout in full colour, the book will serve as a reference volume for researchers and environmental professionals internationally, as well as a textbook for senior undergraduate and graduate-level students of geography, ecology and environmental studies in Southern Africa.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2. The Geomorphic Evolution of Southern Africa during the Cenozoic 3. Southern African Soils and their Susceptibility to Degradation 4. Southern African Rivers and Fresh Water Resources within the context of the Anthropocene 5. Southern African Biomes 6. Land Use, Land Cover and Vegetation Change in Southern Africa 7. Fluvial System Response to Environmental Change 8. Southern African drylands and their unique challenges 9. Southern African Montane Environments 10. Savanna Ecosystems of Southern Africa 11. Landscape Dynamics within the Southern African Coastal Zone 12. Agriculture and a Changing Biophysical Environment 13. Monitoring and Assessing Land Degradation: New Approaches 14. Quaternary Environmental Change 15. Conclusion

First published in 1854, and here reproduced in fine facsimile, John Reynell Morell's guide to French North Africa now serves as a unique historical source work.Originally intended as a practical guide to the region, this was the book no self-respecting Victorian traveller would fail to pack, along with his rifle and sola topi. As stated in the Preface: 'Imbued with the spirit of the times, the author has endeavoured impartially to collect, compare, and condense as many useful facts as possible in this volume.' But beyond the facts come fascinating pen-portraits of the inhabitants of Algeria, their customs, beliefs and daily lives. Much useful information is provided on the effects of French colonisation which have left an indelible trace upon the culture of that area. Few countries have contained such an admixture of race and religion, and this account helps bring to life the vibrancy of that age. Add to this the author's insatiable quest for the unusual, and we are left with an intriguing description of mid-nineteenth-century Algeria, and an invaluable reference for historical study.

This open access book focuses on the Salween River, shared by China, Myanmar, and Thailand, that is increasingly at the heart of pressing regional development debates. The basin supports the livelihoods of over 10 million people, and within it there is great socio-economic, cultural and political diversity. The basin is witnessing intensifying dynamics of resource extraction, alongside large dam construction, conservation and development intervention, that is unfolding within a complex terrain of local, national and transnational governance. With a focus on the contested politics of water and associated resources in the Salween basin, this book offers a collection of empirical case studies that highlights local knowledge and perspectives. Given the paucity of grounded social science studies in this contested basin, this book provides conceptual insights at the intersection of resource governance, development, and politics of knowledge relevant to researchers, policy-makers and practitioners at a time when rapid change is underway. - Fills a significant knowledge gap on a major river in Southeast Asia, with empirical and conceptual contributions - Inter-disciplinary perspective and by a range of writers, including academics, policy-makers and civil society researchers, the majority from within Southeast Asia - New policy insights on a river at the cross-roads of a major political and development transition

This open access book presents current knowledge about ecosystem services (ES) in urban planning, and discusses various urban ES topics such as spatial distribution of urban ecosystems, population distribution, and physical infrastructure properties. The book addresses all these issues by: i) investigating to what extent ecosystem services are currently included in urban plans, and discussing what is still needed to improve planning practice; ii) illustrating how to develop ecosystem services indicators and information that can be used by urban planners to enhance plan design; iii) demonstrating the application of ES assessments to support urban planning processes through case studies; and iv) reflecting on criteria for addressing equity in urban planning through ecosystem service assessments, by exploring issues associated with the supply of, the access to and demand for ES by citizens. Through fully worked out case studies, from policy questions, to baseline analysis and indicators, and from option comparison to proposed solutions, the book offers readers detailed and accessible coverage of outstanding issues and proposed solutions to better integrate ES in city planning. The overall purpose of the book is to provide a compact reference that can be used by researchers as a key resource offering an updated perspective and overview on the field, as well as by practitioners and planners/decision makers as a source of inspiration for their activity. Additionally, the book will be a suitable resource for both undergraduate and post-graduate courses in planning and geography.

Coastal defence navies constitute a distinct type of naval force in the world today. They possess a unique set of force structure and support infrastructure characteristics. And, more than any other type of navy, they are directly influenced by the geographical conditions of their operational environments. This book examines and classifies both coastal defence navies and their operational environments. Special attention is paid to the influence that geography has upon the force structure as well as the strategy and tactics of these navies.

Geography into the Twenty-first Century brings together teachers from higher and school education to debate the challenges confronting the teaching of geography at the beginning of the new millennium. It presents a collection of edited essays looking at the main developments in the areas of human, physical and environmental geography and the impact of the recent changes in the way that geography is taught in schools, colleges and universities. A particular objective of the book is to examine common issues and objectives which cross the school to higher education divide. Some of the world s leading geographers, including Peter Haggett, Ron Johnston and Tim O Riordan have contributed broad-ranging assessment of how the new research directions and agendas which are revitalising academic geography can be communicated in an exciting and meaningful way to students of all ages. The book also shows how the exacting needs and aspirations of modern geography students and their teachers can revitalise and inspire research endeavours. The fundamental purpose of this timely book is to show how dialogue in geographical education at all levels is essential to the future of a rapidly changing discipline. Rich in ideas, broad in examples and inspiring in its commitment to the improvement of the content and method of geographical education, Geography into the Twenty-first Century is a landmark volume that will be a constant source of reference, guidance and issues for debate for everyone professionally concerned with the teaching of geography. It also provides a unique portrait of a lively discipline at a particularly significant point in its evolution.

Seit der ersten Auflage 2007 hat sich das von Hans Gebhardt, Rudiger Glaser, Ulrich Radtke und Paul Reuber herausgegebene Lehrbuch Geographie zu einem viel zitierten Standardwerk der gesamten Geographie entwickelt, das Studierenden sowie Schulerinnen und Schulern die Moeglichkeit bietet, die "Welt" und ihre Zukunftsprobleme aus einer breiteren Perspektive verstehen zu lernen, als viele der rein natur- oder kulturwissenschaftlichen Nachbardisziplinen sie vermitteln. Das Buch liegt nunmehr in einer dritten, grundlich uberarbeiteten Auflage vor und bietet das notwendige Grundwissen sowie einen UEberblick uber aktuelle Themen des faszinierenden Studien- und Schulfachs Geographie. Andreas Voett hat das Team der Herausgeber erganzt, zahlreiche neue Autorinnen und Autoren stehen fur neue Ansatze und Einsichten und machen die Vielfalt der Geographie auf mehr als 1000 Seiten erlebbar. Was ist neu? * Alle Kapitel sind grundlich uberarbeitet und aktualisiert. * Zahlen und Abbildungen wurden auf den neuesten Stand gebracht. * Neue Kapitel zur Finanzgeographie, zu Geographien der Migration, Geographien der Mobilitat sowie zu Geographien der Gesundheit sind hinzugekommen. * Neue und perspektivische Themenfelder der IT werden im Kapitel "Von der Geokommunikation und Geoinformatik zur Geographie 4.0" behandelt. * Das Kapitel zur Gesellschaft-Umwelt-Forschung bzw. zu den Global-Change-Diskursen wurde neu verfasst und um zahlreiche neue Perspektiven und Fragestellungen erganzt, welche den aktuellen Diskussionsstand dieses wichtigen Themas der Geographie aufzeigen. * Sachverhalte werden anschaulich visualisiert und tragen damit zum Verstandnis bei. * Beteiligt sind uber 180 Autorinnen und Autoren aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum.

Spectral analysis is widely used to interpret time series collected in diverse areas. This book covers the statistical theory behind spectral analysis and provides data analysts with the tools needed to transition theory into practice. Actual time series from oceanography, metrology, atmospheric science and other areas are used in running examples throughout, to allow clear comparison of how the various methods address questions of interest. All major nonparametric and parametric spectral analysis techniques are discussed, with emphasis on the multitaper method, both in its original formulation involving Slepian tapers and in a popular alternative using sinusoidal tapers. The authors take a unified approach to quantifying the bandwidth of different nonparametric spectral estimates. An extensive set of exercises allows readers to test their understanding of theory and practical analysis. The time series used as examples and R language code for recreating the analyses of the series are available from the book's website.

Based on contributions to the first General Assembly of the International Consortium on Landslides, this reference and status report emphasizes the mechanisms of different types of landslides, landslide risk analysis, and sustainable disaster management. It comprises the achievements of the ICL over the past three years, since the Kyoto assembly. It consists of three parts: research results of the International Programme on Landslides (IPL); contributions on landslide risk analysis; and articles on sustainable disaster management. In addition, the history of the ICL activities (under the support of UNESCO, WMO, FAO, UN/ISDR, and UNU) is recounted to create a comprehensive overview of international activity on landslides. The contributions reflect a wide range of topics and concerns, randing from field studies, identification of objects of cultural heritage at landslide risk, as well as landslide countermeasures.

Notwithstanding the importance of modern technology, fieldwork remains vital, not least through helping to inspire and educate the next generation. Fieldwork has the ingredients of intellectual curiosity, passion, rigour and engagement with the outdoor world - to name just a few. You may be simply noting what you see around you, making detailed records, or carrying out an experiment; all of this and much more amounts to fieldwork. Being curious, you think about the world around you, and through patient observation develop and test ideas. Forty contributors capture the excitement and importance of fieldwork through a wide variety of examples, from urban graffiti to the Great Barrier Reef. Outdoor learning is for life: people have the greatest respect and care for their world when they have first-hand experience of it. The Editors are donating all royalties due to them to the environmental charity, The Field Studies Council, to support student fieldwork at the Council's field centres.

Have you ever wondered why Minnesota's forests grow in the north and not in the West? Why gaming casinos are prospering? Why producers raise chickens instead of cows? Why some towns grow while others fail? Minnesota's natural wonders have had an effect on and been changed by the people who call this complex mosaic of lakes and forests, rivers and fields home. Through engaging, in-depth text and copious illustrations, John Fraser Hart and Susy Svatek Ziegler explore the human and environmental characteristics that define the state in "Landscapes of Minnesota,"
Illustrated with hundreds of maps and color photographs that reveal the changing character of Minnesota, this stunning geography traces the development of the state's natural environment, how the land formations, plants, and animals became a part of its fabric, and how they have changed over time. Focusing on small towns, the authors document patterns of growth and decline, offering striking commentary on these once-key bastions of Minnesota-ness. Turning to the Twin Cities, they analyze the expanding urban arc and the surprising growth of a baby boomer retirement belt. "Landscapes of Minnesota" explores how the lives and livelihoods of Minnesotans have affected what the state has become and what it will one day be.
John Fraser Hart
is a professor of geography at the University of Minnesota and a Guggenheim Fellow. Susy Svatek Ziegler is an assistant professor of geography at the University of Minnesota and a Fulbright Scholar.

Fundamentals of the Physical Environment has established itself as a well-respected core introductory book for students of physical geography and the environmental sciences. Taking a systems approach, it demonstrates how the various factors operating at Earth's surface can and do interact, and how landscape can be used to decipher them. The nature of the earth, its atmosphere and its oceans, the main processes of geomorphology and key elements of ecosystems are also all explained. The final section on specific environments usefully sets in context the physical processes and human impacts. This fourth edition has been extensively revised to incorporate current thinking and knowledge and includes: a new section on the history and study of physical geography an updated and strengthened chapter on climate change (9) and a strengthened section on the work of the wind a revised chapter (15) on crysosphere systems - glaciers, ice and permafrost a new chapter (23) on the principles of environmental reconstruction a new joint chapter (24) on polar and alpine environments a key new joint chapter (28) on current environmental change and future environments new material on the Earth System and cycling of carbon and nutrients themed boxes highlighting processes, systems, applications, new developments and human impacts a support website at www.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415395168 with discussion and essay questions, chapter summaries and extended case studies. Clearly written, well-structured and with over 450 informative colour diagrams and 150 colour photographs, this text provides students with the necessary grounding in fundamental processes whilst linking these to their impact on human society and their application to the science of the environment.

This is the only textbook that fully supports the OxfordAQA International A Level Physical Geography specification (9635), for first teaching from September 2018. It enables students to develop a broad knowledge and understanding of a wide range of physical geography topics, such as living with hazards and ecosystems under stress, and encourages them to link learning to real-life with relevant, up-to-date examples and case studies from around the world. It also hones the map work, enquiry and data analysis skills required for university study with focused practice, whilst a dedicated fieldwork chapter helps students to develop competence and confidence in practical, mathematical and problem-solving skills.

THE ENTHRALLING INSIDE STORY OF THE THAI CAVE RESCUE FROM THE MAN AT THE HEART OF THE MISSION, AS SEEN IN THE SUNDAY TIMES 'The British divers are all heroes' Clive Cussler 'A case study in courage' Ron Howard, Oscar-winning director of Apollo 13 ________ Thailand, July 2018. Twelve boys and their football coach vanish into Tham Luang caves just as the monsoon rains hit. A mile from the surface they are trapped by rising flood waters. All attempts to reach them fail. As hope for their survival fades a retired British firefighter tinkering with homemade cave-diving kit gets a call. Rick Stanton and his dive partner race to the other side of the world. The boys have been missing for days. Each hour, their chance of escape shrinks. Rick must swim, crawl and squeeze through treacherously tight submerged tunnels hunting for them. But that is not the impossible part. Because if by some miracle they're alive then somehow he must bring the boys back out again . . . He doesn't know it yet but all his life he's been training for this very moment . . . ________ 'The riveting, behind-the-scenes story. Captivating' SUNDAY POST 'A definitive view of the rescue. You probably won't read a better-written book about diving this year. I just had to get to the end' DIVER MAGAZINE 'Diver Rick Stanton relives the rescue of the century' SUNDAY TIMES 'Remarkable . . . the chronicle of a man from a humble background who worked devilishly hard . . . and was willing to go anywhere to help people in the most dire cave disasters' WALL STREET JOURNAL THE RESCUE WATCHED BY THE WORLD 'The Thai cave rescue was phenomenally dangerous, and the work of true heroes' iNews '[The rescue] was fantastic, it really was . . .' HRH Prince William 'If it was me stuck anywhere, the one person I would want to come and rescue me is Rick Stanton' Alex Daw, Watch Commander, West Midlands Fire Service 'One of the great stories of our time' Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Oscar-winning co-director of Free Solo 'Rick Stanton is not the most domesticated of men' Sunday Telegraph

Physical Geology Today combines a deep integration of plate tectonics with an emphasis on conceptual understanding in order to paint an integrated picture of how Earth works. Damian Nance and Brendan Murphy blend clear engaging prose with hundreds of meticulously crafted illustrations to tell a clear and accessible geologic story that introduces the right amount of terminology at the right time.

Snow and ice environments support significant biological activity, yet the biological importance of some of these habitats, such as glaciers, has only recently gained appreciation. Collectively, these ecosystems form a significant part of the cryosphere, most of which is situated at high latitudes. These ice environments are important sentinels of climate change since the polar regions are presently undergoing the highest rates of climate warming, resulting in very marked changes in the extent of ice caps, glaciers, and the sea ice. Glacial systems are also regarded as an analogue for astrobiology, particularly for Mars and the moons of Jupiter (e.g. Europa), and one of the justifications for research in this area is its potential value in astrobiology. This timely and accessible volume draws together the current knowledge on life in snow and ice environments. It describes these often complex and often productive ecosystems, their physical and chemical conditions, and the nature and activity of the organisms that have colonised them. The cryosphere is the domain of extremophiles, organisms able to adapt to the physiological and biochemical challenges of harsh cold conditions where liquid water may only be present for relatively short periods each year. The majority of extremophiles in ice and snow are microorganisms. The Ecology of Snow and Ice Environments is intended for the non-specialist, enabling environmental scientists to understand the biological functioning of extreme cold environments and for biologists to gain knowledge of the nature of the cryosphere.

The Journey, an accurate and comprehensive history of twelfth-century Wales, is filled with lively anecdotes and folklore; The Description offers a fascinating picture of the life of ordinary Welshmen.

Rivers have often been the gateway to natural wilderness and the first element of a natural landscape that humans made their own. Some rivers have become the symbol of whole civilisations, such as the Nile or the Tiber to Egyptians and Romans respectively. More recently, pioneers exploring the continent of America have explored the new land from within rivers, whose names have become by extension the name of the land: 15 of the 50 states composing the United States of America are borrowed from rivers. No other natural feature has become embedded into human narratives as the river. Rivers are frequently featured prominently in natural landscapes by writers and artists, but they also turn up in unexpected places, such as the mythical Greek underworld or Dante's Inferno. Rivers made of stars (the Milky Way) have been recognised in the sky by the Inca, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese (the "Peaceful River of Heaven"), Hindu, Maori, Aboriginal Australians as well as other cultures. The flow of a river has prompted many reflexions of its similarity to time as well as human life and consciousness, becoming a recurring theme in culture and philosophical thought. In recent archaeological literature, rivers are often ignored from narratives, or seen as part of the natural landscape. Yet, rivers and streams have shaped most cities in the world and they should be inserted more frequently, if not systematically, in archaeological interpretations and narratives. The sea is very much in the minds of scholars, especially in Europe, but rivers are denied the same interest. It is hoped that this volume will generate some fresh interest.

Yellowstone holds a special place in America's heart. As the world's first national park, it is globally recognized as the crown jewel of modern environmental preservation. But the park and its surrounding regions have recently become a lightning rod for environmental conflict, plagued by intense and intractable political struggles among the federal government, National Park Service, environmentalists, industry, local residents, and elected officials. The Battle for Yellowstone asks why it is that, with the flood of expert scientific, economic, and legal efforts to resolve disagreements over Yellowstone, there is no improvement? Why do even seemingly minor issues erupt into impassioned disputes? What can Yellowstone teach us about the worsening environmental conflicts worldwide? Justin Farrell argues that the battle for Yellowstone has deep moral, cultural, and spiritual roots that until now have been obscured by the supposedly rational and technical nature of the conflict. Tracing in unprecedented detail the moral causes and consequences of large-scale social change in the American West, he describes how a "new-west" social order has emerged that has devalued traditional American beliefs about manifest destiny and rugged individualism, and how morality and spirituality have influenced the most polarizing and techno-centric conflicts in Yellowstone's history. This groundbreaking book shows how the unprecedented conflict over Yellowstone is not all about science, law, or economic interests, but more surprisingly, is about cultural upheaval and the construction of new moral and spiritual boundaries in the American West.