This report summarizes data collected during the Sonoran Desert Network's first two seasons of terrestrial vegetation and soils monitoring in upland areas of the Tucson Mountain District, Saguaro National Park, in southern Arizona. Eleven permanent monitoring sites were sampled. This report summarizes effort to date, evaluates the sampling design within the context of monitoring objectives, and suggests modifications to the design.

Vegetation classification and mapping of U.S. National Vegetation Classification associations were conducted at the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, creating current digital geospatial databases for the park. This study of the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site identified and characterized 10 U.S. National Vegetation Classification associations in detail. The diversity and distribution of vegetation associations is primarily a result of the following four factors: 1) the geologic history of the region, especially the effect of glaciation; 2) the park's position on the northeastern U.S. coastal plain within a temperate climate; 3) proximity to Long Island Sound and maritime ecological processes, such as diurnal tides, storm overwash, salt spray, and high winds; and 4) the park's setting within a suburban landscape with a moderately intensive human land use history, along with its associated problems, such as invasive species, fragmentation, habitat loss, and pollution.

This report summarizes provisional data collected by the Sonoran Desert Network during the first two seasons of terrestrial vegetation and soils monitoring in upland areas of the Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Park, in southern Arizona. Twenty-five permanent monitoring sites were sampled. This report summarizes effort to date, evaluates the sampling design in the context of our monitoring objectives, and suggests modifications to the design.

This document details the objectives of current monitoring program including 1) determine the status and trends of invertebrate species diversity, abundance, and community metrics, and 2) relate the invertebrate community to overall water quality through quantification of metrics related to species richness, abundance, diversity, and region-specific multi-metric indices as indicators of water quality and habitat condition.

The NPS I&M program grouped national parks across the United States into 32 networks and, in 2000, initiated the inventory phase of the I&M program. The first task was to create a biological inventory plan to cover this five-year phase aimed at determining the status of vertebrates and vascular plants in U.S. national parks. Following I&M guidelines, Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and USGS staff produced the plan in 2001, defining goals, policy, and specific projects for implementation (NPS 2001). They followed a prescribed process to, first, determine the level of knowledge regarding vertebrate and vascular plant occurrence in parks and then to address the status of species of special management concern. They interpreted the latter as special-status taxa and non-native plants and animals. Among the projects identified for Yosemite was determining the status of special-status vascular plant species. This report details the results of that two-year project implemented by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) under an inter-agency agreement with the National Park Service.

In spite of the UN Convention, riparian nations pitch their respective claims and counterclaims based on their interest and interpretation. Water as an instrument and tool of bargain and trade-off will assume predominance because the political stakes are high. The book attempts to analyse the water relations and the existing problems due to some of the ongoing projects.

This coloring and activity book for children explores the historic Nez Perce National Historic Trail which winds through Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The Nez Perce, or Nimiipoo, are the native people who lived in an area of the interior Northwest stretching from the Bitterroot Mountains in the east, to the Blue Mountains in the west. Using matching games, puzzles, and other activities, Along the Nez Perce Trail introduces young people to the natural world through the language and concepts of the Nimiipoo.

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (SAAN) encompasses approximately 844 acres in the city of San Antonio and rural Wilson County, Texas. The park preserves and celebrates the largest collection of Spanish colonial resources in the U.S., including four missions, two acequias (irrigation ditches), and one ranch remnant. The four missions are located in the southern portion of San Antonio along the San Antonio River and the ranch site is located approximately 5 miles southwest of Floresville, Texas and 35 miles southeast of San Antonio. SAAN was created to protect and commemorate these historical structures and in addition it also contains rich and varied natural resources including native flora common to the Tamaulipan thornscrub and southern tallgrass prairie ecoregions. To better understand the distribution of these plant assemblages the National Park Service's (NPS) Southern Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (SOPN) in conjunction with the NPS's Gulf Coast Inventory and Monitoring Network (GULN) begun a vegetation mapping and classification effort at SAAN.

This book looks at the twists and turns in the making of the scenic highway. The most visited site in the National Park system, the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway winds along the ridges of the Appalachian mountains in Virginia and North Carolina. According to most accounts, the Parkway was a New Deal 'Godsend for the needy', built without conflict or opposition by landscape architects and planners who traced their vision along a scenic, isolated southern landscape. The historical archives relating to this massive public project, however, tell a different and much more complicated story, which Anne Mitchell Whisnant relates in this revealing history of the beloved roadway.

The goal of the study was to accurately map and classify at least to the alliance level of the USNVC, the vegetation in Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Booker T. Washington National Monument, Colonial National Historical Park, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, George Washington Birthplace National Monument, Petersburg National Battlefield, and Richmond National Battlefield Park. The classification used to map these parks was developed regionally, using quantitative data that was collected from all seven park units and combined with existing data from throughout the Mid-Atlantic Piedmont and Coastal Plain.

Invasion by non-indigenous plants is widely considered to be a primary threat to species diversity and ecosystem function. Ecosystem changes resulting from these invasions may negatively impact native plant communities as a whole, as well as rare and endangered species. This report explores existing reports on rare plant locations in Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MISS), and Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACN). No rare plant surveys were performed for this study. In addition, we performed invasive plant surveys on several species considered "target" species of concern at each park. Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica L.) was the most commonly found invasive species. Of the 68 plots sampled in MISS, 53 had at least one invasive species present, and of the 136 plots sampled in SACN, 128 had at least one invasive species present. While this was not an exhaustive attempt to survey all invasive infestations, this study can serve as a template for future surveys and to emphasize the importance of continuity to allow compilation and comparison of data across parks.

Two broad objectives are addressed by this protocol: 1) Determine the annual status and trends of invertebrate species diversity, abundance and community metrics, and 2) Relate the invertebrate community to overall water quality through quantification of metrics related to species richness, abundance and diversity and region specific multi-metric indices as indicators of water quality and habitat condition

Mapper of Mountains follows the career of Dominion Land Surveyor Morrison Parsons Bridgland, who provided the first detailed maps of many regions of the Canadian Rockies. Between 1902 and 1930, this unheralded alpinist perfected phototopographical techniques to compile a series of mountaintop photographs during summers of field work, and spent his winters collating them to provide the Canadian government and tourists and mountain climbers with accurate topographical maps. Bridgland was also a great climber and co-founder of the Alpine Club of Canada. Mapper of Mountains tells the story of the Rocky Mountain Repeat Photography Project, which studies the changes sustained in the Rockies, repeating the field work accomplished by Bridgland almost a century ago.

1897. With 35 illustrations drawn and engraved under the direction of the author. Part of the International Scientific Series of popular science. Tyndall studies rivers and glaciers not only by their actual appearances but also their causes and effects. He also shares the knowledge he gained firsthand during his visits to Mer de Glace. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

This research represents the first year of a multi-year, baseline study to provide data on the population dynamics and habitat use of lamprey in Cedar Creek, a stream located with the CRB. The objectives of this research are to: 1- estimate the abundance of larval and adult lamprey and measure biological characteristics; 2- determine larval distribution and habitat use; 3- determine outmigrant timing of larvae and macropthalmia; 4- evaluate spawning habitat requirements; and 5- evaluate homing fidelity, survival rates, and ocean residence.

This book discusses Turkey's karst systems' most critical features, one of the world's most important karst areas. This publication has been prepared to assist geologists and professionals working in karst areas by solving several different problems, for example, to conduct groundwater analysis in regions with karstic depressions and examine subsidence problems through geotechnical and hydrogeological studies to solve dams' technical challenges from Karstic areas.

Recent studies indicate that - due to climate change - the Earth is undergoing rapid changes in all cryospheric components, including polar sea ice shrinkage, mountain glacier recession, thawing permafrost, and diminishing snow cover. This book provides a comprehensive summary of all components of the Earth's cryosphere, reviewing their history, physical and chemical characteristics, geographical distributions, and projected future states. This new edition has been completely updated throughout, and provides state-of-the-art data from GlobSnow-2 CRYOSAT, ICESAT, and GRACE. It includes a comprehensive summary of cryospheric changes in land ice, permafrost, freshwater ice, sea ice, and ice sheets. It discusses the models developed to understand cryosphere processes and predict future changes, including those based on remote sensing, field campaigns, and long-term ground observations. Boasting an extensive bibliography, over 120 figures, and end-of-chapter review questions, it is an ideal resource for students and researchers of the cryosphere.

How did El Nino change weather patterns and affect crops around the world? What are humans doing to help or hinder the health of the world's oceans? And what hurricane event happended for the first time since 1893? Whether you're a student writing a report, or a professional in need of some quick answers, you'll find what you're looking for in the "Earth Almanc." Covering the state of the four major geophysical topics associated with the Earth: the atmosphere, oceans, fresh water, and land, this new edition presents an incredible amount of usable information about the changes in our planet during 1999. Details of whole earth events and human-made and natural disasters are chronicled along with the necessary background information and statistics for understanding the science involved. Hot topics such as global warming, ozone depletion, and El Nino.

Goldstein explores specific major geophysical events and then continues with information on the latest scientific developments in fields such as geology, oceanography, and meteorology. Readers will also discover hot topics entries that are unique to this almanac--namely information on human-made events (pollution, carbon dioxide, oil spills urbanization, and water conflicts). Current and complete with more than 300 photos, charts, and statistical graphs, no other reference book compares to this one-stop resource. Topics covered include

Air Pollution

Cryosphere: The Ice

El Nino

Fresh Water

Geological Processes

Global Warming

Land Use

Ocean Fundamentals

Structure of the Atmosphere

Whole-Earth Events

Collaboration between prehistorians and palaeoecologists is radically changing our understanding of the relationship between landscape, land use and human settlement in Greece. The chapters in this volume include case studies and broader syntheses, developments of both on-site and off-site field methodology, explorations of palaeoecological and archaeological evidence, and discussions of how the palaeoecological and archaeological records are formed. Contributions range geographically over the contrasting natural and cultural landscapes of northern and southern Greece and the lowlands and highlands, and chronologically over the whole postglacial period, including studies of plant and animal ecology and of palaeoecological formation processes in the present. The difficulty of disentangling climatic and anthropogenic causes of palaeoecological change is a recurrent theme.

This book raises in a straightforward fashion the faith-related questions that the victims/survivors of natural disasters have as a result of this experience. Is the disaster an "act of God?" Did God cause the disaster? If God is all powerful, why did God allow it to happen? The author then goes on to argue that God is active in our questions, confusions, and doubts, as well as in those who help - either individually or as communities of faith. He discusses the dynamics of the caregiver/care receiver relationship from the perspective of the care receiver to provide insights into how natural disaster victims can face an uncertain future with hope and faith. A final chapter for caregivers provides help for the emotional and spiritual health of those who assist others in times of disaster. Appendices provide practical, close-to-the-ground tools.

Glacially triggered faulting describes movement of pre-existing faults caused by a combination of tectonic and glacially induced isostatic stresses. The most impressive fault-scarps are found in northern Europe, assumed to be reactivated at the end of the deglaciation. This view has been challenged as new faults have been discovered globally with advanced techniques such as LiDAR, and fault activity dating has shown several phases of reactivation thousands of years after deglaciation ended. This book summarizes the current state-of-the-art research in glacially triggered faulting, discussing the theoretical aspects that explain the presence of glacially induced structures and reviews the geological, geophysical, geodetic and geomorphological investigation methods. Written by a team of international experts, it provides the first global overview of confirmed and proposed glacially induced faults, and provides an outline for modelling these stresses and features. It is a go-to reference for geoscientists and engineers interested in ice sheet-solid Earth interaction.

Merde is an unusual (very unusual) and witty investigation into a subject you may always have wondered about--but didn't know quite what to ask.
        
History, biology, anthropology, culture, animal behavior--all of these are the real subjects of Merde. Why can some animals do it on the run, and others can't? Why does camel dung make good fires? What are the fascinating stories of the dung beetles?
        
Myths and legends, physical features, health and disease, uses for construction and as fertilizers--even nutritional values!--Ralph Lewin writes about them all in the most ingratiating and sophisticated and yet scientific way. Merde is also full of personal adventures and observations, as well as anecdotes and examples.
        
The scattered literature on this subject is voluminous, but until now no one has perused and compiled it all and given it a personal touch, so to speak. It will be hard not to talk about this treasure trove of a book after you've finished it--or perhaps even when you're in the middle of it.


From the Hardcover edition.

Twenty-eight essays by a very distinguished collection of contributors who were invited to speak at a conference in Newcastle in 1993 on a number of themes in terms of evidence for cave and rockshelter use in their areas of the world. The contributors include: Lawrence Straus ( Some human uses of caves and rockshelters ); Pavel Dolukhanov ( Cave vs open-air settlement in the European Upper Palaeolithic ); Marcel Otte ( The Belgian Palaeolithic ); Ann Sieveking ( Cave as context in Palaeolithic art ); Paul Bahn ( Pleistocene cave art ); Erwin Cziesla ( The Weidental cave ); Manuel Gonzalez Morales ( Cantabrian Spain ); Keith Branigan ( Caves as workshops ); Vassily Lubin ( The Caucasus ); Andrea Stone ( Pre-Columbian cave utilization in the Maya area ); Josephine Flood ( Aboriginal use of caves ); Penny Dransart ( Northern Chile ).