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Books > Earth & environment > Earth sciences > Geology & the lithosphere > Geological surface processes (geomorphology) > General
The continuously growing human population along the world s coasts will exacerbate the impact of human activities on all coastal environments. Restoration activities will therefore become increasingly important. In particular, sandy shores and coastal dunes will require significant restoration efforts because they are preferred sites for human settlement, industrial and urban development and tourism. With this book experts in the field present a comprehensive review of restoration studies and activities, where successful and failed studies or approaches from around the world are contrasted and compared. A major asset the book provides is a compendium of studies showing that coastal dune restoration has many definitions and thus leads to many different actions. This volume addresses those with an interest in conservation ecology and biology, coastal dune dynamics and geomorphology, and coastal management who are seeking information on the different strategies for coastal dune restoration applied in different regions of the world. Finally, it will be a valuable resource for coastal scientists and planners, as well as for local and state officials, residents of coastal communities, environmental advocates and developers. "
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.
Field work, supplemented by laboratory studies, is a cornerstone
for the geological sciences. This volume provides an introduction
to general field work through selected topics that illustrate
specific techniques and methodologies. One hundred and twenty-three
main entries prepared by leading authorities from around the world
deal with aspects of exploration surveys, geotechnical engineering,
environmental management. field techniques, mapping, prospecting,
and mining.
It is evident, that for a number of ecological and technical
problems in rivers and lakes a better knowledge of sediment
transport and sedimentation is needed together with the ability to
predict and simulate sediment behaviour. On the other hand, a
stagnation of research in these topics could be observed in the
last decades. At the Symposium an attempt was made to present new
results in mathematics and natural sciences relevant for the
sediment problem. New strategies were discussed to tackle the
complexity of the problem. Basic theoretical research and
laboratory experiments alone are incomplete without a feedback from
field observations and measurements. For that reason well-known
researchers from both basic and engineering sciences were invited.
The Earth's rocky mantle convects to lose heat, which comes from
the liquid iron core below. The mantle's interfaces - the
core-mantle boundary, and the lithosphere - may hold the key to
understanding mantle motion because of the seismic anisotropy
present in these parts of the Earth.
This book provides readers with in-depth insights into the changes in the Pantanal wetland from its formation to the actual and likely future states. It reveals that today's Pantanal is an evolutionary consequence of geological, ecological and, more recently, man-made events taking place at distinct space-time intervals. Topics include geotectonics and sun-earth interactions, which largely dictate the rate of drastic changes that eventually disrupt ecological stability and radically rebuild the regional landscape. Furthermore, the biota-climate system is discussed as a major driver reshaping the ecohydrology functioning of the landscape on an intermediate timescale. Also covered are major changes in the landscape ecohydrology and biodiversity due to recent land-use and climate changes induced by humankind in the Anthropocene. The ability to recognize how those temporal scales impact the Pantanal wetland provides the opportunity for wise management approaches and the sustainable development of the region.
Modeling of flow and transport in groundwater has become an important focus of scientific research in recent years. Most contributions to this subject deal with flow situations, where density and viscosity changes in the fluid are neglected. This restriction may not always be justified. The models presented in the book demonstrate immpressingly that the flow pattern may be completely different when density changes are taken into account. The main applications of the models are: thermal and saline convection, geothermal flow, saltwater intrusion, flow through salt formations etc. This book not only presents basic theory, but the reader can also test his knowledge by applying the included software and can set up own models.
This book contains selected contributions from the Sixth Meeting of the International Geographical Union's Commission on Land Degradation and Desertification, held in Perth, Australia, in September 1999. Collectively, these contributions explicitly seek to understand not only the mechanisms responsible for the problem of land degradation but their social and economic implications, the means of overcoming the problems, and the policy instruments whereby remedial measures may be implemented. This breadth of approach is both distinctive and essential if the problems are to be tackled effectively. The authorship comprises of specialists (mostly geographers) from universities, research organizations, and government agencies, who provide a truly international perspective with contributions from Iceland to Australia and from the USA to Japan. Audience: The book presents current research findings which will be of particular benefit to professionals and practitioners, as well as researchers and tertiary-level educationalists who are involved with land degradation.
Geomorphology deals with some of the most striking patterns of nature. From mountain ranges and mid-ocean ridges to river networks and sand dunes, there is a whole family of forms, structures, and shapes that demand rationalization as well as mathematical description. In the various chapters of this volume, many of these patterns are explored and discussed, and attempts are made to both unravel the reasons for their very existence and to describe their dynamics in quantitative terms. Particular focus is placed on lava and mud flows, ice and snow dynamics, river and coastal morphodynamics and landscape formation. Combining a pedagogical approach with up-to-date reviews of forefront research, this volume will serve both postgraduate students and lecturers in search of advanced textbook material, and experienced researchers wishing to get acquainted with the various physical and mathematical approaches in a range of closely related research fields.
With a length of about 1200 km, the Son-Narmada-Tapti Lineament
(NSL) is one of the most prominent geomorphic features in the
Indian subcontinent. Anomalous conductive bodies are delineated at
mid-lower crustal depths below major earthquake epicentral zones.
The region has been interpreted as the collision zone of the Indian
Plate with the Eurasian Plate. The NSL zone is therefore also known
to be the second most important tectonic feature in the Indian
geology, after the Himalayas.
In many geological epochs, glacial sediments are widespread. This type of sedimentation results from the interaction between atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere under temperatures ranging from 0 to -80. Two types of glacial sediments exists: those from sea-ice and those from icebergs. Both types can be subdivided into various subfacies. Most widespread in the Northern Hemisphere is the Siberian subfacies, characterized by silt and clay and often misinterpreted as sediments of temperate zones. This reference book for researchers working on this kind of sediments provides a complete overview of the various glacial deposits in the ocean.
Coastal Dunes Form and Process Edited by Karl F. Nordstrom Norbert Psuty Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, USA and Bill Carter Department of Environmental Studies, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, BT52 1SA, Northern Ireland Coastal Morphology and Research Series Series Editor: Eric C. F. Bird This book deals with the formation and establishment of coastal dunes--considering both forms and processes in a wide variety of environments. These landforms are among the most sensitive to environmental change, yet they provide extensive protection against both short-term erosion and flooding and long-term sea-level rise. Until now, there has not been any major book to deal specifically with coastal dunes. The current volume surveys a range of dune features, such as the ephemeral characteristics in the rapidly subsiding Mississippi delta, the extensive sand sheets of Australia and South Africa and the Holocene dunes of Western Europe and North America. This book will provide essential background information for ecological and management studies of coastal dunes. It will be of immense value to geomorphologists, ecologists and other environmental scientists who work on the management of coastal dunes.
This book will open up a large body of data previously inaccessible or unknown to non-francophone geomorphologists, geologists and geographers. It provides an insight into the regional geomorphology of basement terrains in France and elsewhere which do not belong to the list of benchmark case studies, recurringly explained in mainstream textbooks. The essay style of the nine chapters, the permanent and holistic reference to landscapes of the real world, and the constant shuttle between field and laboratory studies help to remind students that the analysis of the geomorphic landscape is a humbling process of interpretation, requiring the collation of many strands of evidence. This is not always apparent in more linear textbooks on process geomorphology, where topics are dealt with in more detail but also more theoretically.
Ocean Hotspots provides a comprehensive overview of recent and ongoing research on intraplate volcanism in the ocean basins with special emphasis on the Pacific Ocean. The geology of the seamounts and their associated seamount chains is described, along with detailed geophysical, geochemical and hydrothermal observations made by a multi-disciplinary group of marine geoscientists. These observations lead to a deeper understanding of how the ascending mantle melts, represented by hotspots, are able to penetrate the lithosphere, build seamounts, and enhance hydrothermal circulation. The "fixed" hotspot-generated seamount chains also provide key constraints on plate tectonic reconstructions on the Earth's crust.
Antarctica, the sixth continent, was discovered more than 160 years ago. Since then this large, mysterious continent of ice and penguins has attracted world interest. Scientific expeditions from various countries have begun to study the geographical and natural conditions of the icy continent. Systematic and comprehensive inves tigations in the Antarctic started in the middle of our century. In 1956 the First Soviet Antarctic Expedition headed to the coast of Antarctica. Their program included studies of the atmosphere, hydrosphere and cryosphere. Thirty years have since passed. Scientists have unveiled many secrets of Antarctica: significant geophysical processes have been investigated, and a large body of new information on the Antarctic weather, Southern Ocean hydrology and Antarctic glaciers has been obtained. We can now claim that the horizons of polar geo physics, oceanology, and particularly glaciology, have expanded. Scientific inves tigators have obtained new information about all Antarctic regions and thus have created the opportunity to use the Antarctic in the interests of mankind."
Deserts are parts of the Earth that receive little or no rain; 25 cm or less per year. The physical processes that act upon these parched lands are vastly different from those that shape the more humid parts of the terrestrial landmasses. In the desert, wind is a major agent of erosion and transportation. As the results of recent space missions have indicated, this is also true in the case of the planet Mars. Thus, our understanding of desert processes sheds light on fundamental planetary processes that may apply on any planetary body that is enveloped by a windy atmosphere. An understanding of the physical layout of arid lands, and the nature of processes that initiate changes therein is also fundamental to thoughtful utilization of these lands for the benefit of mankind. It is with this in mind that we prepared this book for publication. We believe that the collection of articles in this book will be useful to scientists who are interested in desert landforms and processes, and to planners of economic develop ment of arid lands. The book also serves as a guide for students as to the state of our knowledge in this field as well as to the topics that require additional research."
This is a detailed description of the steps leading from raw signals measured in space, to calibrated comparable long term data sets, to its final form: useful information for user communities. Examples of applications and data validations result from different investigations in the Mediteranean area. An appendix summarizes useful formulas of the evaluation of satellite data.
Coastal Lowlands by virtue of their position across the boundary of land and sea belong to the earth's most dynamic systems. This is true in the physical, i. e. geological and biological, as much as in the cultural and social sense. Although the nearness to the sea was and still is fraught with danger coastal lowlands have always attracted human interest, providing challenging opportunity, holding the promise of profitable enterprise. Coastal lowlands, especially where rivers enter the region, are the cradles of great civilisations and there, of old, populations reached highest densities. As an example, Dutch history is a tale of human struggle and endeavour with and against the sea. Dutch 'low landers' wrestled their land from the sea, in turn the sea forged a nation of independent fishermen, navigators, farmers and traders who built their towns and ships at the borders of the North and Zuyder Seas. As lowlands subside and sea level rises, apparently these days at an increasing rate, concern about this environment world-wide is also rising. It certainly was appropriate and timely for the Royal Geological and Mining Society of the Netherlands when celebrating its 75th birthday to organize and call together a symposium, focussing attention on the geology and geotechnology of coastal lowlands; geology to better understand their formation and evolution, geotechnology to better manage and harvest resources as much as protect a unique and crucial environment.
Global warming, melting polar caps, rising sea levels and intensifying wave-current action, factors responsible for the alarming phenomena of coastal erosion on the one hand and adverse environmental impacts and the high cost of 'hard' protection schemes, on the other, have created interest in the detailed examination of the potential and range of applicability of the emerging and promising category of 'soft' shore protection methods. 'Soft' methods such as beach nourishment, submerged breakwaters, artificial reefs, gravity drain systems, floating breakwaters, plantations of hydrophylous shrubs or even dry branches, applied mostly during the past 20 years, are recognised as possessing technical, environmental and financial advantageous properties deserving more attention and further developmental experimentation than has occured hitherto. On the other hand, 'hard' shore protection methods such as seawalls, groins and detached breakwaters, artefacts borrowed from port design and construction technology, no matter how well designed and well implemented they may be, can hardly avoid intensification of the consequential erosive, often devastating, effects on the down-drift shores. Moreover, they often do not constitute environmentally and financially attractive solutions for long stretches of eroding shoreline. Engineers and scientists practising design and implementation of shore defence schemes have been aware for many years of the public demand for improved shore protection technologies. They are encouraging efforts that promise enrichment of those environmentally sound and financially attractive methods that can be safely applied.
Soil formation is related to the nature of landforms on which that formation takes place. The nature of the soil affects some of the processes shaping the landforms and which cause landscape change. An accurate assessment of the evolution of landforms and of the patterns of soil formation is possible only if the interdependence of soils and landforms is recognized. This book provides an integration of geomorphology and pedology to fully assess this relationship. After an opening chapter outlining the approach adopted, specific chapters examine the relationships between soil formation and specific suites of landform assemblages. The highly influential catena concept is followed by an analysis of soil within drainage basins, on erosion surfaces, flood plains, river terraces, coastal plains, glacial and fluvioglacial landforms, deserts and periglacial landforms. The concluding chapter addresses the way in which soils can be used to assess major phases in landscape evolution. Undergraduate students and lecturers in geography or soil sciences will find this a valuable interdisciplinary introduction to soil geomorphology.
A wide variety of problems are associated with the flow of shallow water, such as atmospheric flows, tides, storm surges, river and coastal flows, lake flows, tsunamis. Numerical simulation is an effective tool in solving them and a great variety of numerical methods are available. The first part of the book summarizes the basic physics of shallow-water flow needed to use numerical methods under various conditions. The second part gives an overview of possible numerical methods, together with their stability and accuracy properties as well as with an assessment of their performance under various conditions. This enables the reader to select a method for particular applications. Correct treatment of boundary conditions (often neglected) is emphasized. The major part of the book is about two-dimensional shallow-water equations but a discussion of the 3-D form is included. The book is intended for researchers and users of shallow-water models in oceanographic and meteorological institutes, hydraulic engineering and consulting. It also provides a major source of information for applied and numerical mathematicians.
This book is an engineering guide for design of slopes and stabilisation works in rocks and residual soils. It is tailored to the practising geotechnical engineer and engineering geologist. Engineering and engineering geology students will find it quite useful and a practical course guide. It can be used as textbook in courses on landslides and slope stabilisation. The book's purpose is to present a concise documentation on how to design slopes and how to select a slope stabilisation method. The authors were selected among those who have lots of experience in their field.
Few scientists doubt the prediction that the antropogenic release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will lead to some warming of the earth's climate. So there is good reason to investigate the possible effects of such a warming, in dependence of geographical and social economic setting. Many bodies, governmental or not, have organized meetings and issued reports in which the carbon dioxide problem is defined, reviewed, and possible threats assessed. The rate at which such reports are produced still increases. However, while more and more people are getting involved in the 'carbon dioxide business', the number of investigators working on the basic problems grows, in our view, too slowly. Many fundamental questions are still not answered in a satisfactory way, and the carbon dioxide building rests on a few thin pillars. One such fundamental question concerns the change in sea level associated with a climatic warming of a few degrees. A number of processes can be listed that could all lead to changes of the order of tens of centimeters (e. g. thermal expansion, change in mass balance of glaciers and ice sheets). But the picture of the carbon dioxide problem has frequently be made more dramatic by suggesting that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is unstable, implying a certain probability of a 5 m higher sea-level stand within a few centuries."
In the course of a decade's work on the mountains of East Africa, I met some of the most wonderful people on Earth. It is impossible to record all those who have helped me in this study in one way or other. Glacier research in East Africa has some history. Nearly half a century ago, Carl Troll completed the first detailed mapping of Lewis Glacier. I had the good fortune of exchanging ideas with him at his home in Bonn in 1974, shortly before his death. Paul C. Spink, Ulceby, North lincolnshire, England, shared with me his photographs and observations on Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya in the 1940s. When I joined the University of Nairobi in 1973, several members of the 1957-58 IGY Mc)Unt Kenya :Expedition were still there. I received generous advice and help from Igor Loupekine, John Loxton, but especially from Robert A. Caukwell and Frank Charnley. Their continuous coopera- tion was a great encouragement over the years. Heinz Loeffler, University of Vienna, informed me about the depth of Lewis Tarn. Helmut Heuberger, University of Munich, provided me data on his measurements of glacier terminus positions. Peter Gollmer of Geosurveys and Alan Root, Nairobi, gave me aerial photographs of Kibo f~om the early 1970s. I acknowledge support from various other colleagues at the University of Nairobi: Raouf Rostom of the Department of Surveying and Photogrammetry; Neville Skinner of the Department of Physics; G. C. Asnani, John Ng'anga, J. K.
The purpose and scope of this book on theoretical glaciology is outlined in the Introduction. Its aim is to study the theoretical aspects of'ice mechanics' and the 'dynamics of ice masses in a geophysical environment. For the mature reader, the book can serve as an introduction to glaciology. How ever, this is not what I would regard as advisible. Glaciology is an inter disciplinary science in which many special scientific disciplines play their part, from descriptive geography to fairly abstract mathematics. Advance ment will evolve from a merger of two or more branches of scientific specialization. In the last 20 years, several researchers in different fields of glaciology have written books emphasizing the aspects of their specialities and I have listed some which are known to me at the end of the Introduction. When glancing through these books, one recognizes that the mathematical aspects of glaciology are generally glossed over and, to date, there seems to be nothing available which concentrates on these. Therefore, I have written this book in an effort to close the gap and no apologies are offered for the mathematical emphasis. Rather, I believe that this neglect has, to a certain extent, aggra vated progress in the modelling of glaciology problems." |
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