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.

The last decade has been a period of rapid advances in glacier hydrology and hydrochemistry. These have resulted from the application of new technologies to the direct observation of englacial and subglacial drainage systems via boreholes, from theoretical advances and from increased interactions between fieldworkers and modellers. This collection of papers captures the spirit of these advances highlighting new methodologies, the change in character of hydrological models from lumped conceptual models to physically based, distributed models, and the changing role of field studies in glacier hydrological investigations. Major themes identified in the book are: approaches to defining the structure of drainage systems in cold and temperate glaciers; investigations of the linkages between surface and subsurface components of these systems, and of hydraulic interactions between different elements of subglacial systems; seasonal changes in drainage system properties at local and glacier wide scales; controls on meltwater quality; the integration of field and modelling studies; and problems of scaling up results from studies of valley glaciers to the ice sheet scale.

Geosequestration involves the deep geological storage of carbon dioxide from major industrial sources, providing a potential solution for reducing the rate of increase of atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and mitigating climate change. This volume provides an overview of the major geophysical techniques and analysis methods for monitoring the movement and predictability of carbon dioxide plumes underground. Comprising chapters from eminent researchers, the book is illustrated with practical examples and case studies of active projects and government initiatives, and discusses their successes and remaining challenges. A key case study from Norway demonstrates how governments and other stake-holders could estimate storage capacity and design storage projects that meet the requirements of regulatory authorities. Presenting reasons for embracing geosequestration, technical best practice for carbon management, and outlooks for the future, this volume provides a key reference for academic researchers, industry practitioners and graduate students looking to gain insight into subsurface carbon management.

The ice mountains of the Karakoram are among the world's greatest natural treasures. At 8611 metres (28,251 ft), K2 is the second tallest mountain on Earth. There are three other mountains in the range that top 8000 metres (26,247 ft) - Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II - and more than 60 peaks above 7000 metres (22,966 ft). Extending in a south-easterly direction from the north-eastern tip of Afghanistan and spanning the borders of Pakistan, India and China, the Karakoram is part of a complex of ranges in Central Asia that includes the Hindu Kush to the west and the Himalayas to the south-east. These mountains, however, are distinctive. This is the most glaciated region on the planet outside the Arctic and Antarctic. But while most of the world's great peaks are almost blanketed in snow and ice, the Karakoram is an exception: the mountains are so vertical that they rapidly shed snow, leaving their bold, jagged outlines of black granite glistening in the sun. The name of the range comes from the Turkic term for 'black rock' or 'black gravel'. The well-known landscape photographer Colin Prior was initially inspired to visit the Karakoram in his early twenties: in his local library he picked up the book In the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods (1977) by the American climber and photographer Galen Rowell, and was instantly captivated by images of the sharp, fractured peaks and vast glaciers. His first trip to the Karakoram came in the mid-1990s, and he has been passionate about these mountains ever since. Prior's new book is the result of six expeditions he has made to the Gilgit-Baltistan region of north-east Pakistan over the last six years. Because the region is so remote, there are no established base camps, and each expedition requires careful planning and miles of trekking with a large team of guides, porters and ponies to carry the equipment and provisions. There are regular rock falls and perilous snow-covered crevasses to contend with. The reward for Prior is what he calls the ultimate mountain landscape: 'The scenery is graphic, with towers, minarets and cathedrals of rock.' This beautifully produced volume showcases the breathtaking beauty of the Karakoram in some 130 duotone and colour photographs. The images are largely arranged to follow Prior's progress up the glaciers, and are accompanied by well-chosen quotations from accounts of historical expeditions to the region. A selection of 'making of' images at the end of the book highlights the challenges of documenting the most exceptional mountain range in the world.

Rock Weathering and Landform Evolution brings together a series of important studies on rock weathering by leading researchers, and illustrates the diversity of approaches and techniques that are currently being used by geomorphologists to study weathering processes and responses. The book commences with a number of research studies and review chapters on weathering processes and weathered products. This is followed by several discussions of the weathering of cut or dressed rock in urban and coastal environments. Contributors then examine the application of weathering and weathering rates to the dating of deposits or rock surfaces. The final section of the book comprises studies of the relationship between weathering and landforms in a variety of climatic environments. The contributions included in this book cover a wide range of topics and demonstrate the many advances that are being made by researchers investigating rock weathering. Some of the studies deal with state-of-the-art technology, others the very traditional geomorphological skills of observation and deductive reasoning, backed up as necessary by statistical analysis. This volume is the first collection of papers on weathering published for many years, and provides a wealth of information not just to geomorphologists but also to geologists, engineers, architects and archaeologists.

The main mesological factors that determine vegetation activity are moisture and temperature (Ferreras Chasco, 2000). Under certain conditions of moisture and temperature a limitation in growth can appear and, if these conditions do not improve, plants can enter into a state called vegetative paralysis. This book discusses the land surface of the basin of the Guadaira River, and it pays attention to the study of riparian vegetation on different channels that belong to its countryside stretch. It also presents research on the modern spatiotemporal variability of the morphology of High Arctic proglacial rivers; and provides a review on the general properties of ancient Martian systems, focusing on possible issues related to the lack of biogenic effects on Mars, and analysing mainly riverbank related erosional and depositional structures.

This book is in response to the growing demand from academics and the general public for state-of-the-art research in permafrost science and, in particular, information about its impacts on infrastructure and ecosystems. It brings together research from diverse but highly complementary scientific disciplines to illuminate the main physical, chemical and biological processes occurring in permafrost systems and identifies the possible mechanisms controlling fluxes of energy and matter at various scales. Taken together, the 8 chapters of this book provide a comprehensive, up-to-date description and analysis of the basic geomorphological, physical, hydrological, chemical and biological aspects of permafrost-affected ecosystems, their interaction with other components of the landscape and their impact on human life and infrastructure.

This book provides a broad perspective of sediment transport in rivers, reservoirs, estuaries, and coastal areas. It deals with the related fundamentals of sediment transport, computational modelling of cohesive and non-cohesive sediments transport, and sedimentation engineering management. Topics include river morphological changes after dam removal, local scour and its monitoring, marsh edge erosion, turbidity dynamics in a bay surrounded by marshes, effects of harbour construction on hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes in a coastal area, and impact of climate change on sediment yield from a watershed, are discussed. The breath of the topics covered will be of interest to researchers and practising engineers alike. This book contains twelve chapters.

The Anthropocene is a major new concept in the Earth sciences and this book examines the effects on geomorphology within this period. Drawing examples from many different global environments, this comprehensive volume demonstrates that human impact on landforms and land-forming processes is profound, due to various driving forces, including: use of fire; extinction of fauna; development of agriculture, urbanisation, and globalisation; and new methods of harnessing energy. The book explores the ways in which future climate change due to anthropogenic causes may further magnify effects on geomorphology, with respect to future hazards such as floods and landslides, the state of the cryosphere, and sea level. The book concludes with a consideration of the ways in which landforms are now being managed and protected. Covering all major aspects of geomorphology, this book is ideal for undergraduate and graduate students studying geomorphology, environmental science and physical geography, and for all researchers of geomorphology.

Weathering is an important phenomenon of the geochemical cycle as it contributes to the relief formation. It corresponds to a general term applied to physical and chemical changes suffered by rocks as a consequence of their exposition to different conditions of humidity and temperature. In this book, the authors present topical research in the study of the types, processes and effects of weathering. Topics discussed include the use of weathering indices in rock research; geomorphic processes in the last glacial age; understanding chemical weathering in affecting the Earth's surface; weathering of dimensional granite stones used as cladding and the weathering process and desert pavement development.

An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, silt, or clay) from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The authors of this book present important data on aquifers such as: hydrogeological studies of various dolomite aquifers in Slovenia; (GIS)groundwater modelling as an integrated tool for sustainable management of groundwater resources under changing environments; investigating different groundwater systems occurring in Brazil; an analysis of past catastrophic hydrogeological events (landslides and floods) and their affect on groundwater and aquifers and how to mitigate their damage.

Sandstones form the backdrop to some of the world's most spectacular scenery, and are found all over the planet and in all climates. Following on from the authors' successful 1992 book, this is the only volume that considers sandstone landforms from a truly global perspective. It describes the wide variety of landforms that are found in sandstone, and discusses the role of lithological variation, chemical weathering and erosional processes in creating these features, with examples drawn from around the world. Climatic and tectonic constraints on the development of sandstone landscapes are also considered. This volume provides a comprehensive assessment of the literature from publications in a range of languages, and is illustrated with over 130 photographs of sandstone features from every continent. It presents a holistic account of sandstone terrain for researchers and graduate students in a variety of fields including geography, geomorphology, sedimentology and geomechanics.

Geomorphological landforms and processes exert a strong influence on surface engineering works, yet comparatively little systematic information on geomorphology is available to engineers. This book presents a worldwide view of geomorphology for engineers and other professionals on the near-surface engineering problems associated with the various landscapes. This new and completely revised edition has additional chapters with an improved format and is broadly divided into three parts.;The first part is concerned with the major factors which control the materials, form and processes on the Earth's surfaces. The second part deals with the geomorphological processes which help shape land surfaces and influence their engineering characteristics and the final part covers environments and landscapes, including some specialist chapters. Each chapter is written by leading authorities on the subject and is both self-contained and referenced with other chapters as appropriate to make a balanced whole.;Readership: practitioners and academics in civil, geotechnical, foundation engineering, soil and rock mechanics, and engineering geology.; Practitioners, postgraduate and advanced undergraduates

'Outstanding Academic Title' Choice, magazine of the Association of College & Research Libraries, American Library Association.Most mountains on Earth occur within relatively well-defined, narrow belts separated by wide expanses of much lower-lying ground. Their distribution is not random but is caused by the now well-understood geological processes of plate tectonics. Some mountains mark the site of a former plate collision - where one continental plate has ridden up over another, resulting in a zone of highly deformed and elevated rocks. Others are essentially volcanic in origin.The most obvious mountain belts today - the Himalayas, the Alps and the Andes, for example - are situated at currently active plate boundaries. Others, such as the Caledonian mountains of the British Isles and Scandinavia, are the product of a plate collision that happened far in the geological past and have no present relationship to a plate boundary. These are much lower, with a generally gentler relief, worn down through millennia of erosion.The presently active mountain belts are arranged in three separate systems: the Alpine-Himalayan ranges, the circum-Pacific belt and the mid-ocean ridges. Much of the Alpine-Himalayan belt is relatively well known, but large parts of the circum-Pacific and ocean-ridge systems are not nearly as familiar, but contain equally impressive mountain ranges despite large parts being partly or wholly submerged.This book takes the reader along the active mountain systems explaining how plate tectonic processes have shaped them, then looks more briefly at some of the older mountain systems whose tectonic origins are more obscure. It is aimed at those with an interest in mountains and in developing an understanding of the geological processes that create them.

Allow yourself to be taken back into deep geologic time when strange creatures roamed the Earth and Western North America looked completely unlike the modern landscape. Volcanic islands stretched from Mexico to Alaska, most of the Pacific Rim didn't exist yet, at least not as widespread dry land; terranes drifted from across the Pacific to dock on Western Americas' shores creating mountains and more volcanic activity. Landscapes were transposed north or south by thousands of kilometers along huge fault systems. Follow these events through paleogeographic maps that look like satellite views of ancient Earth. Accompanying text takes the reader into the science behind these maps and the geologic history that they portray. The maps and text unfold the complex geologic history of the region as never seen before. Winner of the 2021 John D. Haun Landmark Publication Award, AAPG-Rocky Mountain Section

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.

The book thoroughly describes Iceland's geological development and its current geological processes, taking into account both geographic and geo-ecological aspects. Furthermore, it includes suggested excursions especially for individual tours. The most popular tourist "highlights" (e.g. the Golden Circle with thingvellir, Gullfoss and Geyser) should certainly not be excluded. But there is so much more to explore apart from the main tourist routes - and sometimes only a few kilometers away. Examining various regions of the country, each proposed stop is sufficiently described so that it is easily accessible (especially for individual tourists). A wealth of maps, graphics and images illustrate and supplement the coverage. This invaluable guide is aimed in particular at individual tourists to Iceland. It provides those tourists wishing to explore Iceland on their own with a wide range of suggestions for their trip. In addition, numerous excursion suggestions for the west, southwest and south, including the Westman Islands, are described in detail.

Computational models are invaluable in understanding the complex effects of physical processes and environmental factors which interact to influence landform evolution of geologic time scales. This book provides a holistic guide to the construction of numerical models to explain the co-evolution of landforms, soil, vegetation and tectonics, and describes how the geomorphology observable today has been formed. It explains the science of the physical processes and the mechanics of how to solve them, providing a useful resource for graduates studying geomorphology and sedimentary and erosion processes. It also emphasises the methods for assessing the relative importance of different factors at field sites, enabling researchers to select the appropriate processes to model. Integrating a discussion of the fundamental processes with mathematical formulations, it guides the reader in understanding which processes are important and why; and creates a framework through which to study the interaction of soils, vegetation and landforms over time.

Based on four decades of research by Professor Andrew Goudie, this volume provides a state-of-the-art synthesis of our understanding of desert geomorphology. It presents a truly international perspective, with examples from all over the world. Extensively referenced and illustrated, it covers such topics as the importance of past climatic changes, the variability of different desert environments, rock breakdown, wind erosion and dust storm generation, sand dunes, fluvial and slope forms and processes, the role of the applied geomorphologist in desert development and conservation, and the Earth as an analogue for other planetary bodies. This book is destined to become the classic volume on arid and semi-arid geomorphology for advanced students and researchers in physical geography, geomorphology, Earth science, sedimentology, environmental science, and archaeology.

Landslides occur in all geographic regions of the nation in response to a wide range of conditions and triggering processes that include storms, earthquakes, and human activities. Landslides in the United States result in an estimated average of 25 to 50 deaths annually and cost $1 to 3 billion per year. In addition to direct losses, landslides also cause significant environmental damage and societal disruption. Partnerships for Reducing Landslide Risk reviews the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS)National Landslide Hazards Mitigation Strategy, which was created in response to a congressional directive for a national approach to reducing losses from landslides. Components of the strategy include basic research activities, improved public policy measures, and enhanced mitigation of landslides. This report commends the USGS for creating a national approach based on partnerships with federal, state, local, and non-governmental entities, and finds that the plan components are the essential elements of a national strategy. Partnerships for Reducing Landslide Risk recommends that the plan should promote the use of risk analysis techniques, and should play a vital role in evaluating methods, setting standards, and advancing procedures and guidelines for landslide hazard maps and assessments. This report suggests that substantially increased funding will be required to implement a national landslide mitigation program, and that as part of a 10-year program the funding mix should transition from research and guideline development to partnership-based implementation of loss reduction measures. Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary 1 Introduction 2 Research Priorities in Landslide Science 3 Landslide Mapping and Monitoring 4 Landslide Loss and Risk Assessment 5 Loss Reduction Strategies 6 Public Awareness, Education, and Capacity Building 7 A National Partnership Plan--Roles, Responsibilities, and Coordination 8 Funding Priorities for a National Program--Realizing the Vision 9 Conclusions and Recommendations References Appendix A: Case Studies--A Widespread Problem Appendix B: Committee Biographies Appendix C: Acronyms

Ice Sheets and Late Quaternary Environmental Change provides a detailed account of the temporal and spatial distribution of ice sheets during the last ice age, and how these ice masses interacted with the environment. This is the first book in 20 years to detail the sizes of ice sheets during the last glaciation and the first to discuss their role in past climate change.
Arranged in two parts, the first part provides the tools required for evaluating past ice sheets while the second part uses these tools to establish the size, extent and dynamics of late Quaternary ice sheets. Assuming no prior knowledge of Quaternary Science, the discussion progresses from the basic principles of how and why ices ages occur, to the interpretation of proxy records of past climate and ocean change.
Instructive accounts of how the geological record can be used as evidence of former ice sheet behaviour and a discussion on the role of numerical models in understanding interaction between ice sheets, oceans and the atmosphere are included in this book. Details of former ice sheets are presented by geographical region along with a number of critical new theories on their size and behaviour.
This book would appeal to 2nd/3rd year students of Quaternary Science, most University Geography, Earth Science or Geology departments, as well as researchers and academics in Quaternary Science.

Palaeohydrology and Environmental Change presents the most recent advances in the study of global changes in the hydrological regime during the last 20000 years. The book brings together new contributions; on regional palaeohydrology with case studies from all over the world; and on new methodologies and techniques used on palaeohydrological reconstructions. There are several key points that make this book an essential review to the international scientific community:

• The major emphasis is on areas very sensitive to climate changes such as the Mediterranean, Tundra regions and the Tropical Zones of Asia, Africa and America.
• New interdisciplinary methodologies in reconstructing palaeohydrological changes including palaeoecology, pollen and lichen analysis, identification of anthropogenic stressors and changes in climate circulation regimes.
• Modelling studies; conceptual and mesoscale models for reconstructing palaeoenvironments during the Quaternary.

Regolith Geology and Geomorphology is a comprehensive and innovative approach to a subject which crosses traditional science discipline boundaries. This book as been written by two authors who have 70 years cumulative experience in this area.

Using the unique character of the Australian landscape and regolith, a country which has experienced weathering and deep development of regolith for nearly 1 billion years, the authors explore in great depth the processes that have contributed to their evolution

Regolith study is a young science and much that has been written about it is speculative and open to question. A real understanding for the topic can only come from scientific investigation. This book provides a fundamental discussion of regolith properties and chemistry, and considers many landscape situations and features, linking the process to position, geochemistry and time. The central theme throughout is the critical role that water plays in driving regolith change and developing mineralogical variation down the profile.

This book woulde be of use to Earth scientists, civil and mining engineers, environmental scientists, mineral explorationists, geochemists, pedologists, geomorphologists, 2dnd year level academics, academic libraries, mining exploration companies and government instrumentalists.

This exciting new textbook introduces the concepts and tools essential for upper-level undergraduate study in water resources and hydraulics. Tailored specifically to fit the length of a typical one-semester course, it will prove a valuable resource to students in civil engineering, water resources engineering, and environmental engineering. It will also serve as a reference textbook for researchers, practicing water engineers, consultants, and managers. The book facilitates students' understanding of both hydrologic analysis and hydraulic design. Example problems are carefully selected and solved clearly in a step-by-step manner, allowing students to follow along and gain mastery of relevant principles and concepts. These examples are comparable in terms of difficulty level and content with the end-of-chapter student exercises, so students will become well equipped to handle relevant problems on their own. Physical phenomena are visualized in engaging photos, annotated equations, graphical illustrations, flowcharts, videos, and tables.