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.

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.

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.

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.

"Retreat of mountain glaciers ranks alongside sea level rise and extermination of species as one of the greatest threats posed by continued global warming. The authoritative picture painted in "Darkening Peaks" should help bring humanity to its senses and to spur the actions needed."--James E. Hansen, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
"This important and timely book elucidates how glacier retreat is affecting physical, biological, and human systems simultaneously. The authors' perspectives from mountain regions worldwide provide key insights at both global and local scales."--Cynthia Rosenzweig, Earth Institute, Columbia University
"From an impressive range of disciplinary perspectives and geographic locations, Darkening Peaks provides a refreshing look at the real complexities involved with the causes and consequences of environmental change."--Roger A. Pielke, Jr., author of "The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics"
"Glaciers play a major role in teaching us about our planet's past, and in warning us about its future. They inspire fear, awe, and fascination. Whatever your interest in glaciers, you will find this rich, broadly ranging volume exciting."--Jared Diamond, author of "Guns, Germs, and Steel" and "Collapse"
""Darkening Peaks" is a dazzling fusion of hard science, historical narrative, and cultural context that outlines social responses for coping with our changing environment."--Stephen H. Schneider, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
"Combining the latest research results from the social and natural sciences, "Darkening Peaks" succeeds in giving a timely and detailed account of the cultural perceptions, scientificobservations, trends, impacts, and responses associated with glacial retreat. Highly recommended."--John Schellnhuber CBE, Chief Science Advisor to the German government and Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

The time-dependent decay of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes or in-growth of their radioactive or stable daughter products form the basis of radiometric dating of several natural processes. Developed in the beginning of the last century mainly to determine the absolute ages of rocks and minerals, radiometric chronology now plays a central role in a broad range of Earth and planetary sciences - from extra-solar-system processes to environmental geoscience. With the prerequisite of only college-level knowledge in physics, chemistry and mathematics, this concise book focuses on the essential principles of radiometric dating in order to enable students and teachers belonging to diverse fields of studies to select, understand and interpret radiometric dating results generated and published by professionals.

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.

Take this book to the beach; it will open up a whole new world. Illustrated throughout with color photographs, maps, and graphics, it explores one of the planet's most dynamic environments - from tourist beaches to Arctic beaches strewn with ice chunks to steaming hot tropical shores. "The World's Beaches" tells how beaches work, explains why they vary so much, and shows how dramatic changes can occur on them in a matter of hours. It discusses tides, waves, and wind; the patterns of dunes, washover fans, and wrack lines; and the shape of berms, bars, shell lags, cusps, ripples, and blisters. What is the world's longest beach? Why do some beaches sing when you walk on them? Why do some have dark rings on their surface and tiny holes scattered far and wide? This fascinating, comprehensive guide also considers the future of beaches, and explains how extensively people have affected them - from coastal engineering to pollution, oil spills, and rising sea levels.

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.

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.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1973.

The updated textbook is intended to serve as an advanced and detailed treatment of the evolution of the subject of stratigraphy from its disparate beginnings as separate studies of sedimentology, lithostratigraphy, chronostratigraphy, etc., into a modern integrated discipline in which all components are necessary. There is a historical introduction, which now includes information about the timeline of the evolution of the components of modern stratigraphy. The elements of the various components (facies analysis, sequence stratigraphy, mapping methods, chronostratigraphic methods, etc.) are outlined, and a chapter discussing the modern synthesis is included near the end of the book, which closes with a discussion of future research trends in the study of time as preserved in the stratigraphic record.

This book focuses on the survey technology, post-processing technology, mapping technology and scientific application of the submarine topography and geomorphology in detail. High-resolution submarine geomorphology is a frontier branch of marine geology and marine surveying and mapping, which provides a direct basis to study the seabed surface, to understand the tectonic movement and submarine evolution. In the past two decades, high-resolution submarine geomorphology with high-precision multi-beam echo sounding, side-scan sonar and sub-bottom profiler as the major techniques, is developing very quickly and is one of the frontiers of international marine science and technology. These high techniques promote the traditional submarine geomorphology to high-resolution and quantitative research. At present, high-resolution submarine geomorphology is widely used in the delimitation of the continental shelf, the international seabed resources survey, marine engineering and marine military applications. In order to facilitate readers to understand how to acquire and apply scientific research based on submarine topographic data, it highlights the combination of theory, technology and scientific application. This book is useful as a reference for professional and technical personnel in related fields and also as a textbook for both graduate and undergraduate students as well.

Mountain areas constitute exceptionally rich environments characterised by an extremely high biodiversity, high geomorphological dynamics, peculiar climatic environments and an important reserve of natural resources (hydrological, geological). But these areas are also characterised by specific cultural aspects and varied forms of territory exploitation and occupation. The highest mountain areas were once considered repulsive areas, until they began to attract scientists (mainly geographers) in the 19th and 20th centuries. The gradual occupation of these areas with different economical activities during this period started to slow down between the 1960's-980's, when mountains suffered a gradual abandonment. In the 1990's, a movement of appropriation over these mountain spaces occurred, promoted mainly by urban societies, in search of new spaces for sport, leisure and tourism. This modification of uses, a key process for revitalisation of economically depressed areas, posed some issues, however, in terms of the preservation and management of environmental resources. Although mountain areas are important to local and regional societies, they play a crucial role in the global economy and the environment. They are a source of energy, water, food and other natural resources for both local and distant populations. Therefore, the protection and preservation of mountains is an issue that belongs to all mankind and forces the development of a globally sustainable strategy. The present book intends to outline different perspectives regarding the geology, topography and environmental issues of mountains, including 13 valuable contributions that reflect its title.

This book described the current status and possible future changes of the thermokarst (thaw) lakes of western Siberia as dominant forms of landscape and regulators of greenhouse gas exchange within the atmosphere. Thawing permafrost and resulting microbial decomposition of previously frozen organic carbon is one of the most significant terrestrial ecosystem positive feedbacks to a warming climate. Ongoing processes of the permafrost thawing in Western Siberia are likely to increase the surface of water bodies via forming so-called thermokarst lakes, mobilising the organic carbon (OC) from the soil pool to the rivers and, finally, to the ocean, and thus modifying the fluxes of methane (CH4) and CO2 to the atmosphere. Despite their tremendous importance for green house gazes regulation and hydrological regime control, very little is known about hydrochemistry of western Siberia thaw lakes. This book assesses the variation of major and trace elements (TE) and organic carbon (OC) concentration along the chronosequence of lake development and the latitude profile of variable permafrost abundance; characterises the colloidal status of TE and distinguishes between the relative proportion of organic and organo-mineral colloids; describes the particularity of microbiological composition of thermokarst lake waters and production/mineralisation processes in the water column; and presents the perspective of water chemical composition evolution under the climate change scenario. Each of these aforementioned objectives present a scientific challenge given mainly the paucity of existing information on these important but still very poorly studied ecosystems. Taken together, understanding of these issues and identification and quantification of controlling environmental parameters should produce conceptually new knowledge of biogeochemical processes operating within the Western Siberia Plain with the possibility of extrapolation of generated knowledge to much larger territories of arctic and subarctic permafrost-affected areas.

The Atlas-monograph presents a novel approach to the study of the development of snow cover based on its crystal morphology and the fundamental laws of natural symmetry. The Atlas displays more than 320 microphotos of crystals of depth hoar and newly fallen, wind-transported, and small- and medium-grained snow in various mountain and flatland regions of Russia. The principal types of geometrical symmetry are shown along with the phase forms of crystal growth and decomposition and constructive and regressive metamorphism in both loose and dense snow. Illustrated are the morphological features of contact interaction between particles in crystal aggregates under free and tightly packed conditions of growth. Phototables of crystals are furnished with schematics and essential explanatory comments underscoring the most important crystal-morphological features of the hydrothermal fields and the fields of deforming stresses in the snowpack. The presented conceptual model describes the unclosed sublimation-metamorphic evolution cycle of seasonal snow cover and the regional variants of this cycle as its polymorphic (in that number regional) modifications. This model serves as a cornerstone of evolutionary concept. Snow cover is represented as a natural community of the shapes of growing crystals interacting with each other and exposed to environmental influences. It is worked out of the empirical deterministic models describing the sublimation-metamorphic cycle of seasonal snow cover and the polymorphic variants of this cycle. The main driving force of processes yielding an evolutionary row of crystals is the internal interactions within a snow pack. For all that the factor of time (the age of the genetic player) plays a crucial role in sublimation metamorphism. Stadiality of the forms of crystal growth and self-development snow layers are revealed. They are a result of the successive process of superposition of ice crystal-chemical symmetry and dissymmetry of the whole system. Soil-snow-atmosphere, according to the known P. Curie principle. The book is intended for glaciologists and snow scientists employed in the study of the structure of snow cover and in avalanche forecasting as well as for specialists in the field of mineralogical crystallography and crystal growth.

Ice sheets as vast accumulations of frozen water on land are a direct expression of energy distribution on our planet. They form from the interplay of intensive accumulation of frozen water and insufficient melt during the summer. They define global sea-level and affect the geochemical composition of the ocean. This book presents current research in the study of the dynamics, formation and environmental concerns relating to ice sheets.

Aquifers are typically saturated regions of the subsurface that produce an economically feasible quantity of water to a well or spring (eg: sand and gravel or fractured bedrock often make good aquifer materials). Most land areas on Earth have some form of aquifer underlying them, sometimes at significant depths. In this book, the authors present current research in the study of the types, impacts and conservation of aquifers. Topics discussed include the effect of aquifer heterogeneity; hydrochemical features of groundwater from aquifer systems occurring in Sao Paulo, Brazil; aquifer system characterisation using integrated geophysical methods; pollution risk of groundwater in a semi-arid region by wastewater rejections; a numerical study of aquifer thermal energy storage systems influenced by regional groundwater flow and fluid flow and contaminant propagation in fractured rock aquifers.

In this book, the authors present current research in the study of the conservation, types and desertification of sand dunes. Topics discussed include the aridisation, dune dissipation and pedogenesis in the Quarternary of Eastern Pampean sand sea; desert sand dunes for sulfur concrete production; Allocosa brasiliensis as a model towards the conservation of coastal sand dunes in Uruguay and the causes, impacts and control of desertification.

Tectonic geomorphology is the study of the interplay between tectonic and surface processes that shape the landscape in regions of active deformation and at time scales ranging from days to millions of years. Over the past decade, recent advances in the quantification of both rates and the physical basis of tectonic and surface processes have underpinned an explosion of new research in the field of tectonic geomorphology. Modern tectonic geomorphology is an exceptionally integrative field that utilizes techniques and data derived from studies of geomorphology, seismology, geochronology, structure, geodesy, stratigraphy, meteorology and Quaternary science. While integrating new insights and highlighting controversies from the ten years of research since the 1st edition, this 2nd edition of "Tectonic Geomorphology" reviews the fundamentals of the subject, including the nature of faulting and folding, the creation and use of geomorphic markers for tracing deformation, chronological techniques that are used to date events and quantify rates, geodetic techniques for defining recent deformation, and paleoseismologic approaches to calibrate past deformation.

Overall, this book focuses on the current understanding of the dynamic interplay between surface processes and active tectonics. As it ranges from the timescales of individual earthquakes to the growth and decay of mountain belts, this book provides a timely synthesis of modern research for upper-level undergraduate and graduate earth science students and for practicing geologists.

Additional resources for this book can be found at: www.wiley.com/go/burbank/geomorphology.

Antarctica is a magnificent display of interaction between air and the various phases of water in a pristine environment. This interaction has led to the formation of many unique features over the Antarctic continent. Antarctica is now emerging as an important key in the understanding of global and environmental concerns. Its unique features have provided scientists with special opportunities to investigate the origin of the continents, pollution at the global level, ozone hole healing and changes in the global climate. However, lack of scientific data remains a major problem for researchers in many areas of Antarctic science. This book fills the gaps in the process of understanding Antarctic science.

H2O is a substance that only on the Earth exists in three phases: solid, liquid and gaseous. On other celestial bodies known to us it does not occur in a tri-phase state. An analysis of the definitions of water, ice, hydrosphere and the kryosphere shows that in this context they lack cohesion. Alongside ice, with its varied material forms in nature, another constituent of the kryosphere is temperature. Those two elements create the kryosphere. Their characterisation in consequence is the characterisation of ice and permafrost presented in the aforementioned context. This book discusses the kryosphere in detail, including its relationship with the hydrosphere.