Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
|
Your cart is empty |
|||
Books > Earth & environment > Earth sciences > The hydrosphere > Hydrology (freshwater)
With the Midwest under water, America had a chance to see how effectively it had "improved" its rivers. We've straightened and dredged them, revetted and rerouted them, made massive efforts to control them, yet our actions have been less than successful. Too often, physical changes made to a river conflict with natural processes, resulting in--rather than alleviating--damage. Applying available knowledge on how rivers form and act could prevent such problems. In this book, Luna Leopold seeks to organize such knowledge. Widely regarded as the most creative scholar in the field of river morphology, Leopold presents a coherent description of the river, its shape, size, organization, and action, along with a consistent theory that explains much of the observed character of channels. The laws of physics that govern rivers allow for variations, many of them dictated by random chance. Thus, a river's adaptation, as Leopold describes it, tends toward the most probable form, the one with the least variance among hydraulic parameters. We see how this probabilistic tendency plays out as Leopold views the river as a whole from headwater to mouth, in the drainage net, in the behavior of meanders, and in aspects of sediment transport. Grounded in hydraulics, geomorphology, and surveying, as well as in extensive fieldwork on rivers in the eastern and Rocky Mountain states, Leopold's view of a river is at once technical and personal, providing both a firm foundation for understanding the behavior of rivers--including instructions for getting started in backyard hydrology--and a wealth of firsthand observations by a thoughtful and experienced scientist. It will be of immediate interest andgreat use as we seek to develop, preserve, and appreciate our most fluid natural resource.
Rivers have been vitally important to human populations worldwide for millennia as “highways” for inland travel, and as sources of water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, manufacturing, irrigation, and power generation, as well as repositories for human, animal, and industrial wastes. This accessible textbook takes a broad approach to river ecology, covering the basics but going beyond by including topics that are often overlooked such as blackwater streams and rivers, tidal creek ecosystems, and reservoir limnology. Since most running water (lotic) systems have been altered or impacted by human activities, there is significant emphasis on anthropogenic impacts, including sedimentation, nutrient pollution and related eutrophication issues as well as the effects of dams and river fragmentation, power plant operations, chemical contamination, wastewater treatment discharges, industrial scale livestock production, invasive species, and rural and urban storm water runoff on river ecosystems. Advances in stream and river restoration are also discussed.
Documents the declining quality and quantity of springs around the world and efforts to preserve, protect, and restore them. Anthropogenic causes, including climate change, have been degrading springs around the world. Changes in spring water quality and flow impact human health, cultural values, ecology, and livelihoods. Threats to Springs in a Changing World: Science and Policies for Protection presents a range of international studies illustrating the causes of spring degradation and strategies being used to safeguard springs both now and for the future. Volume highlights include: Examples of threatened springs in diverse hydrogeologic settings Innovative methods and tools for understanding the hydrogeology of spring systems Current policy and governance approaches for alleviating damage to springs Different approaches to management of springs A call for practitioners, policy makers, scientists, and the public to work together The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals.
A comprehensive introduction to coastal storms and their associated impacts Coastal Storms offers students and professionals in the field a comprehensive overview and groundbreaking text that is specifically devoted to the analysis of coastal storms. Based on the most recent knowledge and contributions from leading researchers, the text examines coastal storms processes and characteristics, the main hazards (such as overwash, inundation and flooding, erosion, structures overtopping), and how to monitor and model storms. The authors include information on the most advanced innovations in forecasting, prediction, and early warning, which serves as a foundation for accurate risk evaluation and developing adequate coastal indicators and management options. In addition, structural overtopping and damage are explained, taking into account the involved hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes. The monitoring methods of coastal storms are analyzed based on recent results from research projects in Europe and the United States. Methods for vulnerability and risk evaluation are detailed, storm impact indicators are suggested for different hazards and coastal management procedures analyzed. This important resource includes: * Comprehensive coverage of storms and associated impacts, including meteorological coastal storm definitions and related potential consequences * A state-of-the-art reference for advanced students, professionals and researchers in the field * Chapters on monitoring methods of coastal storms, their prediction, early warning systems, and modeling of consequences * Explorations of methods for vulnerability and risk evaluation and suggestions for storm impact indicators for different hazards and coastal management procedures Coastal Storms is a compilation of scientific and policy-related knowledge related to climate-related extreme events. The authors are internationally recognized experts and their work reflects the most recent science and policy advances in the field.
Upwelling areas are among the most fertile regions of the ocean. In principle, upwelling is caused by the divergence of the flow in the surface layer of the ocean which arises as a consequence of a particular wind field, the presence of a coastline, or other special conditions. Since deeper oceanic layers are usually enriched wi th nutrients, it is the permanent supply of nutrients which forms the basis for the high producti vi ty of upwelling reg ions. The study of upwelling and its consequences were, for a long time, the task of individual scientists from all disciplines of marine science. Today, it is perhaps the branch of oceanography where interdisciplinary coopera tion has developed best. Becoming aware of the large potential yield of upwelling regions, governments in creased the funds for upwelling research. With research activities developed on a larger scale, interdisciplin ary cooperation became a necessity. On the international level, several symposia documented the rapid development. Three volumes reflect the results of these scientific meetings (Rapp. Proc.-Verb. 159, 1970; Inv. Pesq. 35, 1, 1971; Tethys .' 1-2, 1974). The present book contains selected papers from the Third Symposium on Upwelling Ecosystems, which was held in Kiel in September 1975. Although the third of a series of meetings, it was the first where the word "ecosystem" stood in the title for a scientific program."
Invasive non-native species are a major threat to global biodiversity. Often introduced accidentally through international travel or trade, they invade and colonize new habitats, often with devastating consequences for the local flora and fauna. Their environmental impacts can range from damage to resource production (e.g. agriculture and forestry) and infrastructure (e.g. buildings, road and water supply), to human health. They consequently can have major economic impacts. It is a priority to prevent their introduction and spread, as well as to control them. Freshwater ecosystems are particularly at risk from invasions and are landscape corridors that facilitate the spread of invasives. This book reviews the current state of knowledge of the most notable global invasive freshwater species or groups, based on their severity of economic impact, geographic distribution outside of their native range, extent of research, and recognition of the ecological severity of the impact of the species by the IUCN. As well as some of the very well-known species, the book also covers some invasives that are emerging as serious threats. Examples covered include a range of aquatic and riparian plants, insects, molluscs, crustacea, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals, as well as some major pathogens of aquatic organisms. The book also includes overview chapters synthesizing the ecological impact of invasive species in fresh water and summarizing practical implications for the management of rivers and other freshwater habitats.
Water plays an important part in today's environmental concerns. Since the publication of the first edition there have been rapid developments in the application of hydrology, geomorphology and ecology to stream management. In particular, growth has occurred in the areas of stream rehabilitation and the evaluation of environmental flow needs. The concept of stream health has been adopted as a way of assessing stream resources and setting management goals. "Stream Hydrology: An Introduction for Ecologists Second Edition" documents recent research and practice in these areas. Chapters provide information on sampling, field techniques, stream analysis, the hydrodynamics of moving water, channel form, sediment transport and commonly used statistical methods such as flow duration and flood frequency analysis. Methods are presented from engineering hydrology, fluvial geomorphology and hydraulics with examples of their biological implications. This book demonstrates how these fields are linked and utilised in modern, scientific river management. "Emphasis on applications, from collecting and analysing field measurements to using data and tools in stream management." "Updated to include new sections on environmental flows, rehabilitation, measuring stream health and stream classification." "Critical reviews of the successes and failures of implementation." "Revised and updated windows-based software." This book is essential reading for 2nd/3rd year undergraduates and postgraduates of hydrology, stream ecology and fisheries science in Departments of Physical Geography, Biology, Environmental Science, Landscape Ecology, Environmental Engineering and Limnology. It would be valuable reading forprofessionals working in stream ecology, fisheries science and habitat management, environmental consultants and engineers.
This book examines recent developments in river (flood) management from the viewpoint of Making Space for the River and the resulting challenges for water governance. Different examples from Europe and the United States of America are discussed that aim to 'green' rivers, including increasing river discharge for flood management, enhancing natural and landscape values, promoting local or regional economic development, and urban regeneration. Making Space for the River presents not only opportunities and synergies but also risks as it crosses established institutional boundaries and touches on multiple stakeholder interests, which can easily clash. Making Space for the River helps the reader to understand the policy and governance dynamics that lead to these tensions and pays attention to a variety of attempts to organize effective and legitimate governance approaches. The book helps to realize connections between policy domains, problem frames, and goals of different actors at different levels that contribute to decisive and legitimate action. Making Space for the River has an international comparative character that sheds light upon both the country-specific governance dilemmas which relate to specific state traditions and institutional characteristics of national water management, but also uncovers interesting similarities which provide us with building blocks to formulate more generic lessons about the governance of Making Space for the River in different institutional and social contexts. The authors of this book come from a variety of disciplines including public administration, town and country planning, geography and anthropology, and these different disciplines bring multiple ways of knowing and understanding of Making Space for the River programs. The book combines interdisciplinary scientific analyses of Space for the River projects and programs with practical knowing and lessons-drawing. Making Space for the River is written for both practitioners and scholars and students of environmental policy, spatial planning, land use and water management. Editors: Jeroen Warner, Assistant Professor of Disaster Studies, Wageningen University, The Netherlands. Arwin van Buuren, Associate Professor of Public Administration, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Jurian Edelenbos, Professor of Public Administration, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
With $2 billion spent annually on stream restoration worldwide, there is a pressing need for guidance in this area, but until now, there was no comprehensive text on the subject. Filling that void, this unique text covers both new and existing information following a stepwise approach on theory, planning, implementation, and evaluation methods for the restoration of stream habitats. Comprehensively illustrated with case studies from around the world, "Stream and Watershed Restoration" provides a systematic approach to restoration programs suitable for graduate and upper-level undergraduate courses on stream or watershed restoration or as a reference for restoration practitioners and fisheries scientists."Part of the Advancing River Restoration and Management Series. " Additional resources for this book can be found at: www.wiley.com/go/roni/streamrestoration.
The Rouge River is a mostly urbanized watershed of about 500 square miles populated by nearly 1.4 million people. While not geographically large, the river has played an outsized role in the history of southeast Michigan, most famously housing Ford's massive Rouge Factory, designed by architect Albert Kahn and later memorialized in Diego Rivera's renowned "Detroit Industry" murals. In recent decades, the story of the Rouge River has also been one of grassroots environmental activism. After pollution from the Ford complex and neighboring factories literally caused the river to catch on fire in 1969, community groups launched a Herculean effort to restore and protect the watershed. Today the Rouge stands as one of the most successful examples of urban river revival in the country. Rouge River Revived describes the river's history from pre-European times into the 21st century. Chapters cover topics such as Native American life on the Rouge; indigenous flora and fauna over time; the river's role in the founding of local cities; its key involvement in Detroit's urban development and intensive industrialization; and the dramatic clean-up arising from citizen concern and activism. This book is not only a history of the environment of the Rouge River, but also of the complex and evolving relationship between humans and natural spaces.
In the name of agriculture, urban growth, and disease control, humans have drained, filled, or otherwise destroyed nearly 87 percent of the world's wetlands over the past three centuries. Unintended consequences include biodiversity loss, poor water quality, and the erosion of cultural sites, and only in the past few decades have wetlands been widely recognized as worth preserving. Emily O'Gorman asks, What has counted as a wetland, for whom, and with what consequences? Using the Murray-Darling Basin-a massive river system in eastern Australia that includes over 30,000 wetland areas-as a case study and drawing on archival research and original interviews, O'Gorman examines how people and animals have shaped wetlands from the late nineteenth century to today. She illuminates deeper dynamics by relating how Aboriginal peoples acted then and now as custodians of the landscape, despite the policies of the Australian government; how the movements of water birds affected farmers; and how mosquitoes have defied efforts to fully understand, let alone control, them. Situating the region's history within global environmental humanities conversations, O'Gorman argues that we need to understand wetlands as socioecological landscapes in order to create new kinds of relationships with and futures for these places.
River Restoration River restoration initiatives are now widespread across the world. The research efforts undertaken to support them are increasingly interdisciplinary, focusing on ecological, chemical, physical as well as societal issues. River Restoration: Political, Social, and Economic Perspectives provides a comprehensive overview of research in the field of river restoration in humanities and the social sciences. It illustrates how, in the last thirty years or so, such approaches have evolved and strengthened within the restoration sciences. The scientific community working in this domain has structured itself, often regionally and circumstantially, to critically assess and improve restoration policies and practices. As a research field, river restoration tackles three thematic axes: Human-river interactions - especially perceptions and practices of rivers, and how these interactions can be changed by restoration projects Political processes, with a particular interest in governance and decision-making, and a specific emphasis on the question of public participation in restoration projects Evaluation of the social and economic benefits of river restoration River Restoration: Political, Social, and Economic Perspectives encompasses these three topics, and more, to provide the reader with the most up-to-date and holistic view of this constantly evolving area. The book will be of particular interest to human and social scientists, biophysical scientists (hydrologists, geomorphologists, ecologists), environmental scientists, public policy makers, design or planning officers, and anyone working in the field of river restoration.
Water in a Dry Land is a story of research about water as a source of personal and cultural meaning. The site of this exploration is the iconic river system which forms the networks of natural and human landscapes of the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia. In the current geological era of human induced climate change, the desperate plight of the system of waterways has become an international phenomenon, a symbol of the unsustainable ways we relate to water globally. The Murray-Darling Basin extends west of the Great Dividing Range that separates the densely populated east coast of Australia from the sparsely populated inland. Aboriginal peoples continue to inhabit the waterways of the great artesian basin and pass on their cultural stories and practices of water, albeit in changing forms. A key question informing the book is: What can we learn about water from the oldest continuing culture inhabiting the world's driest continent? In the process of responding to this question a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers formed to work together in a contact zone of cultural difference within an emergent arts-based ethnography. Photo essays of the artworks and their landscapes offer a visual accompaniment to the text on the Routledge Innovative Ethnography Series website, http://www.innovativeethnographies.net/. This book is perfect for courses in environmental sociology, environmental anthropology, and qualitative methods.
Hydrodynamics and Transport for Water Quality Modeling presents a complete overview of current methods used to describe or predict transport in aquatic systems, with special emphasis on water quality modeling. The book features detailed descriptions of each method, supported by sample applications and case studies drawn from the authors' years of experience in the field. Each chapter examines a variety of modeling approaches, from simple to complex. This unique text/reference offers a wealth of information previously unavailable from a single source.
Mechanics of Hydraulic Fracturing Comprehensive single-volume reference work providing an overview of experimental results and predictive methods for hydraulic fracture growth in rocks Mechanics of Hydraulic Fracturing: Experiment, Model, and Monitoring provides a summary of the research in mechanics of hydraulic fractures during the past two decades, plus new research trends to look for in the future. The book covers the contributions from theory, modeling, and experimentation, including the application of models to reservoir stimulation, mining preconditioning, and the formation of geological structures. The four expert editors emphasize the variety of diverse methods and tools in hydraulic fracturing and help the reader understand hydraulic fracture mechanics in complex geological situations. To aid in reader comprehension, practical examples of new approaches and methods are presented throughout the book. Key topics covered in the book include: Prediction of fracture shapes, sizes, and distributions in sedimentary basins, plus their importance in petroleum industry Real-time monitoring methods, such as micro-seismicity and trace tracking How to uncover geometries of fractures like dikes and veins Fracture growth of individual foundations and its applications Researchers and professionals working in the field of fluid-driven fracture growth will find immense value in this comprehensive reference on hydraulic fracturing mechanics.
Continuing concern about water supply and quality, ecosystem
sustainability and restoration demands that the modern approach to
the management of lakes and reservoirs should be based on a sound
understanding of the application of the scientific and ecological
principles that underlie freshwater processes. "The Lakes Handbook" provides an up-to-date overview of the
application of ecologically sound approaches, methods and tools
using experience gained around the world for an understanding of
lakes and their management. Volume one of the Handbook addresses
the physical and biological aspects of lakes pertinent to lake
management, emphasising those aspects particularly relevant to
large, still bodies of water. Volume two then considers lake
management, with particular emphasis on sustainability, restoration
and rehabilitation. This handbook will be invaluable to ecologists, environmental
scientists, physical geographers and hydrologists involved in
limnological research, as well as advanced undergraduate and
graduate students looking for authoritative reviews of the key
areas of limnological study.
The fourth edition of this highly acclaimed text provides an
up-dated examination of the natural environment of the earth at
various levels, from the global to the local. Integrating the study
of geomorphology, climatology, hydrology, pedology and
biogeography, it considers the ways in which we both mould and are
moulded by our landscape and environment. The book also presents an
historical perspective, and investigates natural climatic changes,
hazardous events and human impacts.
This new edition follows the same successful framework of
earlier editions, with extra material, including an extra chapter
on The Organic World. In addition, a list of key concepts has been
added at the end of each chapter and the book now also includes
points for review. With substantially more "windows," updated and
expanded guides to reading, new plates, diagrams, and tables, and
up-to-date examples and case studies, this fourth edition of
"Nature of the Environment" will be welcomed by students and
teachers alike. Please visit the accompanying website at: http: //www.blackwellpublishers.co.uk/goudie to view sample material from both the new edition and forthcoming instructor's manual online.
The Mullica Valley estuary and its watershed, formed over the last 10,000 years, are among the cleanest estuaries along the east coast of the United States. This 365,000-acre ecosystem benefits from a combination of protected watershed, low human population density, and general lack of extensive development. In Beneath the Surface, marine scientist Ken Able helps the reader penetrate the surface and gain insights into the kinds of habitats, the animals, and plants that live there. Readers will gain a better understanding of the importance of these shallow waters; how the amount of salt in the water determines where animals and plants are found in estuaries; the day-night, seasonal, and annual variation in their occurrence; and how change is occurring as the result of climate variation. Throughout the book are insightful sidebars telling intimate stories of where various animals came from and where they are going as they travel through the estuary on their way to and from other portions of the East Coast. Beneath the Surface emphasizes the kinds and importance of the animals and plants that live beneath the surface of this unique ecosystem.
Reservoirs are specific aquatic ecosystems and have complex behaviors of both natural lakes and rivers, regulated significantly by their functions such as flood controlling, hydropower generation, irrigation and fishery. This volume offers a general description of reservoir limnology in tropical and subtropical China. It functions as a window opening to all the aquatic scientists with a main focus on reservoirs in southern China and at the same time also covering several important, large reservoirs such as the Three Gorge Reservoir and Danjiangko Reservoir. Topics discussed are zooplankton, phytoplankton and zoobenthos communities, cyanobateria, nutrient budget, sediments, biogeochemical cycling of mercury, fishery and eutrophication.
Water-related conflicts have a long history and will continue to be a global and regional problem. Asia, with 1.5 billion of its people living in shared river basins, and with very few transboundary rivers governed by treaties, is especially prone to such conflicts. The key to mitigating transboundary water conflicts and advancing cooperation in Asia is largely in the hands of China, the upstream country for most of Asia's major transboundary rivers. To avert the looming water crisis, apart from spending billions of dollars on domestic water transfer projects such as the South-North Water Diversion Megaproject, as well as on water conservancy and pollution abatement, China has sought to utilize the water resources of the major rivers that run across borders with neighbouring countries. On these transboundary rivers, China has built or plans to build large dams for hydroelectricity and major water diversion facilities, which has triggered anxiety and complaints from downstream countries and criticism from the international society. This book aims to systematically examine the complex reality of water contestations between China and its neighbouring countries. It provides a discussion on transboundary hydropolitics beyond the state-centric geopolitical perspective to dig into various political, institutional, legal, historical, geographical, and demographic factors that affect China's policies and practices towards transboundary water issues. This book also provides a collection of comparative case studies on China's water resources management on the Mekong River with other five riparian states in the Lower Mekong region: the Salween River with Myanmar, the Brahmaputra River with India, the Amur River with Russia and Mongolia, the Illy and Irtysh Rivers with Kazakhstann, and the Yalu and Tumen Rivers with North Korea. Furthermore, this book sheds light on China's future role in global water governance.
Filling a long-standing need for a desk reference that synthesizes current research, Land Use Effects on Streamflow and Water Quality in the Northeastern United States reviews and discusses the impact of forest management, agriculture, and urbanization. The book provides a gateway to the diverse scientific literature that is urgently needed to understand and solve ubiquitous watershed management problems. The authors use an in-depth approach that focuses on the science behind sound management principles and practices. The book begins with a summary of the scientific principles and processes that define and govern the interactions between activities on land and conditions in streams, lakes, and estuaries. Building on these principles, later chapters progress from basic science to small-scale, controlled field experiments to landscape-scale studies and their watershed management implications. This nested format parallels the development of watershed management projects and solutions. The deliberate integration of land use history, ecology, hydrology, chemistry, and resource management avoids the artificial separation of inter-related watershed characteristics and tracks causes and effects over realistic time scales. The authors present the hydrologic and water quality principles on which to construct management plans for water supply watersheds across a wide range of sizes, configurations, and time scales. Rigorously reviewed by a distinguished panel of scientists and watershed managers, the book benefits from their collective experience across the full range of watershed science and management. It provides a diverse audience with the opportunity to update and expand their knowledgein critical areas of watershed science and management.
This book summarizes the achievements and experience of the Yangtze River rehabilitation and protection, analyzes the new situation and requirements of the Yangtze River rehabilitation and protection, and discusses the main issues and their solution alternatives for the Yangtze River rehabilitation and protection efforts. The Yangtze River, respected as the mother river of the Chinese nation, contributes immensely toward the socioeconomic development of China and braces up the national strategies such as the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, etc. Whether the Yangtze River is under good stewardship has implications on not only the wellbeing of more than 400 million inhabitants in the basin, but also in broader sense the overall sustainability of socioeconomic development of the whole country. This book which has two parts, provides a multidirectional analysis of Yangtze River rehabilitation and protection. The first part explores the stages, achievements, and the future of the Yangtze rehabilitation and protection. Major issues existing in Yangtze River Basin rehabilitation and protection are discussed in the second part. Many pictures, charts, and diagrams are involved providing an understanding of the situation of Yangtze River Basin. |
You may like...
Freshwater Red Algae - Phylogeny…
Morgan L. Vis, Orlando Necchi Jr
Hardcover
R4,595
Discovery Miles 45 950
River Deltas Research - Recent Advances
Andrew J. Manning
Hardcover
Ecosystem Services for Well-Being in…
Mashfiqus Salehin, Md. Munsur Rahman, …
Hardcover
R1,645
Discovery Miles 16 450
Inland Waters - Dynamics and Ecology
Adam Devlin, Jiayi Pan, …
Hardcover
|