A vivid journey around England's great seaside resorts, exploring their history and current struggle, and what they reveal about England, from the award-winning author of Love of Country England's seaside is made up of a striking variety of coastlines including cliffs, coves, pebbled shore, wide sandy beaches, salt marshes, and estuaries cutting deep inland. On these coastal edges England's great holiday resorts grew up, developed in the early eighteenth century originally as spas for medicinal bathing but soon morphing into places of pleasure, entertainment, fantasy and adventure. Acclaimed writer Madeleine Bunting journeyed clockwise around England from Scarborough to Blackpool to understand the enduring appeal of seaside towns, and what has happened to the golden sands, cold seas and donkey rides of childhood memory. Taking in some forty resorts, staying in hotels, caravans and holiday camps, she swims from their beaches and talks to their residents to delve into their landscapes, histories and contemporary plight.

'One of the greatest mountaineering survival stories never told.' - The Sunday Times Some mountains are high; some mountains are hard. Few are both. On the afternoon of 13 July 1977, having become the first climbers to reach the summit of the Ogre, Doug Scott and Chris Bonington began their long descent. In the minutes that followed, any feeling of success from their achievement would be overwhelmed by the start of a desperate fight for survival. And things would only get worse. Rising to over 7,000 metres in the centre of the Karakoram, the Ogre - Baintha Brakk - is notorious in mountaineering circles as one of the most difficult mountains to climb. First summited by Scott and Bonington in 1977 - on expedition with Paul 'Tut' Braithwaite, Nick Estcourt, Clive Rowland and Mo Anthoine - it waited almost twenty-four years for a second ascent, and a further eleven years for a third. The Ogre, by legendary mountaineer Doug Scott, is a two-part biography of this enigmatic peak: in the first part, Scott has painstakingly researched the geography and history of the mountain; part two is the long overdue and very personal account of his and Bonington's first ascent and their dramatic week-long descent on which Scott suffered two broken legs and Bonington smashed ribs. Using newly discovered diaries, letters and audio tapes, it tells of the heroic and selfless roles played by Clive Rowland and Mo Anthoine. When the desperate climbers finally made it back to base camp, they were to find it abandoned - and themselves still a long way from safety. The Ogre is undoubtedly one of the greatest adventure stories of all time.

This edited collection explores how narratives about the future of the Arctic have been produced historically up until the present day. The contemporary deterministic and monolithic narrative is shown to be only one of several possible ways forward. This book problematizes the dominant prediction that there will be increased shipping and resource extraction as the ice melts and shows how this seemingly inevitable future has consequences for the action that can be taken in the present. This collection looks to historical projections about the future of the Arctic, evaluating why some voices have been heard and championed, while others remain marginalised. It questions how these historical perspectives have shaped resource allocation and governance structures to understand the forces behind change in the Arctic region. Considering the history of individuals and institutions, their political and economic networks and their perceived power, the essays in this collection offer new perspectives on how the future of the Arctic has been produced and communicated.

This edited volume explores the circumstances under which vulnerable communities can better adapt to climate and environmental change, and focuses in particular on the centrality of migration as a resilience and adaptation strategy for communities at risk. The book features important case studies where migration is being used as a risk management strategy in the Pacific, Sub-Sahara Africa, Latin America, and Europe. Its comparative analysis reveals common patterns in enhancing local resilience through migration across diverse regional, socio-economic, cultural, and political contexts. This book is a contribution to the global discussion about the future of migration policy, especially as climate and environmental change is expected to grow as one of the most pressing challenges of our time.

This book proposes an alternative approach to understanding development and discusses the possibilities of alternative development in the age of global capitalism from a socio-cultural perspective. Tracing the development of Mui Wo, a rural town on the outskirts of Hong Kong, for more than a decade, it explores the factors that have allowed it to stand apart from the metropolis and follow a path of development that is distinct from the rest of Hong Kong. It also discusses how a place and its people, with their own time-space conceptions, respond to the changes prompted by the exigencies of global capitalism. The book goes beyond institutional concerns and focuses on the daily life of ordinary people. It identifies the forces underlying globalisation, addresses what happens when such forces interact with local ones, and explores the resultant diversions and diversifications. The book is an invitation to all those who are interested in reflecting on heterogeneity and diversity amidst the impulses of globalisation.

El Nino and the Southern Oscillation is by far the most striking phenomenon caused by the interplay of ocean and atmosphere. It can be explained neither in strictly oceanographic nor strictly meteorological terms. This volume provides a brief history of the subject, summarizes the oceanographic and meteorological observations and theories, and discusses the recent advances in computer modeling studies of the phenomenon.
Key Features
* Includes a comprehensive and up-to-date research survey
* Discusses in detail sophisticated computer models
* Provides a clear exposition of the major problems which prevent more accurate predictions of El Nino

Over the past decade the significant advances in real-time ocean observing systems, ocean modelling, ocean data assimilation and super-computing has seen the development and implementation of operational ocean forecast systemsof the global ocean. At the conclusion of the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE) in 2008 ocean analysis andforecasting services were being supported by 12 international centres.

This book is about ocean forecasting - a maturing field which remains an active area of research, and includes such topics as ocean predictability, observing system design, high resolution ocean modelling and ocean data assimilation. It presents the introduction to ocean forecasting which provides a foundation for new opportunities in areas of coupled bio-geochemical forecasting and coupled atmosphere-wave-ocean forecasting. The book describesan updated account ofresearch and development to improve forecast systems, determining how best to service the marine user community with forecast information as well as demonstrating impact to their applications. It also discusses operational centresthat are now supporting a range of real-time ocean services including online graphical and data products for their user communities and their feedback on the quality of information.

The contents of this book are aimed at early career scientists and professionals with an interest in operational oceanography and related ocean science. There are excellent opportunities for exciting careers in the emerging field of operational oceanography in order to address current and future challenges as well as provide the supporting services to a rapidly growing user community.

Riparian forests along streams and rivers are diverse in species, structure, and regeneration processes, and have important ecological functions in maintaining landscape and biodiversity. This book discusses riparian forests from subpolar to warm-temperate zones, covering headwater streams, braided rivers on alluvial fans, and low-gradient meandering rivers. It presents the dynamics and mechanisms that govern the coexistence of riparian tree species, tree demography, the response to water stress of trees, and the conservation of endangered species, and focuses on natural disturbances, life-history strategies, and the ecophysiology of trees. Because many riparian landscapes have been degraded and are disappearing at an alarming rate, the regeneration of the remaining riparian ecosystems is urgent. With contributions by more than 20 experts in diverse fields, this book offers useful information for the conservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of riparian ecosystems that remain in world streams and rivers.

A comprehensive and lavishly illustrated photographic guide-now in a handy field-guide format This lavishly illustrated photographic guide provides a comprehensive overview of the natural history of wildlife habitats in Britain and Ireland. Now completely redesigned in a handy field-guide format, and featuring revised and updated text throughout, this new edition of Britain's Habitats guides readers through all the main habitat types, presenting information on their characteristics, extent, geographical variation, key species, cultural importance, origins and conservation. It aims to help visitors to the countryside recognize the habitats around them, understand how they have evolved and what makes them special, and imagine how they might change in the future. This new edition includes updated maps and additional photographs throughout, and covers a new habitat-gardens. The perfect companion for anyone travelling in Britain and Ireland, the book is essential reading for all wildlife enthusiasts, professional ecologists and landscape architects. Individual sections on all the main habitat types found in Britain and Ireland More than 680 evocative colour photographs, including images from around Britain and Ireland in all seasons Details and photographs of key species and features associated with the different habitats Up-to-date information-including maps-on the distribution, extent and importance of all habitat types Features new to this edition include a field-guide format, updated maps, more photographs throughout and coverage of an additional habitat-gardens

This publication collects the results of a practical experience of survey, through the direct control of satellite images from high to medium resolution, over areas subjected to desertification problems. The problems of the local population are closely tied to the equilibrium in the management of the territory, which is compromised by the difficulties of maintaining traditional methodologies of management. The new survey technologies, based on the Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System, allow analyzing the details of the present situation and point out the dynamism of the phenomena and the impacts with anthropogenic activities.

Training has been carried out in the Tozeur area, in central Tunisia, where participants had the chance to analyze on the field a series of different aspects. It has also been possible to discuss similar experiences in distant territories and the importance of the physical processes of desertification. During the development of the intensive training on the job, visits to entrepreneurial truths concerning the management of the territory have been carried out. The analyzed area finds in tourism an answer to the necessities of improving the living conditions of the population.

Specialists from twelve nations presented actions of management of the territory, with detailed attention on environmental security and the conditions of the territory. From the observations carried out the fragility of the landscape of the oases has emerged, which are subjected to total anthropogenic management and therefore closely linked to the availability of the specialized workers in the traditional methodologies. It is natural that the management of the lands changesaccording to modern technologies, but, with a too fast pace, this evolution risks to upset the management of the territory. The exchange of information, the ability to map the variations, the dialogue between the parts, will favor the maintenance of the political security in the Mediterranean region. This experience of cooperation and association constitutes a precedent for the development of a system of high education courses to be provided to the local communities for the common wellbeing.

This book provides a unique perspective on the destruction - both natural and human-caused - of coral reef ecosystems. Reconstructing the ecological history of coral reefs, the authors evaluate whether recent dramatic changes are novel events or part of a long-term trend or cycle. The text combines principles of geophysics, paleontology, and marine sciences with real-time observation, examining the interacting causes of change: hurricane damage, predators, disease, rising sea-level, nutrient loading, global warming and ocean acidification. Predictions about the future of coral reefs inspire strategies for restoration and management of ecosystems. Useful for students and professionals in ecology and marine biology, including environmental managers.

First published in 1966 these collected papers, written by the distinguished and visionary climatologist Hubert H. Lamb, describe how climates come about and give a history of climatic changes from the last ice-age to the 1960s.

First published in 1988, this is a reissue of a groundbreaking collection of essays written by Hubert Lamb, one of the world's foremost experts on weather and climate and a uniquely authoritative voice in the history of climatology. Hubert Lamb is able to provide a mature assessment of the effect of weather on people, and vice versa. His is a uniquely authoritative voice in the current debates about today's environment and the prospects for the future.

After a general introduction the book is divided into three parts. The first part consists of a chronological series of portraits of climate and its impact on human affairs and the environment. These extend from the warm climates of the geological past to the current drought in Africa. There are several studies of the last few centuries and, in particular, of the various effects of the so-called ?little Ice Age?. The second part is concerned with the causes and mechanisms of climate and weather changes, including chapters discussing Christmas weather, fronts and volcanoes. In the final part Hubert Lamb looks to the future, and attempts to put into perspective some of the pessimistic forecasts currently available. The text, which is consistently authoritative but always readable, is augmented by numerous maps, diagrams and photographs.

This book offers an in-depth study of two well-known models of "avalanche" dynamics, modified minimally by the inclusion of relaxation. Many complex systems respond to continuous inputs of energy by accumulation of stress over time, interrupted by sudden energy releases called avalanches. The first model studied is the viscoelastic interface driven over disorder, which is shown to display the fundamental features of friction. In the mean-field limit, the friction force derived semi-analytically is compatible with laboratory experiments (displaying both velocity weakening and contact aging). In two dimensions, large-scale numerical simulations are in good agreement with the basic features of real earthquakes (Gutenberg-Richter Law, aftershock migration). The second model is a non-Markovian variant of Directed Percolation, in which we observe that the universality class is only partly modified by relaxation, a promising finding with respect to our first model.

This book examines the politics of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) in Namibia. CBNRM and similar forms of conservation across southern Africa have long been studied for their potential benefits as domestic policy tools to help improve sustainable development. However, they have often failed to achieve their stated goals. By assessing the initiation, design, implementation and outcomes of CBNRM, the book argues that communities are often unable to attain the degree of empowerment that these forms of resource governance promise. It also considers the impact of climate change on CBNRM programmes, and the responses of international actors involved in their governance. In doing so, the book demonstrates how the power imbalances that are built into the global political economy have ensured that those most marginalized in society are no better off as a result of this new form of resource governance. It will appeal to all those interested in CBNRM, conservation studies and environmental governance in Africa, as well political economy and international relations.

At present, constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment are a widely used technology for treatment of various types of wastewaters. The International Water Association (then International Association on Water Pollution Research and Control) recognized wetlands as useful tools for wastewater treatment and est- lished the series of biennial conferences on the use of wetland systems for water pollution control in 1988. In about 1993, we decided to organize a workshop on nutrient cycling in natural and constructed wetlands with the major idea to bring together researchers working on constructed and also natural wetlands. It was not our intention to compete with IWA conferences, but the workshop should rather complement the series on treatment wetlands by IWA. We believed that the exchange of information obtained from natural and constructed wetlands would be beneficial for all participants. And the time showed that we were correct. The first workshop took place in 1995 at T?ebo? in South Bohemia and most of the papers dealt with constructed wetlands. Over the years we extended the topics on natural wetlands (such as role of wetlands in the landscape or wetland restoration and creation) and during the 6th workshop held at T?ebo? from May 30 to June 3, 2006, nearly half of 38 papers presented during the workshop dealt with natural wetlands. This workshop was attended by 39 participants from 19 countries from Europe, Asia, North and South Americas and Australia. The volume contains 29 peer-reviewed papers out of 38 papers which were presented during the workshop.

This thesis proposes a new raft-type wave-powered desalination device that can convert wave power into hydraulic energy and use reverse osmosis (RO) to directly desalinate seawater. Both analytical and numerical methods are used to study the hydrodynamic characteristics of the device. Further, the thesis investigates the maximum power extraction and multiple parameter effects on power absorption and averaged permeate water flux. Lastly, it proposes and assesses two power extraction enhancing strategies. The thesis offers a valuable and important reference guide to ocean-wave-and-structure interaction and wave-powered seawater desalination for scientists and engineers alike.

Global warming and human-driven impacts are changing the World's ecological zones. This book applies the principles described in Bailey's Ecosystem Geography: From Ecoregions to Sites, 2nd ed. (Springer 2009, 1st ed. 1996) to describe and characterize the major terrestrial and aquatic ecological zones of the Earth. Bailey's system for classifying these zones has been adopted by major organizations such as the U.S. Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy and this book is a significant contribution to a long tradition of classifying and studying the world's ecological regions or ecoregions. It includes two color maps that show the major ecoregions of the continents and oceans. Also included are: - 106 illustrations with 55 in full color - A new chapter on mountains is included. - There are new sections that address concerns about how eco regions are changing under the relentless influence of humans and climate change - Another new feature is the discussion of using eco regional patterns to transfer research results and select sites for detecting climate change effects on ecosystem distribution - Use of ecoregional patterns to design monitoring networks and sustainable landscapes - Fire regimes in different regional ecosystems and their management implications.

This book is an original and novel contribution to flood hazard assessment, climate change and land use change and is intended to serve both as an effective source of information and a valuable basis for priority setting and further technical, financial and political decisions regarding flood hazard assessment. The study area is located on the floodplain of the Ubaye River in the Barcelonnette area, part of the Alpes de Haute Provence in southeast France. The book offers a comparative overview of the major challenges faced when dealing with flood hazards. The research presented is intended to promote a deeper understanding of how climate change and land use change processes have evolved from past to present, and how they affect the flow regime of the Ubaye River based on sound and reproducible scientific arguments. The methodology implemented ranges from remote sensing interpretation to hydrodynamic modeling and includes the application of spatial and statistical modeling. The results of this research provide essential information for policymaking, decision-making support and flood hazard planning in the Barcelonnette area.

Our coasts provide a home and livelihoods for millions of people; many of the world's biggest cities are along coastlines. Yet these precious areas face increasing threats from irresponsible development and the potential dangers of climate change. This volume explores the wide spectrum of coastal hazards, from high-magnitude, low-frequency events like tsunamis and hurricanes, to longer-term processes like urban regeneration and changing agricultural practices. International case studies range from mitigation measures in the Azores Archipelago to managing a coastal resort in South Wales, to tsunami early warning systems in the Indian Ocean Region. The resulting collection spans approaches from social science, engineering, planning, geology and biology and presents an integrated approach for assessing the impact of, and response to, coastal hazards. It will be of interest to all those involved in strategies for the environmental management of coastlines.

When we hear the word ‘reef’ we most often think of tropical coral reefs and, indeed, those are the most diverse habitats with thousands of different species living on them. But reefs can also be found off the coast of Canada, Brazil and even further north. Off Canada’s coast there are both the Atlantic deep-water coral habitat and the Pacific rocky reef habitat. Reefs is a pictorial celebration of the hugely varied marine life on coral, rock and sand reefs all around the world. From the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland, Australia, to Mabul Island off Borneo, from east African coral reefs stretching from the Red Sea down to Madagascar to the Amazon Reef off Brazil, from the Mesoamerican Reef off Belize to Vancouver Island, the book explores how life on each reef is interdependent. The book also includes examples of how coral bleaching has killed off reefs. Arranged geographically by reef and illustrated with more than 200 colour photographs, each entry is completed with a caption explaining the magnificent natural world on display. From the gender-swapping clownfish to single-cell zooxanthellae, from coral polyps to purple starfish to harlequin shrimp and octopuses, the book is a feast of marine life.

This book discusses the conditions that underpin configuration of specific places as resource peripheries and the consequences that such a socio-spatial formation involves for those places. The book thereby provides an interdisciplinary approach underpinned by economic geography, political ecology, resource geography, development studies and political geography. It also discusses the different technological, political and economic changes that make the ongoing production of resource peripheries a distinctive socio-spatial formation under the global economy. Through a global and interdisciplinary perspective that uncovers ongoing political processes, socio-economic changes and socio-ecological dynamics at resource peripheries, this book argues that it is critical to take a more profound appraisal about the socio-spatial processes behind the contemporary way in which capitalism is appropriating and transforming nature.