|
Showing 1 - 3 of
3 matches in All Departments
A straightforward and fact-based exploration of how weather
happens, how it relates to climate, and how science answers major
questions about Earth as a system  Climate change is one of
the most hotly contested environmental topics of our day. To answer
criticisms and synthesize available information, scientists have
been driven to devise increasingly complex models of the climate
system. This book conveys that the basics of climate and climate
change have been known for decades, and that relatively simple
descriptions can capture the major features of the climate system
and help the general public understand what controls climate and
weather, and how both might be changing. Â Renowned
environmental scientist and educator John D. Aber distills what he
has learned from a long fascination with weather and climate, the
process of science, and the telling of the story of science. This
is not a book about policies and politics. Instead, it explores how
weather happens, how it relates to climate, and how science has
been used to answer major questions about the Earth as a system and
inform policies that have reversed environmental degradation. By
providing a guided tour of the science of weather, this thoughtful
survey will contribute clarity and rationality to the public
understanding of climate change.
The Eastern Hemlock, massive and majestic, has played a unique role
in structuring northeastern forest environments, from Nova Scotia
to Wisconsin and through the Appalachian Mountains to North
Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. A "foundation species"
influencing all the species in the ecosystem surrounding it, this
iconic North American tree has long inspired poets and artists as
well as naturalists and scientists. Five thousand years ago, the
hemlock collapsed as a result of abrupt global climate change. Now
this iconic tree faces extinction once again because of an invasive
insect, the hemlock woolly adelgid. Drawing from a century of
studies at Harvard University's Harvard Forest, one of the most
well-regarded long-term ecological research programs in North
America, the authors explore what hemlock's modern decline can tell
us about the challenges facing nature and society in an era of
habitat changes and fragmentation, as well as global change.
This book explores the ecological concepts and ideas involved in the practice of habitat restoration by taking a theoretical approach that will appeal to ecologists concerned with the structure and dynamics of communities. The contributors examine aspects of this new realization and its implications for both ecology and the practice of habitat restoration. What emerges is the outline of a new paradigm for ecological research and the basis for a stronger relationship between theory and practice in this area.
|
|