Climate Change in Deserts

Climate Change in Deserts PDF Author: Martin Williams
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107016916
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 653

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Book Description
A synthesis of the environmental and climatic history of every major desert and desert margin, for researchers and advanced students.

Climate Change in Deserts

Climate Change in Deserts PDF Author: Martin Williams
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107016916
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 653

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Book Description
A synthesis of the environmental and climatic history of every major desert and desert margin, for researchers and advanced students.

Arid and Semi-Arid Geomorphology

Arid and Semi-Arid Geomorphology PDF Author: Andrew S. Goudie
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107067162
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 467

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Book Description
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.

Cadillac Desert

Cadillac Desert PDF Author: Marc Reisner
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1440672822
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 674

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Book Description
“I’ve been thinking a lot about Cadillac Desert in the past few weeks, as the rain fell and fell and kept falling over California, much of which, despite the pouring heavens, seems likely to remain in the grip of a severe drought. Reisner anticipated this moment. He worried that the West’s success with irrigation could be a mirage — that it took water for granted and didn’t appreciate the precariousness of our capacity to control it.” – Farhad Manjoo, The New York Times, January 20,2023 "The definitive work on the West's water crisis." --Newsweek The story of the American West is the story of a relentless quest for a precious resource: water. It is a tale of rivers diverted and dammed, of political corruption and intrigue, of billion-dollar battles over water rights, of ecological and economic disaster. In his landmark book, Cadillac Desert, Marc Reisner writes of the earliest settlers, lured by the promise of paradise, and of the ruthless tactics employed by Los Angeles politicians and business interests to ensure the city's growth. He documents the bitter rivalry between two government giants, the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in the competition to transform the West. Based on more than a decade of research, Cadillac Desert is a stunning expose and a dramatic, intriguing history of the creation of an Eden--an Eden that may only be a mirage. This edition includes a new postscript by Lawrie Mott, a former staff scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, that updates Western water issues over the last two decades, including the long-term impact of climate change and how the region can prepare for the future.

Ecology of Desert Rivers

Ecology of Desert Rivers PDF Author: Richard Kingsford
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521818257
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 342

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Book Description
Summarises current understanding of desert river ecology and its dependence on unpredictable river flows.

Standing between Life and Extinction

Standing between Life and Extinction PDF Author: David L. Propst
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022669450X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 465

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Book Description
North American deserts—lands of little water—have long been home to a surprising diversity of aquatic life, from fish to insects and mollusks. With European settlement, however, water extraction, resource exploitation, and invasive species set many of these native aquatic species on downward spirals. In this book, conservationists dedicated to these creatures document the history of their work, the techniques and philosophies that inform it, and the challenges and opportunities of the future. A precursor to this book, Battle Against Extinction, laid out the scope of the problem and related conservation activities through the late 1980s. Since then, many nascent conservation programs have matured, and researchers have developed new technologies, improved and refined methods, and greatly expanded our knowledge of the myriad influences on the ecology and dynamics of these species. Standing between Life and Extinction brings the story up to date. While the future for some species is more secure than thirty years ago, others are less fortunate. Calling attention not only to iconic species like the razorback sucker, Gila trout, and Devils Hole pupfish, but also to other fishes and obscure and fascinating invertebrates inhabiting intermittent aquatic habitats, this book explores the scientific, social, and political challenges of preserving these aquatic species and their habitats amid an increasingly charged political discourse and in desert regions characterized by a growing human population and rapidly changing climate.

River and Desert Plants of the Grand Canyon

River and Desert Plants of the Grand Canyon PDF Author: Kristin Huisinga
Publisher: Mountain Press
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
The Grand Canyon's isolation, great elevational range, and position at the convergence of three North American deserts--the Mojave, Sonoran, and Great Basin--have created unique habitats for an unusual assemblage of plants. Some grow only at seeps and springs, others emerge from cracks in the bedrock, and some live only in the Grand Canyon--for example, Roaring Springs prickly poppy and Grand Canyon flaveria. River and Desert Plants of the Grand Canyon, the first comprehensive field guide devoted to plants that live below the canyon rims, is bursting with beautiful color photographs and detailed line drawings of more than 250 ferns, grasses, forbs, shrubs, and trees. Narratives organized by life form and common family name describe each plant and its natural history, and thumbnail photographs arranged by flower color and shape offer a key for easy identification. Essays by contributing experts explore such topics as Grand Canyon ecology, desert-plant adaptations, biological soil crusts, plant pollination, invasive species, and domesticated plants of the canyon's indigenous people.

Rivers: A Very Short Introduction

Rivers: A Very Short Introduction PDF Author: Nick Middleton
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191633909
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 153

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Book Description
Rivers have played an extraordinarily important role in creating the world in which we live. They create landscapes and provide water to people, plants and animals, nourishing both town and country. The flow of rivers has enthused poets and painters, explorers and pilgrims. Rivers have acted as cradles for civilization and agents of disaster; a river may be a barrier or a highway, it can bear trade and sediment, culture and conflict. A river may inspire or it may terrify. This Very Short Introduction is a celebration of rivers in all their diversity. Nick Middleton covers a wide and eclectic range of river-based themes, from physical geography to mythology, to industrial history and literary criticism. Worshipped and revered, respected and feared, rivers reflect both the natural and social history of our planet. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Deserts and Desert Environments

Deserts and Desert Environments PDF Author: Julie J Laity
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444300741
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
Taking a global perspective, this book provides a concise overviewof drylands, including their physical, biological, temporal, andhuman components. Examines the physical systems occurring in desert environments,including climate, hydrology, past and present lakes, weathering,hillslopes, geomorphic surfaces, water as a geomorphic agent, andaeolian processes Offers an accessible introduction to the physical, biological,temporal, and human components of drylands Investigates the nature, environmental requirements, andessential geomorphic roles of plants and animals in this stressfulbiological environment Highlights the impact of human population growth on climate,desertification, water resources, and dust storm activity Includes an examination of surface/atmosphere interactions andthe impact of ENSO events.

River Basin Management in the Twenty-First Century

River Basin Management in the Twenty-First Century PDF Author: Victor Roy Squires
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1466579633
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 535

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Book Description
Worldwide development of agriculture and industry creates burgeoning demands on natural resources. Management of the rivers and the surrounding landscape is one of the important tasks for today and for the foreseeable future. Lessons learned from centuries of management (and mismanagement) have been distilled into principles and practices which for

Great Warm Deserts of the World

Great Warm Deserts of the World PDF Author: Andrew Goudie
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780199245154
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 488

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Book Description
A survey of the nature and history of the landscapes of the world's great warm deserts, that illustrates how their distinctive features have developed in response to major climatic and tectonic changes over millions of years. The treatment is a regional one, and each of the world's major warm deserts has its own chapter. Written by a leading expert in the field.