Curious about Nature: A Passion for Fieldwork

ISBN-13: 9781108448642 / Angielski / Miękka / 2020 / 412 str.

Tim Burt; Des Thompson

Opis

Field studies form the backbone of research, teaching, policy and advisory work. For the first time, a single textbook provides an overview of the diversity, impacts and importance of field work. The authors capture the spirit of enjoying fieldwork, and the many benefits it brings to society.

Recenzje

'Contributors address the need to train and encourage the next generation of scientists to conduct crucial environmental fieldwork that continues to expand our understanding of natural systems and recommend conservation initiatives. Chapters emphasize the value of observation, provide historical context, outline basic fieldwork components, list common fieldwork equipment, and advocate for modern interdisciplinary scientific endeavors, all while recounting details of entertaining and diverse case studies that transport readers to a variety of international field sites … Ultimately, the text captures the essence of fieldwork, and can be read cover-to-cover or selectively based on interest and needs. This book is a good fit for upper-division undergraduate or graduate courses and encourages hands-on field experiences. It will also be welcomed by any general reader interested in exploring the world.' S. McCarragher, Choice

Spis treści

Part I. Getting Curious about Nature: 1. Fieldwork and nature: observing, experimenting, and thinking Tim Burt and Des Thompson; 2. The place of field studies in environmental science Michael Church; 3. The history of field work in the geosciences Andrew S. Goudie; 4. Pioneering fieldwork heroes in the life sciences Stephen Trudgill; 5. The educational benefits of out-of-classroom learning Michael J. Reiss; Part II. Inspiring Fieldwork: 6. Understanding the decline of hen harriers on Orkney Arjun Amar; 7. Rocky shores are not just for the able-bodied John Archer-Thomson; 8. Life, love and longing to survive Alison Averis; 9. Bringing palaeoecology alive Hilary H. Birks; 10. Expedition botany / hobby botany John Birks; 11. The Illisarvik drained-lake field experiment: a legacy of J. Ross Mackay Chris Burn; 12. In praise of meteorology field courses Stephen Burt; 13. Time, place and circumstance Tim Burt; 14. Sampling fish diversity along a submarine mountain chain Ingvar Byrkjedal; 15. Place and placefulness Richard Carrick; 16. Ripples across the pond Stuart Corbridge; 17. Fieldwork, field-friends, and the paradox of absence Douglas Davies; 18. Ornithological fieldwork – essential and enjoyable Roy Dennis; 19. Exploration science on the shore of the Arctic Ocean – a personal experience David J. A. Evans; 20. Only connect – and make records Alastair Fitter; 21. Studying patterned bogs David Goode; 22. Mapping the rise of the animals: Cambrian bodies in the Sirius Pass, North Greenland David A. T. Harper; 23. Evolution in the cellar: live-trapping wild house mice in the Italian Alps Heidi C. Hauffe; 24. Reflections on 'babooning' Russell Hill; 25. Bogs, birds and bones: interdisciplinary fieldwork on the Isle of RuÌm NNR Peter Higgins; 26. Exploring world(s) down under Emily Husband; 27. Experiments by nature – strength in realism Christian Körner; 28. Big problems – small animals Charles J. Krebs; 29. Soil survey: a field-based science Allan Lilly; 30. A traveling ethnography of urban technologies Andrés Luque-Ayala; 31. My date with the devil Peter Marren; 32. Peregrinations through the heathlands and moorlands of Britain: an applied plant ecologist's tale Rob Marrs; 33. The Maimai catchment New Zealand Jeff McDonnell; 34. 'Writing in the field' – the importance of a local patch Stephen Moss; 35. Looking but not seeing – how sketching in the field improves observational skills in science Stephen Mott; 36. From rum to recording forest soils via the Soil Survey of Scotland – a life of fieldwork Andrew J. Nolan; 37. In praise of bat detectors Kirsty Park; 38. In search of Tawny Frogmouths Stuart Rae; 39. Don't just sit there reading … Jane M. Reid; 40. Fieldwork in the Australian bush – if it doesn't kill you, it'll convert you Lisa Robins; 41. Field studies of behaviour and life-changing events Leigh W. Simmons; 42. Sediment, wind turbines, and rhinos: ah, the life of a geographer! Mike Slattery; 43. Conservation science – the need for a new paradigm founded on robust field evidence William J. Sutherland; 44. The worst journey in the world Des Thompson; 45. Field-less fieldwork in archaeology's digital age Andrew Tibbs; 46. Reflections on a career with FSC Sue Townsend; 47. My love-affair with rocks that fizz Maurice Tucker; 48. In the footsteps of John Wesley Powell – restoring the sand bars in the Grand Canyon Alan Werritty; 49. Connecting the next generation to their world Natalie White; 50. Beyond the curriculum – wider conceptions of learning in the field Lewis Winks; Part III. Reflections and where next for field studies: 51. Conclusion: inspiring, curious and novel fieldwork Tim Burt and Des Thompson.