Landscapes of the Anthropocene with Google Earth

ISBN-13: 9783031453847 / Angielski

Andrew Goudie

Spis treści

1 Introduction

1.1  Google Earth and Landscapes- Introduction

1.2  The Anthropocene

1.3 The Palaeoanthropocene

1.4 The Great Acceleration

References

2 Driving Forces

             2.1 Introduction

2.2 Demographic Developments

2.3 Farming

2.4 Fires

2.5 Deforestation

2.6 Urbanisation

2.7 Mining

2.8 Energy Sources and the Landscape

2.9 Tourism

2.10 Climate Change

References

3 Humanly-Made landforms

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Tells and Other Mounds

3.3 Tumuli

3.4 Causewayed Enclosures

3.5 Hillforts

3.6 Defensive Walls

3.7 Moated Settlements

3.8 Qanat

3.9 Terraces and Lynchets

3.10 Mine Spoil Heaps

3.11 Craters

3.12 Ponds

3.13 Conclusion: Earth Moving

References

4 Rivers

             4.1 Introduction

4.2 Dams and Barriers

4.3 Inter-Basin Water Transfers

4.4 Channelization and Straightening

4.5 Levees and Dykes

4.6 Flood Relief Channels or Bypasses

             4.7 Canals

4.8 Changes in River Channels as a Result of Land Use Changes

4.8.1 Introduction

4.8.2 Diversity of Causes: some Examples

4.8.3 Role of Soil Conservation Measures

                         4.8.4 Role of Invasive Plants and of Animals

4.8.5 The Role of Mining

4.8.6 Water Mills

4.8.7. Effects of Urbanisation                                             

4.8.8 Effects of Transport Corridors

4.9 Holocene and Anthropocene Floodplain Sedimentation

4.10 Recent Changes in Sediment Loads

4.11 Fluvial Wetland Drainage

4.12 River Deltas

4.13 Flooding and Runoff Changes

4.13.1 Groundwater Depletion

4.13.2 Forest Removal

4.13.3 Afforestation

4.13.4 Riparian Vegetation and the Spread of Invasive Plants

4.13.5 Swamp Encroachment

4.13.6 Land Drainage

4.13.7 Urbanisation

4.13.8 Permafrost Melting

4.13.9 Recent Climate Changes

4.14 Conclusion

References

5 The Cryosphere (Glacial and periglacial landscapes)

             5.1 Introduction

             5.2 Snowpack Disappearance

5.3 Permafrost Disruption and Thermokarst

             5.4 Valley Glaciers and Small Ice Caps

5.5 Glacial Lakes

5.6 Polar Ice Sheets and Ice Caps

5.7 Conclusion

References

6 Coasts

6.1 Introduction: Coastal Modification

6.2 Deliberately Created Landforms

6.2.1 Coastal Defence Structures, Groynes, Tsunami Walls, etc.

6.2.2 Artificial Islands

6.2.3 Artificial Reefs

6.2.4 Salt Pans

6.2.5 Coastal Reclamation

6.3 Non-Deliberate Changes

6.3.1 Accelerated Coastal Erosion

6.3.2 Changing Salt Marshes

6.3.3 Mangroves

6.3.4 Coral Reefs

6.3.5 Estuaries

6.4 The Future

6.4.1 The Amount of Sea-Level Rise by 2100

6.4.2 Land Subsidence

6.4.3 Reefs

6.4.4 Salt Marshes

6.4.5 Mangroves and Forested Wetlands

6.4.6 Sabkhas

6.4.7 Cliffed Coasts

6.4.8 Sandy Beaches

             6.5 Conclusion

References

7 Lakes

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Lake Contraction due to Reclamation and Sedimentation

7.3 Lake Desiccation

                          7.3.1 Aral Sea, Central Asia

7.3.2 The Caspian Sea

7.3.3 The Dead Sea

7.3.4 Lakes Urmia and Bakhtegan, Iran

7.3.5 Lop Nor, China

7.3.6 East African Lakes

7.3.7 Salton Sea, USA

                          7.3.8 Owens Lake

                          7.3.9 The Great Salt Lake

                  7.4 Conclusions

 

References

 

8 Ground Subsidence

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Subsidence Due to Changing Groundwater Conditions

8.3 Solutional Collapse of Salt and Gypsum

8.4 General Subsidence Due to Groundwater Exploitation

8.5 Coal Mining

8.6 Salt Mining by Solution

8.7 Hydrocarbon Abstraction 8.8 Geothermal Fluid Abstraction

8.9 Induced Seismic Activity

8.10 Shrinkage of Organic Soils and Peats

8.11 Hydrocompaction of Collapsing Soils

8.12 Ground Fissures (Earth Fissures)

8.13 Conclusions

References

9 Water Erosion and Mass Movements

9.1 Introduction: Soil Erosion by Water

9.2 Long-Term Rates of Erosion

9.3 Forest Removal and Other Land Use Changes

9.3.1 Introduction

9.3.2 Mid-Latitude Humid Regions

9.3.3 The Tropics

9.3.4 Mediterranean Land Uses

9.4 Mechanisms of Soil Loss

9.4.1 Soil Loss during Harvesting

9.4.2 Erosion by Land Levelling

9.4.3 Tillage Erosion

9.4.4 Grazing

9.4.5 Grassland Replacement by Shrublands

9.4.6 Irrigation Induced Erosion

9.4.7 Fire Induced Erosion

9.4.8 Urbanization, Construction and Roads

9.5 Peat Erosion

9.6 Arroyos, Lavakas, Dongas, and Calanchi

9.7 Soil Conservation and Erosion Management

            9.8 Slopes: Accelerated Mass Movements

 

9.8.1 Introduction

9.8.2 Deforestation

9.8.3 Roads

9.8.4 Mining

9.8.5 Irrigation

9.8.6 Dam Construction: the Case of Vaiont

9.8.7 Slopes, Glacier Retreat and Permafrost

References

10 Aeolian Anthropocene

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Dust Storms and Wind Erosion

10.2.1 Introduction

10.2.2 Desiccation

10.2.3 History of Dust Storms

                          10.2.4 Dust Storms since the Mid-Twentieth Century

10.2.5 Humans or Climate?

 

10.3 Sand dunes

 

10.3.1 Introduction

10.3.2 Examples of Dune Modification

10.5 Conclusions

References

11 Stage 3 of the Anthropocene – Stewardship

             11.1 Introduction

             11.2 Conclusions

References

Index

O autorze

Andrew Goudie, Ph.D., D.Sc., Emeritus Professor of Geography at the University of Oxford, a former Pro-Vice Chancellor, Honorary Fellow of Hertford College, and the former Master of St. Cross College, is Geomorphologist who led the Kimberley Research Project in 1988. He is a recipient of a Royal Medal from the Royal Geographical Society, the Mungo Park Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, and the Farouk El-Baz Award of the Geological Society of America. He is Fellow of the British Society of Geomorphologists. He has been Chair of the British Geomorphological Research Group, President of the Geographical Association, and President of the International Association of Geomorphologists. He has written extensively on the human impact and the Anthropocene.

Blurb

This book considers the meaning of the term, considers the value and characteristics of Google Earth, and discusses the main driving forces of landscape change. Google Earth provides a means whereby one can identify changes in the landscapes of Earth over recent decades. This has been a time of great human activity, and landscapes have been transformed as a result of such factors as land use and land-cover change, climate change, the intensive harnessing of new energy sources, population pressures, and globalization. Many geologists now believe that the whole Earth System is being changed and that there is thus a need to introduce the concept of the Anthropocene. It then looks at specific landscape types, including rivers, coasts, lakes, deserts, tundra, and glaciers.