The reconstruction of past climatic change is dependent upon the application of reliable dating techniques and an understanding of the context of these methods. The study of Quarternary palaeoenvironments must draw from a range of disciplines. In an area of increasing interest and specialisation, Ice Age Earth combines a summary of research and a synthetic description of the late Quarternary. It focuses on changes in the Earth's geology and climate between the last interglacial and the final melting of the last great ice sheets: 130,000 to 7000 year ago. The book describes the study of ocean...

Desertification, land degradation and other geological hazards have resulted from the remobilization of dune areas and climatic change. Recent developments in satellite images of deserts, orbital images of Mars and Venus, and oil and gas discoveries in ancient dunes, have significantly advanced our understanding of desert environments. The Geomorphology of Desert Dunes explores how desert dunes are formed, how they change and their environmental importance. Drawing on extensive research from the deserts of South Africa, North America, India, Northern Europe and Australia, the author analyses...

This text examines the ways in which soils are both influenced by, and themselves influence, the environment. It analyzes the propeties, processes and classification of soils, before discussing soils within the context of environmental history, and as components of natural environmental systems. Soil-human interactions are then examined in relation to landuse systems, environmental problems and management, soil survey and land evaluation.

Technology is no longer confined to the laboratory but has become an established part of our daily lives. Its sophistication offers us power beyond our human capacity which can either dazzle or threaten; it depends who is in control.
Living in a Technological Culture challenges traditionally held assumptions about the relationship between man-and-machine'. It argues that contemporary science does not shape technology but is shaped by it. Neither discipline exists in a moral vacuum, both are determined by politics rather than scientific inquiry.
By questioning our existing...

Mountains and high plateau areas account for 20% of the Earth's land surface. They give rise to a wide range of meteorological phenomena and distinctive climatic characteristics of consequence for ecology, forestry, glaciology and hydrology. Mountain Weather and Climate remains the only comprehensive text describing and explaining mountain weather and climate processes. It presents the results of a broad range of meteorological and climatological studies drawn from across the world. Following an introductory survey of the historical aspects of mountain meteorology, three chapters deal with...

Changes or innovations which threaten our heritage arouse great hostility in those who want to preserve the past in its entirety. The heritage has become a commodity, a device to sell everything from biscuits to country houses. Fowler skilfully examines the present relationship between the past and the present, analyzing the manner in which we mould and interpret the past to fit our current needs. He assesses the influence of our heritage in the last decade of the 20th century, and with a wide range of examples judges the consequences of the increasing pressures of the heritage industry. As...

The work of the Glasgow Media Group has long established their place at the forefront of Media Studies, and Getting the Message provides an introduction to recent work by the Group.

DEGREESiEco-Hydrology is the first book to offer an overview of the complex relationships between plants and water across a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic environments. Leading ecologists and hydrologists present reviews of the eco-hydrology of drylands, wetlands, temperate and tropical rain forests, streams, and rivers and lakes. Contents include:
* background information on the water relations of plants, from individual cells to strands of plants
* the role of mathematical models in eco-hydrology
* explanations of how plants affect patterns and rates of water movement and...

Since 1980 the importance of hydrological processes in ecosystems and the effect of plants on hydrological processes have become increasingly apparent. These relationships can be grouped under the term eco-hydrology. This work introduces and explores diverse plant-water interactions in a range of environments. Ecologists and hydrologists present reviews of the eco-hydrology of drylands, wetlands, temperate and tropical rain-forests, streams, and rivers and lakes. The authors present background information on the water relations of plants, from individual cells to strands, together with a...