Rivers A Very Short Introduction

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Rivers: A Very Short Introduction

Nick Middleton
Rivers A Very Short Introduction Book PDF

Author : Nick Middleton
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 153 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2012-04-26
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780191633904

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Rivers: A Very Short Introduction by Nick Middleton Pdf

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: A Very Short Introduction

Nick Middleton
Deserts A Very Short Introduction Book PDF

Author : Nick Middleton
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 153 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2009-11-26
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780199564309

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Deserts: A Very Short Introduction by Nick Middleton Pdf

Preface; 1 Desert Climates; 2 Desert Landscapes; 3 The Nature of Deserts; 4 People and Deserts; 5 Deserts Connections.

Prehistory

Chris Gosden
Prehistory Book PDF

Author : Chris Gosden
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 153 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2018
Category : HISTORY
ISBN : 9780198803515

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Prehistory by Chris Gosden Pdf

Recent archaeological discoveries from China and central Asia have changed our understanding of how human civilization developed in the period of some 4 million years before the start of written history. In this new edition of his Very Short Introduction, Chris Gosden explores the current theories on the ebb and flow of human cultural variety.

Landscapes and Geomorphology: A Very Short Introduction

Andrew Goudie,Heather Viles
Landscapes and Geomorphology A Very Short Introduction Book PDF

Author : Andrew Goudie,Heather Viles
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 152 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2010-08-26
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780191614156

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Landscapes and Geomorphology: A Very Short Introduction by Andrew Goudie,Heather Viles Pdf

What were the landscapes of the past like? What will landscapes look like in the future? Landscapes are all around us, but most of us know very little about how they have developed, what goes on in them, and how they react to changing climates, tectonics and human activities. Examining what landscape is, and how we use a range of ideas and techniques to study it, Andrew Goudie and Heather Viles demonstrate how geomorphologists have built on classic methods pioneered by some great 19th century scientists to examine our Earth. Using examples from around the world, including New Zealand, the Tibetan Plateau, and the deserts of the Middle East, they examine some of the key controls on landscape today such as tectonics and climate, as well as humans and the living world. They also discuss some key 'landscape detectives' from the past, including Charles Darwin who did some important, but often overlooked, research on landscape. Concluding with the cultural importance of landscape, and exploring how this has led to the conservation of much 'earth heritage', they delve into the future and look at how we can predict the response of landscapes to climate change in the future. 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.

Mountains

Martin F. Price
Mountains Book PDF

Author : Martin F. Price
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 153 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2015
Category : Electronic books
ISBN : 9780199695881

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Mountains by Martin F. Price Pdf

In this Very Short Introduction, Martin Price addresses the role of mountains in global ecosystems and within human culture. Considering the global effects of melting glaciers, and the conservation of mountain regions and peoples, he discusses the future of mountainous regions and the implications for all of us.

Lakes

Warwick F. Vincent
Lakes Book PDF

Author : Warwick F. Vincent
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 169 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2018
Category : Electronic books
ISBN : 9780198766735

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Lakes by Warwick F. Vincent Pdf

Ranging from vast inland seas to hydro-reservoirs, lakes are unique, complex, ecosystems. Warwick Vincent introduces lake science, or limnology, and the importance of protecting and sustaining these vitally important living resources. He explains the impact of factors such as climate, seasons, salinity, and sedimentation on lake biodiversity.

Vanity Fair and the Celestial City

Isabel Rivers
Vanity Fair and the Celestial City Book PDF

Author : Isabel Rivers
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 511 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2018-07-25
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9780192542632

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Vanity Fair and the Celestial City by Isabel Rivers Pdf

In John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, the pilgrims cannot reach the Celestial City without passing through Vanity Fair, where everything is bought and sold. In recent years there has been much analysis of commerce and consumption in Britain during the long eighteenth century, and of the dramatic expansion of popular publishing. Similarly, much has been written on the extraordinary effects of the evangelical revivals of the eighteenth century in Britain, Europe, and North America. But how did popular religious culture and the world of print interact? It is now known that religious works formed the greater part of the publishing market for most of the century. What religious books were read, and how? Who chose them? How did they get into people's hands? Vanity Fair and the Celestial City is the first book to answer these questions in detail. It explores the works written, edited, abridged, and promoted by evangelical dissenters, Methodists both Arminian and Calvinist, and Church of England evangelicals in the period 1720 to 1800. Isabel Rivers also looks back to earlier sources and forward to the continued republication of many of these works well into the nineteenth century. The first part is concerned with the publishing and distribution of religious books by commercial booksellers and not-for-profit religious societies, and the means by which readers obtained them and how they responded to what they read. The second part shows that some of the most important publications were new versions of earlier nonconformist, episcopalian, Roman Catholic, and North American works. The third part explores the main literary kinds, including annotated bibles, devotional guides, exemplary lives, and hymns. Building on many years' research into the religious literature of the period, Rivers discusses over two hundred writers and provides detailed case studies of popular and influential works.

Rivers of Empire

Donald Worster
Rivers of Empire Book PDF

Author : Donald Worster
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 624 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 1992
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0195078063

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Rivers of Empire by Donald Worster Pdf

The American West, blessed with an abundance of earth and sky but cursed with a scarcity of life's most fundamental need, has long dreamed of harnessing all its rivers to produce unlimited wealth and power. In Rivers of Empire, award-winning historian Donald Worster tells the story of this dream and its outcome. He shows how, beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Mormons were the first attempting to make that dream a reality, damming and diverting rivers to irrigate their land. He follows this intriguing history through the 1930s, when the federal government built hundreds of dams on every major western river, thereby laying the foundation for the cities and farms, money and power of today's West. Yet while these cities have become paradigms of modern American urban centers, and the farms successful high-tech enterprises, Worster reminds us that the costs have been extremely high. Along with the wealth has come massive ecological damage, a redistribution of power to bureaucratic and economic elites, and a class conflict still on the upswing. As a result, the future of this "hydraulic West" is increasingly uncertain, as water continues to be a scarce resource, inadequate to the demand, and declining in quality.

Geophysical and Climate Hazards: A Very Short Introduction

Bill McGuire
Geophysical and Climate Hazards A Very Short Introduction Book PDF

Author : Bill McGuire
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 161 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2024-01-23
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780192874566

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Geophysical and Climate Hazards: A Very Short Introduction by Bill McGuire Pdf

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring In this Very Short Introduction Bill McGuire takes a fresh look at our sometimes perilous planet, and evaluates the causes and consequences of what used to be thought of as 'natural' hazards through the prism of planetary heating and the continuing destabilising of our climate. Our world has always been a dangerous and deadly place, and storms, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic blasts have taken an enormous toll on lives and livelihoods throughout recorded history and before. In the past, such events were regarded first as acts of God, or gods, and later as simply a consequence of hazardous natural phenomena that are a normal part of how our planet works. In recent decades, however, this picture has changed. Relentless global heating, arising from the 2.4 trillion tonnes of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere as a result of human activities, has completely altered the 'natural' hazard landscape. There has long been a debate about whether - due to the influence of societal and economic factors - there is such a thing as a truly natural disaster. Now, the debate has moved on to whether or not the hazards that cause them can any longer be described as entirely natural. Our damaged climate has driven an explosion of extreme weather, which has become ever more apparent in recent years via the super-charging of storms, floods, heatwaves and wildfires. The fingerprints of global heating can be detected even in individual events that would have been extremely unlikely to have happened, or even been impossible, in its absence. Meanwhile earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions continue to plague communities and take lives, while even here there are links with a changing climate that have the potential to magnify their occurrence and impacts. 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.

Forests

Jaboury Ghazoul
Forests Book PDF

Author : Jaboury Ghazoul
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 169 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2015
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780198706175

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Forests by Jaboury Ghazoul Pdf

Forests have been entwined with human development and cultural history for centuries. In this 'Very Short Introduction' Jaboury Ghazoul explores their origins, dynamics, and the range of goods and services they provide to human society, as well as looking at issues of deforestation, reforestation, and the effects of climate change.

Rivers and Sustainable Development

S. Nazrul Islam
Rivers and Sustainable Development Book PDF

Author : S. Nazrul Islam
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 500 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2020-08-15
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780190079048

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Rivers and Sustainable Development by S. Nazrul Islam Pdf

Rivers are a vital component of ecology-the earth's hydrological cycle depends on them. However, across the world, rivers are under stress and even in crisis. With rising populations, the demand for river water is increasing. Many rivers fail to reach the sea because of excessive withdrawal of water, and many other rivers are heading toward the same fate. Conflicts over river water are increasing, and climate change is making matters worse. River policies pursued so far are often aggravating these challenges rather than solving them. Yet, sustainable development requires healthy rivers. Urgent change in the approach and policies toward rivers is therefore required. In this book, Nazrul Islam points to the ways in which river policies need to change to ensure sustainable development. He offers a new conceptual framework, using such concepts as the Commercial and Cordon approaches to rivers and their opposite, the Ecological and Open approaches. He shows that while the former generally work against sustainability, the latter are conducive to sustainable development. The book illustrates this reality by drawing upon worldwide experience regarding rivers. Going forward, river policies therefore should be based on Ecological and Open approaches. Islam argues further that the use of the new conceptual framework offered in this book can help to connect the river related discussion of experts with that of activists. It can thus help to move the discussion of river policies from the narrow confines of experts to the wider arena of the public, who should have a greater role in formulation of river policies in order to safeguard public interests and ensure sustainability. The book serves as a valuable guide for those interested in learning about river policy changes necessary to promote sustainable development.

Rivers of the Sultan

Faisal H. Husain
Rivers of the Sultan Book PDF

Author : Faisal H. Husain
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2021-03-05
Category : History
ISBN : 9780197547298

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Rivers of the Sultan by Faisal H. Husain Pdf

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers run through the heart of the Middle East and merge in the area of Mesopotamia known as the "cradle of civilization." In their long and volatile political history, the sixteenth century ushered in a rare era of stability and integration. A series of military campaigns between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf brought the entirety of their flow under the institutional control of the Ottoman Empire, then at the peak of its power and wealth. Rivers of the Sultan tells the history of the Tigris and Euphrates during the early modern period. Under the leadership of Sultan Süleyman I, the rivers became Ottoman from mountain to ocean, managed by a political elite that pledged allegiance to a single household, professed a common religion, spoke a lingua franca, and received orders from a central administration based in Istanbul. Faisal Husain details how Ottoman unification institutionalized cooperation among the rivers' dominant users and improved the exploitation of their waters for navigation and food production. Istanbul harnessed the energy and resources of the rivers for its security and economic needs through a complex network of forts, canals, bridges, and shipyards. Above all, the imperial approach to river management rebalanced the natural resource disparity within the Tigris-Euphrates basin. Istanbul regularly organized shipments of grain, metal, and timber from upstream areas of surplus in Anatolia to downstream areas of need in Iraq. Through this policy of natural resource redistribution, the Ottoman Empire strengthened its presence in the eastern borderland region with the Safavid Empire and fended off challenges to its authority. Placing these world historic bodies of water at its center, Rivers of the Sultan reveals intimate bonds between state and society, metropole and periphery, and nature and culture in the early modern world.

The Atmosphere: A Very Short Introduction

Paul I. Palmer
The Atmosphere A Very Short Introduction Book PDF

Author : Paul I. Palmer
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 144 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2017-03-13
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780191030758

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The Atmosphere: A Very Short Introduction by Paul I. Palmer Pdf

The atmosphere is the thin, diffuse fluid that envelops the Earth's surface. Despite its apparent fragility, the existence of this fluid is vital for human and other life on Earth. In this Very Short Introduction Paul Palmer describes the physical and chemical characteristics of different layers in the atmosphere, and shows how the interactions where the atmosphere is in contact with land, ocean, and ice affect its observed physical and chemical properties. He also looks at how movement in the atmosphere, driven by heat from the sun, transports heat from lower latitudes to higher latitudes, and is a fundamental feature of the general circulation in the atmosphere. Finally, Palmer presents an overview of the types of measurements used to understand different parts of the atmosphere, and identifies the future challenges for atmospheric scientists. 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.

Anthropocene: A Very Short Introduction

Erle C. Ellis
Anthropocene A Very Short Introduction Book PDF

Author : Erle C. Ellis
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 144 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2018-02-22
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780192511386

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Anthropocene: A Very Short Introduction by Erle C. Ellis Pdf

The proposal that the impact of humanity on the planet has left a distinct footprint, even on the scale of geological time, has recently gained much ground. Global climate change, shifting global cycles of the weather, widespread pollution, radioactive fallout, plastic accumulation, species invasions, the mass extinction of species - these are just some of the many indicators that we will leave a lasting record in rock, the scientific basis for recognizing new time intervals in Earth's history. The Anthropocene, as the proposed new epoch has been named, is regularly in the news. Even with such robust evidence, the proposal to formally recognize our current time as the Anthropocene remains controversial both inside and outside the scholarly world, kindling intense debates. The reason is clear. The Anthropocene represents far more than just another interval of geologic time. Instead, the Anthropocene has emerged as a powerful new narrative, a concept through which age-old questions about the meaning of nature and even the nature of humanity are being revisited and radically revised. This Very Short Introduction explains the science behind the Anthropocene and the many proposals about when to mark its beginning: the nuclear tests of the 1950s? The beginnings of agriculture? The origins of humans as a species? Erle Ellis considers the many ways that the Anthropocene's "evolving paradigm" is reshaping the sciences, stimulating the humanities, and foregrounding the politics of life on a planet transformed by humans. The Anthropocene remains a work in progress. Is this the story of an unprecedented planetary disaster? Or of newfound wisdom and redemption? Ellis offers an insightful discussion of our role in shaping the planet, and how this will influence our future on many fronts. 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.

Oceans: A Very Short Introduction

Dorrik Stow
Oceans A Very Short Introduction Book PDF

Author : Dorrik Stow
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 152 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2017-07-20
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780191024290

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Oceans: A Very Short Introduction by Dorrik Stow Pdf

The importance of the oceans to life on Earth cannot be overstated. Liquid water covers more than 70% of our planet's surface and, in past geological time, has spread over 85%. Life on Earth began in the oceans over 3.5 billion years ago and remained there for the great majority of that time. Today the seas still provide 99% of habitable living space, the largest repository of biomass, and holds the greatest number of undiscovered species on the planet. Our oceans are vital for the regulation of climate, and with global warming and decreasing land area, they have become increasingly important as the source of food, energy in the form of oil and gas, and for their mineral wealth. Oceans also form a key part of the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and other elements critical to life. Nutrients in upwelling areas are spread by ocean currents, and the plankton of the seas supports a wealth of wildlife. In this Very Short Introduction Dorrik Stow analyses these most important components of our blue planet and considers their relationship with, and exploitation by, humans. He shows how the oceans are an essential resource to our overpopulated world, and discusses why exploration and greater scientific understanding of the oceans, their chemistry, and their mineral wealth are now a high priority. Stow also explores what we know of how oceans originate, and evolve and change; the shape of the seafloor and nature of its cover; the physical processes that stir the waters and mix such a rich chemical broth; and the inseparable link between oceans and climate. As polar ice melts and sea-levels rise, countless millions who have made their homes on low-lying lands close to the sea are threatened. As scientific exploration of the seas gathers pace, the new knowledge gained of the ocean-Earth systems and their interaction with the human environment is vital to our understanding of how we can preserve these ultimately fragile environments. 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.