Download or read book Restoration and Development of the Degraded Loess Plateau China written by Atsushi Tsunekawa and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-08-23 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents state-of-the-art scientific evidence and technological innovations to restore lands on the Loess Plateau of China, known worldwide for its serious land degradation and desertification problems. Supported by a rapidly developing Chinese economy and the dissemination of effective technology, the Grain-for-Green Project and Western Development Action launched by the Chinese government have resulted in successful ecological restoration and protection over the past 30 years. These programs have contributed not only to conservation of soil and water, but also to economic development. At the same time, however, these developmental interventions have brought new challenges that have not yet been fully addressed. The book describes (1) case studies of success and failure in practice, including rare success stories of combating desertification; (2) technical issues such as erosion control and breeding of stress-tolerant plant species, and socioeconomic measures taken by the Chinese government and lending policies with support from the World Bank; and (3) comprehensive measures against desertification, such as water and wind erosion, salinization, and deforestation. This volume is recommended for researchers and students above the undergraduate level in diverse fields including soil science, rural engineering, social technology and civil engineering, biology, ecology, climatology, physical and human geography, and developmental economics, among others. It also serves as a valuable resource for engineers, government officials, and NPOs and NGOs involved in afforestation, ecological restoration, combating desertification, disaster prevention, and sustainable rural development.
Download or read book Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming written by Junliang Tian and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2000-05-24 with total page 878 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "I've seen the Sudan, traveled in South and Central America and been all over Europe, but I've never seen what I've been able to see on this tour [of the Loess Plateau, China]." -Ed Skidmore, soil scientist, Wind Erosion Research Unit of the Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Manhattan, Kansas Overpopulation is at the core of most environmental problems. The impacts of continued growth-with world population reaching 6 billion in October 1999-are felt in most parts of the world. China, the most populous nation, illustrates many of the pivotal problems-and solutions. Although China faces the same effects of overpopulation as the rest of the world, it still feeds over a billion people on a tillable area that allows about one tenth of a hectare per person. The country's efforts to tie together soil and water conservation, dryland farming, and economic development have been largely successful. Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming explores these trials and the lessons learned from them. Copublished with the Soil and Water Conservation Society, this exhaustive text consists of the rewritten proceedings from the Society's conference held in Yangling, Shaanxi, China. It covers dryland farming systems and soil water management, environmental quality and sustainability, and erosion control techniques as they relate primarily to Mainland China. With additional global examples and a balance between conceptual and applied studies, it covers some of the most progressive work in soil erosion control and dryland farming from around the world. Soil exposure while land lies fallow is one of the greatest risks in dryland farming. New procedures and kinds of tillage help control erosion and improve water intake. Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming presents these techniques and technologies to give you a forward-looking perspective into the field, as well as the larger problem of tailoring food production to sustain the population.
Download or read book Landslides in the Thick Loess Terrain of North West China written by Edward Derbyshire and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2000-02-21 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A lavishly illustrated study of landslides and debris flows on theLoess Plateau of north-central China where dense rural populationand human activity has greatly increased landslide hazard. The Loess Plateau lies in the middle reaches of the Yellow Riverand there are a number of cities housing more than a millionpeople. Landslides are triggered by heavy rainstorms andearthquakes have been a recurrent hazard in the loess terrain forover two millennia. The contributors to this book set out with a number of goalsincluding: * establishing the role of bedrock relief in landsliding * studying the nature of the hydrological system within the loessslopes * characterising the modes of failure of the loess fabric * producing a dynamically-based classification of loesslandslides * 'ultimately' establishing criteria for a simple warning systemfor loess slope failure, together with an advisory scheme for localpopulation response to landslide warnings. This book includes over forty colour maps unique in their contentand coverage, showing for the first time the detailed distributionof landslides in the thick loess terrain of eastern Gansu Province,North China.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences written by John H. Steele and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2001-09-20 with total page 3399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences is the most current, authoritative, and comprehensive resource on the science of the oceans. This ambitious work includes contributions from leading scientists around the world on the physical processes that drive the oceans and the chemical, biological, and geological disciplines. The Encyclopedia also covers ancillary topics such as ocean technology, law of the oceans, global programs, marine policy, the use of the oceans for food and energy, and the impact of pollution and climate changes. The many different methods used to study the oceans are covered, from ship-based systems to satellite remote sensing. Users will enjoy easy access to more than 400 articles, each approximately 3000-4000 words in length with further reading lists and extensive cross referencing. Each article provides comprehensive coverage of a particular topic, and is designed for a wide audience of students, academics, researchers, and professionals. The articles are written at a level that allows undergraduate students to understand the material, while providing active researchers with the latest technical information. Also available online on ScienceDirect. For online version information, please visit http://www.info.sciencedirect.com/reference_works Presents 402 original articles covering all the physical, chemical and biological aspects of ocean science Brings together classic scientific theories with the newest discoveries, technologies, and applications Written by the world's leading researchers and developed by a prestigious editorial board Makes information easy to find with an intuitive format, extensive cross references, further reading lists, and complete index Illustrated with more than 1900 figures and full color throughout Developed alongside each other, the Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences together with the Encyclopedia of Atmospheric Sciences provide readers a with comprehensive resource, and a link between these two fields.
Download or read book Aeolian Geomorphology written by Ian Livingstone and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-03-18 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A revised introduction to aeolian geomorphology written by noted experts in the field The new, revised and updated edition of Aeolian Geomorphology offers a concise and highly accessible introduction to the subject. The text covers the topics of deserts and coastlines, as well as periglacial and planetary landforms. The authors review the range of aeolian characteristics that include soil erosion and its consequences, continental scale dust storms, sand dunes and loess. Aeolian Geomorphology explores the importance of aeolian processes in the past, and the application of knowledge about aeolian geomorphology in environmental management. The new edition includes contributions from eighteen experts from four continents. All the chapters demonstrate huge advances in observation, measurement and mathematical modelling. For example, the chapter on sand seas shows the impact of greatly enhanced and accessible remote sensing and the chapter on active dunes clearly demonstrates the impact of improvements in field techniques. Other examples reveal the power of greatly improved laboratory techniques. This important text: Offers a comprehensive review of aeolian geomorphology Contains contributions from an international panel of eighteen experts in the field Includes the results of the most recent research on the topic Filled with illustrative examples that demonstrate the advances in laboratory approaches Written for students and professionals in the field, Aeolian Geomorphology provides a comprehensive introduction to the topic in twelve new chapters with contributions from noted experts in the field.
Download or read book Hydrogeology Chemical Weathering and Soil Formation written by Allen Hunt and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2021-04-06 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores soil as a nexus for water, chemicals, and biologically coupled nutrient cycling Soil is a narrow but critically important zone on Earth's surface. It is the interface for water and carbon recycling from above and part of the cycling of sediment and rock from below. Hydrogeology, Chemical Weathering, and Soil Formation places chemical weathering and soil formation in its geological, climatological, biological and hydrological perspective. Volume highlights include: The evolution of soils over 3.25 billion years Basic processes contributing to soil formation How chemical weathering and soil formation relate to water and energy fluxes The role of pedogenesis in geomorphology Relationships between climate soils and biota Soils, aeolian deposits, and crusts as geologic dating tools Impacts of land-use change on soils The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals. Find out more about this book from this Q&A with the Editors
Download or read book Loess Landform Inheritance Modeling and Discovery written by Li-Yang Xiong and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-03-21 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In geomorphology, landform inheritance refers to the inherited relationship of different landform morphologies in a certain area during the evolutionary process. This book studies loess landform inheritance based on national basic geographic data and GIS spatial analysis method. It reveals the Loess Plateau formation mechanism and broadens the understanding of spatial variation pattern of loess landform in the Loess Plateau.
Download or read book Geodiversity written by Murray Gray and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2004-06-25 with total page 451 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A counterpoint to biodiversity, geodiversity describes the rocks, sediments, soils, fossils, landforms, and the physical processes that underlie our environment. The first book to focus exclusively on the subject, Geodiversity describes the interrelationships between geodiversity and biodiversity, the value of geodiversity to society, as well as current threats to its existence. Illustrated with global case studies throughout, the book examines traditional approaches to protecting biodiversity and the new management agenda which is starting to be used instead.
Download or read book The History of Geoconservation written by Cynthia V. Burek and published by Geological Society of London. This book was released on 2008 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the first to describe the history of geoconservation. It draws on experience from the UK, Europe and further afield, to explore topics including: what is geoconservation; where, when and how did it start; who was responsible; and how has it differed across the world? Geological and geomorphological features, processes, sites and specimens, provide a resource of immense scientific and educational importance. They also form the foundation for the varied and spectacular landscapes that help define national and local identity as well as many of the great tourism destinations. Mankind's activities, including contributing to enhanced climate change, pose many threats to this resource: the importance of safeguarding and managing it for future generations is now widely accepted as part of sustainable development. Geoconservation is an established and growing activity across the world, with more participants and a greater profile than ever before. This volume highlights a history of challenges, set-backs, successes and visionary individuals and provides a sound basis for taking geoconservation into the future.
Download or read book Late Cenozoic Climate Change in Asia written by Zhisheng An and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2014-03-24 with total page 596 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the first of its kind on environmental change research devoted to monsoon-arid environment evolution history and its mechanism involved. Capturing the most prominent features of Asian climate and environmental changes, it gives a comprehensive review of the Asian Monsoon records providing evidence for spatial and temporal climatic and environmental changes across the Asian continent since the Late Cenozoic. The dynamics underlying these changes are explored based on various bio-geological records and in particular based on the evidence of loess, speleothems as well as on mammal fossils. The Asian monsoon-arid climate system which quantifies the controlling mechanisms of climate change and the way it operates in different time scales is described. Attempts to differentiate between natural change and human-induced effects, which will help guide policies and countermeasures designed to support sustainable development on the Chinese Loess Plateau and the arid west.
Download or read book Travels of a Consular Officer in North west China written by Sir Eric Teichman and published by . This book was released on 1921 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Water Kingdom written by Philip Ball and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2017-05-05 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the Yangtze to the Yellow River, China is traversed by great waterways, which have defined its politics and ways of life for centuries. Water has been so integral to China’s culture, economy, and growth and development that it provides a window on the whole sweep of Chinese history. In The Water Kingdom, renowned writer Philip Ball opens that window to offer an epic and powerful new way of thinking about Chinese civilization. Water, Ball shows, is a key that unlocks much of Chinese culture. In The Water Kingdom, he takes us on a grand journey through China’s past and present, showing how the complexity and energy of the country and its history repeatedly come back to the challenges, opportunities, and inspiration provided by the waterways. Drawing on stories from travelers and explorers, poets and painters, bureaucrats and activists, all of whom have been influenced by an environment shaped and permeated by water, Ball explores how the ubiquitous relationship of the Chinese people to water has made it an enduring metaphor for philosophical thought and artistic expression. From the Han emperors to Mao, the ability to manage the waters ? to provide irrigation and defend against floods ? was a barometer of political legitimacy, often resulting in engineering works on a gigantic scale. It is a struggle that continues today, as the strain of economic growth on water resources may be the greatest threat to China’s future. The Water Kingdom offers an unusual and fascinating history, uncovering just how much of China’s art, politics, and outlook have been defined by the links between humanity and nature.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments written by Vivien Gornitz and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-10-31 with total page 1062 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of Springer’s Major Reference Works, this book gives the reader a truly global perspective. It is the first major reference work in its field. Paleoclimate topics covered in the encyclopedia give the reader the capability to place the observations of recent global warming in the context of longer-term natural climate fluctuations. Significant elements of the encyclopedia include recent developments in paleoclimate modeling, paleo-ocean circulation, as well as the influence of geological processes and biological feedbacks on global climate change. The encyclopedia gives the reader an entry point into the literature on these and many other groundbreaking topics.
Download or read book Wild Grass written by Ian Johnson and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2007-12-18 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Wild Grass, Pulitzer Prize—winning journalist Ian Johnson tells the stories of three ordinary Chinese citizens moved to extraordinary acts of courage: a peasant legal clerk who filed a class-action suit on behalf of overtaxed farmers, a young architect who defended the rights of dispossessed homeowners, and a bereaved woman who tried to find out why her elderly mother had been beaten to death in police custody. Representing the first cracks in the otherwise seamless façade of Communist Party control, these small acts of resistance demonstrate the unconquerable power of the human conscience and prophesy an increasingly open political future for China.
Download or read book Experimental Erosion written by Xiangzhou Xu and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-05-04 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the first to systematically explore experimental erosion by integrating theory, erosion observations, and conservation applications. Although numerous books have been published on soil erosion both in English and in Chinese, none has concentrated on experimental studies on the Loess Plateau of China, in an attempt to establish a new sub-discipline: experimental erosion. One main objective of this book is to highlight monitoring and modeling methods for soil scientists who design and conduct experimental studies on soil loss. Another objective, and the most important one, is to make the results of these experiments more generally available. Accordingly, we have gathered and integrated a broad range of experimental results, both published and unpublished. In-depth discussions of the experimental data and new data processing methods are also included. The work covered here represents exemplary studies in the field of soil erosion and conservation, while the new methods and findings presented will provide practical guidance for controlling soil erosion. Hence the book offers a valuable resource for graduate students, soil erosion scientists and engineers, and soil and water conservationists.
Download or read book Water written by Giulio Boccaletti and published by Pantheon. This book was released on 2021-09-14 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spanning millennia and continents, a revealing history that “tackles the most important story of our time: our relationship with water in a world of looming scarcity” (Kelly McEvers, NPR Host). "Far more than a biography of its nominal subject ... The book stands as a compelling history of civilization itself." —The Wall Street Journal Book Review Writing with authority and brio, Giulio Boccaletti—honorary research associate at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford—shrewdly combines environmental and social history, beginning with the earliest civilizations of sedentary farmers on the banks of the Nile, the Tigris, and the Euphrates Rivers. Even as he describes how these societies were made possible by sea-level changes from the last glacial melt, he incisively examines how this type of farming led to irrigation and multiple cropping, which, in turn, led to a population explosion and labor specialization. We see with clarity how irrigation’s structure informed social structure (inventions such as the calendar sprung from agricultural necessity); how in ancient Greece, the communal ownership of wells laid the groundwork for democracy; how the Greek and Roman experiences with water security resulted in systems of taxation; and how the modern world as we know it began with a legal framework for the development of water infrastructure. Extraordinary for its monumental scope and piercing insightfulness, Water: A Biography richly enlarges our understanding of our relationship to—and fundamental reliance on—the most elemental substance on earth.
Download or read book Aeolian Dust and Dust Deposits written by Kenneth Pye and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2015-07-14 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aeolian Dust and Dust Deposits explores the entrainment, dispersion, and deposition of aeolian dust and dust deposits, with emphasis on transport and deposition of dust derived by deflation of surface sediments and soils. Topics covered range from the mechanisms of fine-particle formation to dust sources, sinks, and rates of deposition. Dust-transporting wind systems are also discussed, along with the grain size, mineralogy, and chemical composition of aeolian dust. Comprised of nine chapters, this book begins with an overview of the general nature and significance of windborne dust as well as the importance of aeolian dust and loess. The next chapter deals with the mechanisms underlying the formation of fine particles, including glacial grinding, frost and salt weathering, and fluvial comminution. The reader is then introduced to dust entrainment, transport, and deposition, together with dust sources, sinks, and rates of deposition. Subsequent chapters focus on the implications of dust deflation, transport, and deposition; dust deposition in the oceans; and loess distribution and the thickness and morphology of loess deposits. This monograph is written primarily for research workers and advanced students in sedimentology, geomorphology, and Quaternary studies, but is also likely to be of value to soil scientists, meteorologists, planetary geologists, engineers, and others concerned with environmental management.
