Download or read book When the Sahara Was Green written by Martin Williams and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-10-05 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The little-known history of how the Sahara was transformed from a green and fertile land into the largest hot desert in the world The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world, equal in size to China or the United States. Yet, this arid expanse was once a verdant, pleasant land, fed by rivers and lakes. The Sahara sustained abundant plant and animal life, such as Nile perch, turtles, crocodiles, and hippos, and attracted prehistoric hunters and herders. What transformed this land of lakes into a sea of sands? When the Sahara Was Green describes the remarkable history of Earth’s greatest desert—including why its climate changed, the impact this had on human populations, and how scientists uncovered the evidence for these extraordinary events. From the Sahara’s origins as savanna woodland and grassland to its current arid incarnation, Martin Williams takes us on a vivid journey through time. He describes how the desert’s ancient rocks were first fashioned, how dinosaurs roamed freely across the land, and how it was later covered in tall trees. Along the way, Williams addresses many questions: Why was the Sahara previously much wetter, and will it be so again? Did humans contribute to its desertification? What was the impact of extreme climatic episodes—such as prolonged droughts—upon the Sahara’s geology, ecology, and inhabitants? Williams also shows how plants, animals, and humans have adapted to the Sahara and what lessons we might learn for living in harmony with the harshest, driest conditions in an ever-changing global environment. A valuable look at how an iconic region has changed over millions of years, When the Sahara Was Green reveals the desert’s surprising past to reflect on its present, as well as its possible future.
Download or read book When the Sahara Was Green written by Martin Williams and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2023-11-07 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The little-known history of how the Sahara was transformed from a green and fertile land into the largest hot desert in the world The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world, equal in size to China or the United States. Yet, this arid expanse was once a verdant, pleasant land, fed by rivers and lakes. The Sahara sustained abundant plant and animal life, such as Nile perch, turtles, crocodiles, and hippos, and attracted prehistoric hunters and herders. What transformed this land of lakes into a sea of sands? When the Sahara Was Green describes the remarkable history of Earth’s greatest desert—including why its climate changed, the impact this had on human populations, and how scientists uncovered the evidence for these extraordinary events. From the Sahara’s origins as savanna woodland and grassland to its current arid incarnation, Martin Williams takes us on a vivid journey through time. He describes how the desert’s ancient rocks were first fashioned, how dinosaurs roamed freely across the land, and how it was later covered in tall trees. Along the way, Williams addresses many questions: Why was the Sahara previously much wetter, and will it be so again? Did humans contribute to its desertification? What was the impact of extreme climatic episodes—such as prolonged droughts—upon the Sahara’s geology, ecology, and inhabitants? Williams also shows how plants, animals, and humans have adapted to the Sahara and what lessons we might learn for living in harmony with the harshest, driest conditions in an ever-changing global environment. A valuable look at how an iconic region has changed over millions of years, When the Sahara Was Green reveals the desert’s surprising past to reflect on its present, as well as its possible future.
Download or read book Revive Eden written by Hong-Quan Zhang and published by Bookbaby. This book was released on 2021-06-03 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Atlantis is not hiding at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean but in plain view on top of the Sahara Desert. The prosperity of the Atlas Empire and the inundation of Atlantis corresponded to a lush Green Sahara started around 12,000 years ago. About 5700 years ago, the Green Sahara suddenly began to wither from the Atlas Basin, the heartland of the Atlas Empire. This is the rain shadow area of the Atlas Mountain range in today's Northeast Algeria and South Tunisia. When the water cycle stability in this standalone catchment was broken, the Chotts Megalakes (the Atlantic Sea) dried rapidly and the strong rain shadow effect of the Atlas Mountain became fully active. Deserts formed immediately in this area and gradually expanded east and south, like a spreading wildfire powered by the prevailing winds. This led to desertification and aridification in North Africa, West Asia, and the Mediterranean synchronously until this day. This timeline spans most of human history as we know it, including the thriving and dispersion of Atlas Empire, the rise and fall of Egypt, the prosperity and desolation of Mesopotamia, and the civilization shifts first from west to east and then from east to west across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The Atlantic Sea had a surface area over 26,000 sq km, which generated a great amount of water vapor, sufficient to eliminate the strong rain shadow effect of the Atlas Mountain, so that the Green Sahara was stabilized for about six thousand years. The Earth's precession (wobbling) has been blamed as the main control for the flipping between desert and green in the Sahara. This view has misled the academic society away from seeking the true primary cause for so long. The water cycle stability of the Sahara is governed by the non-linear relationship between precipitation and evaporation, which depends on surface conditions and atmospheric circulation. The Earth's precession only moved the water cycle closer to its unstable point so that a perturbation could trigger the transition from wet to dry state. This book explains the start and step-by-step spread of the Sahara Desert and its impact on West Asia and the Mediterranean regions. Archaeological records and paleoclimate data corroborate this new insight of the Sahara expansion process and the consequential desertification in these areas. The desertification process in Northwest China is an independent validation for the same control mechanism. Based on the new understanding, approaches are suggested to revive the Northwest China ecosystem, to turn the Sahara back to green and to ameliorate Australia to a water abundant country.
Download or read book Deep in the Sahara written by Kelly Cunnane and published by Schwartz & Wade. This book was released on 2013-10-08 with total page 41 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Poetic language, attractive illustrations and a positive message about Islam, without any didacticism: a wonderful combination," declares Kirkus Reviews in a starred review. Lalla lives in the Muslim country of Mauritania, and more than anything, she wants to wear a malafa, the colorful cloth Mauritanian women, like her mama and big sister, wear to cover their heads and clothes in public. But it is not until Lalla realizes that a malafa is not just worn to show a woman's beauty and mystery or to honor tradition—a malafa for faith—that Lalla's mother agrees to slip a long cloth as blue as the ink in the Koran over Lalla's head, under her arm, and round and round her body. Then together, they pray. An author's note and glossary are included in the back of the book.
Download or read book The City in the Sahara written by Jules Verne and published by Wildside Press LLC. This book was released on 2009-03-01 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Translation of L'Etonnante Adventure de la Mission Barsac.
Download or read book Across the Sahara written by Klaus Braun and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-08-14 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book provides a multi-perspective approach to the caravan trade in the Sahara during the 19th century. Based on travelogues from European travelers, recently found Arab sources, historical maps and results from several expeditions, the book gives an overview of the historical periods of the caravan trade as well as detailed information about the infrastructure which was necessary to establish those trade networks. Included are a variety of unique historical and recent maps as well as remote sensing images of the important trade routes and the corresponding historic oases. To give a deeper understanding of how those trading networks work, aspects such as culturally influenced concepts of spatial orientation are discussed. The book aims to be a useful reference for the caravan trade in the Sahara, that can be recommended both to students and to specialists and researchers in the field of Geography, History and African Studies.
Download or read book West African Studies An Atlas of the Sahara Sahel Geography Economics and Security written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2014-12-19 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explains the structure and geographical and organisational mobility of criminal and migratory movements in the Sahara and the Sahel with a view to helping establish better development strategies for the region.
Download or read book The Green Belt Movement written by Wangari Maathai and published by Lantern Books. This book was released on 2003 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wangari Maathai, founder of The Green Belt Movement, tells its story including the philosophy behind it, its challenges, and objectives.
Download or read book Skeletons on the Zahara written by Dean King and published by Little, Brown. This book was released on 2004-02-16 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: b.A masterpiece of historical adventure, ISkeletons on the Zahara The western Sahara is a baking hot and desolate place, home only to nomads and their camels, and to locusts, snails and thorny scrub -- and its barren and ever-changing coastline has baffled sailors for centuries. In August 1815, the US brig Commerce was dashed against Cape Bojador and lost, although through bravery and quick thinking the ship's captain, James Riley, managed to lead all of his crew to safety. What followed was an extraordinary and desperate battle for survival in the face of human hostility, starvation, dehydration, death and despair. Captured, robbed and enslaved, the sailors were dragged and driven through the desert by their new owners, who neither spoke their language nor cared for their plight. Reduced to drinking urine, flayed by the sun, crippled by walking miles across burning stones and sand and losing over half of their body weights, the sailors struggled to hold onto both their humanity and their sanity. To reach safety, they would have to overcome not only the desert but also the greed and anger of those who would keep them in captivity. From the cold waters of the Atlantic to the searing Saharan sands, from the heart of the desert to the heart of man, Skeletons on the Zahara is a spectacular odyssey through the extremes and a gripping account of courage, brotherhood, and survival.
Download or read book Extraterrestrial Sands written by Gary Gilligan and published by Troubador Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2018-04-17 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Quartz sand is anywhere and everywhere imaginable on the surface of the Earth. It forms the vast sandy Sahara and Arabian deserts where dunes can reach a staggering 180 meters in height. It makes up the world’s immense sandstone deposits, forms our beaches and is present in most soils around the globe. But where did all the sand come from?
Download or read book The Natural Navigator written by Tristan Gooley and published by The Experiment. This book was released on 2012-06-05 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the New York Times-bestselling author of The Secret World of Weather and The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs, learn to tap into nature and notice the hidden clues all around you Before GPS, before the compass, and even before cartography, humankind was navigating. Now this singular guide helps us rediscover what our ancestors long understood—that a windswept tree, the depth of a puddle, or a trill of birdsong can help us find our way, if we know what to look and listen for. Adventurer and navigation expert Tristan Gooley unlocks the directional clues hidden in the sun, moon, stars, clouds, weather patterns, lengthening shadows, changing tides, plant growth, and the habits of wildlife. Rich with navigational anecdotes collected across ages, continents, and cultures, The Natural Navigator will help keep you on course and open your eyes to the wonders, large and small, of the natural world.
Download or read book Trade in the Ancient Sahara and Beyond written by D. J. Mattingly and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-11-30 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Saharan trade has been much debated in modern times, but the main focus of interest remains the medieval and early modern periods, for which more abundant written sources survive. The pre-Islamic origins of Trans-Saharan trade have been hotly contested over the years, mainly due to a lack of evidence. Many of the key commodities of trade are largely invisible archaeologically, being either of high value like gold and ivory, or organic like slaves and textiles or consumable commodities like salt. However, new research on the Libyan people known as the Garamantes and on their trading partners in the Sudan and Mediterranean Africa requires us to revise our views substantially. In this volume experts re-assess the evidence for a range of goods, including beads, textiles, metalwork and glass, and use it to paint a much more dynamic picture, demonstrating that the pre-Islamic Sahara was a more connected region than previously thought.
Download or read book Between Sea and Sahara written by Eugene Fromentin and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2004-07-23 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Between Sea and Sahara is one of the great classics of travel writing about the Middle East - a landmark in the story of Europe's fascination with 'the Orient'. Travelling in Algeria in the third decade of French colonisation, Eugène Fromentin weaves a tale of passion, drama and adventure, a masterpiece that established him as one of the foremost Orientalists of the age. His influence extended beyond the literary and artistic circles of Europe to inspire the political rhetoric of the mid-19th century and reflect France's imperial development in the region. In his desire to capture the spirit of 'the Orient', on paper as well as canvas, Fromentin reveals much about the roots of a colonial relationship which continues to affect Algeria today. This is a work of stunning originality and insight - a vivid portrayal of the way in which the West has historically perceived the East.
Download or read book The Sahara Desert written by Rebecca Kraft Rector and published by North Star Editions, Inc.. This book was released on 2018-01-01 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore the past, present, and future of the Sahara Desert. Beautiful photos, fact-filled text, and engaging infographics help readers learn all about this natural wonder and how to protect it long into the future.
Download or read book The Green New Deal and the Future of Work written by Craig Calhoun and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2022-08-30 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Catastrophic climate change overshadows the present and the future. Wrenching economic transformations have devastated workers and hollowed out communities. However, those fighting for jobs and those fighting for the planet have often been at odds. Does the world face two separate crises, environmental and economic? The promise of the Green New Deal is to tackle the threat of climate change through the empowerment of working people and the strengthening of democracy. In this view, the crisis of nature and the crisis of work must be addressed together—or they will not be addressed at all. This book brings together leading experts to explore the possibilities of the Green New Deal, emphasizing the future of work. Together, they examine transformations that are already underway and put forth bold new proposals that can provide jobs while reducing carbon consumption—building a world that is sustainable both economically and ecologically. Contributors also debate urgent questions: What is the value of a federal jobs program, or even a jobs guarantee? How do we alleviate the miseries and precarity of work? In key economic sectors, including energy, transportation, housing, agriculture, and care work, what kind of work is needed today? How does the New Deal provide guidance in addressing these questions, and how can a Green New Deal revive democracy? Above all, this book shows, the Green New Deal offers hope for a better tomorrow—but only if it accounts for work’s past transformations and shapes its future.
Download or read book The Green Marble written by David Turner and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2018-05-15 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Humans have difficulty thinking at the global scale. Yet as we come to understand our planet as a single, interconnected, complex system and encounter compelling evidence of human impact on Earth’s climate and biosphere, the need for a truly global effort is increasingly urgent. In this concise and accessible text, David P. Turner presents an overview of global environmental change and a synthesis of research and ideas from the rapidly evolving fields of earth system science and sustainability science that is suitable for anyone interested in humanity’s current predicaments and what we can do about them. The Green Marble examines Earth’s past, contemporary human disruption, and the prospects for global environmental governance. Turner emphasizes the functioning of the biosphere—the totality of life on Earth—including its influence on geologic history, its sensitivity to human impacts, and its possible role in ameliorating climate change. Relying on models of the earth system that synthesize vast amounts of monitoring information and recent research on biophysical processes, The Green Marble describes a range of scenarios for our planetary home, exploring the effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and factors such as economic globalization. Turner juxtaposes cutting-edge ideas from both the geosciences and the social sciences to illustrate how humanity has arrived upon its current dangerous trajectory, and how we might pull back from the brink of civilization-challenging environmental change. Growing out of the author’s popular course on global environmental change, The Green Marble is accessible to non-science majors and provides a framework for understanding the complex relationship of humanity to the global environment.
Download or read book Solar Story written by Allan Drummond and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). This book was released on 2020-03-17 with total page 21 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his signature style, Allan Drummond tells the story of the largest solar plant in the world, the Noor Solar Power Plant in Morocco's Sahara Desert, in Solar Story—by relating it to the everyday life of a schoolgirl in a small village next to the plant. As we see on a class field trip, the plant is not only bringing reliable power to the village and far beyond, but is providing jobs, changing lives, and upending the old ways of doing things—starting within the girl's own family. Blending detail-filled watercolors, engaging cartoon-style narration, in-depth sidebars, and an afterword, the author showcases another real-world community going green in amazing ways. A “powerful” addition to the author’s acclaimed series about conservation and renewable energy innovations in everyday life.
