Fysisk geografi og topografi

Cities are key to our planet's future. Over half of us now live in cities and an estimated 70 percent of the world's total population will be urban by 2050 -- over six billion people. Will tomorrow's cities continue to waste land, squander resources and contaminate water and air in an escalation of our centuries-old war on the Earth? Or will we build and rebuild cities that return us to a balance with nature in ways that are mutually beneficial to people and our fellow creatures? Europe's greenest places offer hope for a positive outcome. The 19 cities profiled in this book are reintroducing greenways and stream corridors into the urban landscape, often in ways that assist with floodwater management and biodiversity while reconnecting people with their environment. These cities are building compact, diverse neighborhoods that can easily be navigated on foot or by bicycle and public transportation. They are turning brownfields into ecodistricts that expand the limits of closed-loop energy, waste and water systems. They are cutting the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change and pursuing a carbon-free future by fueling district heating and power systems using wind, water, geothermal, biomass and other innovative technologies. Recognizing that individual behavior is crucial to sustainability, these cities motivate their citizens to understand the connection between their lifestyles and the health of the planet. Ironically, while naysayers claim that sustainability is unattainable or unaffordable, these cities are finding that green is good for economic development, generating businesses and jobs in rapidly-growing sectors and attracting the highly-prized creative class with their mix of vibrant urbanity and accessible nature.

Described as "a writer in the tradition of Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and other self–educated seers" by the San Francisco Chronicle, David Rains Wallace turns his attention to one of the most distinctive corners of California: the San Francisco Bay Area. Weaving a complex and engaging story of the Bay Area from personal, historical, and environmental threads, Wallace's exploration of the natural world takes readers on a fascinating tour through the region: from Point Reyes National Park, where an abandoned campfire and an invasion of Douglas fir trees combusted into a dangerous wildfire, to Oakland's Lake Merritt, a surprising site amid skyscrapers for some of the best local bird–watching; from the majestic Diablo Range near San Jose, where conservationists fight against land developers to preserve species like mountain lions and golden eagles, to the Golden Gate itself, the iconic bridge that—geologically speaking—leads not to gold but to serpentine. Each essay explores a different place throughout the four corners of the Bay Area, uncovering the flora and fauna that make each so extraordinary.With a naturalist's eye, a penchant for local history, and an obvious passion for the subject, Wallace's new collection is among the first nature writing dedicated entirely to the Bay Area. Informative, engrossing, and exquisitely described, Mountains and Marshes affords unexpected yet familiar views of a beloved region that, even amidst centuries of growth and change, is as dynamic as it is timeless.

Rich with ranger lore, wilderness savvy and tracking expertise, Meigs Line follows Dwight McCarter and Joe Kelley, two retired rangers, on their search for Meigs Line, a survey line that resolved for years prior survey controversies between the Cherokee and American nations in 1802. Using an antique compass, cameras, old maps and a copy of what survives of Meigs' journal, they found very clear, preserved evidence of the survey--albeit only on the mountain tops--and a story to tell about a period in history when two nations worked together to resolve a dispute over territory.

Authors Carl E. Fiedler and Stephen F. Arno recount the history of humans among the ponderosa pines, the historical role of fire, how and why the forest has changed, and what people can do to restore the forest to its former glory.

The eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, was the most catastrophic and deadly volcanic event ever experienced in the United States. That event had the force of thousands of atom bombs and destroyed 234 square miles of forestland. This highly visual book tells the scientific and human story of that cataclysm and the remarkable recovery that has occurred. Some surprising facts are that the late winter of 1980 contributed to the survival of some hibernating animals; the larger mammals, including elk, brown bears, and cougars have all returned; and unaffected forests quickly spread to cover areas that were wiped out by the blast.

John Smith's words are stepping stones into the natural world, bridging it and drawing from it insights that resonate in the human mind and soul. His empathetic accord with the environment, coupled with his imagery and word play, make each and every one of his poems as enticing as April woodlands and as honest as December sunlight. Pete Dunne, VP of Natural History, New Jersey Audubon Society

"The voyage will carry you out of yourself and back home to your own river, your own story, your own roll to Eternity." The rivers of Kentucky rise in her mountains and flow irresistibly to the sea. Travel these rivers with David and Lalie Dick as they journey across Kentucky, and meet the men and women who call these waters home. Whether you put in your canoe on the wild waters of Rockcastle, or join the crew for a hearty breakfast on a fogbound Ohio River towboat, or trace the Echo and Styx in the mysterious depths of Mammoth Cave, the rivers of Kentucky will draw you into their spell, for their story is the story of her people. Join the authors for a rollicking Washington's birthday fox hunt with "Radio" Stewart, for visits with chairmaker Terry Ratliff, tomato man James "Buck" Terry, sharpener James Smith. Savor intimate moments with writers Wendell Berry and James Still, shepherd and artist Dobree Adams, hand typesetter Gray Zeitz. Hear music teacher Ione Duke play Scott Joplin on the Green. Enjoy towboat pilot John Carson's "big bull" story. Meet Michael, Miranda, Barry, Bill, Catherine, Dorothy, Eugene, Max, Buck, and Big John. Or relive history. Tour Hatfield-McCoy feud country. Revisit the infamous Harpe Brothers murders and the Livermore lynching. Reenact the Civil War with modern-day Johhny Rebs and Billy Yanks. Recall the days of Betty Blake, Doc Hawley, and Ginny Bennett on the Ohio, Ray Oliver and Ivan Lawless on the Cumberland, and Richard P'Poole on the Little. Journey across Kentucky to that great confluence where all of her waters surrender to the mighty Mississippi for that final roll to the sea.

In this breathtakingly beautiful book, brothers Duane and Ken Hada pay tribute to Arkansas' White River in watercolors and poetry. They know the river like they know each other: they grew up on its banks and have fly-fished and meditated along most every inch of it. With the Hada brothers as your guides, you'll experience a journey that is at once an eco-travelogue, an artistic tour-de-force, and a spiritual awakening. Duane Hada is not only an accomplished, award-winning watercolorist, he is also one of the most sought-after White River fishing guides. Ken Hada is an award-winning poet and writer/scholar whose work, both creative and critical, often centers on the natural world.

This coloring and activity book for children explores the historic Nez Perce National Historic Trail which winds through Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The Nez Perce, or Nimiipoo, are the native people who lived in an area of the interior Northwest stretching from the Bitterroot Mountains in the east, to the Blue Mountains in the west. Using matching games, puzzles, and other activities, Along the Nez Perce Trail introduces young people to the natural world through the language and concepts of the Nimiipoo.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history: over the course of three months, nearly five million barrels of crude oil gushed into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and washed up along our coast. Yet it was an avoidable environmental catastrophe preceded by myriad others, from Three-Mile Island to the Exxon Valdez. Traveling the shores of the Gulf from east to west with oceanographers, subsistence fisherman, seafood distributors, and other long-time Gulf residents, acclaimed author and environmental advocate David Gessner offers an affecting account of the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. With "The Tarball Chronicles" Gessner tells a story that extends beyond the archetypal oil-soaked pelican, beyond politics, beyond BP. Instead he explores the ecosystem of the Gulf as a complicated whole and focuses on the people whose lives and livelihoods have been jeopardized by the spill. He reintroduces this oil spill as a template for so many man-made disasters and the long-term consequences they pose for ecosystems and communities. From the compelling people and places Gessner encounters on his journey we learn not only the extensive consequences of our actions but also how to break a destructive cycle. Throughout, "The Tarball Chronicles" suggests we can make a change in the way we live and prevent future disasters if we are willing to fundamentally rethink our connections to the natural world. "This is a book about connections," Gessner writes, "and never have we needed to make connections like we do right now."

Estuaries occur along many of the world's coastlines irrespective of geologic setting, energy regime, and depositional environment. They represent the interface between fluvial, coastal and marine environments and they contain the sedimentary record of geological changes among these systems. However, detailed case studies on the morphodynamics and sedimentary evolution of different estuarine environments are notably lacking. This book focuses on the use of high-resolution geophysical techniques, field observations and modeling to investigate the morphodynamics of estuaries on both glaciated and non-glaciated coasts and on different time scales. Papers in this book offer a new approach to nearshore and estuary studies, with an emphasis on multidisciplinary techniques and data integration. Results of these studies have important implications for estuary resource management and shoreline stability. This book will be of interest to sedimentologists, coastal and Quaternary geologists, environmental scientists, and coastal managers.

A 50-year retrospective of the St. Lawrence Seaway: The Seaway was considered one of the world's greatest engineering achievements when it opened in 1959. The $1 billion project a series of locks, canals, and dams that tamed the ferocious St. Lawrence River opened the Great Lakes to the global shipping industry, linking ports on lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario to shipping hubs on the world's seven seas increased global trade in the Great Lakes region. But it came at an extraordinarily high price. Foreign species that immigrated into the lakes unleashed a biological shift that reconfigured the world's largest freshwater ecosystems. Pandora's Locks is the story of politicians and engineers who, driven by hubris and handicapped by ignorance, demanded that the Seaway be built at any cost. It is the tragic tale of government agencies that could have prevented ocean freighters from laying waste to the Great Lakes ecosystems, but failed to act until it was too late. Blending science with compelling personal accounts, this book is the first comprehensive account of how inviting transoceanic freighters into North America's freshwater seas transformed these wondrous lakes.