A brand new edition of the definitive textbook on humankind s impact on the Earth s environment now in full color This classic text explores the multitude of impacts that humans have had over time upon vegetation, animals, soils, water, landforms, and the atmosphere. It considers the ways in which climate changes and modifications in land cover may change the environment in coming decades. Thoroughly revised to cover the remarkable transformation in interest that humans are having in the environment, this book examines previously uncovered topics, such as rewilding, ecosystem services, techniques for study, novel and no analogue ecosystems, and more. It also presents the latest views on big themes such as human origins, the anthropocene, domestication, extinctions, and ecological invasions. Extensively re–written, Human Impact on the Natural Environment, Eighth Edition contains many new and updated statistical tables, figures, and references. It offers enlightening chapters that look at the past and present state of the world examining our impact on the land itself and the creatures that inhabit it; the oceans, lakes, rivers and streams; and the climate and atmosphere. The book also takes a deep look at our future impact on the planet and its resources our affect on the coastal environments, the cryosphere and the drylands, as well as the hydrological and geomorphological impacts. Fully updated to take account of recent advances in our understanding of global warming and other phenomena Offers current opinions on such topics as human origins, the anthropocene, domestication, extinctions, and ecological invasions Features a full–color presentation to allow for more and clearer photographs and diagrams Contains more international case studies than previous editions to balance UK examples Human Impact on the Natural Environment is essential reading for undergraduates in geography and environmental science, and for those who want a thorough, wide–ranging and balanced overview of the impacts of humans upon natural processes and systems from the Stone Age to the Anthropocene and who wish to understand the major environmental issues that concern the human race at the present time. INDICE: Preface to the Eighth Edition .About the Companion Website .1 INTRODUCTION .Chapter Overview .1.1 The development of ideas .1.2 The Anthropocene .1.3 The development of human population and stages of cultural development .1.4 Hunting and gathering .1.5 Humans as cultivators and keepers .1.6 Mining and metals .1.7 Modern industrial and urban civilizations .1.8 The Great Acceleration .1.9 Methods of study .Guide to reading .2 THE HUMAN IMPACT ON VEGETATION .Chapter Overview .2.1 Human impacts on nature .2.2 Vegetation change: introduction .2.3 The use of fire .2.4 Fires: natural and anthropogenic .2.5 Some consequences of fire suppression .2.6 Some effects of fire on vegetation .2.7 The role of grazing .2.8 Deforestation .2.9 Tropical forests .2.10 The forest transition .2.11 Secondary rain forest .2.12 The human role in the creation and maintenance of savanna .2.13 The spread of desert vegetation on desert margins .2.14 The maquis of the Mediterranean lands .2.15 The prairies and other mid–latitude and high–altitude grasslands .2.16 Post–glacial vegetational change in Britain and Europe .2.17 Lowland heaths .2.18 Introduction, invasion, and explosion .2.19 Air pollution and its effects on plants .2.20 Forest decline .2.21 Miscellaneous causes of plant decline .2.22 The change in genetic and species diversity .2.23 Conclusion: threats to plant life .Guide to reading .3 THE HUMAN IMPACT ON ANIMALS .Chapter Overview .3.1 Domestication of animals .3.2 Dispersal and invasions of animals .3.3 Human influence on the expansion of animal populations .3.4 Causes of animal contractions and decline: pollution .3.5 Habitat change and animal decline .3.6 Other causes of animal decline .3.7 Animal extinctions in prehistoric times .3.8 Modern–day extinctions .Guide to reading .4 THE HUMAN IMPACT ON THE SOIL .Chapter Overview .4.1 Introduction .4.2 Salinity: natural sources .4.3 Human agency and increased salinity .4.4 Irrigation salinity .4.5 Dryland salinity .4.6 Urban salinity .4.7 Inter–basin water transfers .4.8 Coastal zone salinity .4.9 Consequences of salinity .4.10 Reclamation of salt–affected lands .4.11 Lateritization .4.12 Accelerated podzolization and acidification .4.13 Soil carbon .4.14 Soil structure alteration .4.15 Soil drainage and its impact .4.16 Soil fertilization .4.17 Fires and soil quality .4.18 Some anthrosols resulting from agriculture and urbanization .4.19 Soil erosion: general considerations .4.20 The causes of soil erosion .4.21 Forest removal .4.22 Soil erosion associated with grazing .4.23 Irrigation and erosion .4.24 Replacement of grassland by shrubland in drylands .4.25 Soil erosion produced by fire .4.26 Soil erosion associated with construction and urbanization .4.27 Long–term studies of rates of erosion .4.28 Peat bog erosion .4.29 Accelerated wind erosion .4.30 Soil conservation .4.31 Soils, microbiology, and the Earth System .Guide to reading .5 THE HUMAN IMPACT ON THE WATERS .Chapter Overview .5.1 Introduction .5.2 Deliberate modification of river systems connectivity .5.3 Changes in river flow .5.3.1 The effects of dams .5.3.2 Vegetation modification and its effect on river flow .5.3.3 The role of invasive plants .5.3.4 Land drainage .5.3.5 Groundwater exploitation .5.3.6 Urbanization and its effects on river flow .5.4 The human impact on lake levels .5.5 Changes in groundwater conditions .5.6 Water pollution .5.7 Eutrophication .5.8 Pollution by acid rain .5.9 Deforestation and its effects on water quality .5.10 Thermal pollution .5.11 Pollution with suspended sediments .5.12 Marine pollution .Guide to reading .6 HUMAN AGENCY IN GEOMORPHOLOGY .Chapter Overview .6.1 Introduction .6.2 Landforms produced by excavation .6.3 Landforms produced by construction and dumping .6.4 Ground subsidence .6.5 The human impact on seismicity and volcanoes .6.6 Accelerated sedimentation .6.7 Sediment transport by rivers .6.8 Deliberate modification of channels .6.9 Non–deliberate river–channel changes .6.10 Arroyo trenching and gullies .6.11 Accelerated mass movements .6.12 Accelerated weathering and the tufa decline .6.13 Reactivation and stabilization of sand dunes .6.14 Accelerated coastal erosion .6.15 Changing rates of salt marsh accretion .Guide to reading .7 THE HUMAN IMPACT ON CLIMATE AND THE ATMOSPHERE .Chapter Overview .7.1 World climates .7.2 The greenhouse gases carbon dioxide .7.3 Other gases .7.4 Ozone depletion and climate change .7.5 Aerosols .7.6 Global dimming and global brightening .7.7 Vegetation and albedo change .7.8 Forests, irrigation, and climate .7.9 The possible effects of water diversion schemes .7.10 Lakes and climate .7.11 Urban climates .7.12 Deliberate climatic modification .7.13 Geoengineering .7.14 Urban air pollution .7.15 Air pollution: some further effects .7.16 Stratospheric ozone depletion .7.17 Conclusions .Guide to reading .8 THE FUTURE: INTRODUCTION .Chapter Overview .8.1 Introduction .8.2 Changes in the biosphere .8.3 Climate and geomorphology .Guide to reading .9 THE FUTURE: COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS .Chapter Overview .9.1 Introduction .9.2 The steric effect .9.3 Anthropogenic contributions to sea–level change .9.4 Permafrost degradation, melting of glaciers, and sea–level rise .9.5 Ice sheets and sea–level rise .9.6 How fast are sea levels rising? .9.7 The amount of sea–level rise by 2100 .9.8 Land subsidence .9.9 Coral reefs .9.10 Salt marshes and mangrove swamps .9.11 River deltas .9.12 Estuaries .9.13 Cliffed coasts .9.14 Sandy beaches .9.15 Conclusions .Guide to reading .10 THE FUTURE: HYDROLOGICAL AND GEOMORPHOLOGICAL IMPACTS .Chapter Overview .10.1 Introduction .10.2 Rainfall intensity .10.3 Changes in tropical cyclones .10.4 Runoff response .10.5 Cold regions .10.6 Changes in runoff in the UK .10.7 Europe .10.8 Geomorphological consequences of hydrological and other changes .10.9 Weathering .Guide to reading .11 THE FUTURE: THE CRYOSPHERE .Chapter Overview .11.1 The nature of the cryosphere .11.2 The polar ice sheets and ice caps .11.3 Valley glaciers and small ice caps .11.4 Predicted rates of glacier retreat and some environmental consequences .11.5 Sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic .11.6 Permafrost regions .Guide to reading .12 THE FUTURE: DRYLANDS .Chapter Overview .12.1 Introduction .12.2 Climate changes in the past .12.3 Future changes in climate in drylands .12.4 Wind erosivity and erodibility .12.5 Future dust storm activity .12.6 Sand dunes .12.7 Rainfall and runoff .12.8 Lake levels .12.9 Sea–level rise and arid–zone coastlines .12.10 Salt weathering and salinization .Guide to reading .13 CONCLUSION .Chapter Overview .13.1 The power of non–industrial and pre–industrial civilizations .13.2 The proliferation of impacts .13.3 The inter–relationships of changes in the Earth System .13.4 Human impacts on the environment in China .13.5 Are changes reversible? .13.6 The susceptibility to change .13.7 Human influence or nature? .13.8 Global warming and other pressures .13.9 Into the unknown .Guide to reading .INDEX
- ISBN: 978-1-119-40355-5
- Editorial: Wiley–Blackwell
- Encuadernacion: Rústica
- Páginas: 448
- Fecha Publicación: 13/07/2018
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés