George Mercer Dawson was indeed no ordinary man. Born in 1849, son of the first Principal of McGill University, Dawson defied health circumstances that would have defeated many people and went on to become one of our most exceptional Canadians. As a geologist in the British North American Boundary Commission between Canada and the U.S.A. and as Director of the Geological Survey of Canada in 1895, Dawson examined and explored every aspect of Canada’s unknown territories. This collection of...
This book tells the story of the province’s geology and the history of its living creatures. The first edition of Geology of British Columbia,, with its accessible but rigorous science, struck a chord with readers. Since it was first published, theories about plate tectonics and the geological history of British Columbia have evolved, and this new edition reflects the current thinking. This book also features updated content throughout, seven new maps, and a number of new photographs....
This highly acclaimed atlas distills the vast science of climate change, providing a reliable and insightful guide to this rapidly growing field. Since the 2006 publication of the first edition, climate change has climbed even higher up the global agenda. This new edition reflects the latest developments in research and the impact of climate change, and in current efforts to mitigate and adapt to changes in the world’s weather.<br /><br />The atlas covers a wide range of topics,...
Mapping Time: Illustrated by Minard's Map of Napoleon's Russian Campaign of 1812 considers the cartographic challenge of visualizing time on a map. Inspired by graphic innovator Charles Minard’s classic map of France’s disastrous invasion of Russia, this book combines historical and geographic analysis with cartographic visualizations of mapping change over time. It includes more than 100 full-color illustrations.
Imagery and GIS, working together, expand our perspective so that we can better perceive and understand The Science of Where™.<br> Today, most maps include imagery in the form of aerial photos, satellite images, thermal images, digital elevation models, and scanned maps. <em>Imagery and GIS: Best Practices for Extracting Information from Imagery</em> shows how imagery can be integrated successfully into GIS maps and analysis. In this essential reference, discover how...
"Unfold a map of North America," Keith Heyer Meldahl writes, «and the first thing to grab your eye is the bold shift between the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains.» In this absorbing book, Meldahl takes readers on a 1000-mile-long field trip back through more than 100 million years of deep time to explore America’s most spectacular and scientifically intriguing landscapes. He places us on the outcrops, rock hammer in hand, to examine the evidence for how these rough-hewn lands came to...
In <i>The Coming Famine</i>, Julian Cribb lays out a vivid picture of impending planetary crisis–a global food shortage that threatens to hit by mid-century–that would dwarf any in our previous experience. Cribb's comprehensive assessment describes a dangerous confluence of shortages–of water, land, energy, technology, and knowledge–combined with the increased demand created by population and economic growth. Writing in brisk, accessible prose, Cribb explains how the food system...
Coastal regions around the world have become increasingly crowded, intensively developed, and severely exploited. Hundreds of millions of people living in these low-lying areas are subject to short-term coastal hazards such as cyclones, hurricanes, and destruction due to El Niño, and are also exposed to the long-term threat of global sea-level rise. These massive concentrations of people expose often-fragile coastal environments to the runoff and pollution from municipal, industrial,...
Take this book to the beach; it will open up a whole new world. Illustrated throughout with color photographs, maps, and graphics, it explores one of the planet’s most dynamic environments—from tourist beaches to Arctic beaches strewn with ice chunks to steaming hot tropical shores. <i>The World’s Beaches</i> tells how beaches work, explains why they vary so much, and shows how dramatic changes can occur on them in a matter of hours. It discusses tides, waves, and wind; the patterns...
As is the case with many modern fields of study, oceanographical engineering cuts across the boundaries of several disciplines. Like other scientific endeavors, it aims to understand the nature of the ocean and to make use of this understanding for the benefit of humanity through better ports, safer and more economical operations at sea, and greater use of the oceans' natural resources–food, raw materials, and recreation.This graduate-level text requires a knowledge of fluid mechanics; a...