► Description: |
Rivers are the great
shapers of terrestrial landscapes. Very
few points on Earth above sea level do not
lie within a drainage basin. Even points
distant from the nearest channel are
likely to be influenced by that channel.
Tectonic uplift raises rock thousands of
meters above sea level. Precipitation
falling on the uplifted terrain
concentrates into channels that carry
sediment downward to the oceans and
influence the steepness of adjacent hill
slopes by governing the rate at which the
landscape incises. Rivers migrate
laterally across lowlands, creating a
complex topography of terraces, floodplain
wetlands and channels. Subtle differences
in elevation, grain size, and soil
moisture across this topography control
the movement of ground water and the
distribution of plants and animals.
Rivers in the Landscape, Second
Edition, emphasizes general
principles and conceptual models, as well
as concrete examples of each topic drawn
from the extensive literature on river
process and form. The book is suitable for
use as a course text or a general
reference on rivers. Aimed at advanced
undergraduate students, graduate students,
and professionals looking for a concise
summary of physical aspects of
rivers, Rivers in the
Landscape is designed to:
emphasize the connectivity between rivers
and the greater landscape by explicitly
considering the interactions between
rivers and tectonics, climate, biota, and
human activities; provide a concise
summary of the current state of knowledge
for physical process and form in rivers;
reflect the diversity of river
environments, from mountainous, headwater
channels to large, lowland, floodplain
rivers and from the arctic to the tropics;
reflect the diverse methods that
scientists use to characterize and
understand river process and form,
including remote sensing, field
measurements, physical experiments, and
numerical simulations; reflect the
increasing emphasis on quantification in
fluvial geomorphology and the study of
Earth surfaces in general; provide both an
introduction to the classic, foundational
papers on each topic, and a guide to the
latest, particularly insightful and
integrative references.
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