Geomorphology
Rating: Robert S Anderson and Suzanne P Anderson. 2010. Geomorphology: The Mechanics and Chemistry of Landscapes. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978 0 521 51978 6 The title says much about the geomorphological perspective – (long) gone are the days of descriptive landscapes, although these have always had a use. Current work is focussed far more on the science of the processes. This is crucial because not only does it reflect more accurately the academic world in which this science now […]
Prehistoric Life
Rating: Bruce S Lieberman and Roger Kaesler. 2010. Prehistoric Life: Evolution and the Fossil Record. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978 0 6320 4472 6 If there ever was a time when palaeontology was considered an interesting byway then that time has truly gone. The rapid increase in palaentological techniques and understanding in the last 30 years has turned the subject from a peaceful systematics to the depths of current debate surrounding global warming as well as biodiversity and a range of other […]
Geostatistics Explained
Rating: Steve McKillup and Melinda Darby Dyar. 2010. Geostatistics Explained: An Introductory Guide for Earth Scientists. Cambridge University Press. ISBN978 0 521 74656 4 We might be living in an era of increased data but that does not mean that we are all equally at home with even fundamental statistics. Those who have tried to work through field experiments in ecology or environmental science will attest to the issues involved so any attempt to reduce this must be welcome (the […]
Discovering Physical Geography 2e
Rating: Alan F Arbogast. 2011. Discovering Physical Geography. 2e. Wiley. ISBN 978 0 470 52852 5. It’s a matter of concern that when environmental courses are reviewed (or geographical ones for that matter), the physical side often loses out. Why does this happen? Locally or globally, the trend is apparent. Perhaps more teachers train in the social sides of the subject; perhaps it’s due to the re-designing of university faculties where physical geography gets hived off into science. Whatever the […]
Understanding Environmental Pollution 3e
Rating: Marquita K Hill. 2010. Understanding Environmental Pollution. 3e. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978 0 521 73669 5. The need for a text looking at pollution (other than global climate change) is pressing and yet there are few texts taking this more comprehensive route. It is clear such a text is still needed and indeed, judging by the size difference between the first edition (reviewed here many years ago) and the current one, there is even more to say! Of […]
World Atlas of Mangroves
Rating: Mark Spalding, Mami Kainuma and Lorna Collins. 2010. World Atlas of Mangroves. Earthscan. ISBN. 978 1 84407 657 4. Mangroves, originally considered something of a nuisance in terms of easy coastal access have undergone considerable evaluation in the last 40 years. The culmination must be, currently, the value of mangroves in post-tsumani Aceh; where mangroves flourished, the damage was far lighter. However, there is far more to this ecosystem than just a loss-reducer; their importance in the marine system […]
Silent Summer
Rating: Norman Maclean.(ed) 2010.Silent Summer: The State of Wildlife in Britain and Ireland. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978 0 521 51966 3 It is inevitable that the title will draw people to Carson’s Silent Spring and for good reason. Declines in UK wildlife have been catalogued for many years and for many, a crisis point has been reached. Part of the problem, of course, is that a slow decline (fewer numbers one year, one species less another) is hardly headline […]
The Atlas of Human Migration
Rating: Russell King, Richard Black, Michael Collyer, Anthony Fielding, Ronald Skeldon. 2010. The Atlas of Human Migration. Earthscan. ISBN 978 1 84971 150 0 This is one of the impressive set of atlases that Earthscan have published. Previous topics have included water, food and endangered species which are of particular interest to us. The aim here is to demonstrate, through a series of maps, the major migration patterns and the reasons behind them. The text is divided into four parts. […]
Conservation Biogeography
Rating: Richard Ladle and Robert Whittaker.eds.2011. Conservation Biogeography. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978 1 4443 3504 0. In the last 40 years, conservation from gone from the idea of trying to protect species almost just by making sure they are there to a specific area of science (conservation biology) and now, conservation biogeography is adding a spatial dimension to the ecological one. This is one of the first texts to actually locate this new discipline within the corpus of conservation knowledge and […]
State of the Wild 2010-2011
Rating: Wildlife Conservation Society. 2010. State of the Wild 2010-2011. Island Press. ISBN 978 1 59726 678 9. As one of the older conservation organisations (it was founded in 1895) the Wildlife Conservation Society has spread from its origins in the Bronx zoo to be one of the leading international organisations. This is one of its biennial reviews covering not only global issues at a time of global financial insecurity but also the impact of war. This makes such a […]
