Late Quaternary Hydrological Paleoenvironmental And Geomorphological Processes In The Tibetan Plateau And Its Adjacent Areas

The Tibetan Plateau and bordering mountains are the greatest glaciated tracks outside the Polar Regions. These high mountain regions have a profound influence on regional and global atmospheric circulation and they are therefore important for our understanding the dynamics of global environmental change. Changes in glaciation and hydrology in Tibet and the bordering mountains throughout the Quaternary likely altered the regional and global climate by affects such as changing albedos and associated atmospheric affects, and changing discharges of freshwater into the adjacent seas and oceans. Furthermore, glaciation in these regions strongly controls denudation and sediment transfer, which in turn influences tectonics, by processes such as denudational unloading. Yet, despite the importance of glaciation in this region for climate and landscape evolution studies, the timing and extent of Quaternary glaciation are still highly debated. This is partially due to the political and logistical inaccessibility of the region, and the lack of detailed modern geomorphic, sedimentologic and geochronologic studies. In recent years, however, studies of Tibet and the bordering mountains have increased, particularly as regions have become more assessable, and as remote sensing technologies and geomorphic, sedimentologic and geochronologic techniques have improved to enable accurate reconstructions of the former extent and timing of glaciation. * describes the geological and geomorphic framework of the regio * provides summaries of the glacial chronologies * major resource for research

This book provides a cross-disciplinary overview of permafrost and the carbon cycle by providing an introduction into the geographical distribution of permafrost, with a focus on the distribution of permafrost and its soil carbon reservoirs. The chapters explain the basic physical properties and processes of permafrost soils: ice, mineral and organic components, and how these interact with climate, vegetation and geomorphological processes. In particular, the book covers the role of the large quantities of ice in many permafrost soils which are crucial to understanding carbon cycle processes. An explanation is given on how permafrost becomes loaded with ice and carbon. Gas hydrates are also introduced. Structures and processes formed by the intense freeze-thaw action in the active layer are considered (e.g. ice wedging, cryoturbation), and the processes that occur as the permafrost thaws, (pond and lake formation, erosion). The book introduces soil carbon accumulation and decomposition mechanisms and how these are modified in a permafrost environment. A separate chapter deals with deep permafrost carbon, gas reservoirs and recently discovered methane emission phenomena from regions such as Northwest Siberia and the Siberian yedoma permafrost.

Studies of aeolian sediments, both ancient and modern, have exhibited a number of important conceptual advances in recent years. In particular, there has been a move away from descriptions of sediments, bedforms and sedimentary environments toward a new emphasis on the dynamics of aeolian depositional systems at different temporal and spatial scales, and their response to external changes in sea levels, regional and global climates and tectonics. This Special Publication contains a selection of papers that were presented at the Symposium "Aeolian Sediments: Ancient and Modern" held in 1990. It also includes a number of contributions from authors who were not able to attend the meeting, but whose work reflects important aspects of contemporary research in aeolian sedimentology. State-of-the-art research papers in aeolian sedimentology International, expert authorship Of relevance to modern concerns about global climate change If you are a member of the International Association of Sedimentologists, for purchasing details, please see: http://www.iasnet.org/publications/details.asp?code=SP16

Volume 58 of Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry presents 22 chapters covering many of the important modern aspects of thermochronology. The coverage of the chapters ranges widely, including historical perspective, analytical techniques, kinetics and calibrations, modeling approaches, and interpretational methods. In general, the chapters focus on intermediate- to low-temperature thermochronometry, though some chapters cover higher temperature methods such as monazite U/Pb closure profiles, and the same theory and approaches used in low-temperature thermochronometry are generally applicable to higher temperature systems. The widely used low- to medium-temperature thermochronometric systems are reviewed in detail in these chapters, but while there are numerous chapters reviewing various aspects of the apatite (U-Th)/He system, there is no chapter singularly devoted to it, partly because of several previous reviews recently published on this topic.

Global Environments through the Quaternary delves into the environmental changes that have taken place during the Quaternary: the two to three million years during which man has inhabited the Earth. It is essential reading for any students seeking a balanced, objective overview of this truly interdisciplinary subject.

Based on four decades of research by Professor Andrew Goudie, this volume provides a state-of-the-art synthesis of our understanding of desert geomorphology. It presents a truly international perspective, with examples from all over the world. Extensively referenced and illustrated, it covers such topics as the importance of past climatic changes, the variability of different desert environments, rock breakdown, wind erosion and dust storm generation, sand dunes, fluvial and slope forms and processes, the role of the applied geomorphologist in desert development and conservation, and the Earth as an analogue for other planetary bodies. This book is destined to become the classic volume on arid and semi-arid geomorphology for advanced students and researchers in physical geography, geomorphology, Earth science, sedimentology, environmental science and archaeology.