Palaeohydrology And Environmental Change

Paleohydrology is the study of how the composition, distribution, and movement of water many have influenced environmental change over time. Using in-depth case studies from North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, this book explores paleohydrological reconstruction and its implications on past and future environmental change.

With considerable interest in global change, this topical book provides a general overview of global paleohydrology. The first section provides a global review of the field by exploring real world hydrological scenarios during past environmental changes over extensive areas of Europe, America, Africa, Asia and Australasia. This is followed by an up-to-date review of the key methodologies of fluvial palaeohydrology and the hydrological methods for palaeohydrological construction Team of international contributors focusing on major issues rather than regional detail Associated website containing database, expanded bibliography, reports from international programmes eg INQUA

Palaeohydrology is the study of changes in the waters of the Earth prior to continuous monitoring. Knowledge of these changes is important for the understanding of past and present environmental changes and of the form of the present-day environment. The evolution of the hydrological cycle in response to climatic change produces a chain of environmental and human consequences -- factors that are becoming more relevant as climate change is predicted. Evidence of past environmental changes may be used to validate models with which to predict future change -- thus the study of rates, mechanisms and processes of Late Quaternary hydrological changes is of critical importance. This volume is designed for all who are interested in the hydrological impacts of climatic change and the contribution that palaeohydrology can make to the study of these changes.

The book provides a review of the most relevant topics on the booming discipline of palaeohydrology and focuses on previous extreme events like exceptional floods and droughts. Reviews written by leading experts of their fields are combined with selected key studies and presentations on up-to-day methodical and conceptional topics as a perspective for further research. Consequently, the compilation provides an excellent review on the state of the art of numerous relevant topics of palaeohydrology and acts as unique introduction for early career scientists and scientists of different disciplines working on hydrological extreme events, both in basic research and applied aspects.

This third volume in the Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research series deals with the major terrestrial, algal, and siliceous indicators used in paleolimnology. Other volumes deal with the acquisition and archiving of lake sediment cores, chronological techniques, and large-scale basin analysis methods (Volume 1), physical and geochemical parameters and methods (Volume 2), zoological techniques (Volume 4), and statistical and data handling methods (Volume 5). These monographs will provide sufficient detail and breadth to be useful handbooks for both seasoned practitioners as well as newcomers to the area of paleolimnology. Although the chapters in these volumes target mainly lacustrine settings, many of the techniques described can also be readily applied to fluvial, glacial, marine, estuarine, and peatland environments.

This handbook reviews the key palaeoecological methods applied to primarily organic lake and mire deposits. Particular attention is paid to Holocene environmental changes in the temperate zone, but most methods can be applied to older Quaternary deposits and to areas outside the temperate zone. The need for uniform methods of correlating stratigraphical data on a continental scale is emphasized.

Accessibly written by a team of international authors, the Encyclopedia of Environmental Change provides a gateway to the complex facts, concepts, techniques, methodology and philosophy of environmental change. This three-volume set illustrates and examines topics within this dynamic and rapidly changing interdisciplinary field. The encyclopedia includes all of the following aspects of environmental change: Diverse evidence of environmental change, including climate change and changes on land and in the oceans Underlying natural and anthropogenic causes and mechanisms Wide-ranging local, regional and global impacts from the polar regions to the tropics Responses of geo-ecosystems and human-environmental systems in the face of past, present and future environmental change Approaches, methodologies and techniques used for reconstructing, dating, monitoring, modelling, projecting and predicting change Social, economic and political dimensions of environmental issues, environmental conservation and management and environmental policy Over 4,000 entries explore the following key themes and more: Conservation Demographic change Environmental management Environmental policy Environmental security Food security Glaciation Green Revolution Human impact on environment Industrialization Landuse change Military impacts on environment Mining and mining impacts Nuclear energy Pollution Renewable resources Solar energy Sustainability Tourism Trade Water resources Water security Wildlife conservation The comprehensive coverage of terminology includes layers of entries ranging from one-line definitions to short essays, making this an invaluable companion for any student of physical geography, environmental geography or environmental sciences.

Late Quaternary Environmental Change addresses the interaction between human agency and other environmental factors in the landscapes, particularly of the temperate zone. Taking an ecological approach, the authors cover the last 20,000 years during which the climate has shifted from arctic severity to the conditions of the present interglacial environment.