Deserts and desert environments / Julie Laity.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Laity, Julie.

Series:

Environmental systems and global change series ; 2.

Environmental systems and global change series ; 2

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Deserts.

Geomorphology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (364 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chichester, UK ; Hoboken, NJ : Wiley-Blackwell, 2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Taking a global perspective, this book provides a concise overview of drylands, including their physical, biological, temporal, and human components. Examines the physical systems occurring in desert environments, including climate, hydrology, past and present lakes, weathering, hillslopes, geomorphic surfaces, water as a geomorphic agent, and aeolian processes Offers an accessible introduction to the physical, biological, temporal, and human components of drylands Investigates the nature, environmental requirements, and essential geomorphic roles of plants and

Contents:

CONTENTS; PREFACE; 1: INTRODUCTION: DEFINING THE DESERT SYSTEM; 1.1 DEFINING THE DESERT SYSTEM; 1.1.1 PHYSICAL, BIOLOGICAL, AND TEMPORAL COMPONENTS; 1.2 EVOLUTION OF DESERTS; 1.2.1 GLOBAL CONSIDERATIONS; 1.2.1.1 Subtropical high-pressure belts; 1.2.1.2 Continental interiors; 1.2.1.3 Polar deserts; 1.2.2 REGIONAL CONSIDERATIONS; 1.2.2.1 Cold-current influences; 1.2.2.2 Rainshadow effect; 1.2.2.3 Edaphic environments; 1.3 INDICES OF ARIDITY; 1.4 DESERT SURFACES; 1.5 TECTONICALLY STABLE AND UNSTABLE DESERTS; 1.6 DESERTS OF THE PAST; 1.7 CHANGING HUMAN PERSPECTIVES ON DESERTS

2: DESERTS OF THE WORLD2.1 INTRODUCTION: THE EXTENT OF GLOBAL ARIDITY; 2.2 GLOBAL DESERTS; 2.2.1 AFRICA; 2.2.1.1 North Africa: the Saharan Desert and the Sahel; 2.2.1.2 North Africa: the Somali-Chalbi Desert; 2.2.1.3 Southern Africa: arid Madagascar; 2.2.1.4 Southern Africa: the Karoo, Kalahari, and Namib Deserts; 2.2.2 MIDDLE EAST AND ARABIA; 2.2.2.1 Negev and Sinai Deserts; 2.2.2.2 Deserts of Syria and Jordan; 2.2.2.3 The Arabian Peninsula; 2.2.2.4 Iran and Iraq; 2.2.3 EUROPE; 2.2.4 ASIA; 2.2.4.1 Middle Asian deserts; 2.2.4.2 Deserts of India and Pakistan

2.2.4.3 Deserts of China and Mongolia2.2.5 SOUTH AMERICA; 2.2.5.1 The west coast deserts: Peru-Chile, Atacama, and Sechura deserts; 2.2.5.2 Altiplano/Puna; 2.2.5.3 Monte Desert; 2.2.5.4 Patagonian Desert; 2.2.6 NORTH AMERICA; 2.2.6.1 Chihuahuan Desert; 2.2.6.2 Sonoran Desert; 2.2.6.3 Mojave Desert; 2.2.6.4 The Great Basin deserts; 2.2.7 AUSTRALIA; 3: THE CLIMATIC FRAMEWORK; 3.1 INTRODUCTION: CLASSIFICATION OF DESERTS BY TEMPERATURE; 3.2 WEATHER DATA; 3.3 ATMOSPHERIC CONTROLS: SURFACE BOUNDARY LAYER; 3.3.1 ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR AND CLOUD COVER; 3.3.2 RADIATION

3.3.3 TEMPERATURE OF THE AIR, SURFACE, AND SUBSURFACE3.3.3.1 Air temperature of hot deserts; 3.3.3.2 Surface temperatures; 3.3.3.3 Subsurface temperatures; 3.3.4 ALBEDO; 3.3.5 PRECIPITATION; 3.3.5.1 Storm types and seasonality of precipitation; 3.3.5.2 Forms of precipitation other than rainfall: fog, dew, and snow; 3.3.5.3 Variability in precipitation; 3.3.6 WIND; 3.3.7 EFFECTS OF POPULATION GROWTH AND URBANIZATION ON DESERT CLIMATOLOGY; 3.3.7.1 Air pollution; 3.3.7.2 Heat islands; 3.4 TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF CLIMATIC INFLUENCES; 3.4.1 ENSO FORCING OF DESERT CLIMATES

3.4.2 EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION OF THE SAHARA DESERT3.4.3 THE SAHEL: LAND-SURFACE-ATMOSPHERE INTERACTIONS; 4: THE HYDROLOGIC FRAMEWORK; 4.1 INTRODUCTION; 4.2 THE WATER BALANCE IN DESERTS; 4.3 WATER BUDGETS; 4.3.1 PRECIPITATION AND ITS ASSESSMENT: PROBLEMS IN GAUGING AND NETWORK DESIGN; 4.3.2 INTERCEPTION; 4.3.3 EVAPOTRANSPIRATION; 4.3.3.1 Introduction; 4.3.3.2 Evaporation; 4.3.3.3 Transpiration; 4.3.4 INFILTRATION AND SOIL WATER; 4.3.5 GROUNDWATER, SUBSURFACE FLOW, AND SPRINGS; 4.3.5.1 Role of groundwater in arid environments; 4.3.5.2 Groundwater recharge; 4.3.5.3 Groundwater quality

4.4 SURFACE RUNOFF AND FLOODS

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [285]-319) and index.

ISBN:

9786612026478

9781282026476

128202647X

9781444300741

1444300741

OCLC:

437097442