Canada's cold environments / edited by Hugh M. French and Olav Slaymaker.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

French, Hugh M., Author.

Contributor:

French, Hugh M.

Slaymaker, Olav, 1939-

Series:

Canadian Association of Geographers series in Canadian geography.

Canadian Association of Geographers series in Canadian geography

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Natural history--Canada.

Natural history.

Natural history--Canada, Northern.

Physical geography--Canada.

Physical geography.

Physical geography--Canada, Northern.

Cold regions.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (363 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Montreal : McGill-Queen's University Press, c1993.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Low temperatures, wind-chill, snow, sea ice, and permafrost have been primary characteristics of Canada's northern and alpine environments during the past two million years. The evolution of Canada's cultural landscapes, the processes of settlement of rural areas, and the present interaction of Canadian industrial society with its biophysical environment are all deeply influenced, directly or indirectly, by the frigidity of the greater part of the country. The phenomenon of global warming, if it occurs, will lessen this coldness, but its impact on temperature extremes, sea ice regimes, vegetation, snow distribution, permafrost, glaciers, lakes, rivers, and mountain hazards are all the subject of intensive research -- the highlights of which are reviewed in Canada's Cold Environments. Eleven of Canada's leading geographers, geologists, and ecologists provide an authoritative yet readable scientific statement about the physical nature of Canada's coldness. They focus on the distinctive attributes of Canada's cold environments, their temporal and spatial variability, and the constraints that coldness places on human activity. The book is aimed at environmental scientists at all levels who need informed overviews of the substantive findings on a range of cold-related topics.

Contents:

Intro; Contents; Tables; Figures; Contributors; Preface; PART ONE: COLD LAND, COLD SEAS; PART TWO: NORTHERN AND POLAR LANDS; PART THREE: MOUNTAIN ENVIRONMENTS; PART FOUR: THE CHANGING COLD ENVIRONMENTS; Index; 1 Canada's Cold Land Mass; 2 Canada's Cold Seas; 3 Northern Climates; 4 Northern Vegetation; 5 Northern Hydrology; 6 Cold-Climate Processes and Landforms; 7 Cold Mountains of Western Canada; 8 Karst in Cold Environments; 9 Mountain Paleoenvironments of Western Canada; 10 Mountain Hazards; 11 Climate Variability, Change, and Sensitivity; 12 Climatic Change and Permafrost

13 Cold Environments and Global ChangeA; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; Y

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-282-85605-7

9786612856051

0-7735-6354-7

OCLC:

732601019