Debris-flow Hazards and Related Phenomena (Springer Praxis Books / Geophysical Sciences)

Book Description

With climate change and deforestation, debris flows and debris avalanches have become the most significant landslide hazards in many countries. In recent years there have been numerous debris flow avalanches in Southern Europe, South America and the Indian Subcontinent, resulting in major catastrophes and large loss of life. This is therefore a major high-profile problem for the world's governments and for the engineers and scientists concerned.

Matthias Jakob and Oldrich Hungr are ideally suited to edit this book. Matthias Jakob has worked on debris flow for over a decade and has had numerous papers published on the topic, as well as working as a consultant on debris flow for municipal and provincial governments. Oldrich Hungr has worked on site investigations on debris flow, avalanches and rockfall, with emphasis on slope stability analysis and evaluation of risks to roads in built-up areas. He has also developed mathematical models for landslide dynamic analysis. They have invited world-renowned experts to joint them in this book.

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Time for a New Edition
A Good Read on the Subject But Fairly Technical

Tsunami: The Underrated Hazard
Edward Bryant
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 052177599X

Book Description

In the past decade over ten major tsunami events have impacted on the world’s coastlines, causing devastation and loss of life. Evidence for past great tsunami, or ‘mega-tsunami’, has also recently been discovered along apparently aseismic and protected coastlines. With a large proportion of the world’s population living on the coastline, the threat from tsunami can not be ignored. This book comprehensively describes the nature and process of tsunami, outlines field evidence for detecting the presence of past events, and describes particular events linked to earthquakes, volcanoes, submarine landslides and meteorite impacts. While technical aspects are covered, much of the text can be read by anyone with a high school education. The book will appeal to students and researchers in geomorphology, earth and environmental science, and emergency planning, and will also be attractive for the general public interested in natural hazards and new developments in science.

Customer Reviews:

Time for a New Edition.......2005-03-29

I purchased this book in 2004 for it's original retail price of US$27.95. Now I see used copies selling for more than $300 on amazon.com. This book is a terrific analysis of what we now know, as the sub-title 'The Underrated Hazard' suggests, an extraordinarily prescient work outlining the causes and historical occurences of one of the earth's more destructive natural phenomenon, tsunamis.

Please, CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, encourage Mr. Bryant to update this extraordinarily informative book with an analyse of the earthquake and tsunami of December 26, 2004.

A Good Read on the Subject But Fairly Technical.......2002-04-18

In a lot of science books written for the general reader, the complaint is that the material is sensationalistic and over-simplified. Edward Bryant almost errs in the other direction. His evidence that very large Tsunami have played a key role in shaping many coastal regions is extremely well-presented and will contain lots of new information for even dedicated followers of Earth Science news.

On the other hand, while reading information about landscapes re-arranged by truly massive "mega-tsunami," one sometimes longs for livelier prose. The book may also be something of a slog now and then for people with no background in Earth Science.

Book Description

This book includes both basic material for students without a great deal of background in geology as well as more advanced topics. With coverage that reaches beyond the study of surface processes, it contains discussions on the evolution of landforms and interpretation of their origin. The Second Edition reflects the increasing relevance of geomorphology to environmental concerns and the additional emphasis this has placed on more applied aspects of the field. Also considered is the revolution of the discipline brought on by many rapidly-evolving tools, such as computers, sophisticated electronic measuring devices, lasers, mass spectrometers, new methods of dating landforms and deposits, and others.

Customer Reviews:

A disappointment for the price, but probably the best available in print........2006-09-18

I used this textbook for an introductory-level class in geomorphology for undergrads and graduate students. The course assumed no background in geomorphology, but required a beginning course in geology or physical geography. While this text was adequate for the class' needs (and is superior to or on par with others currently in print), I have a number of frustrations with the book.

First: for the price, this textbook is poorly made. The binding is weak, and the pages are of a thin, low-quality paper that allows highlighter ink to bleed through (so be prepared to do a lot of underlining instead). There are no color photographs, except for a couple of photo inserts in the center to supplement the otherwise black and white diagrams. The images themselves are also often too far from their references, so there is a lot of flipping back and forth in the text while you read about a topic that doesn't correspond with the actual images on the pages (which typically belong to a concept described several pages earlier).

The writing itself is fairly accessible, but at times becomes overly complicated becaues of poorly-defined terms, circumlocutive explanations, and redundancies. Terms are often defined well after they've been used in the text, and the definitions often include or are anchored by the term itself. This unecessarily complicates the sentence structure in many cases, as in this example from page 305:

"Ice sheets and ice caps are large enough not to be confined by topography, and their configuration reflects the size and shape of the glacier, rather than the underlying topography."

As a consequence, the flow of many chapters is choppy, and it is occasionally difficult to find all the information you need quickly when looking up terms or studying for an exam.

With these weaknesses in mind, the text itself does do a fairly good job of addressing a wide range of subjects pertaining to geomorphology, including both the patterns and processes of landforms creation. It is fairly up-to-date, and the figures are clear and well-explained (though once again the use of color would greatly enhance the usefulness of this text). It covers a wide range of landforms, including fluvial and eolian processes, shorelines, several chapters devoted to glaciers and glaciation, and tectonic landforms.

With a shortage of alternative texts, Surface Processes and Landforms is an acceptable introduction to geomorphology. Sections that are less up-to-date (since the last edition in 1999) can be supplemented effectively with outside readings. A revised third edition could easily clear up most of the problems in the second, with the inclusion of better images and a tighter editing job. For the price, it fails to deliver in some key areas, however, and non-majors especially will want to consider this before making an investment; find a used copy if you can, or share with a friend.

~Jacquelyn Gill

Good Textbook.......2005-11-26

I used this textbook for a geography class called "Landforms". It was a great guide and a fairly easy read. My only problem with it is it is all in black and white except for a couple of color photo inserts.

Learning about how the earth is formed.......2004-07-06

I had this book as a text book and loved it. It is easy to read and very interesting. Anyone who wants to understand how mountains, rivers, and glaciers are formed; as well as how to identify such from past history is certain to be pleased with the wealth of information provided.

The Environmental Record in Glaciers and Ice Sheets (Physical, Chemical, and Earth Sciences Research Report, 8)

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The Environmental Record in Glaciers and Ice Sheets (Physical, Chemical, and Earth Sciences Research Report, 8)
H. Oeschger
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471921858

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Sedimentology
Michael McLane
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195078683

Book Description

Rapid progress in sedimentology began in the 1960's and is continuing today. Not only has knowledge increased rapidly, but technology has as well. Small and inexpensive, but powerful, computers are changing the ways in which we gather, record, and analyze our data or test ideas. The pedagogical value of this text is evident in its careful approach to the discipline. Not only is the text technologically oriented (e.g. graphs of mathematical functions are programmed for automatic digital computation and plotting), the author has taken great care to consider the standard petrographic methods as well. Embracing the subdisciplines of sedimentary petrology, sedimentation, and stratigraphy, the text describes the composition, texture, and structure of all kinds of sedimentary rocks; the physical, chemical, and biological processes that create sediments are also considered. Examples of ancient and modern depositional and diagenetic systems serve to illustrate the scientific methods by which sedimentary process and product are described and diagnosed. This text is ideal for students of geology who have acquired a basic knowledge of mineralogy, petrology, and stratigraphy, and are ready to apply these skills to an exciting and challenging field.

Chemistry of the Solid-Water Interface: Processes at the Mineral-Water and Particle-Water Interface in Natural Systems

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not an easy read

Chemistry of the Solid-Water Interface: Processes at the Mineral-Water and Particle-Water Interface in Natural Systems
Werner Stumm
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471576727

Book Description

Provides an introduction to the chemistry of the solid-water interface, progressing from the simple to more complex and applied. Discusses the important interfaces in natural systems, especially geochemistry, in natural waters, soils and sediments. The processes occurring at mineral-water, particle-water and organism-water interfaces play critical roles in regulating the composition and ecology of oceans and fresh waters, the development of soils and plant nutrient's supply, preserving the integrity of water repositories and in such applications as water technology and corrosion science.

Customer Reviews:

not an easy read.......1999-03-27

this book needs to be edited properply, it's giving Stumm a bad name

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Sedimentation of Organic Particles

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

This book presents research work on the sedimentation of components of palynofacies and details their importance for sequence stratigraphy and the interpretation of ancient biologic and geologic environments. After a comprehensive introduction, later chapters look at palynosedimentation in modern environments, the reconstruction of terrestrial vegetation, the application of the data to sequence stratigraphy and several chapters deal with various quantitative methods and their specific applications in the subject.

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award-winning author
The classic of stream geomorphology

Fluvial Processes in Geomorphology
Luna B. Leopold , M. Gordon Wolman , and John P. Miller
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486685888

Book Description

A pioneering work in the study of landform development under processes associated with running water. 2 appendixes.

Customer Reviews:

award-winning author.......2000-08-07

Wolman won a medal in 2000 from the American Geophysical Union, and in the citation they said, "although written 35 years ago, it remains one of the most cited works in geopmorphology and was recently republished by Dover, not as a historical artifact but as required reading for the newest generation of fluvial geomorphologists. Brimming with clarity and literacy... a good bedtime read." (well... at least for those who want to understand stream morphology.)

The classic of stream geomorphology.......1999-01-28

This book forms one of the foundations of the field of stream geomorphology from one of the founding fathers. I would recommend it as the basic text for someone serious about learning about fluvial geomorphology. Considerable work has been added to the field since Dr. Leopold's book was first published in 1964 but this forms a very good synthesis of a complex subject. As a civil engineer/geomorphologist, I have referred to this book many times over the past 25 years since I was one of his students at Berkeley. A great value in paperback.

Rates of Chemical Weathering of Rocks & Minerals

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Rates of Chemical Weathering of Rocks & Minerals

Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0121814904

Book Description

Researchers in geomorphology, geochemistry, Quaternary geology, soil science, and mineralogy will welcome this volume, the first to focus exclusively on rates of silicate chemical weathering. Consisting largely of previously unpublished data from six countries, the volume examines the latest experimental, modelling, and field results.****New information is presented on topics of current research interest, including inferences about chemical mechanisms at the level of mineral surfaces, and data relating weathering rates to landscape evolution over millions of years. The volume integrates the variety of approaches used by diverse subdisciplines in the assessment of weathering rates, and provides up-to-date references.

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A great book
An excellent textbook!

Applied Stochastic Hydrogeology
Yoram Rubin
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 019513804X

Book Description

Stochastic Subsurface Hydrogeology is the study of subsurface, geological heterogeneity, and its effects on flow and transport process, using probabilistic and geostatistical concepts. This book presents a rational, systematic approach for analyzing and modeling subsurface heterogeneity, and for modeling flow and transport in the subsurface, and for prediction and decision-making under uncertainty. The book covers the fundamentals and practical aspects of geostatistics and stochastic hydrogeology, coupling theoretical and practical aspects, with examples, case studies and guidelines for applications, and provides a summary and review of the major developments in these areas.

Customer Reviews:

A great book.......2004-09-17

This is a great book, for sure the best and most comprehensive book on stochastic hydrogeology available today. It covers nearly all the fundamental and practical aspects of stochastic hydrogeology, with emphasis on both the theoretical and practical aspects of the discipline. The language is simple, with many examples and case studies. The book is a great reference for scientists who are familiar with stochastic hydrogeology as well as for students and/or practitioners who may get informed about the discipline and learn how to implement the various tools available. The book is at the same time a very good introduction to the matter and a reference book for people who are already familiar with stochastic hydrogeology and want to keep updated with the most recent developments. This is the kind of book to keep on the desk.

An excellent textbook!.......2004-06-20

Applied Stochastic Hydrogeology is easily the best book of this century in its field. Its intuitive and down-to-earth style makes even the most intricate aspects of stochastic analyses readily accessible to both graduate students and active researchers. The subjects the book covers range from stochastic site characterization and image reconstruction from sparse data to the concept of effective hydraulic parameters and probabilistic assessment of flow and transport in heterogeneous environments.

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