Examples of resources that provide background information on Physical Geography topics and which explain terminology used within the discipline.
Springer Handbook of Geographic Information [E-RESOURCE]
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This handbook provides an exhaustive, one-stop reference and a state-of-the-art description of geographic information and its use. This new, substantially updated edition presents a complete and rigorous overview of the fundamentals, methods and applications of the multidisciplinary field of geographic information systems. Designed to be a useful and readable desk reference book, but also prepared in various electronic formats, this title allows fast yet comprehensive review and easy retrieval of essential reliable key information. The Springer Handbook of Geographic Information is divided into three parts. Part A, Basics and Computer Science, provides an overview on the fundamentals, including descriptions of databases and encoding of geographic information. It also covers the underlying mathematical and statistics methods and modeling. A new chapter exemplifies the emerging use and analysis of big data in a geographic context. Part B offers rigorous descriptions of gathering, processing and coding of geographic information in a standardized way to allow interoperable use in a variety of systems; from traditional methods such as geodesy and surveying to state-of-the-art remote sensing and photogrammetry; from cartography to geospatial web services. Discussions on geosemantic interoperability and security of open distributed geospatial information systems complete the comprehensive coverage. The final part describes a wide array of applications in science, industry and society at large, such as agriculture, defense, transportation, energy and utilities, health and human services. The part is enhanced by new chapters on smart cities and building information modeling, as well as a complete overview of the currently available open-source geographic information systems. Using standardized international terminology, in accordance with ISO/TC 211 and INSPIRE, this handbook facilitates collaboration between different disciplines and is a must have for practitioners and new comers in industry and academia.
Comprehensive Geographic Information Systems [E-Resource]
The Dictionary of Physical Geography [PRINT]
A Dictionary of Geology and Earth Sciences [PRINT]
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Coverage of the earth sciences and related topics. Includes geology, planetary science, oceanography, palaeontology, mineralogy, and volcanology, as well as climatology, geochemistry, and petrology.This new edition has been fully updated and 150 new entries added, with expanded coverage of geology and planetary geology terms.
Encyclopedia of Remote Sensing ELECTRONIC RESOURCE]
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Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change [ELECTRONIC RESOURCE]
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Encyclopedia of Snow, Ice and Glaciers [E-Resource]
The earth's cryosphere, which includes snow, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, ice shelves, sea ice, river and lake ice, and permafrost, contains about 75% of the earth's fresh water. It exists at almost all latitudes, from the tropics to the poles, and plays a vital role in controlling the global climate system. It also provides direct visible evidence of the effect of climate change, and, therefore, requires proper understanding of its complex dynamics. This encyclopedia mainly focuses on the various aspects of snow, ice and glaciers, but also covers other cryospheric branches, and provides up-to-date information and basic concepts on relevant topics. It includes alphabetically arranged and professionally written, comprehensive and authoritative academic articles by well-known international experts in individual fields. The encyclopedia contains a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from the atmospheric processes responsible for snow formation; transformation of snow to ice and changes in their properties; classification of ice and glaciers and their worldwide distribution; glaciation and ice ages; glacier dynamics; glacier surface and subsurface characteristics; geomorphic processes and landscape formation; hydrology and sedimentary systems; permafrost degradation; hazards caused by cryospheric changes; and trends of glacier retreat on the global scale along with the impact of climate change. This book can serve as a source of reference at the undergraduate and graduate level and help to better understand snow, ice and glaciers. It will also be an indispensable tool containing specialized literature for geologists, geographers, climatologists, hydrologists, and water resources engineers; as well as for those who are engaged in the practice of agricultural and civil engineering, earth sciences, environmental sciences and engineering, ecosystem management, and other relevant subjects.
Encyclopedia of soil science [ELECTRONIC RESOURCE] / edited by Rattan Lal.
Encyclopedia of Geomorphology [ELECTRONIC RESOURCE]
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Geomorphology, the discipline which analyzes the history and nature of the earth's surface, deals with the landforms produced by erosion, weathering, deposition, transport and tectonic processes. In recent decades there have been major developments in the discipline and these are reflected in this major Encyclopedia, the first such reference work in the field to be published for thirty-five years. Encyclopedia of Geomorphologyhas been produced in association with the International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG) and has a truly global perspective. The entries have been written by an international editorial team of contributors, drawn from over thirty countries, who are all among the leading experts in the discipline. In two lavishly illustrated volumes, Encyclopediacontains nearly 700 alphabetically organized entries to provide a comprehensive guide both to specific landforms and to the major types of geomorphological processes that create them. The Encyclopediaalso demonstrates the major developments that have taken place in recent years in our knowledge of tectonic and climatic changes and in the use of new techniques such as modelling, remote sensing and process measurement. Older concepts, however, are not forgotten and provide an historical perspective on the development of ideas. Both accessible and authoritative, Encyclopedia of Geomorphologyis destined to become the definitive resource for students, researchers and applied practitioners in the field of geomorphology and the cognate disciplines of geography, earth science, sedimentology and environmental science.
Encyclopedia of Lakes and Reservoirs [ELECTRONIC RESOURCE]
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Lakes and reservoirs hold about 90% of the world's surface fresh water, but overuse, water withdrawal and pollution of these bodies puts some one billion people at risk. The Encyclopedia of Lakes and Reservoirs reviews the physical, chemical and ecological characteristics of lakes and reservoirs, and describes their uses and environmental state trends in different parts of the world. Superbly illustrated throughout, it includes some 200 entries in a range of topics, including acidification, artificialisation, canals, climate change effects, dams, dew ponds, drainage, eutrofication, evaporation, fisheries, hydro-electric power, nutrients, organic pollution, paleolimnology, reservoir capacities and depths, sedimentation, water resources and more.
