This book introduces readers to the many fairy circles in Namibia and the debate about what causes this natural phenomenon. Features include a table of contents, fun facts, infographics, Making Connections questions, a glossary, and an index. QR Codes in the book give readers access to book-specific resources to further their learning. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. DiscoverRoo is an imprint of Pop!, a division of ABDO.
The landscapes of Namibia are of world-class quality in beauty, diversity and interest. This book provides the first ever overview of the most important of these landscapes, explains why they look as they do, and evaluates why they are of note. Writing from a geomorphological perspective, the authors introduce the key processes and controls which influence landscape and landform development in Namibia. Geological and tectonic background, climate now and in the past, vegetation and animals (including humans) are all identified as crucial factors influencing the landscape of Namibia today. The book presents twenty one richly-illustrated case studies of the most significant landscapes of Namibia, ranging from the iconic Etosha Pan at the heart of the biggest wildlife conservation area in the north, to the famous dunes and ephemeral river at Sossus Vlei in the heart of the Namib desert. Each case study also contains a full list of the key references to the scientific work on that landscape. The authors provide an assessment of the current state of conservation of these landscapes, and their importance to tourism. The book is recommended reading for anyone with a professional or amateur interest in the spectacular and intriguing landscapes of this part of southern Africa. It provides a useful handbook for those travelling around Namibia, and an invaluable reference guide for those interested in how landscapes develop and change.
From endless sand dunes and prickly cacti to shimmering mirages and green oases, deserts evoke contradictory images in us. They are lands of desolation, but also of romance, of blistering Mojave heat and biting Gobi cold. Covering a quarter of the earth’s land mass and providing a home to half a billion people, they are both a physical reality and landscapes of the mind. The idea of the desert has long captured Western imagination, put on display in films and literature, but these portrayals often fail to capture the true scope and diversity of the people living there. Bridging the scientific and cultural gaps between perception and reality, The Desert celebrates our fascination with these arid lands and their inhabitants, as well as their importance both throughout history and in the world today. Covering an immense geographical range, Michael Welland wanders from the Sahara to the Atacama, depicting the often bizarre adaptations of plants and animals to these hostile environments. He also looks at these seemingly infertile landscapes in the context of their place in history—as the birthplaces not only of critical evolutionary adaptations, civilizations, and social progress, but also of ideologies. Telling the stories of the diverse peoples who call the desert home, he describes how people have survived there, their contributions to agricultural development, and their emphasis on water and its scarcity. He also delves into the allure of deserts and how they have been used in literature and film and their influence on fashion, art, and architecture. As Welland reveals, deserts may be difficult to define, but they play an active role in the evolution of our global climate and society at large, and their future is of the utmost importance. Entertaining, informative, and surprising, The Desert is an intriguing new look at these seemingly harsh and inhospitable landscapes.
Explore Earth's enigmatic wonders in 'Enigmatic Earth: Unveiling Nature's Oddities and Wonders.' Delve into mesmerizing phenomena, from lenticular clouds to the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness. Discover nature's mysteries in this captivating eBook.
This ism-busting text is an enormously accessible account of the key philosophical and theoretical ideas that have informed geographical research. It makes abstract ideas explicit and clearly connects it with real practices of geographical research and knowledge. Written with flair and passion, A Student′s Introduction to Geographical Thought: Explains the key ideas: scientific realism, anti-realism and idealism / positivism / critical rationalism / Marxism and critical realism/ social constructionism and feminism / phenomenology and post-phenomenology / postmodernism and post-structuralism / complexity / moral philosophy. Uses examples that address both physical geography and human geography. Use a familiar and real-world example - ‘the beach’ - as an entry point to basic questions of philosophy, returning to this to illustrate and to explain the links between philosophy, theory, and methodology. All chapters end with summaries and sources of further reading, a glossary explaining key terms, exercises with commentaries, and web resources of key articles from the journals Progress in Human Geography and Progress in Physical Geography. A Student′s Introduction to Geographical Thought is a completely accessible student A-Z of theory and practice for both human and physical geography.
The Believer is the weird and chilling true story of Dr. John Mack. This eminent Harvard psychiatrist and Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer risked his career to investigate the phenomenon of human encounters with aliens and to give credibility to the stupefying tales shared by people who were utterly convinced they had happened. Nothing in Mack’s four decades of psychiatry had prepared him for the otherworldly accounts of a cross section of humanity including young children who reported being taken against their wills by alien beings. Over the course of his career his interest in alien abduction grew from curiosity to wonder, ultimately developing into a limitless, unwavering passion. Based on exclusive access to Mack’s archives, journals, and psychiatric notes and interviews with his family and closest associates, The Believer reveals the life and work of a man who explored the deepest of scientific conundrums and further leads us to the hidden dimensions and alternate realities that captivated Mack until the end of his life.
Partial differential equations (PDEs) have been used in theoretical ecology research for more than eighty years. Nowadays, along with a variety of different mathematical techniques, they remain as an efficient, widely used modelling framework; as a matter of fact, the range of PDE applications has even become broader. This volume presents a collection of case studies where applications range from bacterial systems to population dynamics of human riots.
This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology and adopts a strong evolutionary focus. As with other titles in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in the book is on the organisms that dominate this harsh environment, although theoretical and experimental aspects are also discussed. In this updated second edition, there is a greater focus on the effects of climate change and some of its likely effects on deserts, seeing desertification as among the most serious results of climate change, leading ultimately to the increasing size of arid and semi-arid regions. The Biology of Deserts Second Edition includes a wide range of ecological and evolutionary issues including morphological and physiological adaptations of desert plants and animals, species interactions, the importance of predation and parasitism, food webs, biodiversity, and conservation. It features a balance of plant and animal (both invertebrate and vertebrate) examples, and also emphasizes topical applied issues such as desertification and invasive species. The book concludes by considering the positive aspects of desert conservation. This accessible textbook is intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professional ecologists, conservation practitioners, and resource managers working in the field of desert ecology.
The leading guide for independent travelers, combining detailed practical information with exceptional coverage of the natural and cultural attractions.
Namibia is a vast, ancient place, its legacy an endless expanse of desert sand fringed by coastal plain and rugged mountain terrain and dotted with geological wonders that remain the country's most impressive features. Intrigued by the scenic splendour and entranced by the everchanging landscape that emerges beyond every corner, every towering dune and every mountaintop, Lily and Marcel Jouve travelled the length and breadth of the country to discover the varying facets of the land and its geology. In Secret Nambia, they share their exploration of the terrain, and reveal its secrets, from the geomorphological make-up to the best routes to follow and the finest places to stay. From the famed Spitzkoppe to Kaokoland, Etosha National Park to the Fish River Canyon, Sossusvlei to Sandwich Harbour, this is Namibia through their lens, their celebration of its rock and sand, valley, canyon and plain, and the unique flora and fauna found in these landscapes. Secret Namibia is an invitation to discover, through word and images, the intriguing natural features of this wild country.
