Oversnow Transport
Oversnow Transport

Author: Malcolm Mellor

Publisher:

Published: 1963

Total Pages: 104

ISBN-13:

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Present military concepts call for highly mobile units capable of rapid dispersal and efficient movement across country where no roads exist, and many current civilian engineering tasks require movement of men and materials long distances over roadless terrain. Oversnow transport is a particular aspect of the general problem of cross-country mobility, but the characteristics of snow-covered regions are such that special techniques and equipment are required for efficient operation. In order to fully understand the action of vehicles in snow and to formulate sound design criteria, it is necessary to develop a theory which permits quantitative analysis of trafficability problems. For practical purposes, vehicle evaluation is at present made from the results of relatively simple field tests which give drawbar pull as their main indicator. The best practical evaluations are made by observing the operational capabilities of vehicles in various types of snow.

Antarctica
Antarctica

Author: Jagadish Khadilkar

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2017-07-31

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 9386643006

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The author spent one and half years as head of the country's first research station in Antarctica, Dakshin Gangotri. He discusses in details the frozen continent's unique environmental aspects, the international presence, world governance and the Indian Antarctic Programme (IAP). The book throws light on how perspectives and positions of leading countries represented in Antarctica, such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, US, Russia, China, Japan, Norway, South Africa and India have shaped over the years. Their strategic interests, including those in the Arctic, provide for an interesting kaleidoscope of factors with the potential for various global scenarios in the coming years. The world will be surely and anxiously watching the developments in Antarctica in future. According to the widely accepted geological theory of plate tectonics, the Indian subcontinent was once a part of the supercontinent Gondwana, so named after one of the tribes of central India, along with Antarctica, Africa, Australia and South America. However, the general awareness about the continent in India is very poor. The book in details traces the history of India's involvement in Antarctica, its three permanent stations conducting valuable scientific research and efforts to make a presence among other nations in the continent. It points out the country's total dependence on all its logistics needs by outsourcing which may prove to be detrimental to its influence and interests. It would be interesting to see how India reacts to the positions of other nations in the changing global kaleidoscope and how it will gear itself, to establish a truly influential Antarctic presence for safeguarding its own strategic interests. India may do well to lay down a polar doctrine at the earliest.

Encyclopedia of Snow, Ice and Glaciers
Encyclopedia of Snow, Ice and Glaciers

Author: Vijay P. Singh

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2011-06-29

Total Pages: 1301

ISBN-13: 9048126428

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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.