E. Bird – Encyclopedia of the Worlds Coastal Landforms

Автор: E. Bird
Название книги: Encyclopedia of the Worlds Coastal Landforms
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Геоморфология и четвертичная геология
Страницы: 1543
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

This unique richly-illustrated account of the landforms and geology of the world’s coasts, presented in a country-by-country (state-by-state) sequence, assembles a vast amount of data and images of an endangered and increasingly populated and developed landform. An international panel of 138 coastal experts provides information on “what is where” on each sector of coast, together with explanations of the landforms, their evolution and the changes taking place on them. As well as providing details on the coastal features of each country (state or county) the compendium can be used to determine the extent of particular features along the world’s coasts and to investigate comparisons and contrasts between various world regions. With more than 1440 color illustrations and photos, it is particularly useful as a source of information prior to researching or just visiting a sector of coast. References are provided to the current literature on coastal evolution and coastline changes.

Encyclopedia of the World’s Coastal Landforms is an account of the various kinds of coastal morphology found on the
world’s coastlines. It is presented in 224 chapters, based on national, state, or county divisions, and arranged in a sequence
that proceeds counterclockwise around the continents. Th e sequence begins with Alaska, proceeds around North
America to Arctic Canada, then Greenland and fi nally, Iceland. Another counterclockwise sequence begins with Norway
and proceeds by way of Europe and the Mediterranean around Africa to India, Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and the
Pacifi c and Arctic coasts of Russia. Interruptions are made at appropriate points to include the Great Lakes, the Caspian
Sea, and islands such as Britain, Madagascar, and Japan. Th e sequence is completed with the Philippines, Indonesia,
Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, the islands of the Pacifi c, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, and fi nally
Antarctica.
Th is work was preceded by Th e World’s Coastline, edited by Eric C. F. Bird and Maurice L. Schwartz and published
by Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, in 1985. An internet version was published by Kluwer Academic Publishers
in 2004.
Th is 2010 edition has also been produced with the aid of 123 contributors. It includes 1,379 illustrations and cites
numerous references. Th e focus is on coastal geomorphology, with accounts of features seen along the coastline, illustrating
sites of special scientifi c interest. It provides access to the large amount of data that has been assembled, to ensure
that it will not just disappear over the next few years. It is now much more diffi cult for scientists to make broad coastal
surveys as they are required to specialise more, which usually means they work on small selected coastal sites . Th is book
will allow the scientists to place their work in a global context and make comparisons with similar coasts in other parts
of the world.
Coastal geomorphology has several interest groups. Some focus on the shaping of coastal landforms in relation to
geology, processes, variations in climate, and the relative levels of land and sea. Others concentrate on coastline changes
measured over specifi ed periods, with analyses of their causes. Others are interested in nearshore processes and responses,
particularly beaches, where morphodynamic models have been most successful. Others look to the coastal area for evidence
of Quaternary history, notably changes in land- and sea level and climatic variations. Others examine the sources
and patterns of movement of coastal sediment, or the array of physical-, chemical-, and biological weathering processes
in the coastal zone. Coastal managers want information on how landforms are changing, what processes are at work on
them, how they will change in the future, and what eff ects will result from the development of various kinds. Th e chapters
presented in this version of Encyclopedia of the World’s Coastal Landforms refl ect the interests of their authors, but an
attempt is made to serve the wide range of interests of coastal geomorphologists.
Th e work was designed initially for scientists needing to identify locations and distributions of coastal features and
to make comparisons between coastal landforms in various parts of the world. However, it will also be of value to people
seeking general information on coastal landforms in the various countries around the world, including those planning
travel and exploration of coastal regions. Armchair travellers can use it to make substantial journeys around the world’s
coasts, enjoying a succession of visual images. Indeed, it is unique in presenting the wide variations in scenery and environment
that occur on the world’s coastline.
I would like to thank Lew Ward for processing the edited material and illustrations. In assembling the work, I had
help from librarians in the University of Melbourne, notably David Jones, Map Curator in the Education Resource
Centre. In Black Rock I had assistance from Dr. Juliet Bird, and from Myriam, Audrey, Ingrid, and Céline Vinot.