The Soils of Antarctica

The Soils of Antarctica PDF

Author: James G. Bockheim

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-05-22

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 331905497X

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This book divides Antarctica into eight ice-free regions and provides information on the soils of each region. Soils have been studied in Antarctica for nearly 100 years. Although only 0.35% (45,000 km2) of Antarctica is ice-free, its weathered, unconsolidated material qualify as “soils”. Soils of Antarctica is richly illustrated with nearly 150 images and provisional maps are provided for several key ice-free areas.

Permafrost Soils

Permafrost Soils PDF

Author: Rosa Margesin

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2008-10-31

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 3540693718

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Most of the Earth’s biosphere is characterized by low temperatures. Vast areas (>20%) of the soil ecosystem are permanently frozen or are unfrozen for only a few weeks in summer. Permafrost regions occur at high latitudes and also at high ele- tions; a significant part of the global permafrost area is represented by mountains. Permafrost soils are of global interest, since a significant increase in temperature is predicted for polar regions. Global warming will have a great impact on these soils, especially in northern regions, since they contain large amounts of organic carbon and act as carbon sinks, and a temperature increase will result in a release of carbon into the atmosphere. Additionally, the intensified release of the clima- relevant tracer gas methane represents a potential environmental harzard. Significant numbers of viable microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, p- totrophic cyanobacteria and green algae, fungi and protozoa, are present in per- frost, and the characteristics of these microorganisms reflect the unique and extreme conditions of the permafrost environment. Remarkably, these microorg- isms have been reported to be metabolically active at subzero temperatures, even down to ?20°C.

Weathering, Soils & Paleosols

Weathering, Soils & Paleosols PDF

Author: I.P. Martini

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2013-10-22

Total Pages: 641

ISBN-13: 1483291278

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For the past 200 years, geological scientists have used the present as a key to unlocking the past. This volume continues the tradition by exploring the processes of weathering and soil formation as indicators of the present environment of the Earth's land surface. Examined are the various ways in which this information can be used to interpret past environments which have produced the soils now preserved as paleosols. Because the surface environment of the earth may now be undergoing rapid change (the greenhouse effect), the book is a timely one for those researchers looking for evidence of analogous changes in the Earth's past. The work is divided into three major sections. The first deals with fundamental considerations of weathering, clay mineralogy and diagenesis. The second deals with the formation of soils from various starting materials and in various surficial environments. And the final section is an interpretation of paleosols. This volume provides valuable reading material for graduate and senior-undergraduate courses.

Life in Antarctic Deserts and other Cold Dry Environments

Life in Antarctic Deserts and other Cold Dry Environments PDF

Author: Peter T. Doran

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2010-04-29

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 113948754X

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The McMurdo Dry Valleys form the largest relatively ice-free area on the Antarctic continent. The perennially ice-covered lakes, ephemeral streams and extensive areas of exposed soil are subject to low temperatures, limited precipitation and salt accumulation. The dry valleys thus represent a region where life approaches its environmental limits. This unique ecosystem has been studied for several decades as an analog to environments on other planets, particularly Mars. For the first time, the detailed terrestrial research of the dry valleys is brought together here, presented from an astrobiological perspective. Chapters include a discussion on the history of research in the valleys, a geological background of the valleys, setting them up as analogs for Mars, followed by chapters on the various sub-environments in the valleys such as lakes, glaciers and soils. Includes concluding chapters on biodiversity and other analog environments on Earth.

Treatise on Geomorphology

Treatise on Geomorphology PDF

Author:

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2013-02-27

Total Pages: 6392

ISBN-13: 0080885225

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The changing focus and approach of geomorphic research suggests that the time is opportune for a summary of the state of discipline. The number of peer-reviewed papers published in geomorphic journals has grown steadily for more than two decades and, more importantly, the diversity of authors with respect to geographic location and disciplinary background (geography, geology, ecology, civil engineering, computer science, geographic information science, and others) has expanded dramatically. As more good minds are drawn to geomorphology, and the breadth of the peer-reviewed literature grows, an effective summary of contemporary geomorphic knowledge becomes increasingly difficult. The fourteen volumes of this Treatise on Geomorphology will provide an important reference for users from undergraduate students looking for term paper topics, to graduate students starting a literature review for their thesis work, and professionals seeking a concise summary of a particular topic. Information on the historical development of diverse topics within geomorphology provides context for ongoing research; discussion of research strategies, equipment, and field methods, laboratory experiments, and numerical simulations reflect the multiple approaches to understanding Earth’s surfaces; and summaries of outstanding research questions highlight future challenges and suggest productive new avenues for research. Our future ability to adapt to geomorphic changes in the critical zone very much hinges upon how well landform scientists comprehend the dynamics of Earth’s diverse surfaces. This Treatise on Geomorphology provides a useful synthesis of the state of the discipline, as well as highlighting productive research directions, that Educators and students/researchers will find useful. Geomorphology has advanced greatly in the last 10 years to become a very interdisciplinary field. Undergraduate students looking for term paper topics, to graduate students starting a literature review for their thesis work, and professionals seeking a concise summary of a particular topic will find the answers they need in this broad reference work which has been designed and written to accommodate their diverse backgrounds and levels of understanding Editor-in-Chief, Prof. J. F. Shroder of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, is past president of the QG&G section of the Geological Society of America and present Trustee of the GSA Foundation, while being well respected in the geomorphology research community and having won numerous awards in the field. A host of noted international geomorphologists have contributed state-of-the-art chapters to the work. Readers can be guaranteed that every chapter in this extensive work has been critically reviewed for consistency and accuracy by the World expert Volume Editors and by the Editor-in-Chief himself No other reference work exists in the area of Geomorphology that offers the breadth and depth of information contained in this 14-volume masterpiece. From the foundations and history of geomorphology through to geomorphological innovations and computer modelling, and the past and future states of landform science, no "stone" has been left unturned!

Processes and Phenomena on the Boundary Between Biogenic and Abiogenic Nature

Processes and Phenomena on the Boundary Between Biogenic and Abiogenic Nature PDF

Author: Olga V. Frank-Kamenetskaya

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2019-08-29

Total Pages: 900

ISBN-13: 3030216144

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The book represents a collection of papers presented at VI International Symposium "Biogenic - abiogenic interactions in natural and anthropogenic systems" that was held on 24-27 September 2018 in Saint Petersburg (Russia). Papers in this book cover a wide range of topics connecting with interactions between biogenic and abiogenic components in lithosphere, biosphere and technosphere. The main regarding topics are following: methods for studying the interactions between biogenic and abiogenic components; geochemistry of biogenic-abiogenic systems; biomineralization and nature-like materials and technologies; medical geology; biomineralogy and organic mineralogy; biomineral interactions in soil; biodeterioration of natural and artificial materials; biomineral interactions in extreme environment.

Cryopedology

Cryopedology PDF

Author: James G. Bockheim

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-10-15

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 3319084852

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This is the first book solely devoted to Cryopedology, the study of soils of cold regions. The analysis treats Cryosols as a three-part system (active layer, transition layer, permafrost). The book considers soil-forming factors, cryogenic processes, and classification and distribution of Cryosols. Cryosols of the Arctic, Antarctica, and the high mountains are considered in detail. The chapters address cryosols and earth-system science, cryosols in a changing climate, cryosols databases and their use, and management of cryosols. The book is rich in color photographs and highlights the author’s 43 field trips to Antarctica, the Arctic, and alpine areas.