The Earth: natural history: general interest Books

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Book SynopsisA page-turning memoir about a young woman's grueling, revelatory summers working alone in a remote lookout tower and her eyewitness account of the increasingly unpredictable nature of wildfire in the Canadian north.While growing up in Peace River, Alberta, Trina Moyles heard many stories of Lookout Observers--strange, eccentric types who spent five-month summers alone, climbing 100-foot high towers and watching for signs of fire in the surrounding boreal forest. How could you isolate yourself for that long? she wondered. I could never do it, she told herself. Craving a deeper sense of purpose, she left northern Alberta to pursue a decade-long career in global humanitarian work. After three years in East Africa, and newly engaged, Trina returned to Peace River with a plan to sponsor her fiance, Akello's, immigration to Canada. Despite her fear of being alone in the woods, she applied for a seasonal lookout position and got the job. Thus begins Trina's first summer as one of a handful of lookouts scattered throughout Alberta, with only a farm dog, Holly--labeled a domesticated wolf by her former owners--to keep her company. While searching for smoke, Trina unravels under the pressure of a long-distance relationship--and a dawning awareness of the environmental crisis that climate change is producing in the boreal. Through megafires, lightning storms, and stunning encounters with wildlife, she learns to survive at the fire tower by forging deep connections with nature and with an extraordinary community of people dedicated to wildfire detection and combat. In isolation, she discovers a kind of self-awareness--and freedom--that only solitude can deliver. Lookout is a riveting story of loss, transformation, and belonging to oneself, layered with an eyewitness account of the destructive and regenerative power of wildfire in our northern forests.

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Book SynopsisCapture the splendor of sea life with this alluring collection of stickers.Page after page of this book is packed with vintage drawings of coral, fish, and shells that portray the beauty of the ocean and the simple pleasures of a day at the beach. Get creative! Adorn your personal items with more than a thousand images of marine life, create gorgeous artwork and stationery, or simply enjoy this book as an exquisite keepsake. 

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Book SynopsisBeaches are the most dynamic places on Earth, offering an infinite variety of patterns and geological land formations. This book celebrates and solves the mysteries of the fascinating and frequently abstract beauty of gravitational effects at the water''s edge. Lovers of natural history will appreciate the images of curiously sculpted potholes, towering sea stacks, sand and vegetal varieties, and blue sky reflected in striated rivulets, accompanied by diagrams and explanations of the natural forces at work. This book aims to enhance appreciation for oceans and their shape-shifting shorelines. They are, after all, wondrous.

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Book SynopsisTells the story of one of America's great rivers, ranging in time from its geologic origins to the modern threats to its ecosystem. The book describes the human settlements, industry and pollution, and recent efforts to save the river and its drowned estuary.Trade ReviewSusan Q. Stranahan could well know more about the present natural state of the Susquehanna River and its 27,500-square-mile watershed than anyone... She has written a fine book, well-researched and detailed, a thrilling account. -- Richard L. Stanton Philadelphia Inquirer An eminently readable, nicely researched tour de force that goes on my must-reading list for anyone interested in knowing the Chesapeake Bay. -- Tom Horton Baltimore Sun This excellent book about the Susquehanna River is as good as, and maybe better than, the celebrated Rivers of America series books... Much more comprehensive than most river histories published before the recent rise of concern about dangerous water pollution. -- John Goodspeed Easton Star-DemocratTable of ContentsPreface Prologue Chapter 1. Geology – "Nature's Handiwork on Display"Chapter 2. Economic Development – "A Race For the River!"Chapter 3. Logging – "The Trees Came Down Like Tall Grass"Chapter 4. Floods – "We Are Going to Try to Beat the River"Chapter 5. Pollution – "A Trifling Inconvenience"Chapter 6. Nuclear Development – "There Is Absolutely No Danger"Chapter 7. Farming – "Stewards of This Garden"Chapter 8. Shad Restoration – "You Can't Be Half-Hearted"Chapter 9.The River and the Bay – "A Long-Term investment"EpilogueRecommended ReadingIndex

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Book SynopsisThe Los Angeles River offers the first comprehensive account of a river that helped give birth to one of the world's great cities, significantly shaped its history, and promises to play a key role in its future.Trade ReviewGumprecht modestly claims that his interest in the Los Angeles River 'has always been more in its past than in its future.' But we require the past he presents, like water in our desert, to make the choices in our future intelligible. Another of the catastrophes of the river will be that too few Angelenos are likely to find and read this essential book... Over the past 150 years, amnesiac L.A. has looked at the space occupied by the river and misread it as dry land ready for development, a western barricade against immigrant neighborhoods, a water resource to be exploited, a perfectly engineered drain and finally a concrete void. Gumprecht gives a broad historical, geographical and human context to these misreadings, and he understands their seductions, particularly the current image of the river as a pathetic captive to be exhumed from its concrete coffin... In the contradictions of the river, Gumprecht reveals a broader conflict about the uses of space in Los Angeles, and that unresolved argument spills over into harder questions here and in every part of the country about the limits of environmental restoration. Confronting them in detail, as Gumprecht does, takes courage. -- D. J. Waldie Los Angeles Times Book Review Gumprecht has produced an astoundingly well-researched environmental history of Los Angeles, as well as a detailed accounting of the political structures that have shaped the river's, and the city's, development. -- Ben Ehrenreich LA Weekly In this fine history of the creek, which travels from the San Fernando Valley to its mouth at the Pacific Ocean off Long Beach, Gumprecht strews river anecdotes around the politics and controversies surrounding the river. It's a must-own for anyone who cares about the development of Southern California or the geography of this part of the state. -- Tim Grobaty Long Beach Press-Telegram Gumprecht describes the crucial role that the river played in the settlement and growth of L.A. both as a water source and as a symbol of the region's Arcadian promise-and, conversely, how the river was remade in the image of the metropolis itself, becoming depleted and degraded by the very development it made possible. Like fellow L.A. historian Mike Davis, Gumprecht scatters an archive of startling photos throughout the book, from a man holding a 25-pound trout caught in the river in 1940 to the scene of a riverbed drag race broken up by police in 1950. Conjuring images of Roman Polanski's Chinatown, Gumprecht's river 'biography' breathes vitality into a subject that in the hands of a less enthusiastic author might be drier than the industrial wasteland that he describes.Publishers Weekly In this well-written and beautifully crafted study, Blake Gumprecht provides a close look at the evolution of one of America's most urban rivers, focusing on the impact the river has had on human activities and how, in turn, those activities have altered the stream... This is an important book. Thoroughly researched and balanced in its findings, it is illustrated by well-chosen maps, diagrams, drawings, and photographs. Environmental, urban, and economic historians will find much to ponder in this study, which cuts across academic boundaries. Policy makers will also find it refreshing; interpretative without being overly judgmental, the book poses valuable questions to anyone trying to plan future urban developments. -- Mansel G. Blackford American Historical Review The Los Angeles River seems an unlikely subject for a book. The unsightly paved passageway that runs through the modern city resembles little more than a glorified drainage ditch... Yet, the river's concrete facade obscures a fascinating history, one expertly revealed by Blake Gumprecht in this exceptional book... Not the least of the virtues of The Los Angeles River is its graceful writing. From the opening paragraphs, the reader experiences the joys of a journey conducted by an entertaining and reliable guide. Gumprecht, a former reporter for the Los Angeles Times, is equipped with a vivid sense of language and strong narrative skills, allowing him to navigate a complex and often confusing tale and to make it readily accessible to the reader. Excellent maps and photos enhance the voyage. -- Jules Tygiel Business History Review A well-written and solidly researched book on a topic about which little is known... In the past decade, Los Angeles has become a laboratory for theoretical and occasionally polemical scholarship on urban geography. Straightforward, temperate, and chronologically narrated, Gumprecht's work in many ways poses a refreshing counterbalance to that genre. -- Jared Orsi Environmental History A masterpiece of classical geographical synthesis. [Gumprecht] has woven a compelling depiction of the physical geography of the Los Angeles Basin and its settlement history; and he has extended the tapestry to include the battles over water, the engineering of the channel for flood control, and the dreamy attempts to restore some semblance of nature to the river. The narrative is an absorbing account of how the modest river provided the leverage to spur a development explosion... The Los Angeles River is the kind of book we should all read, and encourage our students to read, because it is one reminder of what good geography is all about. I wish I could write like that! -- Douglas J. Sherman Geographical Review The well written prose on an interesting topic makes this a worthwhile read. -- Erik Prout Historical Geography I welcome books like this, that merge history, geography and public policy into a cogent, readable, and remarkably objective work. -- Bob Pavlik California History Action 2000Table of ContentsContents: Preface to the Paperback Edition Introduction Chapter: 1 The River as It Once Was Chapter: 2 Sustenance for the Young Pueblo Chapter: 3 Draining the River Dry Chapter: 4 A Stream That Could Not Be Trusted Chapter: 5 Fifty-one Miles of Concrete Chapter: 6 Exhuming the River

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Book SynopsisReaders who want answers to specific questions or just want to expand their knowledge about these unique and interesting animals will find the information they seek in this essential reference.Trade ReviewA good general introduction to turtle biology and ecology. -- Ian Paulsen Birdbooker Report 2009 The wide ranging questions are answered in a very readable style, with specific scientific explanations where necessary. -- Christine Tilley British Chelonia Group Newsletter 2010 Gibbons and Greene have done a masterful job of assembling questions of great interest to many readers and providing detailed, interesting, and informative answers... Highly recommended. Choice 2010Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Introducting TurtlesWhat are turtles?What is the difference between turtles, terrapins, and tortoises?How many kinds of turtles are there?Why are turtles important?Why should people care about turtles?Where do turtles live?What is the current classification of turtles?What characterizes the major groups of turtles?When did turtles first evolve?What is the oldest fossil turtle?What is the largest fossil turtle?2. Form and FunctionWhat are the largest and smallest living turtles?What is the metabolism of a turtle?Do turtles have teeth?Do turtles sleep?Can turtles see color?Do all turtles have hard shells?Can a turtle emerge from its shell?Can turtles run?Can all turtles swim?Do all aquatic turtles have flippers?Can turtles breathe under water?Can you tell whether a fossil turtle lived in the sea, in freshwater, or on land?3. Turtle ColorsWhy do so many turtles have yellow stripes on their neck?What causes the different shell and skin colors of turtles?What color are a turtle's eyes?Is there a reason for the patterns on the shell?Do a turtle's colors change as it grows?Do a turtle's colors change in different seasons?Is there much geographic variation within a single turtlespecies?4. Turtle BehaviorAre turtles social?Do turtles fight?Are snapping turtles the only ones that bite?How smart are turtles?Do turtles play?Do turtles talk?How do turtles avoid predators?5. Turtle EcologyWhere do turtles sleep?Do turtles migrate?How many turtle species live in rivers?How many turtle species live in lakes?How many turtle species live in the ocean?Which geographic regions have the most species of turtles?How do turtles survive in the desert?How do turtles survive the winter?How do turtles survive droughts?What is hibernation?Do all turtles bask?Do turtles have enemies?Do turtles get sick?How can you tell if a turtle is sick?Are turtles good for the environment?6. Reproduction and DevelopmentHow do turtles reproduce?Do all turtles lay eggs?Why do sea turtles lay so many eggs but box turtles lay only afew?How long do female turtles hold eggs in their body?Where do turtles lay their eggs?Does a turtle nest at the same time and in the same place every year?Do turtles nest only one time per year?How many eggs do turtles lay?Are all hatchlings in a turtle nest full siblings?How is the sex of a turtle determined?Do turtles care for their young?How fast do turtles grow?How can you tell the age of a turtle?How long do turtles live?7. Foods and FeedingWhat do turtles eat?Do turtles chew their food?How do turtles find food?Are any turtles scavengers?How do turtles eat hard-shelled animals?Do turtles store their food?8. Turtles and HumansDo turtles make good pets?How do you take care of a pet turtle?Are turtles dangerous?Do turtles feel pain?What should I do if I find an injured turtle?What should I do if I find a turtle crossing the road?What should I do if I find a turtle laying eggs?What should I do if I find a baby turtle?How can I see turtles in the wild?Should people feed turtles in lakes?9. Turtle Problems (from a human viewpoint)Are turtles pests?Do turtles reduce the number of fish in lakes and rivers?Do turtles kill ducks in ponds?Do turtles have diseases and are they contagious?Is it safe to eat turtles?What should I do if I get bitten by a turtle?10. Human Problems (from a turtle's viewpoint)Are any turtles endangered?Will turtles be affected by global warming?Are turtles affected by pollution?Why do people hunt and eat turtles?Are "tortoiseshell" items actually made from turtle shells?Why do so many turtles get hit by cars?Are boats dangerous for aquatic turtles?How are turtles affected by litter?What can an ordinary citizen do to help turtles?11. Turtles in Stories and LiteratureWhat roles do turtles play in religion and mythology?Are turtles depicted at all in the Christian religion?Did any early philosophers/naturalists mention turtles in their writings?What are the roles turtles have played in children's literature?What roles do turtles play in popular culture?What about turtles and math?What roles have turtles played in poetry and famoussayings?12. "Turtleology"Who studies turtles?Which species are best known?Which species are least known?How do scientists tell turtles apart?Appendix A: Scientific and Common Names of Living TurtlesAppendix B: Organizations and Societies for Turtle ConservationBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisA unique glance into the early world of science exploration, Kingdom of Ants is a delight to read and filled with intriguing information.Trade ReviewEdward O. Wilson, one of those rare scientists who can make biology and science history not only readable but entertaining, has written a book that holds the reader's attention from beginning to end. -- Lynne M. Hinkey Internet Review of Books 2011 By coupling excerpts from Mutis's forgotten diaries with recent findings on ant eating habits, reproductive behaviors, and emigration patterns, the authors give new relevance to one of the New World's oldest natural history studies. This interesting writing technique helps readers understand the continual nature of the process of scientific inquiry. Choice 2011 A unique glance into the early world of science exploration, Kingdom of Ants is a delight to read and filled with intriguing information. Southeastern Naturalist 2011Table of ContentsPrologue1. Who Was Mutis?2. The Making of an Eighteenth-Century Naturalist3. The Scientific Contributions of José Celestino Mutis4. Mutis Seeks Advice5. Mutis Begins His Study of Ants6. Ants Are Transported by Ships7. Ant Plants and Plant Ants8. Mutis Learns about the Mule-Train (Leafcutter) Ants9. Unending Struggles against the Mule-Train Ants10. Ant Wars11. Mutis Solves the Mystery of the Nomadic Pataloas12. Mutis Measures the Size of an Army-Ant Colony13. Mutis Tracks the Armies of Ants14. Mutis Studies the Gender of Ants and Makes an Amazing Discovery15. Mutis' Other Ants16. How Good a Scientist Was Mutis?EpilogueAcknowledgments

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Book SynopsisIts beautiful design and accessible format make it an ideal guide for fishermen, divers, students, scientists, naturalists, and fish enthusiasts alike.Trade ReviewI was surprised to discover just how comprehensive and well-illustrated this book is. Good field guides don't come along too often... But this one covers well over 1,000 species and includes everything you're likely to encounter from the coastal bays out to 200 meter (660 foot) deep waters. Flip through, and you'll discover species you didn't imagine existed (the Atlantic Spiney Lumpfish? The Freckled Driftfish?) as well as the ones you know and love... to catch! -- Lenny Rudow Boater Mouth 2010 This book is a wonderful identification guide... It will make an excellent addition to any tying library both for its detailed baitfish inllustrations as well as a tool for catch identification and research. -- Stuart Patterson Florida Fly Fishing Mgazine 2011 A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes is a resource that shouldn't be overlooked for any student of marine life. Midwest Book Review 2011 This is a substantial improvement on the Peterson Field Guide... Val Kells's illustrations are vivid and beautiful. The comprehensiveness of this text, along with the amount of detail in both illustration and text, are impressive. For these reasons, along with the very reasonable price, I would recommend this book to my colleagues in the scientific community, as well as to my fishing and diving companions. Bulletin of Marine Science 2011 This comprehensive field guide to the marine and brackish water fishes of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts is as well executed as it is accurate. Mariner 2011 Significant and news worthy... comprehensive and compact... A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes is a must have book for any serious angler. Coastal Angler Magazine 2011 You would be hard pressed to find a more comprehensive, beautifully illustrated, and well organized book than A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes: From Maine to Texas and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in marine life. -- Mark Watanabe YakAngler.com 2011 Quite comprehensive, and the illustrations are marvelous! Aqua-Notes 2011 A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes: From Maine to Texas is a must for anyone fishing the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U.S... it is a great reference for the coffee table, boat or tackle box. International Angler 2011Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPrefaceIntroductionFamiliesSpeciesGlossaryRare Fishes Also in the AreaSelect Bibliography and Additional ResourcesIndex

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction What is a tree?Coniferous vs. broad-leaved treesBasic tree physiologyWhy trees grow where they doWhat does it mean to be native?Identifying a speciesThe cycle of forest developmentLowland Conifers1. Douglas-fir 2. Western hemlock 3. Western redcedar 4. Grand fir 5. Sitka spruce 6. Western white pine 7. Lodgepole/shore pine 8. Pacific yew Lowland Broad-leaved Trees 9. Red alder10. Bigleaf maple 11. Black cottonwood 12. Bitter cherry13. Pacific willow 14. Scouler's willow 15. Pacific madrone 16. Cascara 17. Pacific dogwood 18. Paper birch 19. Oregon white oak 20. Oregon ash 21. Pacific crabappleHigh-elevation Species 22. Mountain hemlock 23. Pacific silver fir 24. Noble fir 25. Subalpine fir 26. Alaska yellow cedar 27. Engelmann spruce 28. Whitebark pineIsolated Populations 29. Ponderosa pine 30. Quaking aspen 31. Seaside juniper 32. Golden chinkapin Species Lists Species by family Species by shade tolerance Site tolerances of lowland speciesGlossary References Index of Common and Scientific names About the Author

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction1. Mount Rainier: Geologic History and Processes 2. The People: Footprints of Days Past 3. The Nisqually River, From Glacier to Sound 4. Historic Longmire and Surrounding Area 5. The Puyallup River: Watershed under Pressure 6. The Carbon River Area: Land of Moisture 7. The Sunrise Area: The High and Dry East SideConclusion: Messengers for the Future AcknowledgmentsAppendix A: Explore Mount Rainier Appendix B: Steward Mount Rainier Appendix C: Significant Geologic Events at Mount RainierNotes Bibliography Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisThe Pier at the End of the World follows a day in the life of the creatures lurking in the cold, tide-swept waters beneath a remote pier on the edge of a northern sea. From dawn to darkness, bizarre and beautiful animals crawl, swim, lurk, and slither thr

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"We live on an ocean planet, though most of us rarely remember it; that blindness is one of the reasons we've stood by as the seas acidified, one of the great environmental crises in human history. This powerful book reminds us that our maritime identity is one important way we can start rebuilding a damaged planet." Bill McKibben, author, Eaarth ; founder, 350.org"I recommended this book to all my friends and co-workers, no matter what their background; the book speaks to everyone and provides guidance on how we can take steps at home and in our workplace to start initiating this change. The book had a deep impact on me personally; I have started to do more to play my part and have included my son on our journey towards contributing to a new hydraulic society." Mireille Chiasson, Regional Manager, Oceans Management & Ecosystem Management, Fisheries and Oceans, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada"In the spirit of Rachel Carson's The Sea Around Us , Neill not only raises concern for our rapidly deteriorating marine environment, but also offer the concept of a 'New hydraulic society' and its great potential for a world looking for an alternative solution." Dr. Paul Mayewski, Director, Climate Change Institute, University of Maine"This book represents an interesting and important contribution for a better public awareness of the great importance of the Oceans -- and Water itself -- for the survival of our Planet. It is essential to change into a new development paradigm, based on the values of sustainability and democracy." Mario Soares, Chair, Independent World Commission on the Future of the Oceans

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Big governments, big economies, and big polluters are coming to the realization that the Blue-Green recovery is the smart choice. With the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration getting underway next year, we should prepare ourselves for good works ahead. Personal voices can move us to partake in those good works. Through his personal reflections and 'oceanic feelings', Peter Neill gives us inspiration through this collection of ocean essays." Peter Thomson, UN Special Envoy for the Ocean"With a passion for all things ocean, Peter Neill takes us on an informative and inspirational journey through time and space, history and Nature. This is without question one of the most thought-provoking and motivating books about the ocean I have read." Wendy M. Watson-Wright, PhD IOC-UNESCO; Ocean Frontier Institute"True to his title, Peter Neill gives us a new, universal vocabulary for understanding our complex relationship with the waters of the world. Aqua Terra is indispensable reading for anyone seeking to refine their bonds with the world ocean." Lincoln Paine, author of The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World

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Book Synopsis2016 Montana Book Award Honor BookFrom the Author of Indian Creek Chronicles and the Winner of Five PNBA Awards, Pete Fromm's New Memoir Sees His Return to the Wilderness to Explore a Life Lived in the Wilds.Twenty-five years after his beloved memoir Indian Creek Chronicles, Pete Fromm was asked to return to the wilderness to babysit more fish eggs. No longer a footloose twenty-year-old, at forty-five, he was the father of two young sons. He left again, alone, straight into the heart of Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness, walking a daily ten-mile loop to his fish eggs through deer and elk and the highest density of grizzly bears in the lower forty-eight states.The Names of the Stars is a trek through a life lived at its edges. From loon calls echoing across Northwood lakes to the grim realities of lifeguarding in the Nevada desert, through the isolation of Indian Creek and years spent running the Snake and Rio Grande as a riv

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Book SynopsisWhether you hope to travel to the Southern Hemisphere or simply want to learn more about wildlife, Penguins: The Animal Answer Guide deserves a spot on your bookshelf.Trade ReviewThe writing is crisp and often witty and entertaining. These characteristics make it appealing to professional ornithologists as well as enthusiastic children-it would be great bedtime reading for any penguin lover... Highly recommended. Choice In an easy-reading question-and-answer format, Kooyman and Lynch pack a huge amount of information into this volume, which covers a wide array of topics... As a penguin biologist, I was surprised how much I learned reading Penguins that I had not already known. For penguin enthusiasts, Penguins: The Animal Answer Guide is a must read that will, thanks to Lynch's spectacular photographs, be thoroughly thumbed through by the whole family. Likewise, this book should be required reading for those doing penguin outreach or informal education. -- Heather J. Lynch Quarterly Review of BiologyTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Introducing Penguins2. Form and Function3. Penguin Colors4. Penguin Behavior5. Penguin Ecology6. Reproduction and Development7. Food and Feeding8. Penguins and Humans9. Penguin Problems (from a human viewpoint)10. Human Problems (from a penguin's viewpoint)11. Penguins in Stories and Literature12. Penguinology"Appendix A: Penguins of the WorldAppendix B: Penguin Research and Conservation OrganizationsBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisWhether you hope to travel to the Southern Hemisphere or simply want to learn more about wildlife, Penguins: The Animal Answer Guide deserves a spot on your bookshelf.Trade ReviewThe writing is crisp and often witty and entertaining. These characteristics make it appealing to professional ornithologists as well as enthusiastic children-it would be great bedtime reading for any penguin lover... Highly recommended. Choice In an easy-reading question-and-answer format, Kooyman and Lynch pack a huge amount of information into this volume, which covers a wide array of topics... As a penguin biologist, I was surprised how much I learned reading Penguins that I had not already known. For penguin enthusiasts, Penguins: The Animal Answer Guide is a must read that will, thanks to Lynch's spectacular photographs, be thoroughly thumbed through by the whole family. Likewise, this book should be required reading for those doing penguin outreach or informal education. -- Heather J. Lynch Quarterly Review of BiologyTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Introducing Penguins2. Form and Function3. Penguin Colors4. Penguin Behavior5. Penguin Ecology6. Reproduction and Development7. Food and Feeding8. Penguins and Humans9. Penguin Problems (from a human viewpoint)10. Human Problems (from a penguin's viewpoint)11. Penguins in Stories and Literature12. Penguinology"Appendix A: Penguins of the WorldAppendix B: Penguin Research and Conservation OrganizationsBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisZirker is that rare animal who can both communicate the most demanding technical detail and make it accessible.-New ScientistTrade ReviewFrom ocean scientists and surfers-to whom it brings some different and interesting ways of looking at things; to the amateur who's always been slightly curious... You'll never look at the sea in the same way again. -- Chris Almond Weather This fascinating book is hard to put down... [ The Science of Ocean Waves] is an interesting read for scientists and laypeople, and it would make a great book for an undergraduate oceanography class. Choice In his new book, The Science of Ocean Waves: Ripples, Tsunamis, and Stormy Seas, J. B. Zirker offers a comprehensive and up-to-date account of a familiar phenomenon whose complexity is hardly appreciated by nonscientists. Zirker's deep insights, historic perspectives, and excellent narrative, which he provides with minimal graphics and without a single equation, make the book a fascinating read... The Science of Ocean Waves is truly a remarkable achievement. It has a great chance to become a standard text for students, scientist, weather and ocean forecasters, engineers, climate modelers, and anyone else whose curiosity or professional interests relate to ocean waves. -- Alexander Babanin Physics TodayTable of ContentsPreface1. A Walk along the Beach2. What Exactly Is a Wave?3. How the Wind Generates Ocean Waves4. A Touch of Reality: How Big Waves Behave5. Observations at Sea: The Postwar Boom6. Forecasting and Monitoring Storm Waves7. Breaking Waves8. Freaks and Rogues9. Tsunamis10. Internal Waves and El Niño11. The Tides12. The Currents13. Ship Waves14. Renewable Energy from Waves and Tides15. The FutureGlossaryIndex

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Book SynopsisThe definitive examination of oak forest evolutionary ecology. Seed dispersal is a critical stage in the life cycle of most flowering plants. The process can have far-reaching effects on a species' biology, especially numerous aspects of its ecology and evolution. This is particularly the case for the oaks, in which the dispersal of the acorn is tied to numerous tree characteristics, as well as the behavior and ecology of the animals that feed on and move these seeds to their final destination. Forest structure, composition, and genetics often follow directly from the dispersal processwhile also influencing it in turn. In Oak Seed Dispersal, Michael A. Steele draws on three decades of field research across the globe (e.g., the United States, Mexico, Central America, Europe, and China) to describe the interactions between oaks and their seed consumers. Rodents, birds, and insects, he writes, collectively influence the survival, movement, and germination of acorns, as well as the estabTable of ContentsForeword, by Stephen B. Vander WallPreface Chapter 1. Seed DispersalChapter 2. The Distribution, Diversity, and Evolution of the OaksChapter 3. The Oak Life CycleChapter 4. Masting in OaksChapter 5. The Oak Dispersal Process: Intrinsic Factors IChapter 6. The Oak Dispersal Process: Intrinsic Factors IIChapter 7. The Oak Dispersal Process: Extrinsic Factors IChapter 8. The Oak Dispersal Process: Extrinsic Factors IIChapter 9. The Rodents: Seed Predators or Seed Dispersers?Chapter 10. The Jays: A Different Kind of Oak Dispersal AgentChapter 11. The Mind of the ScatterhoarderChapter 12. The Insects: Acorn Predators, Parasites, or Commensals?Chapter 13. Anthropogenic Factors Influencing Oak Dispersal, Establishment, and RegenerationChapter 14. Threatened Oak Forests and Oak Forest ConservationChapter 15. Oak Dispersal and Oak-Animal Interactions: Looking ForwardLiterature CitedIndex

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Book SynopsisAcclaimed sporting and adventure writer Charles Gaines has spent much of his life on the water, around the world, fishing rod in hand, angling for trout, redfish, salmon, bonefish, bass, marlin, tuna, and practically everything else that swims. Just about any place where there's water to fish and eccentrics to keep him company, Gaines has been.The Next Valley Over, a collection of his best writing on fishing from his long and storied career, is culled from the pages of Men's Journal, Forbes, and Sports Afield, among other publications, and ultimately is about the heart of the sport. While his stories are lined with the accoutrement of angling--the art of technique, the equipment, the lodges, the fish themselves--they're really about why we love to fish and what it means to our culture. As Thoreau once said: “Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.” What “they are after” is what Charles is curious about, and he has devoted the better part of his life and sanity to coming up with answers.Starting and ending at the majestic Lake Tadpole in St. Clair County, Alabama, where Gaines’s love of fishing was initially sparked, the Next Valley Over chronicles exploits in exotic locations with eccentric characters. In the process of his quest of nearly every species known to man, Gaines explores what we are really searching for when we fish.

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