Description
Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1974, Arctic and Alpine Environments examines, the relatively simple ecosystems of arctic and alpine lands that still occupy extensive areas little disturbed by modern technology. The book argues that there is a necessity for carefully controlled development of the resources of these regions and suggests that there is a risk of irreversible disturbance without full understanding of these regions. This book provides a detailed documentation of cold-stressed arctic and alpine terrestrial environments and systematically deals with the present and past physical environment â climate, hydrology and glaciology; biota â treeline, vegetation, vertebrate zoology, and historical biogeography; abiotic processes â geomorphological and pedological and the role of man â bioclimatology, archaeology and technological impact, including radioecology. The book will appeal to academics and students of environmental and biological science, as well as providing a significan
Table of Contents
List of Plates Acknowledgements Preface 1. Introduction Part I: Present Environments 2. Climate 2a. Arctic Climate 2b. Contribution to the Comparative Meteorology of Mountain Area 2c. Topo-and Microclimatology in Alpine Areas 2d. Snow 3. Hydrology 3a. Arctic Hydrology 3b. Alpine Hydrology 4. Ice 4a. Permafrost 4b. Present Arctic Ice Cover 4c. Present Alpine Ice Cover Part II: Past Environments 5. Palaeoclimatology 6. History of Glaciation 6a. Cainzoic Glaciations and Crustal Movements of the Arctic 6b. Alpine Quaternary Glaciation Part III: Present Biota 7. Treeline 7a. Ecology of the Northern Continental Forest Border 7b. Alpine Timberlines 8. Vegetation 8a. Arctic and Alpine Vegetation: Plant Adaptation to Cold Summer Climates 8b. Tundra Primary Productivity 9. Terrestrial Vertebrates Part IV: Development of Biota 10. Historical Plant Geography 10a. Origin and Evolution of the Arctic and Alpine Floras 10b. Biological Refugia and the Nunatak Hypothesis 11. Palaeoecology and Palaeozoogeography 11a. Arctic North American Palaeoecology: The Recent History of Vegetation and Climate Deduced From Pollen Analysis 11b. Palaeolithic Players on the American Stage: Man’s Impact on the Late Pleistocene Megafauna Part V: Abiotic Processes 12. Geomorphic Processes 12a. Geomorphic Processes in the Arctic 12b. The Geomorphic Processes of the Alpine Environment 13. Soils 13a. Arctic Soils 13b. Alpine Soils Part VI: Man in Cold Environments 14. Bioclimatology 14a. Physiological Responses to Cold Environments 14b. Man Living at High Altitudes 15. Archaeology 15a. The Peopling of Arctic North America 15b. Prehistoric Occupation of the Alpine Zone in the Rocky Mountains Part VII: Man’s Impact on the Environment 16. Radioecology 17. The Impact of Twentieth-Century Technology 17a. Small-Scale Examples 17a.1. The Impact of Motor Vehicles 17a.2. The Snowmobile in Eskimo Culture 17a.3. The Snowmobile, Lapps and Reindeer Herding in Finnish Lapland 17a.4. The Impact of Man as a Biped 17b. Large-Scale Examples 18. Postscript Glossary Index
