Global Patterns: Climate, Vegetation and Soils - Hardcover

Akin, Wallace E

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0806123095 ISBN 13: 9780806123097

Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991

Synopsis

Life on Earth is dominated by the three interrelated patterns of climate, vegetation, and soils. Mapping these patterns on a global scale reveals the remarkable parallels between them. In "Global Patterns", Wallace E. Akin explores each of the component parts and the dynamics of each system individually and as it interrelates with the others. By so doing he provides the background that students and general readers alike need to understand global environmental problems, such as climate change, destruction of rainforests, pollution of air and water, and degredation of soils. While other books have examined each of the systems individually, Akin's overview succeeds in showing the complex ways in which each effects, and is affected by, the others. The book is divided into three parts, focusing on climate, vegetation, and soils in turn. Part one covers the evolution of the Earth's atmosphere, describes the elements that determine climate, explains how climates are mapped and classified, and examines global patterns of climate and the Earth's water supply. It concludes with a look at the climate past and a glance ahead to possible futures. In part two, Akin describes the basic vegetation types, the global distributions of the great plant communities, and the environmental factors - including human intervention - that influence vegetation. Part three covers the definition, classification, and distribution of soils, and the relation of soils to both climate and vegetation, demonstrating that these relationships are much more complex than was once thought. Throughout, Akin brings his own research and experience to bear through case studies illustrating topical concepts. For example, he provides a personal account of the great tri-State tornado of 1925 and an illuminating case history of the origin and reclamation of the Danish heath. Numerous illustrations and photographs also illustrate major concepts.

About this title

Synopsis

Life on Earth is dominated by the three interrelated patterns of climate, vegetation, and soils. Mapping these patterns on a global scale reveals the remarkable parallels between them. In "Global Patterns", Wallace E. Akin explores each of the component parts and the dynamics of each system individually and as it interrelates with the others. By so doing he provides the background that students and general readers alike need to understand global environmental problems, such as climate change, destruction of rainforests, pollution of air and water, and degredation of soils. While other books have examined each of the systems individually, Akin's overview succeeds in showing the complex ways in which each effects, and is affected by, the others. The book is divided into three parts, focusing on climate, vegetation, and soils in turn. Part one covers the evolution of the Earth's atmosphere, describes the elements that determine climate, explains how climates are mapped and classified, and examines global patterns of climate and the Earth's water supply. It concludes with a look at the climate past and a glance ahead to possible futures.

In part two, Akin describes the basic vegetation types, the global distributions of the great plant communities, and the environmental factors - including human intervention - that influence vegetation. Part three covers the definition, classification, and distribution of soils, and the relation of soils to both climate and vegetation, demonstrating that these relationships are much more complex than was once thought. Throughout, Akin brings his own research and experience to bear through case studies illustrating topical concepts. For example, he provides a personal account of the great tri-State tornado of 1925 and an illuminating case history of the origin and reclamation of the Danish heath. Numerous illustrations and photographs also illustrate major concepts.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
• Publication date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0806123095
• ISBN 13: 9780806123097
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 370