Author Description

This is an accessible exploration of the influence of topography on environmental factors -- air, water, soils and life. Topography is an important part of every environment and physical geography course, involving as it does the location and character of, and connections between, different environmental elements. Topographic factors influence climate and ecosystems at both local and global scales - similarly the climate and the ecosystem influences the further evolution of topography. The book is split into two sections, the first introducing students to the main facets of topography and the second exploring individual topographic influences on various environmental elements, such as climate, water, soils and plants. The authors also include sections on oceanographic features and mountain climates. Topography is, in a narrow sense, the ground surface and, in a broad sense, all the Earth's surface features, natural and human-made. Topography and the Environment explores the role of topography in shaping environmental patterns and processes, looking at topographic influences upon climate, water, soils and sediments, life, and humans. In doing so, it draws together material from a range of disciplines, and includes traditional ideas on topographic influences as well as modern ideas developed in landscape ecology and elsewhere. In addition, it explores the application of digital terrain models to physical geographical and environmental sciences, promotes the revival of topography as all Earth-surface features, and serves up a wealth of up-to-date case studies and examples from around the world. To aid students' learning, the book is lucidly written with a host of classic and new case studies and examples, contains a large number of carefully selected and prepared diagrams, and includes long reference lists at the end of each chapter. The book offers a novel and unique insight into topography, topographic influences, and their analysis. Dr Richard Hugget