Tropical geomorphology

Title:

Personal Author:

Gupta, Avijit

Publication Information:

Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2011

Physical Description:

xiv, 386 p. : ill., maps ; 26 cm.

ISBN:

9780521879903

Abstract:

"Although similar geomorphic processes take place in other regions, in the tropics these processes operate at different rates and with varying intensities. Tropical geomorphology therefore provides many new discoveries regarding geomorphic processes. This textbook describes both the humid and arid tropics. It provides thoroughly up-to-date concepts and relevant case studies, and emphasises the importance of geomorphology in the management and sustainable development of the tropical environment, including climate change scenarios. The text is supported by a large number of illustrations, including satellite images. Student exercises accompany each chapter. Tropical Geomorphology is an ideal textbook for any course on tropical geomorphology or the tropical environment, and is also invaluable as a reference text for researchers and environmental managers in the tropics"-- Provided by publisher.

Subject Term:

Geomorphology -- Tropics

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Library	Item Barcode	Call Number	Material Type	Item Category 1	Status
Searching... PSZ JB	30000010297735	GB446 G87 2011	Open Access Book	Book	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Although similar geomorphic processes take place in other regions, in the tropics these processes operate at different rates and with varying intensities. Tropical geomorphology therefore provides many new discoveries regarding geomorphic processes. This textbook describes both the humid and arid tropics. It provides thoroughly up-to-date concepts and relevant case studies, and emphasises the importance of geomorphology in the management and sustainable development of the tropical environment, including climate change scenarios. The text is supported by a large number of illustrations, including satellite images. Student exercises accompany each chapter. Tropical Geomorphology is an ideal textbook for any course on tropical geomorphology or the tropical environment, and is also invaluable as a reference text for researchers and environmental managers in the tropics.

Preface	p. xiii
Part I The tropical environment
1 Introduction	p. 3
1.1 Geomorphology in the tropics	p. 3
1.2 Traditional tropical geomorphology	p. 7
1.3 Modernisation of tropical geomorphology	p. 8
1.4 Structure of tropical geomorphology	p. 9
1.5 Structure of the book	p. 11
2 Geological framework of the tropical lands	p. 13
2.1 Introduction	p. 13
2.2 A brief introduction to plate tectonics	p. 13
2.3 Major landforms across the tropics	p. 20
2.4 Interrelationships: plate tectonics, landforms, erosion and sediment production	p. 27
Questions	p. 29
3 Tropical hydrology	p. 31
3.1 The tropical climate: a brief review	p. 31
3.2 Temperature	p. 31
3.3 Wind circulation	p. 32
3.4 Precipitation	p. 34
3.5 Tropical disturbances	p. 37
3.6 Miscellaneous factors	p. 43
3.7 Water balance	p. 44
3.8 Climate and geomorphology in the tropics	p. 47
Questions	p. 48
4 Erosion and land cover in the tropics	p. 49
4.1 Erosion from tropical rainfall	p. 49
4.2 Distribution of natural vegetation in the tropics	p. 52
4.3 Tropical rain forests	p. 52
4.4 Tropical deciduous forests, grasslands and deserts	p. 55
4.5 Anthropogenic alteration of the tropical vegetation	p. 57
Questions	p. 58
Part II Process geomorphology in the tropics
5 Weathering in the tropics	p. 61
5.1 Introduction	p. 61
5.2 Sub-processes of weathering: a brief review	p. 63
5.3 Products of weathering	p. 69
5.4 Weathering and vertical zonation	p. 75
5.5 Pans and crusts	p. 77
5.6 Effects of weathering	p. 78
5.7 Tropics and weathering	p. 80
Questions	p. 81
6 Slopes: forms and processes	p. 82
6.1 Properties of a slope	p. 82
6.2 Mass movement on hillslopes	p. 84
6.3 Running water on hillslopes	p. 93
6.4 Storage and transfer of surficial material on tropical slopes	p. 94
6.5 A general description of tropical slopes	p. 99
Questions	p. 99
7 Rivers in the tropics	p. 101
7.1 Components of a river system	p. 101
7.2 Water in river channels	p. 101
7.3 Sediment in river channels	p. 104
7.4 Channel geometry	p. 108
7.5 Channel network and nodes	p. 119
7.6 River systems of the humid tropics	p. 120
Questions	p. 127
8 Alluvial valleys	p. 129
8.1 Fluvial depositional environment	p. 129
8.2 The alluvial valley	p. 130
8.3 The channel alluvium	p. 132
8.4 Bars	p. 135
8.5 Floodplain	p. 136
8.6 Terrace	p. 139
8.7 Valley margins	p. 140
8.8 Sediment transfer along the valley axis	p. 141
Questions	p. 141
9 Large rivers in the tropics	p. 143
9.1 Introduction	p. 143
9.2 Characteristics of a large river	p. 143
9.3 The Amazon	p. 147
9.4 The Zambezi	p. 152
9.5 The Ganga-Brahmaputra system	p. 155
9.6 The Mekong	p. 164
9.7 The importance of major tropical rivers	p. 169
Questions	p. 169
10 The tropical coasts	p. 170
10.1 Introduction	p. 170
10.2 Types of coast	p. 171
10.3 Moving water: tides, waves and currents	p. 172
10.4 Rocky coasts	p. 179
10.5 Non-rocky coast	p. 181
10.6 Coastal sand dunes	p. 186
10.7 Coastal tropics	p. 186
10.8 Coral reefs	p. 189
10.9 Tropical coasts and time	p. 191
Questions	p. 194
11 Deltas in the tropics	p. 195
11.1 Introduction	p. 195
11.2 Distribution of deltas in the tropics	p. 196
11.3 Age and evolution of deltas	p. 197
11.4 Delta morphology	p. 201
11.5 Delta sediments and sedimentary structures	p. 202
11.6 The Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta: a case study	p. 203
11.7 Deltas in the tropics: a summary	p. 207
Questions	p. 208
12 The arid tropics	p. 209
12.1 Arid areas	p. 209
12.2 Geological characteristics of arid lands	p. 210
12.3 Arid hydrology	p. 211
12.4 Arid landforms	p. 215
12.5 The rock desert	p. 215
12.6 Running water in arid lands	p. 216
12.7 Aeolian geomorphology of sandy areas	p. 223
12.8 Conclusion	p. 230
Questions	p. 230
13 Tropical highlands	p. 232
13.1 Importance of highlands	p. 232
13.2 Glaciation in tropical mountains	p. 234
13.3 Mechanics of mountain glaciation	p. 236
13.4 Glacial forms and processes	p. 240
13.5 Slopes and valley floors in high mountains	p. 246
13.6 Rivers in the tropical mountains	p. 247
13.7 Sediment from tropical mountains	p. 249
13.8 Conclusion	p. 251
Questions	p. 252
14 Volcanic landforms	p. 254
14.1 Introduction	p. 254
14.2 Types of volcano and the related landscape	p. 254
14.3 Lava and pyroclastic deposits	p. 257
14.4 Volcaniclastic flows: debris avalanches and flows	p. 262
14.5 Landscape on flood basalts	p. 266
14.6 Conclusion	p. 268
Questions	p. 268
15 Tropical karst	p. 270
15.1 Introduction to karst	p. 270
15.2 Karst in the tropics: the geographical distribution	p. 271
15.3 Karst hydrology	p. 272
15.4 Dissolution of karst rocks	p. 273
15.5 Karst landforms	p. 274
15.6 Karst in the tropics	p. 281
15.7 Tropical karst as an environment	p. 284
Questions	p. 286
16 Quaternary in the tropics	p. 287
16.1 Introduction	p. 287
16.2 History and structure of the Quaternary	p. 288
16.3 Quaternary glaciation in the tropics	p. 290
16.4 Climate change	p. 292
16.5 Sea-level change	p. 295
16.6 The Ganga River system: Quaternary adjustments	p. 298
16.7 Quaternary changes around the Sunda Shelf	p. 299
16.8 Conclusion	p. 302
Questions	p. 303
Part III Anthropogenic changes
17 Anthropogenic alteration of geomorphic processes in the tropics	p. 307
17.1 The beginning	p. 307
17.2 Deforestation, land use changes and rural migration	p. 311
17.3 Temporal and seasonal patterns of sediment transport	p. 314
17.4 Spatial transfer of sediment	p. 315
17.5 Impoundments along rivers and their effects	p. 319
17.6 Application of geomorphology towards a better environment	p. 323
Questions	p. 324
18 Urban geomorphology in the tropics	p. 325
18.1 Introduction to urban geomorphology	p. 325
18.2 Urbanisation in developing countries	p. 328
18.3 Three examples of geomorphic hazards and their amelioration	p. 330
18.4 The general nature of urban geomorphological problems	p. 337
18.5 Geomorphology and urban management	p. 338
Questions	p. 341
19 The future with climate change	p. 342
19.1 Climate change and the future	p. 342
19.2 A robust prediction of the effects of climate change in the tropics	p. 343
19.3 Geomorphological adjustments in the tropics from climate and sea-level changes	p. 345
19.4 The noise effect of anthropogenic changes	p. 346
19.5 Tropical geomorphology in the near future	p. 347
Questions	p. 348
References	p. 349
Index	p. 374
Colour plates appear between pages 212 and 213.

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Table of Contents