$9.48
Abridged, January 1, 1987
by Martin A. Uman (Author)
Does lightning strike twice in the same place? How does a lightning rod work? What is ball lightning? How many thunderstorms are in progress in the world at any one time? Why does lightning zigzag? What is St. Elmo’s Fire?
These and many more often-asked questions about lightning are answered in this fascinating and informative guide for the layman, presented in an easy-to-follow question-and-answer format. One of nature’s most awesome phenomena, lightning has intrigued man since earliest times. In this book, a noted scientist and expert on lightning dispels many misconceptions while offering a wealth of scientific and technical information about the nature of lightning and its effects.
You’ll discover how Benjamin Franklin proved that lightning was electrical, how to protect yourself from lightning, how to photograph lightning (it’s not difficult), the possible relationship between ball lightning and UFOs, what to do for a person struck by lightning, the nature of sheet lightning, ribbon lightning, bead lightning and other variations, and much more. While the overall approach is nontechnical, Dr. U man has incorporated scientific data in the answers in such a way that laymen will find the book a near-painless introduction to current scientific knowledge about lightning.
Simple, well-drawn diagrams illuminate the text, along with a selection of spectacular lightning photographs, including a remarkable image of 5 lightning bolts produced by the explosion of the first thermonuclear device. In addition, each chapter contains a list of references cited in the text which suggest further reading for anyone interested in finding out more about earth’s dazzling atmospheric fireworks.
Shipping rates are calculated based on local US cities; international rates may apply for other countries.
Paperback – July 1, 2002
by Brendan Mackey (Editor), David Lindenmayer (Editor), Malcolm Gill (Editor), Michael McCarthy (Editor), Janette Lindesay (Editor)
The conservation of Earth's forest ecosystems is one of the great environmental challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. All of Earth's ecosystems now face the spectre of the accelerated greenhouse effect and rates of change in climatic regimes that have hitherto been unknown. In addition, multiple use forestry – where forests are managed to provide for both a supply of wood and the conservation of biodiversity – can change the floristic composition and vegetation structure of forests with significant implications for wildlife habitat. Wildlife, fire and future climate: a forest ecosystem analysis explores these themes through a landscape-wide study of refugia and future climate in the tall, wet forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria. It represents a model case study for the kind of integrated investigation needed throughout the world in order to deal with the potential response of terrestrial ecological systems to global change. The analyses presented in this book represent one of the few ecosystem studies ever undertaken that has attempted such a complex synthesis of fire, wildlife, vegetation, and climate. Wildlife, fire and future climate: a forest ecosystem analysis is written by an experienced team of leading world experts in fire ecology, modelling, terrain and climate analysis, vegetation and wildlife habitat. Their collaboration on this book represents a unique and exemplary, multi-disciplinary venture.1st Edition
by Richard G. Zepp (Editor)
A diverse group of eminent contributors describe a variety of aspects regarding climate-biosphere interactions most susceptible to human perturbations. Models related to climate change and the carbon cycle, biogenic emissions of greenhouse gases in China not concerned with rice cultivation and environmental effects of climate change are among the subjects covered. Although climate-biosphere interactions in China are emphasized, the approaches and scientific principles discussed are designed to provide readers with a general understanding of the processes and data needed to comprehend these interactions.
Hardcover – September 7, 2021
by Stephen J. Pyne (Author)
The Pyrocene tells the story of what happened when a fire-wielding species, humanity, met an especially fire-receptive time in Earth's history. Since terrestrial life first appeared, flames have flourished. Over the past two million years, however, one genus gained the ability to manipulate fire, swiftly remaking both itself and eventually the world. We developed small guts and big heads by cooking food; we climbed the food chain by cooking landscapes; and now we have become a geologic force by cooking the planet.
Some fire uses have been direct: fire applied to convert living landscapes into hunting grounds, forage fields, farms, and pastures. Others have been indirect, through pyrotechnologies that expanded humanity's reach beyond flame's grasp. Still, preindustrial and Indigenous societies largely operated within broad ecological constraints that determined how, and when, living landscapes could be burned. These ancient relationships between humans and fire broke down when people began to burn fossil biomass—lithic landscapes—and humanity’s firepower became unbounded. Fire-catalyzed climate change globalized the impacts into a new geologic epoch. The Pleistocene yielded to the Pyrocene. Around fires, across millennia, we have told stories that explained the world and negotiated our place within it. The Pyrocene continues that tradition, describing how we have remade the Earth and how we might recover our responsibilities as keepers of the planetary flame.2003rd Edition, Kindle Edition
by Thomas T. Veblen (Editor), William L. Baker (Editor), Gloria Montenegro (Editor), Thomas W. Swetnam (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
Both fire and climatic variability have monumental impacts on the dynamics of temperate ecosystems. These impacts can sometimes be extreme or devastating as seen in recent El Nino/La Nina cycles and in uncontrolled fire occurrences. This volume brings together research conducted in western North and South America, areas of a great deal of collaborative work on the influence of people and climate change on fire regimes. In order to give perspective to patterns of change over time, it emphasizes the integration of paleoecological studies with studies of modern ecosystems. Data from a range of spatial scales, from individual plants to communities and ecosystems to landscape and regional levels, are included. Contributions come from fire ecology, paleoecology, biogeography, paleoclimatology, landscape and ecosystem ecology, ecological modeling, forest management, plant community ecology and plant morphology. The book gives a synthetic overview of methods, data and simulation models for evaluating fire regime processes in forests, shrublands and woodlands and assembles case studies of fire, climate and land use histories. The unique approach of this book gives researchers the benefits of a north-south comparison as well as the integration of paleoecological histories, current ecosystem dynamics and modeling of future changes.
2000th Edition
by Eric S. Kasischke (Editor), Brian J. Stocks (Editor)
A discussion of the direct and indirect mechanisms by which fire and climate interact to influence carbon cycling in North American boreal forests. The first section summarizes the information needed to understand and manage fires' effects on the ecology of boreal forests and its influence on global climate change issues. Following chapters discuss in detail the role of fire in the ecology of boreal forests, present data sets on fire and the distribution of carbon, and treat the use of satellite imagery in monitoring these regions as well as approaches to modeling the relevant processes.
There are no reviews yet.