Pressure on large fluvial lowlands has increased tremendously during the past twenty years because of flood control, urbanization, and increased dependence upon floodplains and deltas for food production. This book examines human impacts on lowland rivers, and discusses how these changes affect different types of riverine environments and flood processes. Surveying a global range of large rivers, it provides a primary focus on the lower Rhine River in the Netherlands and the Lower Mississippi River in Louisiana. A particular focus of the book is on geo-engineering, which is described in a straight-forward writing style that is accessible to a broad audience of advanced students, researchers, and practitioners in global environmental change, fluvial geomorphology and sedimentology, and flood and water management.

Rivers are important agents of change that shape the Earth's surface and evolve through time in response to fluctuations in climate and other environmental conditions. They are fundamental in landscape development, and essential for water supply, irrigation, and transportation. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the geomorphological processes that shape rivers and that produce change in the form of rivers. It explores how the dynamics of rivers are being affected by anthropogenic change, including climate change, dam construction, and modification of rivers for flood control and land drainage. It discusses how concern about environmental degradation of rivers has led to the emergence of management strategies to restore and naturalize these systems, and how river management techniques work best when coordinated with the natural dynamics of rivers. This textbook provides an excellent resource for students, researchers, and professionals in fluvial geomorphology, hydrology, river science, and environmental policy.

Resilience and Riverine Landscapes presents contributed chapters from global experts in Riverine Landscapes, making it the most comprehensive reference available on the topic. The book explores why rivers are ideal landscapes to study resilience and why studying rivers from a resilience perspective is important for our biophysical understanding of these landscapes and for society. The book focuses on the biophysical character of resilience in riverine landscapes, providing an interdisciplinary perspective of the structure, function, and interactions of riverine landscapes and the ecosystems they contain. The editors conclude by proposing a research agenda for the future, emphasizing the need for transdisciplinary research across a range of spatial and temporal scales and research domains. - Presents the resilience of rivers with both a theoretical and applied focus - Includes case studies from a wide geographical base, allowing for a full range of viewpoints - Showcases how resilience is being incorporated into the study and management of riverine landscapes - Includes a transdisciplinary focus on riverine landscapes, from theory to applied, and from biophysical to social-ecological systems

Completely updated and with three new chapters, this analysis of river dynamics is invaluable for advanced students, researchers and practitioners.

Thoroughly updated and expanded new edition introduces students to the complex world of water resources and environmental issues.

This volume presents eighteen case studies of natural disasters from Australia, Europe, North America and developing countries. By comparing the impacts, it seeks to identify what moves people to adapt, which adaptive activities succeed and which fail, and the underlying reasons, and the factors that determine when adaptation is required and when simply bearing the impact may be the more appropriate response. Much has been written about the theory of adaptation and high-level, especially international, policy responses to climate change. This book aims to inform actual adaptation practice - what works, what does not, and why. It explores some of the lessons we can learn from past disasters and the adaptation that takes place after the event in preparation for the next. This volume will be especially useful for researchers and decision makers in policy and government concerned with climate change adaptation, emergency management, disaster risk reduction, environmental policy and planning.

Food and Sustainability is the first text on this topic to consistently and coherently bring together important concepts from different disciplines to introduce students to a common challenge: food sustainability. The book explores the issues related to our growing demand for food from the perspectives of disciplines ranging from environmental and social sciences, to public health. It examines food as a point of convergence across these disciplines, illustrating the need for a transdisciplinary approach to understand common challenges and opportunities in food systems. The issues discussed are exemplified in several case studies for each chapter, which provide a direct avenue for students to apply the principles and theories set out in each chapter to real-world problems. In addition, 'Food controversy' panels highlight how there is very often no one right answer to the problems being faced, and how different viewpoints and perspectives need to be weighed up alongside each other to come to workable resolutions. Online resources: Food sustainability is augmented by a range of online resources, which include: For students: DT Hyperlinks to extended research readings DT Practice quizzes to support independent study DT Answers to in-text questions. For instructors: DT Downloadable (PowerPoint) figures from the book DT Answer sheets to the end of chapter questions DT Suggested exam questions.