Author: Ellen Wohl
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226904806
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 368
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Book Description
Far from being the serene, natural streams of yore, modern rivers have been diverted, dammed, dumped in, and dried up, all in efforts to harness their power for human needs. But these rivers have also undergone environmental change. The old adage says you can’t step in the same river twice, and Ellen Wohl would agree—natural and synthetic change are so rapid on the world’s great waterways that rivers are transforming and disappearing right before our eyes. A World of Rivers explores the confluence of human and environmental change on ten of the great rivers of the world. Ranging from the Murray-Darling in Australia and the Yellow River in China to Central Europe’s Danube and the United States’ Mississippi, the book journeys down the most important rivers in all corners of the globe. Wohl shows us how pollution, such as in the Ganges and in the Ob of Siberia, has affected biodiversity in the water. But rivers are also resilient, and Wohl stresses the importance of conservation and restoration to help reverse the effects of human carelessness and hubris. What all these diverse rivers share is a critical role in shaping surrounding landscapes and biological communities, and Wohl’s book ultimately makes a strong case for the need to steward positive change in the world’s great rivers.
Author: James Penn
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1576075796
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 384
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Book Description
Rivers of the World, vividly written and meticulously researched, is a rich and thorough treatment of some 200 of the world's rivers. In this comprehensive treatment of the major rivers of the world, author James R. Penn's purpose is not just to feature geographic data, but to tell a story of historical drama, poetic significance, and cultural relationships. The book shows glimpses of Chairman Mao boosting his image by swimming in the Yangtze; Indian middlemen residing on both sides of the Columbia River exacting tolls from travelers like Lewis and Clark; and, near the Dordogne in southwest France, Paleolithic cave art, paintings, and designs in rock shelters and subterranean caverns, which are textbook examples of early human creativity and artistic impulse. In nearly 200 entries ranging from a few paragraphs to several pages, Rivers of the World covers all of the great rivers of the world including the Nile, Niger, Amazon, and Mississippi, as well as smaller waterways that illustrate important themes or represent trends. The book includes bibliographies for each river.
Author: Volker Mehnert
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 3791374702
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Spend hours navigating the world's great rivers in this vibrant, fact-filled book for kids that blends geography, history, and culture. Where in the Rhein does the Nibelung Treasure lie? What river helps mark the prime meridian? Why do people make pilgrimages to the Indian city of Benares? Why is the Mekong called the "Nine Dragon" river in Vietnam? How does the Mississippi divide and unite the United States? These and hundreds of other facts are explored in this wonderfully illustrated atlas of the world's great rivers. Each spread in this book, which includes a goregeous gatefold page, offers a colorful map packed with drawings, figures, and facts. Cities that border the rivers are highlighted, as are distinct flora and fauna, significant natural and human-made features, and fascinating historical details. A "biography" of each river describes where it flows, and its importance to the communities it passes through. Special attention is given to the ecological health of the rivers--those that are thriving and those in danger of losing their valuable habitats. Along the way, young readers will come to understand the enormous impact that rivers have on our lives, while learning valuable information in a way that will spark their curiosity and imagination.
Author: Sandra Postel
Publisher: Island Press
ISBN: 1597267805
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 265
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Book Description
The conventional approach to river protection has focused on water quality and maintaining some "minimum" flow that was thought necessary to ensure the viability of a river. In recent years, however, scientific research has underscored the idea that the ecological health of a river system depends not on a minimum amount of water at any one time but on the naturally variable quantity and timing of flows throughout the year. In Rivers for Life, leading water experts Sandra Postel and Brian Richter explain why restoring and preserving more natural river flows are key to sustaining freshwater biodiversity and healthy river systems, and describe innovative policies, scientific approaches, and management reforms for achieving those goals. Sandra Postel and Brian Richter: explain the value of healthy rivers to human and ecosystem health; describe the ecological processes that support river ecosystems and how they have been disrupted by dams, diversions, and other alterations; consider the scientific basis for determining how much water a river needs; examine new management paradigms focused on restoring flow patterns and sustaining ecological health; assess the policy options available for managing rivers and other freshwater systems; explore building blocks for better river governance. Sandra Postel and Brian Richter offer case studies of river management from the United States (the San Pedro, Green, and Missouri), Australia (the Brisbane), and South Africa (the Sabie), along with numerous examples of new and innovative policy approaches that are being implemented in those and other countries. Rivers for Life presents a global perspective on the challenges of managing water for people and nature, with a concise yet comprehensive overview of the relevant science, policy, and management issues. It presents exciting and inspirational information for anyone concerned with water policy, planning and management, river conservation, freshwater biodiversity, or related topics.
Author: Paolo Novaresio
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : River life
Languages : en
Pages : 312
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Book Description
The courses of the great rivers recount the history of the Earth and mankind. This book is dedicated to 25 of the world's longest, most important rivers, from the Ganges, Mekong, Tigris, and Euphrates to the Nile and Amazon, from the Mississippi to Danube. This lavish volume aims to portray them as never before. It alternates aerial and panoramic photographs with detailed close-ups and hidden views that instil in the reader the sights and impressions that can be enjoyed when travelling along these great rivers from their sources to their estuaries. Historic photographs and archival documents make it possible to relive the decisive moments in the evolution of individual watercourses; enthralling narratives describe the characteristics and location of each river. Great Rivers of the World is a nature book, brimming with facts and information; it is also a history book that discusses humankind and its age-old relationship with rivers - it is even an art book, given its magical and emotive evocations of memorable riverscape.
Author: Monika Vaicenavičiene
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
ISBN: 9781592702794
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 48
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Book Description
A river is a thread, embroidering our world. This non-fiction picture book brings attention to the rivers that stitch and thread our world together.
Author: Mack
Publisher: Mack's World of Wonder
ISBN: 9781605373546
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 80
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Book Description
Discusses the importance of water to planet Earth, including what animals live in water and where the most beautiful bodies of water are.
Author: Baby
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781541977204
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 84
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Book Description
The Nile River has been flowing for generations, and with it, history was made. In this book, you are going to read and learn about the Nile River as one of the major and most historic rivers in the world. It's important to learn about geography to fully grasp its cultural context too. Go ahead and grab a copy today.
Author: Peter Goes
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781776572168
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Looks at the major rivers around the world, describing the myths, events, popular culture, and historical figures associated with each.
Author: Kurt D. Fausch
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780870717703
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
In For the Love of Rivers, stream ecologist Kurt Fausch draws readers across the reflective surface of streams to view and ponder what is beneath, and how they work. While celebrating their beauty and mystery, he uses his many years of experience as a field biologist to explain the underlying science connecting these aquatic ecosystems to their streamside forests and the organisms found there--including humans. More than a book about stream ecology, For the Love of Rivers is a celebration of the interconnectedness of life. It is an authoritative and accessible look at the science of rivers and streams, but it also ponders the larger questions of why rivers are important to humans, why it is in our nature to want to be near them, and what we can do now to ensure the future of these essential ecosystems.
