Geomorphology is the study of the Earth's diverse physical land surface features and the dynamic processes that shape these features. Examining natural and anthropogenic processes, The SAGE Handbook of Geomorphology is a comprehensive exposition of the fundamentals of geomorphology that examines form, process, and history in the discipline. Organized into four sections, the Handbook is an overview of foundations and relevance, including the nature and scope of geomorphology, the origins and development of geomorphology, the role and character of theory in geomorphology, the significance of models and abstractions to geomorphology; techniques and approaches, including geomorphological mapping, field observations and experimental design, remote sensing in geomorphology, quantifying rates of erosion, measuring fluid flows and sediment fluxes, dating surfaces and sediment, GIS in geomorphology, and modelling landforms and processes; process and environment, including rock weathering, the evolution of regolith, hill slopes, riverine environments, glacial environments, periglacial environments, coastal environments, desert environments, karst landscapes, environmental change and anthropogenic activity; and environmental change, including geomorphology and environmental management, geomorphology and society, and planetary geomorphology.

Geomorphology in Environmental Management

Geomorphology in Environmental Management

Geomorphology in environmental management
Peter W.Downs and Derek B.Booth

‘Environmental management’ is both a multilayered social construct, in which environmental managers interact with the environment and each other, and a field of study emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary understanding of human–environment interactions (Wilson and Bryant, 1997). Environmental managers are those

whose livelihood is primarily dependent on the application of skill in the active and self-conscious, direct or in-direct, manipulation of the environment with the aim of enhancing predictability in a context of social and environmental uncertainty.

(Wilson and Bryant, 1997: 7)

Thus the goal of environmental management is ‘…to harmonize and balance the various enterprises which man has imposed on natural environments for his own benefit’ (Goudie, 1994: 181). The perception of ‘benefit’, however, depends on ...

  • Loading...
locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles