Bibliograph

Where the river flows, scientific reflections on Earth's waterways, Sean W. Fleming

Type

Label

Where the river flows, scientific reflections on Earth's waterways, Sean W. Fleming

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 189-197) and index

Illustrations

illustrationsmaps

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Where the river flows

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

952277146

Responsibility statement

Sean W. Fleming

Sub title

scientific reflections on Earth's waterways

Summary

"Rivers are essential to civilization and even life itself, yet how many of us truly understand how they work? Why do rivers run where they do? Where do their waters actually come from? How can the same river flood one year and then dry up the next? Where the River Flows takes you on a majestic journey along the planet's waterways, providing a scientist's reflections on the vital interconnections that rivers share with the land, the sky, and us.Sean Fleming draws on examples ranging from common backyard creeks to powerful and evocative rivers like the Mississippi, Yangtze, Thames, and Congo. Each chapter looks at a particular aspect of rivers through the lens of applied physics, using abundant graphics and intuitive analogies to explore the surprising connections between watershed hydrology and the world around us. Fleming explains how river flows fluctuate like stock markets, what "digital rainbows" can tell us about climate change and its effects on water supply, how building virtual watersheds in silicon may help avoid the predicted water wars of the twenty-first century, and much more. Along the way, you will learn what some of the most exciting ideas in science--such as communications theory, fractals, and even artificial life--reveal about the life of rivers.Where the River Flows offers a new understanding of the profound interrelationships that rivers have with landscapes, ecosystems, and societies, and shows how startling new insights are possible when scientists are willing to think outside the disciplinary box."--, Provided by publisher

Table Of Contents

Why rivers are where they are -- How do rivers remember? -- Clouds talking to fish : the information content of rain -- Searching for buried treasure -- The digital rainbow -- Landslides, fractals, and artificial life -- The sky's not the limit -- The hydrologist's final exam : watershed modeling

Classification