Coastal wetlands of the world: geology, ecology, distribution and applications

Salt marshes and mangrove forests, the intertidal wetlands of the world's coastlines, provide key ecological services to all areas of the globe. This cutting-edge, richly illustrated book introduces the essential elements of coastal wetlands and their applications. The book opens by introducing coastal oceanography, the physical features of wetlands, their ecology, and human impacts upon them, giving all students the necessary background for wetlands studies. It then presents detailed case studies from around the world with extensive illustrations, supplying a wider, global-scale picture of wetlands geomorphology and biodiversity. The final chapters discuss some unique applications of coastal wetlands, including geological monitoring, uses in biotechnology and agriculture, and various experimental mesocosms. This is ideal as supplementary reading to support students on a wide range of earth and life science courses, from environmental science, ecology and palaeoecology to geomorphology and geography. It will also be a valuable interdisciplinary reference for researchers. Presents an integrated approach to wetlands combining geology and ecology, and including both salt marshes and mangrove forests Provides case histories from all continents except Antarctica, richly illustrated with images from real field studies, which are also accessible online in colour where available Explains the applications of wetlands studies to other fields such as pre-historical impacts of coastline changes, development of crops amidst shrinking global water resources, and conducting wetlands mesocosm experiments

• ISBN: 9781107628250
• Editorial: Cambridge University Press
• Encuadernacion: Rústica
• Páginas: 364
• Fecha Publicación: 01/03/2014
• Nº Volúmenes: 1
• Idioma: