HORIZONS IN EARTH SCIENCE RESEARCH VOLUME 1 -- HORIZONS IN EARTH SCIENCE RESEARCH VOLUME 1 -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- Chapter 1 DEGRADATION OF RANGELANDS: CAUSES, ECOLOGICAL, WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- Climate, Soil and Vegetation Characteristics of Rangelands -- The Value of Rangelands -- Degradation of Rangelands -- Collapse of Traditional Resources Management Systems and Institutions -- Land Tenure Confusion and Changes -- Competition between Pastoralism and Agriculture -- Development policies and their contribution to rangelands degradation -- Overgrazing by livestock -- Sedentarization and development projects -- Desertification in Africa -- CAUSES OF DESERTIFICATION IN AFRICA -- 1. Climate Change -- 2. Deforestation -- 3. Ecological and Socio-Cultural Cause of Desertification -- 4. Effects of Modernization and Urbanization -- Consequences of Desertification -- Conclusion -- CASE STUDY ON RANGELAND CHANGES IN EAST AFRICA -- INTRODUCTION -- Ecological Characteristics and Land Use Changes in the Amboseli Region Maasai Land -- Study Site -- Methods -- Field Based Range Condition Assessment -- RESULTS -- Community Perceptions on Range Condition Changes, Trends and Their Impacts -- Field Based Range Condition Assessment -- Study Site 1: Inkisanjani -- Study Site II: Elang'ata-Nkima -- DISCUSSION -- CONCLUSION -- Way Forward -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- APPENDIX 1. INDICATORS OF RANGE CONDITION CHANGES IN THE GROUP RANCHES AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS/MANIFESTATIONS AS DESCRIBED BY THE COMMUNITY ELDERS -- APPENDIX 2. TRENDS IN LOCAL LIVELIHOODS, THE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE GROUP RANCHES AS DESCRIBED BY THE COMMUNITY ELDERS -- Local livelihoods -- Environment & Natural Resources.

APPENDIX 4. INDICES USED TO CHARACTERIZE RANGE CONDITION AT ELANG'ATA-NKIMA IN KUKU GROUP RANCH -- APPENDIX 5. HERBACEOUS PLANT SPECIES OBSERVED AT INKISANJANI IN KUKU GROUP RANCH DURING THE STUDY -- APPENDIX 6. HERBACEOUS PLANT SPECIES OBSERVED AT ELANG'ATA-NKIMA IN KUKU GROUP RANCH DURING THE STUDY -- Chapter 2 CROWDED DESERTS: CO2 FERTILIZATION EFFECTS ON FOREST GROWTH -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- What Does It Mean "Desertification" -- The Scientists' Opinion -- Desertification Processes -- Urban Deserts -- Deforestation -- Afforestation1 -- Environment and Population -- Man and Nature -- Building Destruction -- Nature and Architecture -- New Trends in Architecture -- History -- The Modern History -- Forests as Living Resources -- Tourism Development -- Spaces Occupied by Tourism -- European Tourism and Coasts Protection: Cases Study -- Local Case Study: Comacchio -- Local Case Study 2: Fregene -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- WEB -- Chapter 3 SECONDARY SALINIZATION OF SOILS IN THE ARAL BASIN AS A FACTOR OF ANTHROPOGENIC DESERTIFICATION -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- Study Area -- DISCUSSION -- CONCLUSION -- ACKNOWLEDGMENT -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 4 DESERTS: MODERN STUDIES INFLUENCE INTERPRETATION OF ORIGINS AND DEMISE OF ANCIENT DESERTS -- ABSTRACT -- TEXT -- 1. Desert Definition -- 2. Intermittant from Phanerozoic to Present - Plate Tectonic Location -- 3. Global Atmospheric Control of Deserts -- 4. Ancient Deserts and Past Glacial/Interglacial Conditions -- GLACIAL/INTERGLACIAL CYCLES -- INTERMITTENT NATURE OF SAND TRANSPORT AND DEPOSITION -- THE NEAR FUTURE -- CONCLUSIONS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 5 MANAGEMENT OF SPANISH RANGELANDS (DEHESAS): AN EXAMPLE OF SUSTAINABLE USE -- ABSTRACT -- 1. INTRODUCTION: THE DEHESA AS AN AGRO-SILVO-PASTORAL SYSTEM.

2. DEHESA LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS: TECHNICAL, STRUCTURAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SYSTEMS OF PRODUCTION -- 2.1. Genetic Base -- 2.2. Breeding -- 2.3. Feed -- 2.4. Products Obtained -- 2.5. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Dehesa Systems -- 2.5.1. Strengths -- 2.5.2. Weaknesses -- 3. THE CAP AND DEHESA LIVESTOCK FARMS -- 3.1. The CAP Reform of 2003 -- 3.1.1. The reform in the beef sector -- 3.1.2. The reform in the sheep and goat sector -- 3.2. The CAP Reform of 2008 (CAP Health Check) -- 3.3. Influence of the CAP on Dehesa Livestock Farms -- 4. CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 6 DESERT RIPARIAN VEGETATION AND GROUNDWATER IN THE ARID REGION, NORTHWESTERN CHINA -- ABSTRACT -- STUDY AREA AND MONITORING -- Study Area -- Monitoring -- Ecological Water Delivery Project -- RESPONSE OF WATER TABLE TO THE WATER DELIVERY -- Transverse Orientation -- The Incidence of Groundwater in Transverse Orientation -- Lengthways Orientation -- RESPONSE OF VEGETATION TO THE CHANGE OF GROUNDWATER TABLE -- Relationship between Vegetation and Groundwater Depth before Water Delivery -- Response of Vegetation to the Water-Table Changes after the Water Deliveries -- Relationship between Species Diversity and Groundwater Status -- Effect of Groundwater Table Depth on Species Ecological Niche -- Indicating Appropriate Groundwater Depth -- ECOLOGICAL WATER REQUIREMENT ESTIMATION -- DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS -- Groundwater Table and EWDP -- Response of Vegetation to the Change of Groundwater Table -- Ecological Water Requirement -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 7 ESTIMATION OF SCALAR SURFACE FLUXES USING SURFACE RENEWAL ANALYSIS: OVERVIEW AND CASE STUDY OVER NATURAL GRASSLAND -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- 2. SURFACE RENEWAL ANALYSIS -- A Brief Description of the Beginning -- Estimation of Ramps Dimensions Using Structure Functions -- Principles for Flux Estimation.

3. THE PARAMETER α -- A Summary of the Beginning -- Estimating Parameter α -- 4. REMARKS ON FLUX ESTIMATION -- 5. SR FLUX ESTIMATES OVER RANGELAND -- 6. CASE OF STUDY OVER GRASSLAND -- The Site and Climate Features -- The Experimental Set-up and Data Processing -- Comparison Procedure -- Results -- 8. CONCLUSIONS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 8 ISOTOPIC METHODOLOGIES: A VALUABLE TOOL TO STUDY STREAM WATER-GROUNDWATER INTERACTIONS -- ABSTRACT -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- 2. GROUNDWATER AND STREAMS: THE RIVERINE SYSTEMS -- 3. ENVIRONMENTAL TRACERS: STATE OF THE ART OF THE RESEARCH ON STREAM-AQUIFER INTERACTIONS -- 3.1. Stable isotopes -- 3.2. Chemical tracers -- 3.3. Radioactive tracers -- CONCLUSION -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 9 STATUS OF ISOTOPE LIMNOLOGY-INDIAN CONTEXT -- ABSTRACT -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- 2. CASE STUDIES -- 2.1. Lakes of Northern India -- 2.1.1. Nainital Lake, Uttarakhand State -- 2.1.1.1. Hydrological water balance -- 2.1.1.2. Sedimentation rate and pattern -- 2.1.2. Other lakes in northern and central India -- 2.2. Largest Freshwater Lake in Kerala State, Southern India -- 2.2.1. Hydrodynamics and interaction with groundwater -- 2.2.2. Sedimentation rate and pattern -- 2.3. Freshwater and Saline Lakes in Rajasthan State, Western India -- 2.3.1. Freshwater reservoirs near jhamarkotra rock phosphate mine -- 2.3.2. Saline lakes -- 2.4. Freshwater Lakes of Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica -- 3. CONCLUSIONS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 10 FROM MOUNTAIN ANTHROPOLOGY TO MONTOLOGY? AN OVERVIEW OF THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACH TO MOUNTAIN STUDIES -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- BACKGROUND: FROM MOUNTAIN ANTHROPOLOGY TO MONTOLOGY? -- The Early Comparative Cultural Ecology Approach -- Toward Montology? -- MOUNTAIN ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN AND OZARK HIGHLANDS.

The Southern Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina -- The Historical Connection between Southern Appalachia and the Ozarks -- The Arkansas Ozark Highlands -- Appalachian Studies -- Theoretical Developments within the Discipline of Appalachian Studies -- Ozark Studies? -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 11 ON FLOW DURING CRYSTALLIZATION -- ABSTRACT -- 1. INTRODUCTION AND RELEVANT LITERATURE -- 2. TWO-LAYER MODEL -- 3. SINGLE-LAYER MODEL -- 4. SOME REMARKS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 12 SOIL MICROFUNGI OF THE NEGEV DESERT, ISRAEL - ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES TO CLIMATIC STRESS -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- SITE DESCRIPTION AND SAMPLING DESIGN -- Edaphic Characteristics -- STRUCTURE OF MYCOBIOTA -- Species Composition -- Adaptive Microfungal Complexes -- ISOLATE DENSITY AS A QUANTITATIVE CHARACTERISTIC OF MICROFUNGAL COMMUNITIES -- ADAPTIVE VARIATION OF DIVERSITY CHARACTERISTICS OVER SPACE AND TIME -- CONCLUSION -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 13 ARID RANGELAND DEGRADATION IN AN OIL-RICH GULF STATE -- INERTIA OF PERCEIVED HERITAGE AND PRO-AGRICULTURAL POLICIES -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- SITE DESCRIPTION AND METHODS -- THREATS TO DDCR ECOLOGY -- Groundwater Depletion -- Habitat Fragmentation -- Exotic Species Invasion -- HISTORICAL GRAZING PATTERNS -- Before Unification -- After Unification -- Current -- CONSEQUENCES OF OVERGRAZING -- Botanical Consequences -- Zoological Consequences -- Livestock Consequences -- CAUSES OF OVERSTOCKING -- Agricultural Policy and Laws -- Resource Ownership -- Environmental Awareness -- Heritage -- POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS -- CONCLUSIONS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- LITERATURE CITED -- Chapter 14 APPLICATIONS OF SURFICIAL GEOELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY TECHNIQUE IN HYDROGEOLOGY DOMAIN FOR CHARACTERIZING SALINE GROUNDWATER IN SEMI-ARID REGIONS -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- GEOLOGY AND GROUNDWATER.

GEOELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY SURVEYS.