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Moral Responsibility and Risk in Society: Examples from Emerging Technologies, Public Health and Environment (Earthscan Risk in Society)
by Jessica Nihlén FahlquistRisks, including health and technological, attract a lot of attention in modern societies, from individuals as well as policy-makers. Human beings have always had to deal with dangers, but contemporary societies conceptualise these dangers as risks, indicating that they are to some extent controllable and calculable. Conceiving of dangers in this way implies a need to analyse how we hold people responsible for risks and how we can and should take responsibility for risks. Moral Responsibility and Risk in Society combines philosophical discussion of different concepts and notions of responsibility with context-specific applications in the areas of health, technology and environment. The book consists of two parts addressing two crucial aspects of risks and responsibility: holding agents responsible, i.e. ascribing and distributing responsibility for risks, and taking responsibility for risk. More specifically, the book discusses the values of fairness and efficacy in responsibility distributions and makes distinctions between backward-looking and forward-looking responsibility as well as individual and collective responsibility. Additionally, it analyses what it means to take responsibility for technological risks, conceptualising this kind of responsibility as a virtue, and furthermore, explores the notion of responsible risk communication and the implications for adult-child relationships. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental ethics, bioethics, public health ethics, engineering ethics, philosophy of risk and moral philosophy.
The Moralisation of Tourism: Sun, Sand... and Saving the World? (Contemporary Geographies of Leisure, Tourism and Mobility)
by Jim ButcherTourism is no longer an innocent pleasure. It has been interpreted and reinterpreted as an activity which is ultimately damaging to receiving cultures and the environment. 'New' forms of tourism, such as ecotourism, alternative tourism, community tourism and ethical tourism, have been presented as morally superior alternatives to the package holiday, yet ironically, even advocates of these new, ethical tourism brands are increasingly subject to criticisms, not dissimilar to those they themselves level against package holidays. Using a host of international examples from the industry, the media and non-governmental organisations, this intriguing book examines what the advocates of 'new tourism' see as being wrong with mass tourism, looks critically at the claims made for the new alternatives and makes a case for guilt-free holidays. The only book on the market to provide a sustained critique of conventional mass tourism’s own critics, Butcher offers a counterpoint to the moral rhetoric steadily turning travellers into guilty tourists.
Moralizing The Environment: Countryside change, farming and pollution
by Philip Lowe Judy Clark Susanne Seymour Neil WardFirst published in 1997. There was a time when pollution was equated with the urban and the industrial. But things have changed. What were previously mutually exclusive categories of "agriculture" and "pollution" have been brought together in a new, morally charged atmosphere. Moralizing the environment is a study of how this shift came about. It examines the emergence of the farm pollution problem in Britain in the 1980s. It draws upon a study of the regulation of farm wastes - cattle slurry, silage effluent and the dirty water from farmyards - conducted between 1989 and 1995. Detailed surveys and ethnographic fieldwork were carried out in the south-west of England among dairy farmers, pollution inspectors, agricultural advisers and environmentalists. In trying to get to grips with farm pollution they were pursuing different notions not only of sound agricultural practice but also of nature, morality and the law. What ultimately was at stake was who could be trusted to safeguard the countryside.
More: Population, Nature and What Women Want
by Robert EngelmanIn the capital of Ghana, a teenager nicknamed "Condom Sister" trolls the streets to educate other young people about contraception. Her work and her own aspirations point to a remarkable shift not only in the West African nation, where just a few decades ago women had nearly seven children on average, but around the globe. While world population continues to grow, family size keeps dropping in countries as diverse as Switzerland and South Africa. The phenomenon has some lamenting the imminent extinction of humanity, while others warn that our numbers will soon outgrow the planet's resources. Robert Engelman offers a decidedly different vision--one that celebrates womens' widespread desire for smaller families. Mothers aren't seeking more children, he argues, but more for their children. If they're able to realize their intentions, we just might suffer less climate change, hunger, and disease, not to mention sky-high housing costs and infuriating traffic jams. In More, Engelman shows that this three-way dance between population, womens' autonomy, and the natural world is as old as humanity itself. He traces pivotal developments in our history that set population--and society--on its current trajectory, from hominids' first steps on two feet to the persecution of 'witches' in Europe to the creation of modern contraception. Both personal and sweeping, More explores how population growth has shaped modern civilization --and humanity as we know it. The result is a mind-stretching exploration of parenthood, sex, and culture through the ages. Yet for all its fascinating historical detail, More is primarily about the choices we face today. Whether society supports women to have children when and only when they choose to will not only shape their lives, but the world all our children will inherit.
More: A New Collection of Fiendish Problems and Surprising Solutions (Problem Books in Mathematics)
by Cornel Ioan VăleanThis book, the much-anticipated sequel to (Almost) Impossible, Integrals, Sums, and Series, presents a whole new collection of challenging problems and solutions that are not commonly found in classical textbooks. As in the author’s previous book, these fascinating mathematical problems are shown in new and engaging ways, and illustrate the connections between integrals, sums, and series, many of which involve zeta functions, harmonic series, polylogarithms, and various other special functions and constants. Throughout the book, the reader will find both classical and new problems, with numerous original problems and solutions coming from the personal research of the author. Classical problems are shown in a fresh light, with new, surprising or unconventional ways of obtaining the desired results devised by the author. This book is accessible to readers with a good knowledge of calculus, from undergraduate students to researchers. It will appeal to all mathematical puzzlers who love a good integral or series and aren’t afraid of a challenge.
More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War (Chicka Chicka Book)
by Kenneth C. DavisA Washington Post Best Children’s Book of the Month, More Deadly Than War from New York Times bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis explores the hidden history of the Spanish influenza pandemic during World War I.2018 marked the 100th anniversary of the worst disease outbreak in modern times: the Spanish flu, a story even more relevant today. This dramatic narrative, told through the stories and voices of the people caught in the deadly maelstrom, explores how this vast, global epidemic was intertwined with the horrors of World War I—and how it could happen again. Complete with photographs, period documents, modern research, and firsthand reports by medical professionals and survivors, More Deadly Than War provides captivating insight into a catastrophe that transformed America in the early twentieth century.A Junior Library Guild Selection!“An important history—and an important reminder that we could very well face such a threat again.”—Deborah Blum, New York Times bestselling author of The Poison Guide: One Chemist’s Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century“In an age of Ebola and Zika, this vivid account is a cautionary tale that will have you rushing to wash your hands for protection.”—Karen Blumenthal, award-winning author of Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights
More From Less: The surprising story of how we learned to prosper using fewer resources – and what happens next
by Andrew McAfeeBestselling author and co-director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy Andrew McAfee says there’s a new reason for optimism: we’re past the point of 'peak stuff' - from here on out, it’ll take fewer resources to make things, and cost less to lead a comfortable life. This turn of events invalidates the predictions of overpopulation alarmists and those who argue we need to drastically reduce our conception of how much is enough. What has made this turnabout possible? One thing primarily: the collaboration between technology and capitalism. Capitalism’s quest for higher profits is a quest for lower costs; materials and resources are expensive, and technological progress allows companies to use fewer of them even as they grow their markets. Modern smartphones take the place of cameras, GPS units, landline telephones, answering machines, tape recorders and alarm clocks. Precision agriculture lets farmers harvest larger crops while using less water and fertiliser. Passenger cars get lighter, which makes them cheaper to produce and more fuel-efficient. This means that, even though there’ll be more people in the future, and they’ll be wealthier and consume more, they’ll do so while using fewer natural resources. For the first time ever, and for all time to come, humans will live more prosperous lives while treading more lightly on the Earth. The future is not all bright, cautions McAfee. He warns of issues that still haven’t been fully solved. (For example, our oceans are still vulnerable to overfishing; global warming is still running largely unchecked; and even as 'dematerialisation' - the reduced need for raw materials - improves our global situation, power and resources are getting more concentrated. That creates an even larger division between the haves and the have nots.)More From Less is a revelatory, paradigm-shifting account of how we’ve stumbled into an unexpected balance with nature, and the possibility that our most abundant centuries are ahead of us.
More from Less: The Surprising Story of How We Learned to Prosper Using Fewer Resources—and What Happens Next
by Andrew McAfeeFrom the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller The Second Machine Age, a compelling argument—masterfully researched and brilliantly articulated—that we have at last learned how to increase human prosperity while treading more lightly on our planet. Throughout history, the only way for humanity to grow was by degrading the Earth: chopping down forests, fouling the air and water, and endlessly digging out resources. Since the first Earth Day in 1970, the reigning argument has been that taking better care of the planet means radically changing course: reducing our consumption, tightening our belts, learning to share and reuse, restraining growth. Is that argument correct? Absolutely not. In More from Less, McAfee argues that to solve our ecological problems we don’t need to make radical changes. Instead, we need to do more of what we’re already doing: growing technologically sophisticated market-based economies around the world. How can he possibly make this claim? Because of the evidence. America—a large, high-tech country that accounts for about 25% of the global economy—is now generally using less of most resources year after year, even as its economy and population continue to grow. What’s more, the US is polluting the air and water less, emitting fewer greenhouse gases, and replenishing endangered animal populations. And, as McAfee shows, America is not alone. Other countries are also transforming themselves in fundamental ways. What has made this turnabout possible? One thing, primarily: the collaboration between technology and capitalism, although good governance and public awareness have also been critical. McAfee does warn of issues that haven’t been solved, like global warming, overfishing, and communities left behind as capitalism and tech progress race forward. But overall, More from Less is a revelatory, paradigm-shifting account of how we’ve stumbled into an unexpectedly better balance with nature—one that holds out the promise of more abundant and greener centuries ahead.
More Good News
by David Suzuki Holly DresselIn this edition of their bestseller, the sequel to the best-selling Good News for a Change, authors David Suzuki and Holly Dressel provide the latest inspiring stories about individuals, groups, and businesses that are making real change in the world. More Good News features the most up-to-date information about critical subjects, such as energy and the economy, not covered in the previous edition. These stories offer compelling proof from the front lines that sustainable solutions already exist.
More Heat than Life: The Tangled Roots of Ecology, Energy, and Economics
by Jeremy WalkerThis book traces the interacting histories of the disciplines of ecology and economics, from their common origin in the ancient Greek concept of oikonomia, through their distinct encounters with energy physics, to the current obstruction of neoliberal economics to responses to the ecological and climate crisis of the so-called Anthropocene. Reconstructing their constitution as separate sciences in the era of fossil-fuelled industrial capitalism, the book offers an explanation of how the ecological sciences have moved from a position of critical collision with mainstream economics in the 1970s, to one of collusion with the project of permanent growth, in and through the thermal crisis of the biosphere.
More Plants Less Waste: Plant-based Recipes + Zero Waste Life Hacks with Purpose
by Max La MannaDELICIOUS PLANT-BASED RECIPES TO WASTE LESS FOOD!Max La Manna, low waste chef and climate activist, bridges the gap between vegan food and waste-free cooking - inviting us to channel the MORE PLANTS LESS WASTE mindset and discover a stronger purpose in the kitchen and in our daily routines. --Through his viral recipe videos and work with BBC Earth and beyond, Max has inspired hundreds of thousands of people across the world to rethink their approach to food consumption and made it his mission to breathe new life into our leftovers that are typically destined for the bin. In his first cookbook he shares 80 of his tastiest, healthy recipes that are bursting with flavour, will help you save money, food and ensure you eat well - from Sumptuous Spag Bol and Vegan Shepherd's Pie to Pumpkin Pasta, Crunchy Cauliflower Curry or Leftover Veggie Nachos in a Hurry.. MORE PLANTS->LESS WASTE INCLUDES: - simple, accessible ingredients that celebrate the power of vegetables and wholefoods at their best- breakfasts, lunches, dinners, soups, stews and salads - plus sweet treats- all-natural home hacks from DIY deodorant to Citrus Bomb House Cleanser - the life tools you need to add value to what you already own and set you on the path to living more sustainably - a 21-day zero waste challenge
More Plants Less Waste: Plant-based Recipes + Zero Waste Life Hacks with Purpose
by Max La MannaMax La Manna, zero waste chef and sustainability advocate, bridges the gap between vegan food and waste-free cooking - inviting us to channel the MORE PLANTS LESS WASTE mindset and discover a stronger purpose in our daily routines. --Max has inspired thousands of people across the world to rethink their approach to consumption and made it his mission to turn the tide on plastic and breathe new energy into the leftovers that are typically destined for the bin. In his first cookbook he will share 80 of his tasty, healthy recipes that will have your taste buds watering, help you save money, food and eat well from Sumptuous Spag Bol and Crunchy Cauliflower Curry to Leftover Veggie Nachos in a Hurry.. MORE PLANTS->LESS WASTE INCLUDES: - simple, accessible ingredients that celebrate the power of plants and wholefoods at their best- all-natural home hacks from DIY deodorant to Citrus Bomb House Cleanser - the life tools you need to add value to what you already own and set you on the path to living more sustainably - a 21-day zero waste challenge--With a little more thought we can all make small changes that will have a BIG, positive impact on the health of our planet. --
More Precious than Gold
by Tracy Vonder BrinkAluminum was once more valuable than gold. A breakthrough in refining aluminum from rock transformed it from rare matter to sandwich wrapper. In this science story, you'll learn how two chemists, Charles Hall and Paul Héroult, solved the problem.
More Straw Bale Building
by Peter Mack Chris MagwoodStraw bale houses are easy to build, affordable, super energy efficient, environmentally friendly, attractive, and can be designed to match the builder's personal space needs, esthetics and budget. Despite mushrooming interest in the technique, however, most straw bale books focus on "selling" the dream of straw bale building, but don't adequately address the most critical issues faced by bale house builders. Moreover, since many developments in this field are recent, few books are completely up to date with the latest techniques.More Straw Bale Building is designed to fill this gap. A completely rewritten edition of the 20,000-copy best--selling original, it leads the potential builder through the entire process of building a bale structure, tackling all the practical issues: finding and choosing bales; developing sound building plans; roofing; electrical, plumbing, and heating systems; building code compliance; and special concerns for builders in northern climates. New material includes:more extensive sections on electric wiring and plumbingupdated sections on bale finishes and finishinga section on prefabricated straw bale wallsa wider selection of case studies, photographs and illustrationsa section on common mistakesbudgeting for low-, medium- and high-cost projects, and new testing data that is in no other straw bale book.Down-to earth and complete, More Straw Bale Building makes the remarkable benefits of straw bale building available in the most comprehensive and practical book on the subject to date.Chris Magwood and Peter Mack are professional straw bale house builders and consultants who have constructed over 40 straw bale structures and have taught workshops and seminars in several countries. Chris is editor of The Last Straw Journal, an international quarterly devoted to straw-bale building, and the coauthor of Straw Bale Details: A Manual for Designers and Builders (New Society Publishers, 2003).
More-than-Human (ISSN)
by Jamie Lorimer Timothy HodgettsThis text offers the first book-length introduction to more-than-human geography, exploring its key ideas, main debates, and future prospects.An opening chapter traces the origins and emergence of this field of enquiry and positions more-than-human geography as a response to a set of intellectual and political crises in Western thought and politics. It identifies key literatures and thinkers and reflects on the varying usages and meanings of the idea of the more-than-human. Three subsequent sections explore cross-cutting themes that draw together the disparate strands of more-than-human geography: examining new materialisms developed in the field, analysing knowledge practices and methodologies, and finally reflecting on the political and ethical implications of a more-than-human approach. A final chapter examines the tensions between this approach and cognate work in environmental geography to review the strengths and the limitations of more-than-human geographies, and to speculate as to their near future development.Introducing the key idea of more-than-human geography, this book will be an important resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students of human geography, environmental geography, cultural and social geography, and political geography.
More-Than-Human Design in Practice
by Anton Poikolainen Rosén Antti Salovaara Andrea Botero Juul Søndergaard, Marie LouiseThis book provides an overview of the diverse multidisciplinary field of more-than-human design, offering a philosophical grounding of more-than-human design in posthumanism while putting practical design examples and methods to the forefront.There is an urgent need to radically re-imagine design, as its current processes are contributing to global warming, pollution, deforestation, ocean acidification, ozone layer depletion, loss of biodiversity and species extinction. Given this need, ‘more-than-human design’ has emerged as a perspective that widens our thinking beyond solely human-oriented considerations and needs, such as animals, plants and microbes. The book explores the relationship between sustainability and design, touching on topics such as AI, systems thinking, futures studies and pedagogy, and discusses a range of case study projects that are grounded in more-than-human thinking, demonstrating how this can be incorporated into practice.This easily accessible and theoretically grounded book will provide design researchers and educators an excellent introduction to more-than-human thinking. It will also be of interest to students and scholars studying design more broadly, sustainability, environmental studies and service design, as well as to practicing designers interested in sustainability.Chapters Introduction, 7, 10 and 15 of this book are freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.
More-Than-Human Diasporas: Topologies of Empire, Settler Colonialism, Slavery
by Joseph PugliesePugliese’s More‑Than‑Human Diasporas breaks the confines of existing scholarship in its vision of the way that more‑than‑human diasporic entities—such as water, trees, clay, stone and architectural styles—have functioned as agents within the context of empire, settler colonialism and a largely effaced history of Mediterranean enslavement, a history that pre‑existed and then coincided with the Atlantic slave trade. This book traces, for example, the diasporic travels of the eucalyptus from Indigenous Country to Joseph Banks’ botanical collection in London and then onto a grand English‑style garden in Southern Italy which was built on the historically effaced labour of enslaved people.By deploying techniques of historical recovery, this book brings to light otherwise buried histories, thereby demonstrating the pivotal role of Mediterranean enslavement in the shaping of Italian society and culture. This book develops a topological understanding of cultural history to account for the complex spatio‑temporal effects that connect seemingly disparate times, spaces and more‑than‑human entities within networks of relationality. In this innovative scholarly work, more‑than‑human diasporic entities function as conceptual keys to histories which would otherwise remain hidden, thereby revealing desubjugated knowledges which reconfigure anthropocentric histories and further the process of decolonisation.This book will be of interest to readers interested in transnational and local histories of empire, settler colonialism and slavery.
More than the Soil: Rural Change in SE Asia
by Jonathan RiggMore than the Soil focuses on the social, cultural, economic and technological processes that have transformed rural areas of Southeast Asia. The underlying premise is that rural lives and livelihoods in this region have undergone fundamental change. No longer can we assume that rural livelihoods are founded on agriculture; nor can we assume that people envisage their futures in terms of farming. The inter-penetration of the rural and urban, and the degree to which rural people migrate between rural and urban areas, and shift from agriculture to non-agriculture, raises fundamental questions about how we conceptualise the rural Southeast Asia and the households to be found there.
More Tinkering: How Kids in the Tropics Learn by Making Stuff
by Curt GabrielsonTinkering is a way of learning through hands-on activity -- experimenting with materials and devices to see how they work, taking things apart, making small changes and improvements, exploring and inventing. Tinkering may seem like a form of play -- and it is -- but it is also a powerful way of discovering truths about science, engineering, and math. With this book, Curt Gabrielson follows up on his best-seller Tinkering: Kids Learn by Making Stuff with this all-new volume that features more than three dozen fun and educational tinkering projects based on his years of working with kids in the tropical island nation of Timor-Leste. Step-by-step instructions accompanied by full-color photos take you through a range of enjoyable projects that explore life sciences, physics, chemistry, earth sciences, and mathematics. You'll discover how math is used to make baskets, how fungi create fermentation, how electricity can make a magnet, how the greenhouse effect creates warming, and much more. The author also enlivens his latest batch of tinkering projects with colorful tales of his experiences in the tropic and the lives of the people he' s met there.Inside you'll find:Clear directions for making simple projects and doing activities that teach science, mathematics and engineeringProjects rooted in day to day life and experience in a small, developing nation in the Asian tropicsFull-color photographs throughoutExplicit connections to standard STEAM concepts, K-12Activities doable with less than $5 worth of common materialsThis book is perfect for parents, teachers, and students with an interest in hands-on, tinkering-based science and mathematics education, whether in traditional schools or in home-schooling situations. It will also be of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about developing nations, the culture and unique history of Timor-Leste, tropical nations or Asian cultures, with specific links to Indonesia, Portugal, or Australia.
Morning in Lucas Creek Marsh
by Susan Yoder AckermanThomas, Madeline, and their mother go on a walk through a Virginia tidewater marsh, spotting all kinds of wildlife along the way.
The Moroccan Argan Trade: Producer Networks and Human Bio-Geographies (Earthscan Studies in Natural Resource Management)
by Daniel F. RobinsonThis book provides one of the most detailed and comprehensive examinations of the Moroccan argan tree, the products derived from it and its cultural significance. The Moroccan argan trade is booming, but as the tree provides important ecological functions and plays an important role, both financially and culturally, for the Amazigh (Berber) people it has become a key topic of debate. This book thoroughly examines the production stories, benefits and impacts and provides a value-chain analysis which compares different cooperatives and approaches to production. It assesses the fair-trade approaches and attempts at sustainable production of the bio-trade resource. While being a vital source of income, the argan tree has a significant cultural importance to the Indigenous people and the book assesses the impact of the argan trade on their well-being, community and livelihoods. It examines Indigenous knowledge and intellectual property issues relating to the trade, as well as Berber-state law and politics. Assessing factors relating to legal and economic geography international trade, socio-cultural and human-nature relationships, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of the argan tree which will appeal to students, scholars and practitioners.
Morocco: Globalization and Its Consequences (Global Realities #Vol. 6)
by Shana Cohen Larabi JaidiCohen and Jaidi trace the development of contemporary Morocco in the Islamic world of North Africa, which is currently at the forefront of the clash between Western-style development and the politicized Islam that now pervades the Arab world. By applying globalization theory to detailed accounts of everyday life in an Arab society, the book is uniquely suited to students. Morocco in particular is a good place to look at this extremely important confrontation. It is among the most liberalized Islamic states, yet it is also in the midst of a revival of politicized Islam, which has its own globalizing agenda. The authors detail how this clash pervades Moroccan culture and society, and what it can tell us about the effects of globalization on the Arab world. Morocco is extremely close to the West in terms of physical proximity, and it is a favoured spot for Western tourists. Yet its closest neighbours in social terms are Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia, all of which have directly experienced the effects of politicized Islam in the last quarter century.
Morphisms for Quantitative Spatial Analysis (Advanced Studies In Theoretical And Applied Econometrics Ser. #51)
by Daniel A. Griffith Jean H. PaelinckThis book treats the notion of morphisms in spatial analysis, paralleling these concepts in spatial statistics (Part I) and spatial econometrics (Part II). The principal concept is morphism (e.g., isomorphisms, homomorphisms, and allomorphisms), which is defined as a structure preserving the functional linkage between mathematical properties or operations in spatial statistics and spatial econometrics, among other disciplines. The purpose of this book is to present selected conceptions in both domains that are structurally the same, even though their labelling and the notation for their elements may differ. As the approaches presented here are applied to empirical materials in geography and economics, the book will also be of interest to scholars of regional science, quantitative geography and the geospatial sciences. It is a follow-up to the book “Non-standard Spatial Statistics and Spatial Econometrics” by the same authors, which was published by Springer in 2011.
Morphodynamics of Mediterranean Mixed Sand and Gravel Coasts
by Miguel Ortega-Sánchez Rafael J. Bergillos Alejandro López-Ruiz Miguel A. LosadaThis book describes recent advances in the morphodynamics of mixed sand and gravel Mediterranean coasts, and provides updates and new methods for their study and management. It assesses how the differences in the geomorphic setting, in comparison with traditional sandy beaches, result in distinctive physical processes governing the dynamics of these coasts. Further, on the basis of field measurements, theoretical analysis and numerical modeling carried out at two study sites in southern Spain over the last 15 years, the book studies, analyzes and compares these physical processes and mechanisms. It also shows that the narrow and complex bathymetries and inner shelves modify the wave propagation patterns and hence, the longshore sediment transport gradients along the coast. Given the correlation between the changes in these gradients and the shoreline evolution over time, it identifies the complexity of the inner shelf bathymetries as the main driver of coastal changes and describes these processes in detail using, in the plan view, the inter-annual evolution of unaltered and "altered by human" beaches. Lastly, the book details how the generation and subsequent overlapping of berms across the beach profile are responsible for the sediment variability at depth and cross-shore, and concludes that the total run-up (including the water-level) is a more influential variable than wave height in the erosional/depositional response of these beaches.
Morphological Modeling of Terrains and Volume Data
by Lidija Čomić Leila De Floriani Paola Magillo Federico IuricichThis book describes the mathematical background behind discrete approaches to morphological analysis of scalar fields, with a focus on Morse theory and on the discrete theories due to Banchoff and Forman. The algorithms and data structures presented are used for terrain modeling and analysis, molecular shape analysis, and for analysis or visualization of sensor and simulation 3D data sets. It covers a variety of application domains including geography, geology, environmental sciences, medicine and biology. The authors classify the different approaches to morphological analysis which are all based on the construction of Morse or Morse-Smale decompositions. They describe algorithms for computing such decompositions for both 2D and 3D scalar fields, including those based on the discrete watershed transform. Also addressed are recent developments in the research on morphological shape analysis, such as simplification operators for Morse and Morse-Smale complexes and their multi-resolution representation. Designed for professionals and researchers involved with modeling and algorithm analysis, Morphological Modeling of Terrains and Volume Data is a valuable resource. Advanced-level students of computer science, mathematics and geography will also find the content very helpful.