Martin Beniston
Home to large numbers of people, sources of water, centres of tourism, and sensitive ecological zones, mountain environments share distinctive climactic characteristics. Once regarded as economically non-viable regions, mountains now attract major investment as sites of tourism, hydro-power and communication routes. This book brings together some of the current work on the physical and human ecology of mountain environments, the impacts of climate change, the processes involved and their observation and prediction.
Part I: Climate Change in Mountain Regions: Fundamental Processes in Historical and Contemporary Observations, Modelling Techniques Part II: Impacts of Climate Change on Vegetation: Observations, Modelling, Networks Part III: Socio-economic Aspects of Climate Change in Mountain Regions Part IV: Conclusion
I: Climate Change in Mountain Regions; 1: Past and Potential Future Changes in Mountain Environments; 2: The Alps under Local, Regional and Global Pressure; 3: Using Multiple High-Resolution Proxy Climate Records to Reconstruct Natural Climate Variability; 4: Climate in Europe During the Late Maunder Minimum Period (1675–1715); 5: Accelerated Glacier and Permafrost Changes in the Alps; 6: Monitoring Snow Cover Variations in the Alps Using the Alpine Snow Cover Analysis System (ASCAS); 7: Effects of Mesoscale Vegetation Distributions in Mountainous Terrain on Local Climate; 8: Climate Scenarios for Mountain Regions; II: Impacts of Climate Change on Vegetation; 9: Impact of Atmospheric Changes on High Mountain Vegetation; 10: Long-Term Vegetation Change in Mountain Environments; 11: Latitudinal Variation in the Potential Response of Mountain Ecosystems to Climatic Change; 12: Comparing the Behaviour of Mountainous Forest Succession Models in a Changing Climate; 13: Ecological Aspects of Climatically-Caused Timberline Fluctuations; 14: Recent Changes in the Growth and Establishment of Subalpine Conifers in Western North America; 15: Dynamics and Functioning of Rhododendron Ferrugineum Subalpine Heathlands (Northern Alps, France); 16: A Dendrochemical Perspective on the Effects of Climate Change in the Ozark Highlands; 17: Phenology as a Tool in Topoclimatology; 18: Design of an Intensive Monitoring System for Swiss Forests; III: Socio-Economic Aspects of Climate Change in Mountain Regions; 19: Climate Risk Concern in an Alpine Community; 20: Environmental Perception, Climate Change, and Tourism; 21: Climate Change and Winter Tourism; 22: Localizing the Threats of Climate Change in Mountain Environments; 23: Sensitivity of Mountain Runoff and Hydro-Electricity to Changing Climate; 24: Mountain Environments and Climate Change in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas; 25: Evaluating the Effects of Climatic Change on Marginal Agriculture in Upland Areas; 26: Toward a Global Network of Mountain Protected Areas; IV: Conclusion; 27: Should Mountain Communities Be Concerned about Climate Change?
Mountains - once seen as hostile and economically non-viable - are now attracting major investment. This examines them as sites of tourism, hydro-power and routes of communication, but also considers the physical impacts of climatic change.
`It is the stimulating discussion of issues, such as that makes this book highly readable. The standard of production is excellent, the maps and diagrams are clear and informative, and each chapter is well referenced. The book can be recommended not only to those interested in mountains but also to anyone concerned with environmental issues in general.' - Geoscientist
Über den Autor
Martin Beniston
Inhaltsverzeichnis
I: Climate Change in Mountain Regions; 1: Past and Potential Future Changes in Mountain Environments; 2: The Alps under Local, Regional and Global Pressure; 3: Using Multiple High-Resolution Proxy Climate Records to Reconstruct Natural Climate Variability; 4: Climate in Europe During the Late Maunder Minimum Period (1675-1715); 5: Accelerated Glacier and Permafrost Changes in the Alps; 6: Monitoring Snow Cover Variations in the Alps Using the Alpine Snow Cover Analysis System (ASCAS); 7: Effects of Mesoscale Vegetation Distributions in Mountainous Terrain on Local Climate; 8: Climate Scenarios for Mountain Regions; II: Impacts of Climate Change on Vegetation; 9: Impact of Atmospheric Changes on High Mountain Vegetation; 10: Long-Term Vegetation Change in Mountain Environments; 11: Latitudinal Variation in the Potential Response of Mountain Ecosystems to Climatic Change; 12: Comparing the Behaviour of Mountainous Forest Succession Models in a Changing Climate; 13: Ecological Aspects of Climatically-Caused Timberline Fluctuations; 14: Recent Changes in the Growth and Establishment of Subalpine Conifers in Western North America; 15: Dynamics and Functioning of Rhododendron Ferrugineum Subalpine Heathlands (Northern Alps, France); 16: A Dendrochemical Perspective on the Effects of Climate Change in the Ozark Highlands; 17: Phenology as a Tool in Topoclimatology; 18: Design of an Intensive Monitoring System for Swiss Forests; III: Socio-Economic Aspects of Climate Change in Mountain Regions; 19: Climate Risk Concern in an Alpine Community; 20: Environmental Perception, Climate Change, and Tourism; 21: Climate Change and Winter Tourism; 22: Localizing the Threats of Climate Change in Mountain Environments; 23: Sensitivity of Mountain Runoff and Hydro-Electricity to Changing Climate; 24: Mountain Environments and Climate Change in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas; 25: Evaluating the Effects of Climatic Change on Marginal Agriculture in Upland Areas; 26: Toward a Global Network of Mountain Protected Areas; IV: Conclusion; 27: Should Mountain Communities Be Concerned about Climate Change?
Klappentext
Mountain environments, once thought hostile, now attract major economic investments for tourism, hydro-power and communication routes. As change and technology works its way around the world, the fight between ecology and dollars will doubtless escalate.
"Mountain Environments in Changing Climates" collects the best international work being done on mountainous regions. The book examines the impact of global warming, the socio-economic environment of mountains, and the observation and prediction of mountain processes and phenomena.
The scope of the work and the contributors cover a diverse range of international scientists. "Mountain Environments" takes an interdisciplinary approach to a fascinating subject, and will be a resource for those in the field for years to come. after for tourism,
