The Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert
Ecosystem Processes and Sustainability
Contributors: Robert H. Webb (editor), Lynn F. Fenstermaker (editor), Jill S. Heaton (editor), Debra L. Hughson (editor), Eric V. McDonald (editor), David M. Miller (editor)
Format: Hardback, 235 x 156 x 38mm , 528 pp, 45 b/w photographs, 15 colour photographs, 97 line art illustrations, 31 maps
Publication date: 15 Jun 2009
Publisher: University of Nevada Press
ISBN-10: 0874177766
EAN: 9780874177763
This title presents new research on the Mojave Desert. In "The Mojave Desert", thirty-eight scientists who are all specialists in desert ecology address the threats to the Mojave, as well as the potential for natural recovery and active restoration. The contributing authors discuss the desert from several perspectives: regional threats such as expanding human populations, climate change, atmospheric nitrogen deposition, and invasive plants; the impact of roads in a desert ecosystem; soils and plant communities; shrinking aquifers; and the monitoring and sustainability of this fragile ecosystem. Finally, they discuss the importance of long-term data and the ways scientists and resource managers can interact to enhance understanding of the processes of change in the Mojave Desert and to advance the preservation and restoration of its precious resources. "The Mojave Desert" offers the fruits of extensive research in a number of disciplines and a sound assessment of the current state and possible future of one of the world's major deserts. As human intrusion and climate change increasingly threaten the Mojave's ecosystem, studies like this are essential in helping scientists, land managers, and the general public understand what is at risk and what can be done to preserve this austere and hauntingly beautiful region.
Reviews:
"This book will be a 'must have' for any scientist, student, or land manager working in the Mojave Desert region." - Walter G. Whitford, Senior Research Ecologist Emeritus, New Mexico University"
Author Biography:
Robert H. Webb is a research hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and teaches at the University of Arizona. Lynn F. Fenstermaker is a remote-sensing research professor at the Desert Research Institute in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jill S. Heaton is an assistant professor of geography at the University of Nevada, Reno. Debra L. Hughson is a science advisor for the Mojave National Preserve of the National Park Service. Eric V. McDonald is a research professor with the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada. David M. Miller is a research geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California.