Originally published in 1974, Arctic and Alpine Environments examines, the relatively simple ecosystems of arctic and alpine lands that still occupy extensive areas little disturbed by modern technology. The book argues that there is a necessity for carefully controlled development of the resources of these regions and suggests that there is a risk of irreversible disturbance without full understanding of these regions. This book provides a detailed documentation of cold-stressed arctic and alpine terrestrial environments and systematically deals with the present and past physical environment climate, hydrology and glaciology; biota treeline, vegetation, vertebrate zoology, and historical biogeography; abiotic processes geomorphological and pedological and the role of man bioclimatology, archaeology and technological impact, including radioecology. The book will appeal to academics and students of environmental and biological science, as well as providing a significant source for conservationists, government agencies and industrial organizations.
List of Plates Acknowledgements Preface
1. Introduction Part I: Present
Environments
2. Climate 2a. Arctic Climate 2b. Contribution to the
Comparative Meteorology of Mountain Area 2c. Topo-and Microclimatology in
Alpine Areas 2d. Snow
3. Hydrology 3a. Arctic Hydrology 3b. Alpine Hydrology
4. Ice 4a. Permafrost 4b. Present Arctic Ice Cover 4c. Present Alpine Ice
Cover Part II: Past Environments
5. Palaeoclimatology
6. History of
Glaciation 6a. Cainzoic Glaciations and Crustal Movements of the Arctic 6b.
Alpine Quaternary Glaciation Part III: Present Biota
7. Treeline 7a. Ecology
of the Northern Continental Forest Border 7b. Alpine Timberlines
8.
Vegetation 8a. Arctic and Alpine Vegetation: Plant Adaptation to Cold Summer
Climates 8b. Tundra Primary Productivity
9. Terrestrial Vertebrates Part IV:
Development of Biota
10. Historical Plant Geography 10a. Origin and Evolution
of the Arctic and Alpine Floras 10b. Biological Refugia and the Nunatak
Hypothesis
11. Palaeoecology and Palaeozoogeography 11a. Arctic North
American Palaeoecology: The Recent History of Vegetation and Climate Deduced
From Pollen Analysis 11b. Palaeolithic Players on the American Stage: Mans
Impact on the Late Pleistocene Megafauna Part V: Abiotic Processes
12.
Geomorphic Processes 12a. Geomorphic Processes in the Arctic 12b. The
Geomorphic Processes of the Alpine Environment
13. Soils 13a. Arctic Soils
13b. Alpine Soils Part VI: Man in Cold Environments
14. Bioclimatology 14a.
Physiological Responses to Cold Environments 14b. Man Living at High
Altitudes
15. Archaeology 15a. The Peopling of Arctic North America 15b.
Prehistoric Occupation of the Alpine Zone in the Rocky Mountains Part VII:
Mans Impact on the Environment
16. Radioecology
17. The Impact of
Twentieth-Century Technology 17a. Small-Scale Examples 17a.1. The Impact of
Motor Vehicles 17a.2. The Snowmobile in Eskimo Culture 17a.3. The Snowmobile,
Lapps and Reindeer Herding in Finnish Lapland 17a.4. The Impact of Man as a
Biped 17b. Large-Scale Examples
18. Postscript Glossary Index
Jack D. Ives, Roger G. Barry
