Canada's Cold Environments

Canada's Cold Environments
ISBN-10
0773563547
ISBN-13
9780773563544
Category
Science
Pages
368
Language
English
Published
1993-03-16
Publisher
McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP
Authors
Olav Slaymaker, Hugh M. French

Description

Low temperatures, wind-chill, snow, sea ice, and permafrost have been primary characteristics of Canada's northern and alpine environments during the past two million years. The evolution of Canada's cultural landscapes, the processes of settlement of rural areas, and the present interaction of Canadian industrial society with its biophysical environment are all deeply influenced, directly or indirectly, by the frigidity of the greater part of the country. The phenomenon of global warming, if it occurs, will lessen this coldness, but its impact on temperature extremes, sea ice regimes, vegetation, snow distribution, permafrost, glaciers, lakes, rivers, and mountain hazards are all the subject of intensive research -- the highlights of which are reviewed in Canada's Cold Environments. Eleven of Canada's leading geographers, geologists, and ecologists provide an authoritative yet readable scientific statement about the physical nature of Canada's coldness. They focus on the distinctive attributes of Canada's cold environments, their temporal and spatial variability, and the constraints that coldness places on human activity. The book is aimed at environmental scientists at all levels who need informed overviews of the substantive findings on a range of cold-related topics.

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