"I can think of no better guides than Professors Ken Gregory and John Lewin to lead the reader through the conceptual basis of this exciting science."
- Victor R. Baker, University of Arizona
"A very readable and informative introduction to the discipline for senior undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers."
- Angela Gurnell, Queen Mary University of London
"Time will tell, but this book may well mark a turning point in the way students and scientists alike perceive Earth surface processes and landforms."
- Jonathan Phillips, University of Kentucky
This student focused book provides a detailed description and analysis of the key concepts, ideas, and hypotheses that inform geomorphology.
Kenneth Gregory and John Lewin explain the basics of landform science in 20 concepts, each the subject of a substantive, cross-referenced entry. They use the idea of the ′geomorphic system′ to organise entries in four sections, with extensive web resources provided for each:
- System Contexts: The Systems Approach / Uniformitarianism / Landform / Form, Process and Materials / Equilibrium / Complexity and Non Linear Dynamical Systems
- System Functioning: Cycles and cascades / Force-Resistance / Geomorphic work / Process Form Models
- System Adjustments: Timescales / Forcings / Change Trajectories / Inheritance and Sensitivity / Anthropocene
- Drivers for the Future: Geomorphic Hazards / Geomorphic Engineering / Design and Prediction
Aligned with the teaching literature, this innovative text provides a fully-functioning learning environment for study, revision, and even self-directed research for both undergraduate and postgraduate students of geomorphology.
Ken Gregory obtained his BSc, PhD and DSc from the University of London, was made CBE in 2007 for services to geography and higher education, and is currently President of the British Society for Geomorphology. Research interests include river channel change and management, palaeohydrology and the development of physical geography, and he has written more than 140 papers, authored and edited 30 books including The Earth’s Land Surface (2010) and The SAGE Handbook of Geomorphology (2011). He has 3 Honorary degrees, and received the Founder’s Medal of the Royal Geographical Society (1993), the Linton award of the BGRG (1999), and the Geographical medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (2000).
John Lewin graduated with a BA and PhD from the University of Southampton. He was Professor of Physical Geography at Aberystwyth University, where he also served as Dean of the Science Faculty and Pro-Vice-Chancellor. His major research interest lies in fluvial geomorphology, especially floodplains, and the development of landforms over a full range of timescales. He is a former chairman of the British Society for Geomorphology and received the Society’s Linton Award in 2011.
