Field Experiments and Measurement Programs in Geomorphology

This book advances a typology of experimentation in the field science of geomorphology -- the study of the form of the earth’s surface and the evolution of its relief. This typology is then applied to problems of total drainage basin change and subsets of processes of change associated with slopes and channels.

Geomorphology has traditionally been a descriptive discipline concerned with the evolution of landscapes over very long time periods. However, since the 1950s there has been a strong trend towards the study of contemporary processes of change and the influence of society as well as of natural biophysical factors. Consequently, an experimental approach is becoming more appropriate.

Commissioned by the International Geographical Union, this work is the first to document different field methodologies in geomorphology. The contributors are internationally known geomorphologists from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. They review methods, global coverage, and advances in understanding while at the same time promoting a more dynamic, more relevant, and more applied science of earth surface change -- the geomorphological aspects of global change.

Olav Slaymaker (editor) is a professor and head of the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia.