The Physical Geography of South America

by Veblen, Thomas T.; Young, Kenneth R.; Orme, Antony R.

• ISBN13: 9780195313413
• ISBN10: 0195313410
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-03-29
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The Physical Geography of South America, the eighth volume in the Oxford Regional Environments series, presents an enduring statement on the physical and biogeographic conditions of this remarkable continent and their relationships to human activity. It fills a void in recent environmental literature by assembling a team of specialists from within and beyond South America in order to provide an integrated, cross-disciplinary body of knowledge about this mostly tropical continent, together with its high mountains and temperate southern cone. The authors systematically cover the main components of the South American environment - tectonism, climate, glaciation, natural landscape changes, rivers, vegetation, animals, and soils. The book then presents more specific treatments of regions with special attributes from the tropical forests of the Amazon basin to the Atacama Desert and Patagonian steppe, and from the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific coasts to the high Andes. Additionally, the continents environments are given a human face by evaluating the roles played by people over time, from pre-European and European colonial impacts to the effects of modern agriculture and urbanization, and from interactions with El Nino events to prognoses for the future environments of the continent.

Table of Contents

Systematic Framework

The Tectonic Framework of South America

Tectonism, Climate, and Landscape Change

Atmospheric Circulation and Climatic Variability

Late Quaternary Glaciation of the Tropical Andes

Rivers

Flora and Vegetation

Soils

Zoogeography

Regional Environments

Tropical Forests of the Lowlands

Arid and Semi-Arid Ecosystems

The Mediterranean Environment of Central Chile

Tropical and Subtropical Landscapes of the Andes

Temperate Forests of the Southern Andean Region

Grasslands and Steppes of Patagonia and the Rio de la Plata Plains

Ocean Coasts and Continental Shelves

Nature in the Human Context

Pre-European Human Impacts on Tropical Lowland Environments

The Legacy of European Colonialism

Agriculture and Soil Erosion

Impacts of El Nino-Southern Oscillation on Natural and Human Systems

Environmental Impacts of Urbanism

Future Environments of South America

Index

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