An Introduction to Theoretical Geomorphology

Paperback Engels 2012 9789401094436
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Samenvatting

This book stems from the belief that undergraduate, and many graduate, students in geomorphology are taught far too little about the theoretical foundation of the discipline. This is a tragic oversight because all disci­ plines exist solely by virtue of a body of theory; furthermore, all substan­ tive research must, of necessity, be directed at improving this body of theory. While the centrality of theory is a characteristic of all science, it appears that it is fieldwork that has achieved sacrosanct status in geo­ morphology. The supreme standing of fieldwork would seem at first sight to be supported by such comments as that cited by Ager (1984, p. 42): "My old professor - the great H. H. Read - once said, 'The best geologist is, other things being equal, he who has seen the most rocks'. " The key issue in Read's comment is obviously "other things being equal"; what are these other things? For they will be just as applicable to geomorphology as to geology at large. One is certainly personal ability, but another critical com­ ponent is the individual's knowledge of relevant theory. Pursuit of theo­ retical knowledge is not generally a favored activity in geomorphology, a situation epitomized by Chorley's (1978, p. 1) one-liner: "Whenever anyone mentions theory to a geomorphologist, he instinctively reaches for his soil auger.

Specificaties

ISBN13:9789401094436
Taal:Engels
Bindwijze:paperback
Aantal pagina's:270
Uitgever:Springer Netherlands
Druk:0

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Inhoudsopgave

1 Introduction.- Content.- Organization.- A disciplinary context.- One.- 2 Science — the reality.- On thinking.- Science.- Philosophy.- Methodology.- Theory.- Technique.- Scientific method.- Some admonitions, caveats, and options.- 3 Geomorphology — definitions and approaches.- What is geomorphology?.- Some historical objectives in geomorphology.- Contemporary geomorphology.- Morphology.- Climatic geomorphology.- Process geomorphology.- Geotechnical science.- Applied geomorphology.- Geomorphology or geomorphologies?.- 4 The importance of terminology.- Terminology in geomorphology.- Description and interpretation.- Terminological problems.- Morphogenetic terms.- Inadequately defined terms.- Evolving terms.- Systematization.- 5 Uniformitarianism and ergodicity.- Uniformitarianism.- Definition.- Original purpose.- Contemporary uniformitarianism.- Uniformitarianism versus neocatastrophism.- Ergodicity.- Conclusions.- 6 Time in geomorphology.- The nature of geomorphic time.- Treatment and sampling of time.- Frequency.- Change through time.- Entropy and equilibrium.- Conclusions.- 7 Space in geomorphology.- Orientation.- Distance.- Connectiveness.- Boundaries.- Scale coverage.- Scale linkage.- Scale standardization.- Conclusions.- 8 Morphology.- Morphological mapping.- Geomorphometry.- Linear forms.- Areal forms.- Three-dimensional forms.- Conclusions.- 9 The fundamentals — a summary.- Two.- 10 Traditional models of landscape evolution.- William Morris Davis.- Scientific context.- The geographical cycle.- Davisian geomorphology: strengths and weaknesses.- Walter Penck.- Scientific context.- Penckian geomorphology.- Penckian geomorphology: strengths and weaknesses.- Lester Charles King.- Scientific context.- The standard epigene cycle of erosion.- King’s geomorphology: strengths and weaknesses.- Some comparative comments.- 11 A time-independent model.- John T. Hack.- Scientific context.- Dynamic equilibrium.- Dynamic equilibrium: strengths and weaknesses.- 12 Systems modeling.- Systems and models.- Definitions.- Classification of systems and system models.- Inputs to system models.- Canonical structures.- Canonical structures: geomorphic illustrations.- Systems modelling: an evaluation.- 13 Mathematical models.- Frank Ahnert.- Scientific context.- A mathematical equilibrium model.- Michael J. Kirkby.- Scientific background.- A deterministic continuous slope model.- The two models: a brief comparison.- 14 Diagnosis and prognosis.- Geomorphology: history or science?.- What kinds of theory?.- The yellow brick road.- Objective(s).- Methodology.- Some footnotes.- Multiple working hypothesis.- On linguistic preference.- Conclusion.- References.

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