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An accessible introduction to the world's great rivers from an interdisciplinary perspective Presenting an interdisciplinary perspective on the world's great rivers, this book integrates the geomorphology, geology, and ecology of rivers with issues of contemporary river management. It is an accessible and excellently illustrated guide that focuses on 12 major rivers from across the globe and the major environmental challenges facing these rivers now and over the next 50 years. Key topics covered in this comprehensive text include:
- Geological, climatic, and anthropogenic factors determining why big rivers occur where they do
- Fundamental concepts of ecology in large rivers
- Ways in which large rivers have been changed by man
- Politics of big rivers, highlighting their role in past and current conflicts and agreements
The topics are presented in a highly accessible manner, which makes the book an ideal resource for students across a wide range of subjects and backgrounds.
About the author
James L. Best started his career with a PhD from the University of London, then took up positions at the universities of Hull (Lecturer in Geology) and Leeds (Lecturer in Earth Sciences, Reader in Experimental Sedimentology and Personal Chair in Process Sedimentology). He moved to the University of Illinois in 2006, where he currently is Threet Professor of Sedimentary Geology, Professor of Physical Geography and holds Affiliate Professor positions in the Departments of Mechanical Science and Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering. He has 30 years of research and teaching experience on rivers and has conducted research on some of the world's largest rivers, including the Brahmaputra, Meghna, Paraná, Columbia, and Mississippi.
