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At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
USGS2015

Book review: Large igneous provinces

This book presents a comprehensive compilation of all aspects of large igneous provinces (LIPs). Published in 2014, the book is now the definitive source of information on the petrogenesis of this type of globally important, voluminous magmatic activity. In the first few pages, LIPs are characterized as magmatic provinces with areal extents >0.1 Mkm 2 that are dominated by mafic magmas emplaced or erupted in intraplate settings during relatively short (1–5 m.y.) time intervals. Given these parameters, particularly areal extent, LIPs clearly represent significant contributions to global geologic evolution through time. This point is underscored, also in the introductory chapter, by a series of figures that aptly characterize the global time-space distribution of LIPs; an accompanying, particularly useful table identifies individual LIPs, quantifies their basic characteristics, and enumerates pertinent references. Accordingly, this compilation is a welcome addition to the geologic literature. Review info: Large Igneous Provinces . By Richard E. Ernst . 2014 . ISBN 978-0-521-87177-8. 653 pp.

Economic Geology↗
USGS2015

Book review: Advances in 40Ar/39Ar dating: From archaeology to planetary sciences

The recently published book Advances in 40 Ar/ 39 Ar Dating: From Archaeology to Planetary Sciences is a collection of 24 chapters authored by international scientists on topics ranging from decay constants to 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating of extraterrestrial objects. As stated by the editors in their introduction, these chapters were assembled with the goal of providing technique-specific examples highlighting recent advances in the field of 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating. As this is the first book truly dedicated to 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating since the second edition printing of the argon geochronologist’s handbook Geochronology and Thermochronology by the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar Method ( McDougall and Harrison 1999 ), a new collection of chapters highlighting recent advances in 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronology offers much to the interested reader.

American Mineralogist↗
USGS1979

Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal-fields area, Utah

Data obtained during a hydrologic reconnaissance in 1975-77 in the Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal area of Utah were correlated with existing long-term data. Maps were prepared showing average precipitation, average streamflow, stream temperature, ground- and surface-water quality, sediment yield, and geology. Recommendations were made for additional study and suggested approaches for continued monitoring in the coal areas. During the 1931-75 water years, the minimum discharges for the five major streams that head in the area ranged from about 12,000 to 26,000 acre-feet per year, and the maximum discharges ranged from about 59,000 to 315,000 acre-feet per year. Correlations indicate that 3 years of low-flow records at stream sites in the Wasatch Plateau would allow the development of relationships with long-term sites that can be used to estimate future low-flow records within a standard error of about 20 percent. Most water-quality degradation in streams occurs along the flanks of the Wasatch Plateau and Book Cliffs. In the uplands, dissolved-solids concentrations generally ranged from less than 100 to about 250 milligrams per liter, and in the lowlands the concentrations ranged from about 250 to more than 6,000 milligrams per liter. In the lowland areas, the Ferron Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale appears to have the most potential for subsurface development of water of suitable chemical quality for human consumption. Three wells in the Ferron yielded water with dissolved-solids concentrations ranging from about 650 to 1,230 milligrams per liter.

Utah↗
USGS1990

Willie takes a field trip; coloring book

This coloring book is an educational tool designed to instruct children on some of the field activities commonly associated with the collection of water resource data. Through the use of line drawings and brief descriptive text, young readers will follow little Willie and his Uncle Bill as they spend a pleasant day in the field measuring streamflow, collecting sediment samples, making groundwater measurements at observation wells, and measuring flow in a pipe. Although this 37-page coloring book is geared to children 5 to 10 years old, people of all ages may find it enjoyable.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2009

Book review: Birds of Prey: Health & Disease, Third Edition

Even though this book is billed as the third edition it is, in the words of Patrick T. Redig, author of its Foreword, ‘‘a seriously reinvented book.’’ Originally published in 1978 under the title of Veterinary Aspects of Captive Birds of Prey, this new edition, with its new title, could stand alone and not have been tagged with the ‘‘third edition.’’ Much has changed in the world of avian medicine in the 30 yr since the publishing of the original tome, and this new volume brings the latest information on raptor medicine to the reader. Review info: Birds of Prey: Health & Disease, Third Edition. Edited by John E. Cooper. Blackwell Sciences, Ltd., Oxford, UK. 2002. 345 pp. ISBN 978-0-63205-115-1.

Journal of Wildlife Diseases↗
USGS1996

[Book review] Stevenson, H.M. & Anderson, B.H. 1994. The Birdlife of Florida

The book consists of species accounts of each species including, where information is available, such topics as overall distribution, Florida status, relative abundance, migration, haunts and habits, adverse factors, problems of identification, variation, references and a distribution map symbolically showing seasonal distribution records by county. The book also has an addendum of records in 1993-1994 and an extensive bibliography. Any faunistic treatment of Florida or study of the status of any Florida species will need to use the text as a starting point, although not necessarily an ending point. Those concerned with having the most solidly verified species list would be best advised to continue to use Robertson and Woolfenden's Annotated List and its successors. But for a compendium of information on the birds of this fascinating peninsula, one could do no better.

Ibis↗
USGS1976

[Book review] American sportsmen and the origins of conservation

The relationship of this book to ornithology is so indirect that the work barely merits a review on these pages. In a rather subtle way, however, the book may have a considerable effect on at least one aspect of ornithology, that involving scientific collecting. In essence, the volume is an entry in the hunting versus antihunting controversy, by a historian who is a sportsman. A challenge to antihunting preservationists, the premise is that sportsmen (those who hunt and fish for pleasure rather than for food or profit), and not preservationists, were the founders of conservation concepts in the United States. The implied conclusion is that modern hunting and fishing are valid, conservation- oriented activities. The proof of the thesis depends on demonstrating that those persons who led the conservation movement were in fact sportsmen, as defined, rather than fitting any other categorization, and that only those who fit the definition were effective. The method is to detail both the sporting proclivities and conservation efforts of leaders in the movement and to ignore or belittle other activities of those persons and other persons not considered sportsmen. Although effective in making a point, the technique suffers from the difficulties inherent in any one-character classification.

The Auk↗
USGS1991

[Book review] Seabirds of Hawaii: Natural history and conservation

This volume is a rather odd contribution, a hybrid between an academic work and a popular book, and both suffers and benefits from these attributes. The 18 chapters are divided into four parts that deal with the environment and humans (3 chapters and ca. 12% of the text), comparative biology of Hawaiian seabirds (5 chapters, 26%), treatments of Hawaiian seabird groups by family (7 chapters, 34%), and conservation (3 chapters, 16%). At the end of the book are an appendix of common and scientific names for plants, birds, mammals, fish, and a few invertebrates; a 6-page "selected" bibliography with pertinent references for each chapter; and an index.

The Auk↗
USGS1993

[Book review] Bird trapping and bird banding: A handbook for tapping methods all over the world

This book is a translation of a German edition published in 1978 by Die Neue Brehm-Bucherei, which in turn is a summary of four parts published earlier (1967-1970). Its main title, a direct translation of the German Vogelfang und Vogelberingung is misleading. Only six pages deal with matters one might usually expect in a book with "bird banding" as part of the title. This includes a single paragraph that admonishes against brightly colored clothing, one stating that binoculars are indispensable when checking trapping locations, and a half-page on dangers to the bander such as sinking in marshes and falling from ladders and cliffs. The remaining five pages deal with gathering cages or devices and with handling and releasing birds.

The Auk↗
USGS2012

Book review: Seismic acquisition from yesterday to tomorrow

In this 236-page volume, Julien Meunier presents a thorough description of P-wave seismic data acquisition. The treatment includes historical aspects along with some discussion of trends for the future, but the main focus is on present-day approaches and their theoretical underpinnings. Although it was written as the text for the 2011 Distinguished Instructor Short Course, I found the book to be quite readable in a stand-alone context and of considerable interest despite my being a bit outside of the primary target audience. I believe that the book would be valuable as an auxiliary text for a graduate-level course, or even as reading for independent study on the topic. Review info: Seismic acquisition from yesterday to tomorrow. By J. Meunier, 2011. ISBN 978-1560802815, 236 pp.

The Leading Edge↗
USGS2011

Book review: Sandhill and whooping cranes: Ancient voices over America's wetlands

Paul Johnsgard has long been captivated by wild cranes and their unique vocalizations, courtship dances, and wide-ranging migrations. As a scientist and an admirer, Johnsgard has watched their migrations and behaviors for decades as hundreds of thousands of cranes staged each spring by the central Platte River, not far from his home in Lincoln, Nebraska. As an artist, he has skilfully captured their courtship dances and other behaviours in his exceptional line drawings. And, as an author, he has written extensively on their ecology in three earlier books: Cranes of the World (1983), Those of the Gray Wind: the Sandhill Crane (1986), and Crane Music: a Natural History of Cranes (1991). Much has happened relative to North American cranes in the 20 years since Johnsgard published Crane Music , including increased crane abundance in many areas and the completion of multiple studies on crane ecology and conservation. This new crane book serves as an update to Crane Music and provides the reader with many useful resources for observing and learning about cranes.

The Prairie Naturalist↗
USGS2011

Book review: The Tallgrass Prairie Center guide to seed and seedling identification in the Upper Midwest

This attractive, slim volume provides a wonderful introduction to a neglected aspect of prairie plant identification: seeds and seedlings. Williams, and the illustrator Brent Butler, take the mystery out of dichotomous keys with clear descriptions, vivid illustrations, and abundant photographs of characteristics that distinguish common, tallgrass prairie, seedlings. A botanical novice should have no problem using this book to identify seedlings in their prairie garden – presuming that they planted only those species included in the book (more on that later). Review info: The Tallgrass Prairie Center guide to seed and seedling identification in the Upper Midwest . By Dave Williams, 2010. ISBN: 978-1587299025, 132 pp.

Prairie Naturalist↗
USGS2014

Book review: Amphibians and reptiles in Minnesota

The photograph of a young boy poised to capture a wood frog ( Lithobates sylvaticus ) on page 3 of Amphibians and Reptiles in Minnesota captures perfectly the sense of awe and wonderment that one encounters throughout John Moriarty and Carol Hall’s new book. This is a spirit that most children possess naturally and that is so readily apparent when one of them comes face-to-face with one of the 53 species of frogs, toads, salamanders, turtles, lizards, or snakes that make Minnesota their home. This is a spirit that the authors have maintained in their hearts throughout almost 30 years of chasing, capturing, and studying amphibians and reptiles (a.k.a., herptiles or herps) in Minnesota. It is also the spirit that you will find reawakening in yourself as you turn from one page to the next and encounter the abundant color photos and descriptive text within this book. Review info: Amphibians and Reptiles in Minnesota. By John J. Moriarty and Carol D. Hall, 2014. ISBN: 978-0816690916, 370 pp.

The Prairie Naturalist↗
USGS2015

Book review: Biology and conservation of North American tortoises

The charismatic North American tortoises hold a special place in our culture and natural history. Despite the perseverance of these tortoises over millions of years, biologists now question their ability to persist into the future. In light of documented declines, habitat loss, and numerous threats to tortoise populations, the editors gathered a diverse group of researchers to review what we have learned about this group after decades of study, to summarize gaps in the literature, and to reflect on how we may use the current state of knowledge to conserve these fascinating species. Initially intended as a focused review of the two most well-studied species in the genus Gopherus , G. agassizii (Mohave Desert Tortoise) and G. polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise), the book developed into a comprehensive treatment of the entire genus. The editors offer the work as a resource to professional biologists and agencies working with North American tortoises as well as a teaching aid, hobbyist’s reference, and casual read for nature-lovers—although we presume that the former group is more likely to benefit than the latter. Although the book’s size appears modest, the content delivers an in-depth look at the five recognized tortoise species. Review info: Biology and Conservation of North American Tortoises. Edited by David C. Rostal, Earl D. McCoy, and Henry R. Mushinsky, 2014. ISBN 978-1421413778, 190 pp.

Herpetological Review↗
USGS2025

Book review: Ecology of Dakota landscapes: Past, present, and future, by W. Carter Johnson and Dennis H. Knight

“Ecology of Dakota Landscapes” is an excellent example of fusing observation and scientific studies to describe the origins and development of the landscape of North and South Dakota, the impact of European settlement, the introduction of agriculture to the area, predictions for the future in the face of a changing climate, and a scientific framework for conservation and sustainability. Johnson and Knight bring to this book a personal fascination with this landscape. Their decades of experience and knowledge of the ecosystems of the Dakotas is exhibited in the well written and copiously illustrated thirteen chapters. This book blends observation, geology, biology, ecology, history, the transformation of this landscape by European settlement, and identifies the challenges that will be faced with climate change. Johnson and Knight are master storytellers that allow them to present these important concepts and ideas to a general audience.

Prairie Naturalist↗
USGS2021

Preface to book: Wetland carbon and environmental management

The idea for this book, including its organization and contents, has its origin in the latest environmental and climate policy requirements in the United States, as well as science advances. In 2007, the U.S. Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), from which Section 712 required U.S. Federal agencies to provide a better understanding of carbon and greenhouse gas fluxes across the United States. As a result, largescale and coordinated efforts were launched to assess carbon storage, carbon fluxes, and greenhouse gas fluxes including CO2, CH4, and N2O from all major terrestrial and freshwater aquatic ecosystems, including forest, grassland/shrub, agricultural lands, wetlands, and rivers, streams, lakes, and impoundments. The EISA assessment produced major results (Selmants et al., 2017; Zhu, 2011; Zhu & McGuire, 2016; Zhu & Reed, 2012, 2014), but recognized that wetlands remained a significant source of uncertainty, especially for those wetlands that were being actively managed. The more recent Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which devoted two separate chapters to inland and coastal wetlands, respectively, noted that large knowledge gaps still remain, ranging from inadequate analysis of restored and managed wetlands, and consequences of management decisions, to future wetland responses to climate change (USGCRP, 2018). In recent literature, wetland management is suggested as a potential natural solution to mitigate climate change (Fargione et al., 2018, Kroeger et al., 2017) and help offset direct losses of wetlands from sea level rise, subsidence, and coastal erosion (Wang et al., 2017). The recognition that a synthesis of wetland carbon management was urgently needed was the genesis of Wetland Carbon and Environmental Management; discerning the relationships between wetland management and carbon flux (loss or gain) is an international goal.

Geophysical Monograph Series↗
USGS2016

Book review: Advances in reintroduction biology of Australian and New Zealand fauna

Reintroduction, and other forms of moving animals around the landscape, is an estab lished action that has been used in the contexts of mitiga tion, conservation, and salvage. Advances in Reintroduction Biol ogy of Australia n and New Zealand Fauna is more than an update of its pred ecessor (Serena 1995 ). This book not only enumerates advances in reintroduction but also provides a cogent road map for understanding and applying current know ledge, and for developing future strategi es. Review info: Advances in Reintroduction Biology of Australian and New Zealand Fauna. Doug P. Armstrong, Matthew W. Hayward, Dorian Moro, and Philip J. Seddon, editors. 2015. ISBN 978-1486303014. 320 pp.

Journal of Wildlife Management↗