Ecosystems of California


Book Description

This long-anticipated reference and sourcebook for CaliforniaÕs remarkable ecological abundance provides an integrated assessment of each major ecosystem typeÑits distribution, structure, function, and management. A comprehensive synthesis of our knowledge about this biologically diverse state, Ecosystems of California covers the state from oceans to mountaintops using multiple lenses: past and present, flora and fauna, aquatic and terrestrial, natural and managed. Each chapter evaluates natural processes for a specific ecosystem, describes drivers of change, and discusses how that ecosystem may be altered in the future. This book also explores the drivers of CaliforniaÕs ecological patterns and the history of the stateÕs various ecosystems, outlining how the challenges of climate change and invasive species and opportunities for regulation and stewardship could potentially affect the stateÕs ecosystems. The text explicitly incorporates both human impacts and conservation and restoration efforts and shows how ecosystems support human well-being. Edited by two esteemed ecosystem ecologists and with overviews by leading experts on each ecosystem, this definitive work will be indispensable for natural resource management and conservation professionals as well as for undergraduate or graduate students of CaliforniaÕs environment and curious naturalists.




Appendix 2: Köppen Climate Classification


Book Description

Appendix 2: Köppen Climate Classification of the eBook Understanding Physical Geography. This eBook was written for students taking introductory Physical Geography taught at a college or university. For the chapters currently available on Google Play presentation slides (Powerpoint and Keynote format) and multiple choice test banks are available for Professors using my eBook in the classroom. Please contact me via email at [email protected] if you would like to have access to these resources. The various chapters of the Google Play version of Understanding Physical Geography are FREE for individual use in a non-classroom environment. This has been done to support life long learning. However, the content of Understanding Physical Geography is NOT FREE for use in college and university courses in countries that have a per capita GDP over $25,000 (US dollars) per year where more than three chapters are being used in the teaching of a course. More specifically, for university and college instructors using this work in such wealthier countries, in a credit-based course where a tuition fee is accessed, students should be instructed to purchase the paid version of this content on Google Play which is organized as one of six Parts (organized chapters). One exception to this request is a situation where a student is experiencing financial hardship. In this case, the student should use the individual chapters which are available from Google Play for free. The cost of these Parts works out to only $0.99 per chapter in USA dollars, a very small fee for my work. When the entire textbook (30 chapters) is finished its cost will be only $29.70 in USA dollars. This is far less expensive than similar textbooks from major academic publishing companies whose eBook are around $50.00 to $90.00. Further, revenue generated from the sale of this academic textbook will provide “the carrot” to entice me to continue working hard creating new and updated content. Thanks in advance to instructors and students who abide by these conditions. IMPORTANT - This Google Play version is best viewed with a computer using Google Chrome, Firefox or Apple Safari browsers.




Semi-tropical California


Book Description

Benjamin Cummings Truman (1835-1916) of Providence, Rhode Island, was a Civil War Union officer and newspaper correspondent before coming to California in 1866 as a special agent of the Post Office. In 1870 he was sent to Washington as correspondent for the New York Times and the San Francisco Bulletin but soon returned to become editor of the Los Angeles Evening Express, and owner of the Los Angeles Star. In 1879 he became chief of the literary bureau of the Southern Pacific Railway. Semi-tropical California (1874), written during his tenure at the Los Angeles Star, defines "semi-tropical" California as portions of Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Bernardino, and San Diego Counties, but devotes most of its attention to the city and county of Los Angeles and neighboring San Gabriel Valley. Truman discusses specific mines, residences, fruit orchards, vineyards, and ranches as well as general patterns of agriculture, sheep and cattle raising, irrigation, and mineral resources. Beyond Los Angeles, he describes the towns and cities of Anaheim, Wilmington, and San Bernardino.




Beauty and the Beast


Book Description

"Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change" is a 12 x 12'' beautifully illustrated and designed 264 page coffee table book created by conservation photographers Rob Badger and Nita Winter.Illustrations: 190 stunning images of California's diverse wildflowers and their habitats, from high mountain passes in the Sierra Nevada mountains to below sea level in Death Valley National Park.Essays: Sixteen talented and diverse authors and scientists, most of whom are women, wrote 18 storytelling style essays (1,200 to 1,800 words) about nature, conservation, climate change or taking action. The two younger authors write about hope and action, and what people can do to help create positive change. The book has three sections: The Gift of Beauty, The Human Connection and Ensuring the Future.Because people are constantly hearing about all the negative things going on in the world, Nita and Rob believed there was a need for a different, softer approach to grab people's attention and center it on the climate-change story, and conservation and population issues. They engage their audiences by first inviting them to experience the splendor of the natural world through a universal symbol of beauty, the wildflower, and then educate and inspire them to take some of the simple actions they provide to create positive change and a healthier planet. Their goal is to spread conservation and climate change ideas far beyond native plant and nature lovers, and to plant the seeds to foster action."Beauty and the Beast" is a 27 year photographic journey into the public lands of California. Lands we all own, lands under constant threat of development or resource extraction, impacts of global warming, sea level rise and wildfires. This book is as much a treasure as the flowers and creatures which are featured within its pages. Nita and Rob extend a hand to you to come in and take a long, slow look around and see what they have seen, experienced and have learned. Book includes two comprehensive indexes and a glossary.Co-published by WinterBadger Press and the California Native Plant Society




extreme weather


Book Description




Weather of Southern California


Book Description

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1966.