Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #493186 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-15
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 286 pages

Amazon.com
It's a strange paradox: the earth's water supply is constantly growing, yet humankind--or so scientists now warn us--is facing a potentially catastrophic shortage of potable water in the next century. "Fresh water," writes Canadian scientist Pielou, "will turn out to be the factor that limits population growth," largely because so much of that growing supply is locked up in arctic ice or lies deep beneath the surface of the earth. In her thoughtful survey of the physics and chemistry of water, Pielou introduces readers to such concepts as the water cycle, in which rainwater becomes groundwater and eventually returns to the sky from whence it came; examines the economics of water surpluses and deficits in the natural world; and studies the formation and behavior of rivers and lakes, among many other topics. Building more dams, she warns, is no solution to the impending water crisis: "Channelization and diversion both have the effect of increasing a river's rate of discharge (equivalently, speeding its flow), which may be as undesirable as decreasing the discharge (slowing the flow)." Her thoroughly interesting natural history of fresh water in all its forms makes for a fine introduction to hydrology and for a solid contribution to environmental literacy. --Gregory McNamee

From Library Journal
Our planet is composed primarily of water, much of which is the ocean and not the subject of this book. Naturalist Pielou (A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic, LJ 11/1/94) concentrates on fresh water (usable by humans), which is a much smaller resource. Pielou describes the natural history of fresh water?where it comes from, where it goes, and how it moves under and over the earth and into the atmosphere. Even though scientists now believe that water is being added to our environment by "snowball" comets entering our atmosphere, the world's supply of fresh water is dwindling?and a shortage of usable fresh water ultimately limits population growth. Pielou's book would make an excellent textbook for any college class studying water. However, while the text is highly informative, it will not appeal to the average reader because of its technical nature. Recommended for academic libraries only.?Gloria Maxwell, Kansas City P.L., KS
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Acute observation and a fluid writing style characterize this detailed, but not overly technical description of the hydrological cycle. An attractive aspect of Pielou's presentation is her encouragement to the reader to copy her observational techniques, for example, wading into a stream to measure its flow and carefully watching the water in order to understand a landscape's shape. Her chapters correspond to where fresh water accumulates: underground, in streams and rivers, in wetlands, in lakes natural and artificial, and in clouds. She explains particularly well water's unusual chemical properties--its surface tension as a liquid, its expansion as a solid--that influence the depth of the water table, or how a lake freezes. Numerous line drawings help readers understand particular hydraulic situations; the text's calmness elicits concern for how civilization uses this limited resource, whether drilling for it or damming it up. A rare resource itself, Pielou's soft-sell presentation will probably sensitize more people to the cause of water conservation than hectoring tracts from environmental advocacy groups. Gilbert Taylor

Customer Reviews

In short supply
Most of us have a pretty fair understanding of the basic water cycle from witnessing tea kettles, thunderstorms and creeks. Evaporation takes it up. Gravity brings it down. FRESH WATER fills in the rest of the story from groundwater to ice caps, through tree roots and into the fog. Ms. Pielou's clear prose and simple drawings and diagrams offer broad understanding of the intricacies of the earth's hydrology. "Life needs water," she observes. "Water doesn't need life."

Fresh Water
A clear and understandable look at fresh water, its various systems, its ecological impacts, and human impacts on water resources. Not only highly informative but easy to follow and interesting as well. A basic understanding of water chemistry and biology would be helpful, although not necessary when readin this book.

Little did I know.
Fresh water is becoming more and more scarce as we continue poluting it. This book is so interesting and informative I had difficulty putting it down. E.C. Pielou has enlightened and entertained me all at once and has succeeded in writing one of the most fascinating books I've read.