Book Reviews

Population-Environment Dynamics. Ideas and Observations. (4th edition) Gayl D. Ness, William D. Drake, Steven R. Brechin, Editors. Ann Arbor, Michigan, The University of Michigan Press 1996. 456 pp. tables, figures, references, index. $52.50 ISBN 0-472-10395-4 (hard cover) .

Population and the environment are intertwined in a complex web that de­mands the analysis of numerous theo­retical and practical issues. These issues have been neglected in the past, and the topics of population and the environment artificially separated in both thought and action. This book attempts to fill these voids using an inductive and interdisci­plinary approach. A series of authors con­tribute fifteen chapters organized into five sections. Section I explores global per­spectives relating to population and the environment, Section II analyzes the im­portance of the state as an actor, Section III focuses on population-environment dynamics in small communities, Section IV introduces a new theoretical frame­work and methodological innovation, and Section V offers a summary, conclusions, and ideas for 'next steps'.

Section I. A fundamental problem with attempts to approach population-envi­ronment issues over the last two centu­ries has been that of uni -dimensional fo­cus. While the dominant issue may change over time the result is that a mul­titude of other relevant issues are ig­nored, and the true complexities of reality and causality are never addressed. In ad­dition, the debate over population and the environment has historically been in­tensely ideological in character. Such nar­row views and ideological shackles have meant that the full global environmental impacts of recent population growth have not been fully explored.

Section II. Large-scale collectives such as states playa major role in the bound­ing of population-environmental interac­tions. The policies and actions of states often have decisive and far reaching ef­fects, as evidenced in the four case stud­ies presented. In Southeast Asia both the state and technology have played a cru­cial role in population growth, which was fundamentally impacted by the technol-

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ogies applied to rice production and state mortality-fertility control policies. In Zim­babwe population pressure has created many social and environmental problems none of which is more pressing than soil degradation . This problem is partly a product of past state policy which con­centrated the population in certain areas. In Indonesia the problem faced by the state is a population that is growing ex­plosively putting severe stresses on the environment. Indonesia is locked in a cy­cle of population growth, stress, and re­action to stress, but lacks any integrated approach to the problems. In Brazil selec­tive modernization of agriculture has re­sulted in a changing population-environ­ment dynamic. State policy has meant support for large scale producers but has included little attempt to draw small farm­ers into modern agriculture.

Section III. Population-environment dynamics in small communities are closely linked to individual or small group behavior. The availability of resources to a fam ily is one factor than affects fertility and thus population growth, while the pursuit of resources can lead to environ­mental damage. Growth or movement of village populations can be linked directly to environmental conditions. Further, it is the control of environmental resources that endows individuals or families with much of their status in small communi­ties. Thus, the fortunes of families, indi­viduals, and the environment are inti­mately linked in an often fragile equilibrium.

Section IV. The focus of a possible new theoretical framework is identified as transition; modern processes are charac­terized as a family of transitions. During these periods of change society is espe­cially vulnerable and may evolve new population-environment relationships that can be either healthy or destructive. Remote sensing is recognized as an in­novation that presents new methodolog­ical possibilities, but which involves high cost. An inexpensive, portable, comput­erized mapping system that can utilize lo­cally generated data to produce local maps is suggested as a practical alternative.

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Section V. In summary emphasis is placed on the complexity of the popula­tion-environment dynamic and on issues of scale. Also highlighted are problems associated with arbitrarily defined eco­system boundaries. Finally, the crucial role of collective human action is encap­sulated in a concluding discussion, and a focus on study of transitions is suggested as a future path toward a deeper under­standing of the population-environment dynamic.

Population-Environment Dynamics addresses a basic topic that has engen­dered much interest and intense debate in recent years. Although at times chap­ters seem to only loosely tie into the stated thrust of the book, each chapter stands alone as a work of interest. The qual ity of writing is good and key ideas are succinctly and clearly stated. Tables throughout the book provide snippets of useful information; however, there is an absence of photographs that might en­liven the text. A useful feature is the sub­stantial list of references; an invaluable aid for those who would like to explore the topic further. This book should be of interest to scholars from a wide range of disciplines including geography, environ­ment studies, political science, anthro­pology, and sociology. It will provide in­teresting reading for both undergraduate and graduate students and I am sure will trigger many debates concerning the emotionally charged issue of population and the environment.

Wendy Shaw Southern Illinois University

at Edwardsville

Climate Change: Impact on Coastal Hab­itation. Doeke Eisma (Ed.). CRC Press Inc., Boca Raton. 1995. 260 pp. tables, maps, graphs, ref. $79.95. ISBN 0-87371-301-X.

The coast is the meeting place of con­tinents and oceans and a zone of interest and concern to a diverse group of social and physical scientist. The notion thatthe earth 's climate is changing due to the re­lease of greenhouse gases such as car­bon dioxide is widespread. Increase of fossil fuel consumption is anticipated to

result in higher temperatures, weather al­terations, dramatic changes in the pres­ent-day global agricultural zones, and higher eustatic sea levels due to melting glacial ice. Numerous reports suggest that mean air temperature will increase in the next century, probably within a range of 1.5 to 4.5 degrees C. Correspondingly ocean levels will rise 31 to 110 cm.

Obviously the issues are not solely academic and completely in the domain of geography but are a classic example of a multidisciplinary and applied suite of problems. Thus Eisma has put together 11 papers which examine diverse issues and impacts of climatic change. Included are sea level rise and its impact on coasts, rivers and estuaries, coastal urban and agricultural areas, and world wide as­sessment of risk and economic cost. The 15 international contributors include ex­perts in marine science, planning, clima­tology, ecology, coastal engineering and geography.

The first two contributions (Chapter 1 by C. J . E. Schuurmans and Chapter 2 by N. A . Morner) examine the effect of nat­ural processes on the earth's future heat budget and sea level changes. A conser­vative 20 cm. eustatic rise is proposed for the next century. However, even a smaller rise may have a strong impact on uncon­solidated low shorelines as well as those which are subsiding (e.g. Mediterranean and Ganges-Brahamaputra regions) . Ironically, coastal subsidence is also ini­t iated by human activity such as ground­water, and oil and gas withdrawal (e.g . Long Beach , CAl . Such lowlands, espe­cially in the Third World are densely pop­ulated and/or agriculturally most produc­tive (e.g. Nile and Mekong deltas).

The remaining nine chapters focus on the effects of cl imatic changes. E. C. F. Bird relates the impact of rising sea levels to the earth's diverse coastal settings in Chapter 3. Response of coasts to rising sea level is difficult to determine because of delayed process response in riparian settings. Furthermore, models of change are hampered by inadequate data since sea levels have been reasonably stable for the last 6000 years. In Chapter 4, J . D. Milliman and Ren Mel-e examine the role

of rivers and sediment budget contribu­tions in the littoral. They foresee potential dire outcomes such as higher rates of evapotranspiration and altered precipita­tion regimes which could lead to in­creased sedimentation at dam sites. A more detailed account by K. R. Dryer in Chapter 5 suggests that a future climate change will modify the hydrology in es­tuaries resulting in wetland losses and al ­tered sediment budgets. J . T. Wells inves­tigates the effects of sea level rise on coastal sedimentation and erosion (Chap­ter 6). Models of change are not always applicable to problem solving because coastal changes may be slow or rapid and most physical rules for coastal response have been designed for sandy shores.

Sea level rise leads to the issue of an assessment of flood risk and cost of shore protection. In Chapter 7 F. M. J. Hooze­mans and C. H. Hulsbergen relate the ris­ing sea levels to environmental risk. Their analysis suggest that by 2020, 400 million riparian inhabitants will be at risk to flooding and erosion and the world's cost estimate for coastal protection will be $1000 bill ion dollars. In more detail T. Deelstra notes in Chapter 8, that cities are both causes and victims of climate change. From a planning perspective he analyzes several European urban areas and concludes that not only will existing urban structures partly or wholly lose their function but new cities will have to be planned. Concurrently " squatter set­tlements" will develop in the wealthy western world.

The impact of climate change on tem­perate and tropical marine ecology is out­lined in Chapter 9 (V. Noest, E. van der Maarel and F. van der Meulen) and in Chapter 10 (A. Edwards). Beaches and dunes, flora and fauna , and coral reefs and barrier islands are of concern . How­ever, the impact of sea level rise is diffi­cult to determine with confidence. In Chapter 11 , R. Brinkman considers cli ­matic change on coastal agriculture. Sig­nificant hazards include increased storm surge frequency and salinity contamina­tion of surface and groundwater. Also low-lying agricultural areas such as del­tas, are subject to subsidence and compaction amplifying the sea level rise.

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The book provides an excellent back­ground on future coastal habitation in the light of rising sea level. The contributors make a clear distinction between anthro­pogenic and natural modifications. A theme threading its way through many of the chapters is one of uncertainty regard­ing the severity of climate change and sea level rise, and the predicative response of coasts. However, damage, certainly on a regional scale, will occur. For geogra­phers the text is pleasurable since it in­tegrates physical and human attributes of the discipline within an applied frame­work. The editor has done an outstanding job of maintaining consistency of each manuscript and insisting on good quality graphics.

C. Nicholas Raphael Eastern Michigan University

Charting the Inland Seas: A History of the U. S. Lake Survey. Arthur M. Woodford. Detroit, Wayne State University Press, 1994.282 pp. photos, glossary, ref. $27.50 ISBN 0-8143-2499.

Here is a book that will delight all who love the Great Lakes and wish to know more about them. Among the numerous books available on the Great Lakes, Charting the Inland Seas is the first ex­haustive history of the U. S. Lake Survey. This was the governmental agency in charge of overseeing the Great Lakes from 1841 to its demise in 1976 when it became a part of the National Oceano­graphic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

During most of its 135 years, the Sur­vey provided for all users of the Great Lakes the latest charts, vital data and analyses. This allowed the nation's "fourth coast" to become a region of na­tional significance rather than just a nat­ural wonder. Through commerce and an evolving industrial and recreational us­age, the Great Lakes continue to change the economic character of their water­shed and areas beyond . The U. S. Lake Survey provided the means to do so. Among its many duties, it has provided information on water levels and flow rates, useful for fishing and recreational

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boaters and critical for navigation of the large ships plying their waters. Although its main functions related to the mainte­nance and improvements on the Great Lakes harbors and navigation facilities, the U. S. Lake Survey also provided much needed expertise in mapping overseas sites during World War II.

Arthur Woodford, currently Director of the St. Clair Shores (Michigan) Public Li­brary, makes potentially tedious reading amazingly lively and interesting by inter­spersing anecdotes and tales of the sea. To cite one example, as a Great Lakes boater, I found riveting the author's de­scription of an episode that occurred in 1929 on Lake Superior in which the Sur­vey was making soundings. Up to this time most of its operations on the Great Lakes were restricted to nearshore loca­tions where most disasters in navigation are likely to occur. This time, however, the Margaret was making cross line sur­vey soundings across Lake Superior. Most soundings ranged in the expected 500 to 900 feet range when suddenly a pip on the sounding recorder "zoomed up to 45 feet and then back to over 400 feet. They had found shoal water!" An imme­diate investigation and charting took place (additional soundings found a least depth of 22 feet); the site was designated "Superior Shoal ". Woodford tells us:

Situated near the center of Lake Su­perior, the shoal comprises sharp mountain peaks rising nearly to the surface. Later it was theorized that the minesweepers Inkerman and Cerisol­les on their way from Fort William to the Soo when they disappeared in 1918, could have hit "Superior Shoal." (p. 121)

A chilling prospect, indeed! Woodford explores the early cultural

history of the Great Lakes and its path­finders before focusing on the work ac­complished by the Survey's staff over the years. He summarizes this dual purpose near the book's conclusion as follows:

Here are recalled the stories of explor­ers and missionaries, French trappers

and English traders, immigrants and travelers, shipbuilders and sailors, men and women of daring, of courage, and of adventure. But here also are re­called the stories of surveyors and draftsmen, engineers and printers, scuba divers and engravers, techni­cians and clerks, scientists and lithog­raphers. Men and women who often worked long hours, experienced hard­ships and privations in their travels, and brought leadership, foresight. and know-how to the solution of complex tasks. Yet the stories of these dedi­cated men and women who met and solved formidable problems is not the reason for their mention here-but to acknowledge a job well done. (pp. 187- 188)

Woodford provides complete scholarly apparatus, including extensive footnot­ing. This approach is valuable to a re­searcher with interests identical to Wood­ford's but cumbersome for those with broader interests or for laypersons. Con­tained within this book, therefore, is Woodford's scholarly treatment of events leading to the creation ofthe Lake Survey, and those who served the agency and their accomplishments (and sometimes, their mistakes).

Interspersed throughout the narrative are 80 photographs chosen from archival collections showing vessels used by the Survey, instruments used in making soundings and charts, and many of the individuals responsible for creating a Great Lakes saferforthose who use them. Unfortunately, there is no larger scale map of the Great Lakes region (which covers 93,000 square miles of water) con­taining locations cited repeatedly in the text. This would have aided greatly even those familiar with the Great Lakes in pin­pointing where the narrative is, literally, taking us. It is hard to imagine how those unfamiliar with the region would orient themselves.

A valuable addition to the book is an extensive glossary of more than 200 nau­tical and drafting terms that are especially useful to the landlubber. And to any of us who wish to read more extensively on

various aspects of the Great Lakes or the U. S. Lake Survey, Woodford provides a large bibliography of archival , primary, and secondary sources. Particularly help­ful is a guide to the archives themselves. Also included is a listing of selected pa­pers published by the U. S. Lake Survey staff from 1959-1976. For those i nter­ested in an evolution of printing technol­ogy used by the Survey, an appendix is added for that purpose, together with re­markable photographs showing staff at the machines. This book will be an im­portant addition to the Great Lakes collec­tions of historians, geographers, and oth­ers wishing to know about those responsible for making these Lakes "great".

Robert B. Mancell Eastern Michigan University

The Geography of South Dakota. Edward P. Hogan. The Center for Western Studies, Sioux Falls, 1995. 190 pp., maps, diags., photos, refs. and index. $20.00 ISBN 0-931170-61 -3.

Edward P. Hogan has done a consid­erable service for the people of South Dakota by researching and writing The Geography of South Dakota, the first such volume in 78 years. It is a book that was long overdue, but such a project also needs the right person at the right place and the right time to author it.

Hogan came to South Dakota in 1967 as the newly appointed head of the re­constituted Department of Geography at South Dakota State University in Brook­ings. From his vantage point he was able to study the landscape of his adopted state and achieve an appreciation of its diversity-a theme of his latest book.

The Geography of South Dakota con­sists of 15 chapters of varying lengths and complexity that systematically deal with the physical and human geography of the state. The format is conventional as Chap­ter One presents an overview of the state, followed by chapters focusing upon the state's terrain, its weather and climate phenomena, its biogeography and its wa­ter resources. Chapters Six through 13 concentrate on the state's human geog­raphy, beginning with the native Ameri-

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can cultures and concluding with the An­glo-European settlement of the area . Interim chapters explore agricultural pat­terns, mining developments, industrial and commercial geography, tourism and recreation and transportation geography. As a capstone of geographic exposition, Chapter 14 is devoted to the regions of South Dakota and the final chapter looks into the state's future.

Hogan's principal idea is to take the main strength of geography-its ability to synthesize ideas, data and concepts from the various academic disciplines (such as history, sociology and economics}-and apply it to expounding upon South Da­kota 's geographical patterns, presenting a comprehensive picture. In this regard the author fulfills his goal many times over as the reader certainly comes away with an overall view of the differences found across the state's landscape.

The book is not encyclopedic, yet it is thorough in its treatment of the subject matter. The Geography of South Dakota is illustrated with 33 maps (some in color) plus diagrams, tables and numerous pho­tographs, both color, and black and white. An extensive bibliography with some 330 citations supports the text.

The theme of the volume is the state's spatial diversity. In every chapter Hogan cites numerous examples of the physical and human variety found within South Dakota. For example, he compares and contrasts the glaciated subtleties of the rolling plains of eastern South Dakota with the outlier of the Rocky Mountains found in the Black Hills region . The author analyzes the state's major urban area and j uxtaposes it against the wide, open

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spaces of the northwestern area of the state. Along the way he introduces the reader to a number of not well known, but interesting to visit, locations.

At the level of generalization the au­thor has presented, the book will appeal to a broad spectrum of readership. It will be useful as a textbook at both the high school and collegiate levels. Yet, general readers will find many topics of interest concerning the state's geograph ical patterns.

While the author's overall text is posi­tive, some constructive comments are in order. A few outmoded concepts are evi­dent, especially in relation to soils geog­raphy. Although the terms used are ade­quate for educational and illustrative purposes, a note should be added con­cerning the contemporary U.S. Depart­ment of Agriculture's soil classification system. A few errors of fact were found, as were several editorial slips. The maps in Chapter Eight (Agriculture) might have been more effective if a light overlay showing the county boundaries had been added.

In sum, if the three principles of geo­graphic exposition (explain it, map it and pictorialize it) are applied to The Geogra­phy of South Dakota, Hogan has suc­ceeded in his task. The volume represents a worthwhile addition to anyone's library who is interested in the state's geogra­phy. The book is useful for a number of purposes and, no doubt, will be utilized in those endeavors. The people of South Da­kota have been well served by their State Geographer.

Donald J . Berg South Dakota State University

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