Teaching Earth Sciences - Earth Science Teachers' Association

The Deep Time Cabaret then changes tack to deep space
and to even deeper time with the stars, the constellations
and the universe interwoven with mythology of the Greek
gods – harder for myself to grasp as I’m definitely a downto-earth
geologist and preferably an under-the-earth
geologist, rather than away with the stars. But the use of
the woman mine worker’s white shawl as the projection
screen for the images of the Milky Way was fascinating.
I went to see the Deep Time Cabaret with no idea of what
it would offer and came away delighted at the mining links,
the sedimentary bread and cake layers and the songs, but
surprised at the Lancashire clog dance. I do recommend
you to go and see the show or welcome it into your school.
Deep Time Cabaret is certainly a new way to view scientific
concepts and definitely sparks cross-curriculum discussion
on science, myths, our mining heritage, all set against the
beating heart of the Earth and the ticking clock of Deep
Time measuring time present, time past and time future.
Deep Time Cabaret is supported by the Heritage Lottery
Fund, Groundwork Pennine Lancashire and the Arts Council
England. Web materials are available for schools as an
education packet from http://www.horseandbamboo.
org/deeptimecabaret.htm
Ros Todhunter
rostodhunter@aol.com
Deserts and desert
environments
Laity, J.
Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. 2008. 342 + xiii pages.
ISBN: 978-1-57718-033-3. £29.99
Western society has been interested in the warm deserts of
the world ever since the days of 18th Century exploration,
yet the focus of
this interest has
changed over
time. The era
of exploration,
colonisation and
reconnaissance
mapping
has passed,
but deserts
increasingly have
become a focus
of scientific and
applied studies
owing to their
vast areal extent, ever-growing human populations, the
significant resource potential of many areas, and issues
such as land degradation and biodiversity loss.
The book Deserts and Desert Environments by Laity
reflects this growing interest, and forms part of
Wiley-Blackwell’s Environmental Systems and Global
Change Series, which is aimed primarily at advanced
undergraduates and graduates taking degree courses in
the geosciences and cognate disciplines. In line with the
ethos of this series, Laity aims to portray an understanding
of the desert environment as a whole – its climate,
hydrology, geomorphology, and basic biology – and to
illustrate human interactions and environmental concerns.
Nevertheless, the emphasis throughout the book is on
geomorphic systems.
Chapter 1 starts by defining the desert system, including
its physical and biological components, and outlines how
desert characteristics vary regionally and globally, and how
they have changed over time. Chapter 2 expands on this
theme of global variation by outlining the major deserts of
the world, and illustrating their great diversity. Subsequent
chapters examine the physical components of deserts
in more detail: the climatic and hydrologic frameworks
(Chapters 3 and 4); past and present lake systems (Chapter
5); weathering and hillslope systems (Chapter 6); soils and
landsurface characteristics (Chapter 7); the role of water as
a landforming agent (Chapter 8) and aeolian processes and
landforms, including sand transport and dune formation
(Chapter 9) and erosive landforms and dust transport
(Chapter 10).
Thus far, the book’s content is similar to many other desert
geomorphology textbooks, but where it differs is in its
more explicit consideration of the nature, environmental
requirements, and geomorphic impacts of desert plant and
animal communities (Chapters 11 and 12). The coverage
is brief, but reflects a growing recognition of the need to
link atmospheric, hydrospheric, geospheric and biospheric
processes if we are to gain an integrated understanding
of desert system dynamics. Throughout the book there
are references to human-environment interactions and
environmental concerns, and Chapter 13 considers human
impacts more explicitly, particularly in the context of the
oft-used but contested term ‘desertification’.
The book adopts a global perspective, with examples and
case studies drawn from many desert areas of the world.
The academic literature on deserts is well represented
and reasonably up-to-date, especially with respect to
geomorphology: an extensive reference list (35 pages)
contains a number of ‘old classics’ and a smattering of
more recent studies from this millennium, including several
with a 2007 publication date.
60 Teaching Earth Sciences Vol 35 No 1 2010 www.esta-uk.net