85 not. Little reference is made to the pioneering work published material from scholars the world over. carried out bythe US Army Corps ofEngineers and Applied Geomorphology is, then, an international the authors neglect the rudimentary fact that groin text in its content, scope and application. emplacement must be attuned to site specific Verstappen sees the main application of geo­ nearshore dynamics. The remaining seven papers, morphology in the fields of geology, pedology, hy­ comprising Sessions VII (Structural Form and drology, vegetation and topographic mapping as Materials) and VITI (Cliff Stabilization) are of con­ these relate to the analysis and development of siderable interest and certainly serve to round off natural resources, the amelioration of environmen­ the entire proceedings nicely. Indeed I think that in tal hazards, of rural development and urbanization many past symposia the importance of these aspects and in civil engineering. Accordingly his book is of coastal protection have never truly been subdivided into three sections. In Section A he exploited. explores the roles of geomorphology in the acquisi­ In summary, this is a good compilation, par­ tion of knowledge about natural environments and ticularly valuable to those concerned with the many resources by the different groups of earth scien­ aspects of coastal protection in the UK. My only tists. Geomorphology and appropriate use of the major concern is the obvious lack of attention paid natural environmentis tackled in SectionB with the to the many US shore protection schemes. The UK foci being upon rural land use, urbanization, mineral has the prodigious advantage of learning from mis­ resources and engineering. Section C, perhaps the takes made by the US. I recommend Shoreline Pro­ heart of the book, is an illustration and analysis of tection internationally to those working on similar geomorphological methodologies for use in planned problems on the proviso that they satisfy only their developments. Here, the concept and practice of curiosity. By no means do I recommend it as a geomorphological surveys is expounded and then reference for abatingcoastal problems. Myguess is, applied to the study of flood and drought suscep­ you simply will not find too many answers. tibilities, to slope stability and erosion surveys, to violent hazards such as avalanches, volcanic erup­ Gregory Stone tions and earthquakes, and in terrain classification University of Maryland Throughout sections A and B, Verstappen is pre­ College Park, Maryland senting primarily the conceptual and empirical bases for an Applied Geomorphology through a wide range of case studies whilst some appropriate methodol­ Applied Geomorphology: Geomorphological ogies and techniques are outlined in Section C. The Surveys for Environmental Development, by contribution to geomorphology, environmental sur­ H Th Verstappen, 1983, Elsevier, 437p. US$83.25, vey and resource development planning for which ISBN 0-444-42181-5. both Verstappen and ITC are justifiably renowned lies especiallyinthe mappingofenvironmental pro­ Applied Geomorphology is a large book, beautifully perties and processes from a diversity of remotely printed on glossy paper. Written byone ofthe world's sensed imagery and in the field. These emphases leading geomorphologists from a lifetime's field are clearlyapparent inthe book and their utility can and professional experience in Asia, Africa, Europe be appreciated from the lavish use ofair photographs and South America it is a major work on environ­ singly, in stereopairs and stereotriplets, many an­ mental science. Professor Verstappen is a doyen of notated, of thematic and synthetic maps and of the International Institute for Aerial Survey and ground photographs. These examples and illus­ Earth Science at Enschede, The Netherlands, to trations are drawn from a wide diversity of geo­ which come students from every continent for pro­ graphical environments mostly - but not solely fessional and academic training in cartography, -in the developingworlds ofAsia, Mrica, southern aerial survey, geomorphology, resource planning Europe and SOLlth America and help to foster in the and development, and from whence go its teachers reader an awareness ofthe massive problems faced to carry out contractual and private research like­ by some societies and their earth scientists. wise in many countries and environments. This Some of the applications of geomorphology pre­ book is builtnotonly on Verstappen's own acquired sented by Professor Verstappen lie outside the wisdom and knowledge but also on that of his col­ mainstream of his research and the work of the leagues, studentsand, as the listofreferences atthe I T.C. and, as a consequence, are handled with less end of each chapter shows, on a very large body of facility than the others. For example the discussion Journal of Coastal Research, Vol. 2, No.1, 1986 86 on the exploration for mineral deposits reveals a flow through beaches are based heavily on impor­ limited familiarity with American, French and British ted ideas, and offer little that is new. An interesting work Applied geomorphology in coastal environ­ paper on coastal sediment budget changes follow­ ments is even more thinly treated with but a few ing dam construction should have been in the pages being devoted to coastal engineering, coastal management section, if anywhere. A paper on Holo­ flooding and dune encroachment. cene coastal changes in The Netherlands appears The main strengths of the book lie in its wide to have been presented at the wrong meeting. Perhaps ranging demonstration ofthe use of geomorphology the most useful contribution is that by Winter on in general and of the fundamental importance of the relationship between surfzone circulations and mapping in particular. In this it is superb. Verstappen's diatom populations, although the mathematics are Applied Geomorphology, like his Remote Sensing in offputting, and perhaps unnecessary. The section is Geomorphology, should be in the course bibliogra­ concluded by a 'where-do-we-go-from-here' type phies of every proselytizer of geomorphology and summary, that was not worth including. teacher of environmental science and should, of The chemistry section follows the same basic course, be well thumbed by every planner, developer pattenl, although the review is a little more conven­ and manager of natural environmental resources, tional and most of the papers are biased towards although individuals will not feel inclined to spend ecological processes. Pugh's paperon nutrient cycl­ eighty-three dollars from their own pockets to buy ing is particularly clear and concise, ifnot very pro­ this book found, while the two papers by Quinlan and her associates are both enjoyable and of a high standard Martin Thorp The standout section of the book is undoubtably University College the ecology. McLachlan's review is excellent and Dublin, Ireland will be much read by aspiring students of beach ecology. He has made a great effort to mesh physi­ cal, chemical, and biological concepts and apply Sandy Beaches as Ecosystems, edited by A. them to sandy beaches. The subsequent 200 pages McLachlan and T. Erasmus, 1983, Dr. W. Junk, ofecology range across primary and secondary pro­ The Hague, 757p. US$ 120.00, ISBN 90-6193-77-1. ducers, decomposers and bacteria. Many papers highlight the intimate connections between near­ This volume arose from the First International shore communities and their generally hostile en­ Symposium on Sandy Beaches held in PortElizabeth vironmente.g. Lewis and Schaeferon surfplankton, South Africa in 1983. It has been published as num­ and Woolridge on Mysis. It is also clear that much ber 19 in the series Developments in Hydrobiology. good work is being carried out in South Africa on The volume is divided into five main sections cover­ beach ecology; I particularly liked the papers on ing the physical (13 contributions), chemical (10), shore birds and on kelp. ecology (20), ecophysiology and autecology (11) The ecophysiology section is really a continua­ and management(5), plus 18 abstracts. Each ofthe tion of the preceeding ecological one. The final sec­ main sections starts wi th a review (or partial review) tion on management is a disappointment. The pa­ and ends with a workshop report. pers are not indicative of the state-of-the-art, Clark's The papers are, as with all symposia volumes, a review is missing (a summary is provided, Sf emingly mixed bag. The host country contributions have a scribbled from no~es by one ofthe audience). Bird's tendency to he parochial, the international con­ review of global beach changes has, or is, appearing tributions somewhat general. Much of the subject all over the place and the remainder are just dis­ matter of the latter has been published before. parate examples. The physical section is typical. It starts with an Overall this is an important book. J suspect ecol­ idiosyncratic review of nearshore processes by ogists will like it for the physical and chemical sec­ Swart, marred by poor diagrams and a tendency to tions, non-ecologists, like myself, for the ecology. It cite obscure internal reports instead of the correct does however manage to convey a sense ofmultidis­ sources. 'rhe review is followed by good papers by ciplinary togtherness, which often eludes this type Chapman, Bird and Shortand Wrighton Australian of volume. I ended up learning a lot from readingit beaches and Aubrey on the American ones, although There are a few typographical errors, but probably all are re-hashes of their earlier work. The 'local' less then one might expect from a camera-ready papers on crenellate coasts. beach structures and text. Some of the figures are illegible, some photo- Journal of Coastal Research. Vol. 2. No.1. 19Rfl.