Imagining The Atacama Desert

A geographical, historical, and personal exploration of the world's driest desert

A picture is worth a thousand words, but never reproduces the true feeling of being physically in the place that is being portrayed. The photograph does not bring with it the scent of the earth, the wind, the sunshine and the heat of it on our skin. However, he is able to show us in a smaller proportion what it would be to be in that place. The Atacama Desert is among the most fabulous tourist places in the world. As a photographer, I consider it the most beautiful place I have visited, especially the altiplanic lagoons and the Puna. Nature has never been so intense and challenging in its extremes. Dry, high, colorful, silent and mysterious is the Atacama Desert. Simply amazing! I invite you to look through this book and get to know some of this fantastic desert.

This fascinating book describes the geological makeup and history of the Atacama Desert in Chile. One of the driest areas of the world - some parts never receive any rain - the desert's climate can be cold, sometimes producing snow and fog. Readers will be fascinated to learn that the Atacama's soil is so similar to soil samples from Mars that NASA goes to this desert to test its exploration instruments. NASA has also set up its Earth-Mars Cave Detection Program in the Atacama, too. Special sections also describe the desert's natural resources and unique problems facing this region, as well as the people, plants, and animals that inhabit this desert habitat.

Today's unprecedented pace of change leaves many people wondering what new technologies are doing to our lives. Has social media robbed us of our privacy and fed us with false information? Are the decisions about our health, security and finances made by computer programs inexplicable and biased? Will these algorithms become so complex that we can no longer control them? Are robots going to take our jobs? Can we provide housing for our ever-growing urban populations? And has our demand for energy driven the Earth's climate to the edge of catastrophe?John Browne argues that we need not and must not put the brakes on technological advance. Civilization is founded on engineering innovation; all progress stems from the human urge to make things and to shape the world around us, resulting in greater freedom, health and wealth for all. Drawing on history, his own experiences and conversations with many of today's great innovators, he uncovers the basis for all progress and its consequences, both good and bad. He argues compellingly that the same spark that triggers each innovation can be used to counter its negative consequences. Make, Think, Imagine provides an eloquent blueprint for how we can keep moving towards a brighter future.

Having been the fourth largest lake on the globe roughly 50 years ago, today the Aral Sea no longer exists. Human activities caused its desiccation and the formation of a huge new desert, the Aralkum, which can be regarded as one of the greatest ecological catastrophes and - at the same time - the largest primary succession experiment of mankind. This volume brings together the results of international and interdisciplinary long-term studies on the new desert ecosystem and is divided into four main sections. The first section provides an overview of the physical characteristics of the area and covers geological, pedological, geomorphological and climatological aspects and their dynamics, especially dust-storm dynamics. The second focuses on the biotic aspects and highlights the spatial and temporal patterns of the flora and fauna. In the third section studies and projects aiming to combat desertification by phytomelioration and to develop strategies for the conservation of biodiversity are presented. The book is rounded off with a section providing a synthesis and conclusions.

Excerpt from Desert Trails of Atacama It has become the fashion to say that major exploration is at an end because the North Pole and the South Pole have been attained and the general design Of the mountains, deserts, and drainage systems Of the earth has become known. Yet in truth the map is still crowded with scientific mysteries though its great historic mysteries have been swept away. The Mountains Of the Moon, the sources Of the Nile and the Congo, the secrets of the inner Sahara, the heart of Tibet, these are among the great mysteries that long awaited the explorer and that have been dispelled one by one. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.