The measurements of environmental factors in terrestrial ecology: R. M. Wadsworth (Editor). Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford/Edinburgh, 1968, 314 pp., 55s
✍ Scribed by S. Segal
- Book ID
- 102624136
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1969
- Weight
- 116 KB
- Volume
- 6
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0002-1571
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✦ Synopsis
This book compiles the texts of papers presented at a symposium held in March 1967 in Reading (England). The object of the meeting was to provide a review of progress in the sphere of ecological field research. By "environmental factors" is meant purely physical factors. Amongst the 21 contributions, methods are described of measuring temperature and radiation, wind strength and direction, air and ground humidity, precipitation, evaporation, hydrology and the analysis of gas in the ground and the atmosphere; four articles describe recording methods and one concerns the drawing-up of computer programmes to process data.
Information is given in an article of general tenor (J. W. Siddon) as to what sort of microclimatic measurements should be made under which kind of circumstances and how they should be carried out. Much attention is given to the approach to the posing of problems, adequate measurements and sensitivity and the processing and interpretation of data. These are problems with which every ecologist engaged in environmental research is confronted and with which he frequently experiences difficulties.
It is remarkable that an ever-increasing amount of apparatus of reduced dimension is being developed. This has a strong tendency towards eliminating as far as possible the influence of the environment by the measurement itself, for example by using small feelers with a small surface area (and thus small radiation error) and by remote measurements, which are at present used for almost all measurements. In this connection, techniques of radio telemetry are also used and a contribution is devoted to this subject by J. Bligh and S. G. R. Robinson. Such techniques are of great importance to the animal ecologist.
The necessary attention has been paid to automation and the processing of data. A list is given of demonstrations held during the symposium of techniques, both by companies and by individuals, which is of particular interest for those who did not attend the symposium. There is a certain measure of comment on these demonstrations, and since a list of the companies and others attending is included in the book, one can, if it is desired, get into contact with those demonstrating. It is in itself worthwhile to have a summary of the ecological instruments which are on the market. The work ends with a handy and extensive index according to subjects.
The book is essential reading for those who are occupied in the development of physical measurements in the field, though there is, unavoidably, a difference in quality between the contributions. It gives a good impression of what already exists in the way of apparatus and what is in course of development, and the happily