Developments and Applications of Geomorphology

The last decade has seen a remarkable increase in the application of geomorphology for numerous projects and investigations. Geomor phology is now viewed as an indispensable partner of engineering and geology in the world of applied science. For a discipline with few independent theories of its own, geomorphology has become a cosmopolitan science, drawing on many topics from allied sciences. To compile a list of successful and viable applications and contribu tions would be an arduous chore, if not an impossible task. Instead we have compiled a set of invited papers that represent some of the practical developments and uses of geomorphology over the past de cade. Such a compilation of papers will reflect our own back grounds, biases, associations, and personal and professional expe riences. We make no apologies for the topics omitted, but recognize that this volume could be prohibitively large if all the subdivisions of geomorphology were equally and fully covered. Our goal in assembling the papers for this volume was to empha size the concepts, principles, and applications of geomorphology. While techniques, procedures and practical applications are stressed, the reason for each investigation is as important as the method em ployed. This book, therefore, represents the methods used and reasons for applying geomorphology. Where case studies are used, they serve as examples that can be applied in related situations, similar settings and other locations. The authors have successfully addressed this goal in a broad selection of chapter topics.