List of Figures | p. ix |
List of Tables | p. xiii |
Preface | p. xvii |
Acknowledgments | p. xxi |
An environment discovered | p. 1 |
Introduction | p. 1 |
Early European explorers | p. 2 |
The nineteenth century | p. 2 |
Twentieth century explorers | p. 9 |
The Kingdom | p. 17 |
Introduction | p. 17 |
Main physiographic regions | p. 19 |
A journey through time | p. 29 |
The modern Kingdom - growing environmental pressures | p. 35 |
Geological framework | p. 45 |
Introduction | p. 45 |
Brief geological history | p. 48 |
Regional geology | p. 54 |
Economic geology | p. 62 |
Climate and environmental change | p. 67 |
Introduction | p. 68 |
Synoptic climatology and seasons | p. 69 |
Air temperature | p. 71 |
Atmospheric humidity and evaporation | p. 72 |
Precipitation | p. 75 |
Global radiation and sunshine | p. 79 |
Winds | p. 80 |
Climatic regions | p. 80 |
Quaternary climatic and environmental change | p. 84 |
Hydrogeology and hydrology | p. 95 |
Introduction | p. 95 |
The drainage net | p. 97 |
Surface runoff | p. 98 |
Dams | p. 101 |
Lakes | p. 102 |
Springs | p. 104 |
Groundwater | p. 105 |
Aquifer water quality | p. 108 |
Aquifer recharge | p. 109 |
Water extraction for irrigation | p. 111 |
Urban development and groundwater | p. 113 |
Water harvesting in urban areas | p. 115 |
Geomorphology | p. 117 |
Introduction | p. 118 |
Weathering | p. 118 |
Denudation history | p. 121 |
Tertiary drainage development | p. 131 |
Deep weathering and stripping | p. 132 |
Inselbergs | p. 133 |
Pediment development and gravel plains | p. 133 |
Alluvial fans | p. 133 |
Sand deserts and dunes | p. 134 |
Wind erosion | p. 147 |
Karst | p. 150 |
Volcanic landforms | p. 153 |
Escarpments and cuestas | p. 155 |
Quaternary sea level change | p. 157 |
Loessic alluvial silts | p. 162 |
Biogeography | p. 163 |
Introduction | p. 163 |
The fauna | p. 165 |
The flora | p. 172 |
Vegetation | p. 178 |
Soils and soil erosion | p. 189 |
Introduction | p. 190 |
Entisols | p. 191 |
Inceptisols | p. 197 |
Aridisols | p. 197 |
Soil map associations | p. 202 |
Soil mineralogy | p. 207 |
Palaeosols | p. 208 |
Soil erosion | p. 212 |
Environmental impacts and hazards | p. 215 |
Introduction | p. 216 |
Geohazards | p. 216 |
Biological hazards | p. 233 |
Industrial hazards | p. 236 |
Soil salinization and irrigation | p. 238 |
Desertification | p. 239 |
Gulf War hazards | p. 245 |
Environmental protection, regulation and policy | p. 247 |
Introduction | p. 247 |
Islam and the environment | p. 249 |
The legal background | p. 251 |
Meteorology and Environmental Protection Administration (MEPA) | p. 254 |
The Ministry of Agriculture | p. 256 |
National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD) | p. 260 |
Traditional land management - hima (sometimes hema) | p. 273 |
Eco- and geotourism | p. 278 |
References | p. 281 |
Index | p. 299 |
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