Scale: Understanding the Environment

This book provides up-to-date, in-depth and accessible information on the concept of scale, and focuses on its applications in geography, Earth science, environmental science, and other fields in which the environment plays a significant role. Although the book presents methods and applications as a response to practical challenges, it is primarily concept-centered: it identifies a set of distinct, yet related notions of “scale”, analyzing and elucidating their evolving meanings in a systematic way. Concepts are defined with a focus on their practical operational applicability, and the introduction of methods is supported by concrete examples. The book links theoretical insights to illustrating applications, involving a broad range of themes, from maps, fractals, and chaos theory to fine art and literature. It approaches the subject in a spatial, temporal, and spatio-temporal context, including a wide diversity of spatial features from Earth and other planets, as well as time series and space-time patterns.

This monograph is expected to be useful especially because in practice the various scale-focused concepts are not neatly separated and immiscible. It is therefore helpful for scholars in physical and human geography, Earth and environmental sciences, and other fields, to benefit from a clear conceptual framework that distinguishes and illuminates the various scale-related concepts and their interconnections. Selected chapters can also support a deeper understanding of the concept of scale for graduate and undergraduate students in geography, the natural sciences, and the humanities. Information on recommended additional literature and comments about specific sources offer a guide to further reading on the topics addressed in the book.