Taking a global perspective, this book provides a concise overview of drylands, including their physical, biological, temporal, and human components.

• Examines the physical systems occurring in desert environments, including climate, hydrology, past and present lakes, weathering, hillslopes, geomorphic surfaces, water as a geomorphic agent, and aeolian processes
• Offers an accessible introduction to the physical, biological, temporal, and human components of drylands
• Investigates the nature, environmental requirements, and essential geomorphic roles of plants and animals in this stressful biological environment
• Highlights the impact of human population growth on climate, desertification, water resources, and dust storm activity
• Includes an examination of surface/atmosphere interactions and the impact of ENSO events.

Julie Laity is a Professor at California State University, Northridge, USA. Her work has focused on deserts, looking at aeolian, fluvial, and groundwater systems, and the impact of environmental degradation on wind-blown sand and dust events. Her research on groundwater-sapping systems and wind erosion has been used to aid our understanding of Martian environments.