The objective of this thesis is to develop a residential model for steep slopes, in the mountain village of Ajaltoun. It is anticipated that this preliminary design would represent an alternative method for residential development on steep slopes in the context of Lebanon. The study starts with an introduction describing the existing housing conditions that resulted from the continuing civil war and the need to develop steep land, thus justifying the purpose of such a model. The introduction is followed by the project description where the goals and strategies of this preliminary design are stated and the physical layout graphically presented. The project deals only with the design aspects of the circulation and access, the lots subdivision layout, and the dwelling layout.

This comprehensive text addresses all of the subjects that a reader who is new to the field will need to know and will be a welcome reference for practitioners at all levels. It includes a history of the discipline, biological and ecological background, principles of the field, basic scientific information on the structure and growth of trees, the complete range of dendrochronology methods, and a full description of each of the relevant subdisciplines.

The Physical Geography of South America, the eighth volume in the Oxford Regional Environments series, presents an enduring statement on the physical and biogeographic conditions of this remarkable continent and their relationships to human activity. It fills a void in recent environmental literature by assembling a team of specialists from within and beyond South America in order to provide an integrated, cross-disciplinary body of knowledge about this mostly tropical continent, together with its high mountains and temperate southern cone. The authors systematically cover the main components of the South American environment - tectonism, climate, glaciation, natural landscape changes, rivers, vegetation, animals, and soils. The book then presents more specific treatments of regions with special attributes from the tropical forests of the Amazon basin to the Atacama Desert and Patagonian steppe, and from the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific coasts to the high Andes. Additionally, the continents environments are given a human face by evaluating the roles played by people over time, from pre-European and European colonial impacts to the effects of modern agriculture and urbanization, and from interactions with El Niño events to prognoses for the future environments of the continent.

Hawiian versions of the birth and exploits of Maui, taken from the ancient creation chants.

This volume is an accont of early developments in meteorological research that brings to life the struggles of young pioneers—the trials and tribulations of developing new instruments, and the difficulty of sampling the atmosphere under challenging working conditions, to name just two. The book adds to the rich heritage of meteorological literature, documenting all the "firsts" achieved by this important weather observatory. An extensive bibliography of work by Observatroy personnel and source references to the Observatory's climatological data are provided. Heavily illustrated and richly detailed, this book will be of value to weather enthusiasts interested in the development of the science of meteorology, as well as to practicing meteorologists and weather historians wanting to study the growth of their scientific discipline.

Masonry arch bridges are an important part of the British road and rail network. There are for instance, about 40,000 road bridges, about 40% of Britain's total bridge stock. The amount of traffic they are now called on to carry has increased enormously since they were built, as has the weight of some of that traffic. Although these bridges have been in existence for thousands of years, research on their structural behaviour is still being carried out and new analytical techniques are being developed.