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Introduction to Petrology

Contributors: Johnson and Liu

Publisher: VIVA

License: CC BY-NC-SA

Learn about igneous and metamorphic rocks (and how to analyze them), the fun way! Students learn concepts and practice knowledge by conducting inquiries guided with examples based on videos and interactive diagrams.

(1 review)

Energy and Human Ambitions on a Finite Planet

Contributor: Murphy

Publisher: eScholarship

License: CC BY-NC

Where is humanity going? How realistic is a future of fusion and space colonies? What constraints are imposed by physics, by resource availability, and by human psychology? Are default expectations grounded in reality?

(4 reviews)

Rain or Shine

Contributors: Ochsner, Howerton, and Ellis

Publisher: Oklahoma State University

License: CC BY

This text is an introduction to soil physical properties and processes.

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Introduction to Biosystems Engineering

Contributors: Holden, Wolfe, Ogejo, and Cummins

Publishers: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) and Virginia Tech Publishing

License: CC BY

The discipline of Biosystems Engineering emerged in the 1990s from the traditional strongholds of agricultural engineering and food engineering. Biosystems engineering integrates engineering science and design with applied biological, environmental, and agricultural sciences. Introduction to Biosystems Engineering is targeted at 1st and 2nd year university-level students with an interest in biosystems engineering but who are not yet familiar with the breadth and depth of the subject. It is designed as a coherent educational resource, also available for download as individual digital chapters. The book can be used as a localized, customizable text for introductory courses in Biosystems Engineering globally. It is written as a series of stand-alone chapters organized under six major topics: Food and Bioprocessing; Environment; Buildings and Infrastructure; Information and Communications Technology and Data; Machinery Systems; and Energy. Each chapter is organized around stated learning outcomes and describes key concepts, applications of the concepts, and worked examples.

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Coastal Dynamics

Contributors: Bosboom and Stive

Publisher: TU Delft Open

License: CC BY-NC-SA

This textbook on Coastal Dynamics focuses on the interrelation between physical wave, flow and sediment transport phenomena and the resulting morphodynamics of a wide variety of coastal systems. The textbook is unique in that it explicitly connects the dynamics of open coasts and tidal basins; not only is the interaction between open coasts and tidal basins of basic importance for the evolution of most coastal systems, but describing the similarities between their physical processes is highly instructive as well. This textbook emphasizes these similarities to the benefit of understanding shared processes such as nonlinearities in flow and sediment transport. Some prior knowledge with respect to the dynamics of flow, waves and sediment transport is recommended.

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Physical Geography - Version 1

Contributors: Patrich and Radtke

Publisher: College of the Canyons

License: CC BY

Welcome to Physical Geography at College of the Canyons.

(1 review)

Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist Identify Plants and Plant Requirements

Contributor: Nakano

Publisher: Kwantlen Polytechnic University

License: CC BY

Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist Identify Plants and Plant Requirements is an adaptation of KPU HORT 1155 Introduction to Plant Materials Lecture Notes. It is an editable, open access learning resource with interactive web based experiences customized for horticulture students studying plant identification.

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Geological Structures: a Practical Introduction

Contributors: Waldron and Snyder

Publisher: Open Education Alberta

License: CC BY-NC

This manual is about structures that occur within the Earth’s crust. Structures are the features that allow geologists to figure out how parts of the Earth have changed position, orientation, size and shape over time. This work requires careful observation and measurements of features at the surface of the Earth, and deductions about what’s below the surface. The practical skills you will learn in this course form the foundation for much of what is known about the history of the Earth, and are important tools for exploring the subsurface. They are essential for Earth scientists of all kinds.

(1 review)

Permaculture Design: Tools for Climate Resilience

Contributor: Milison

Publisher: Oregon State University

License: CC BY-NC

Climate is also where we begin the design process in another tool referenced in the Permaculture design system. This is the Scale of Landscape Permanence, originated by P.A.Yeomans, the founder of Keyline™ Design. Yeomans asserts that the order of design is:

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Climate Toolkit: A Resource Manual for Science and Action - Version 2.0

Contributor: Granshaw

Publisher: Portland State University Library

License: CC BY-NC

The Climate Toolkit is a resource manual designed to help the reader navigate the complex and perplexing issue of climate change by providing tools and strategies to explore the underlying science. As such it contains a collection of activities that make use of readily available on-line resources developed by research groups and public agencies. These include web-based climate models, climate data archives, interactive atlases, policy papers, and “solution” catalogs. Unlike a standard textbook, it is designed to help readers do their own climate research and devise their own perspective rather than providing them with a script to assimilate and repeat.

(2 reviews)