This is the fourth in the excellent Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences series volumes that I have reviewed. One point that has struck me is how the subject matter of the various books has affected the style and choice of the entries. Fresh water is vital for life on land. It is of critical importance to humans; for their survival and for industry and also for amenity and recreation. And, as the human population increases and more countries become industrialised these factors become more important. The supply, location and the quality of water has never been more critical.
This is the first of the Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences volumes to include man‐made structures in the title. The book does not have a strong definition of lake or reservoir so some small bodies of water that might be called ponds are also included. The article on urban lakes uses the word pond, and is as much about their amenity value as about water management. There is also an entry on Dew Ponds, which filled a gap in my knowledge. Although fresh water resources are the focus of this book, salt water lakes like the Dead Sea and Lake Chad are included. In all there are about 200 entries making the average length five pages but, as some entries are just short definitions, some major entries are a good deal longer.
The technical entries on lakes cover all aspects of lake formation, inflow and outflow, circulation of water in lakes, and water chemistry. Some more specific topics like ice formation in lakes, the effects of climate change, and lake surveying are of general interest. But there are many more specific like circulation of water in fjords, costal lagoons and glacier jökulhlaup (an Icelandic term for glacier outburst flooding). Legal issues such as the EU Water Framework Directive and the WHO Guidelines for drinking water quality are discussed and international collaborations such as the Lake Environment Committee Foundation's World Lake Database and World Lake Vision are included. Water quality is covered in articles on acidification and sediment. The biology of lakes, especially vegetation and microorganism, is covered. Water borne diseases are discussed. Beavers and their hydro‐engineering receive an entry. There is an entry on Lake Monsters which is mainly about the Loch Ness Monster. It does not mention the possibility that one of the great travelling circuses let their elephants swim in the loch, with trucks protruding above the surface, as is the way of elephants.
The potential scarcity of fresh water has resulted in many items which are descriptions of particular lakes or inventories of lakes in particular regions or countries. These vary in detail and layout but are a useful resource. Kokilamedu Lake gets an entry under the title Tsunami because of its proximity to nuclear facilities and because it was affected by the December 2004 Tsunami: it is a useful case study.
The reservoir entries cover a similar range of topics to those on lakes. There are topics of wide application on reservoir design and construction, dam safety, and water quality. Some of the articles on water storage and supply include historical information, and those on the UK, and especially London, I intend to read more thoroughly. Although most reservoirs are for the supply of water for drinking and industry some are used to generate electricity and there is an entry on the Kingairlock hydroelectric scheme. In the past reservoirs have been used to collect water to drive water mills. These, where they still exist, are mainly of amenity use. Reservoirs are important for navigation canals, which, at least in the UK, are a major leisure industry. There does not seem to be an entry on these but there is an entry for the Forth & Clyde, and Union Canals. This is mainly about the Falkirk Wheel, a boat lift that has become a tourist attraction in its own right.
Somewhere between lakes, which are more or less natural, and reservoirs, which are more of less manmade, are the water bodies resulting from the activities of the mineral industry: these do not seem to have been covered. There is some information on the Norfolk Broads but it is not mentioned that they are old peat extraction pits. Another area that is missed is underground sources of water. These are important source of water for human use. They do not fit into the scope of this book, but I hope they will be covered in this series.
All the articles have bibliographies and cross‐references and there is a good index. There is a contents list at the beginning which is useful for finding articles. There are plenty of illustrations and maps. There are diagrams which make the various movements of water, and changes in bodies of water easier to follow, and diagrams of technical installations. Quite a lot of information is presented in tables. On the whole the book is easy to use. Some technical terms, for example, sieches are defined at the start of the entry, in others like meromictic lakes the definition is further down the entry; in this case it is in the second paragraph. I picked these because they are words I did not know; once I had got to the definition I could easily understand the entry.
Because of the immediate importance of fresh water to humans this book is likely to be used by biologists, geographers, engineers and probably tourism specialists and politicians. It is a book that will be found in university and government libraries and also in the offices of major water supply companies. Looking back at the examples I have chosen, I realise they reflect my particular interests. Another reviewer would no doubt pick another set of examples. I hope that my selection and comments convey the wide range of topics covered in this book. There is a vast amount of information in this volume.
