ABSTRACT
Environmental geomorphology treats man as a physical process in changing the terrain, in the same manner that other surficial forces transform the landscape, such as rivers, oceans, winds, gravity movements, etc. Since man lives, works, and plays on the surface of the earth, many of his activities are designed to modify the land—water ecosystem. This chapter provides a brief description and analysis of those subfields where the expertise of the geomorphic engineer is an important ingredient in their use and management. These subfields are water resources, living resources, nonrenewable resources, open-pit and strip mining, gold mining, sand and gravel, service engineering, and coastal-zone management. The viewpoint extolled in the chapter claims that a field of specialization is vital. The reason for its importance is the linkage of two somewhat independent disciplines into a joint area of mutual concern, man and his works. Society will be the poorer if this union is not consummated.
