Limbird, Arthur

English

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REVIEWS 343 THE PHYSICS OF GLACIERS. By W.S.B. PATERSON. Oxford: found which, if not actually inspired by some previously published field Pergamon Press Ltd., 1981. Second ed. 380 p., illus. Available in dataor observation, owe theirfinalimpact to the fact that somedataexist hardcover or flexicover. No orice indicated. from which a plausible (numerical) result may  be extracted. Many theo- This compact book of  15 chapters is an extensively revised version of the original 12-chapter edition published in 1969, Much has evolved in the subject over  the last decade, so it would  be  well worthwhile investing in the latest edition and, if applicable, trying-to  trade in your first edition. Firstly, some points concerning the production of the book. My review copy is the flexicover (paperback) version. The text is photodreduced author’s typewriter script and at 1 mm for  the lower case is barely Y; the size of the typeset 1%9 hardcover edition. While acceptable for those with normal vision it may tax some readers’ eyes. The binding is close and some equation numbers have an awkward habit of  hiding  well into the cusp. Frequent flattening of the flexicover verison may tend to damage the spine, therefore the hardcover version would seem to be preferable. Typographical errors  are almost nil. The only one that came to my attention is in the last equation on  p, 259 where w should evidently be w, the angular frequency. Although far from critical, the associated figure has a (b) missing on the phase log curve. Because a colleague mentioned that his copy was lacking part of the index, it would be advisable to check out your copy thoroughly before buying. The book could serve two useful purposes: as the basic text for a glaciology course (where the study of glaciers is the focal point) and as a refresher or instant reference for practicing glaciologists (this is already alluded to in the preface to the first edition). If used for the former purpose, a good companion text would be Glacier  Ice  by Post and La Chapelle. This latter, largely pictorial book would balance the more serious content of the former whose only relief is provided by appropri- ately witty but brief quotations appearing at the head of each chapter. Most of the text is authoritatively written, although there  is still an understandable bias towards subjects more familiar to  the authot: thus (as also alluded to in the original preface) the coverage and the standard of the text tends to vary between individual chapters. For instance, the new chapter 11 (“Structures and fabrics in glaciers and ice sheets”) contains largely descriptive and graphic material (but still no coverage of the Thule-Baftin type moraines suggested as a worthy topic by an earlier reviewer’). It is immediately followed by “The response of a glacier to changes in mass balance”, which is  an excellent mathematical summary of Nye’s extensive work on the subject. The  order of some of the  chapters  is  rather unexpected: for instance the new chapter 14: “Heat budget and climatology of glaciers” appears after “The mass balance of glaciers” (Chapter 4), “Hydrology of glaciers” (Chapter 8) and “Distribution of temperature in glaciers and ice sheets” (Chapter lo), whereas it would appear to be more logically placed before these topics. Though material in that chapter is quite relevant, we  might also expect to look, in appropriate detail, at analagous conditions exist- ing  in the material over which glaciers are flowing. This is only touched on in the chapter  on “Glacier surges”. The  chapter on hydrology is perhaps not a completely fair coverage of such an important practical topic: most of the mathematical treatment is devoted to Nye’s classic model of Jokulhlaup hydraulics. There are few omissions of authors’ works relevant to the subject, except  one noticeable one: that of K. Hutter, although the mathematical standard of his treatments is probably too advanced and too generalized for this text.  The English is generally immaculate except when one  reads (p. 196): “Temperate glaciers are widespread in the literature . . . ” and (p. 225) “If only one principal stress . . . is tensile, crevasses should open up in the direction of that stress.” Their traces of courseform perpendicular to the stated direction, and  this becomes evident by reading further. Again, (p. 275) referring to surges “. . . a chaotic mass of crevasses  and ice pinnacles . . . ” would  be betterappearingas “. . . achaoticarray . . .“(crevassesobviously have no mass except for  the  air they contain). Further (p. 289) refemng to a creep instability analysis, the statement: “only the heat transfer equation was considered; ice dynamics were (was?) ignored”, seems to be incom- patible with  a  model involving a creep phenomenon. In the introduction we read “. . . a mere handful of mathematical physicists . . . have contributed far more to the understanding of the subject than have a hundred measurers of stakes or recorders of advances and retreats of glacier termini.” This may be a nearly true statement, judgemental though it is, but should not the situation be viewed a little more tolerantly? What is a theory worth if there  is insufficient data with which to test  it? In such an interdisciplinary field as glaciology, interac- tion between theoreticists and experimentalists is mutually  beneficial and the record seems to show that. Theoretically-based papers may  be ries have subs’equently been modified by necessity as  data have accumu- lated over periods of many years. The ideal solution, as Paterson later points out, is a coordimted  approach, but this is a modus operandi seldom realized because of limited resources in this field. Frequent criticisms of important works n a y  be found in most chap- ters. Where is is  justifred, this is good material for student consumption, but a quick check shows that  the numerical modellers come in for a disproportionate amount of criticism at such an early stage in their development. The Nye-Weertmanian glacier mechanics slowly evolved from over-simplified modelr, and though they usually had an “exact“ solution this did not necessarily ensure  an entirely realistic result. Final- ly, although the book does  not have a strong historical thread (most of the early history is found in the three-page introduction), it makes up for this by  lively critique as the science is laid forth. REFERENCES ‘BULL, C.B.B.  1979. (Book Review). The Physics of Glaciers. Arctic G . Holdsworth Snow and Ice Division National  Hydrology  Research  Institute Environment  Canada IO1 - 4616 Valiant  Drive N.W.  Calgary,  Alberta,  Canada T3A OX9 23(2):141. SOIL AND PERMAFROST SURVEYS IN  THE ARCTIC. By K.A. LINeLLand J.C.F.T~~~~~.OxfordSciencePublications,Monographs on Soil Survey. Oxford and New York: Clarendon Press, 1981.279 p. incl. appendices, author  and subject indices. US $69.50. Linell and Tedrow state in the preface that most books on soil mechan- ics and pedology give little attention to frozen soil conditions. They draw upon their own experiences and  the experiences of other  experts to give the overdue attention to frozen soils. The monograph brings together two well-known authorities in arctic  research; Linell is known for his perma- frost engineering studies and Tedrow for his research on arctic pedology. Such a monograph written by two of the giants in arctic research should be eagerly anticipated. Generally, one is not disappointed. Linell and Tedrow set  about discussing the application to the arctic environment of information often well known about subarctic and temperate areas. The authors indicate at the  outset of their discussion that  there are three main distinct features of the Arctic - widespread permafrost, unusual terrain, and  extreme climate. The first several chapters of the monograph introduce these distinct features and set  the background for applied, practical aspects of arctic survey work. Linell and Tedrow utilize a good technical approach and apply it in focusing on the special problems associated with surveying arctic soils and permafrost areas. The examples chosen illustrate the  concepts very well. The monograph demonstrates the need to examine soils in the context of site selection and construction for such arctic installations as roads, airfields, pipelines and buildings. The discussion includes examination of soils for the north- em extension of agriculture, for other land uses, and for conservation. The monograph contains little discussion on the climate (air) of the Arctic: one’s initial reaction is that the climate chapter is too short. However, in keeping with the applied nature of the monograph, Linell and Tedrow proceed to demonstrate how climatic conditions relate to the thermal regime in the soil, to the  character of the permafrost, and to the applications of climate data  to various uses of permafrost soils. The discussions of thermal regime and thermal stability of permafrost are done well. The last four chapters of the monograph are all excellent because the authors compile some of the best pieces of practical information needed for arctic research in a meaningful, useful manner. The discussion of “field organization” includes the factors to consider when preparing to conduct a survey in the Arctic. The discussion of  “field procedures in pedology” in the Arctic offers sound advice on  the methods that will 344 REVIEWS work  in such adverse  areas  and  on what methods will not work. “Terrain evaluation” includes ways of evaluating and interpreting characteristics of landscapes in the Arctic, especially features which are unique and  may be of particular concern to those persons working  in the region. The discussion of “route or site selection  and  development”  includes stepby- step suggestions on how to choose routes or sites, and the information needed that will save construction and maintenance costs. Valuable information on engineering soil testing in the Arctic and monitoring  soil and structural behavior is in the first two appendices. Line11 and Tedrow have included sources of more technical literature about the Arctic in the third appendix. Although the monograph contains excellent practical and applied  infor- mation on soil and permafrost surveys in the Arctic, there are some minor drawbacks. One can question the organization: the  chapter  on “thermal stability” comes six chapters after theoneon “thermal regime”; the chapter  on “northern agriculture and conservation” is sandwiched between chapters on soil engineering; and the chapter  on “soil mechan- ics” is too short (2% pages) to stand alone and might better be included in the chapter on “engineering characteristics of soils in cold regions”. The fact that the discussion of Canadian soils does not use the latest nomenclature  (cryosols)  is  unfortunate,  because  the  change in nomenclautre came in 1978 and because a number of the soil examples come from the Canadian Arctic. The drawbacks are inconsequential, and overall the chapters are well written and contain quite useful information. The monograph is an excel- lent starting point for those persons embarking on arctic endeavors involving soils and permafrost. Arthur Limbird Department of Geography University of Calgary Calgary,  Alberta, Canada T2N IN4 THE LANGUAGE OF  THE INUIT: HISTORICAL, PHONOLOGI- CAL AND GRAMMATICAL ISSUES. Edited by LOUIS-JACQUES D0~~1s.Qu6bec: Laval University, 1981. Etudes/Inuit/Studies 5 (Suppl.). 124 p. $8.00. The book consists of seven  articles, with an introduction by the  editor, who is also one of the contributors. They cover the gamut of Eskimo linguistics, both areally and topically. The book could be characterized by the now standard “slender volume”, but it makes up  in quality for quantity. The articles are almost uniformly  good and instructive and of high quality. The study of Eskimo linguistics is most definitely advanced by this publication. The first article (“Endoactive-Exoactive Markers in Eskimo-Aleut, Tungus and Japanese - An Investigatio into Common Origins”, by Michael Fortescue, 36 pp.) deals with dee -level historical linguistic of the Eakaleut family. As the  author admits, 1 nd as Dorais adumbrates in the introduction, it  does not prove anything, but it certainly is thought- provoking and very strongly indicative of long-standing and deep-level culture contacts of Eskimos and Proto-Eskimos over a wide area. It should be required reading for all anthropologists. The second (“Some Notes on the Language of East Greenland” by Louis-Jacques Dorais, 37 pp.) deals with East Greenlandic. It is well and meticulously done. Its major contribution, this reviewer thinks, is in the socio-linguistic realm, though the close attention to phonetic details should not be slighted. Dorais’s explanation of lexical differences, cen- tering on  the need to control (in this case by linguistic means) the very precarious environment, is excellent and, in  my view, in keeping with Eskimo culture, personality and religion. It is a good revision of the older, much too crude, formulation that all lexical substitutions could be attributable to ‘taboos’ associated with death. “Greenlandic as a Three-Vowel Language” by J@rgen Rischel, the third paper (9 pp.), deals with the phonemics of Greenlandic as related to the phonemics of Eskimo languages generally. It uses diachronic and synchronic evidence and makes a convincing case for development of the Greenlandic dialects’ system(s) in situ. “On Yupik-Inupiaq Correspondences for I: A Case of Inupiaq Innova- tion” (the fourth article, 8 pp., by Lawrence Kaplan) deals with some- what the same materials, but in the western end of the language area, where the ubiquitous I archephoneme is still alive. Kaplan comes to the conclusion that Yuxpiq preserves an older (fourth vowel) form. The fifth paper (“Place of Articulation Assimulation and the Inuktitut Dialect Continuum”, 8 pp., by Chet Crieder) traces  the distribution of some phonological distinctions, determines which are innovations, and then maps them. He reinforces Rischel’s contention that innovation went on in the East. The sixth contribution (Lawrence R. Smith’s “Passive as a Two-cycle Process in Inuktitut”, 12 pp.) deals with a favorite of linguistically inclined Eskimologists, or Innuktitun-oriented linguistics, i.e., the much- discussed subject of the passive and/or passive-like expressions, and is as much an exercise in generative/transformationalgrammar using Eskimo materials as it is the investigation of Eskimo linguistics. As such, it again examines the problem of how to handle passive or passive-like expres- sions of Eskimo. The final piece (“The Logical Semantics of Only: Tuaq, Innaq and Tuinnaq”, 9 pp., by J. Peter Denny) is semantic in content and demon- strates that semantic domains can vary from language to language, dem- onstrating very cogently and correctly that what  we gloss as ‘only’ (and differentiate into a congeries of linked domains by where we position ‘only’ in the sentence) can mean three distinct things in Eskimo. He uses glosses valid from the Bering Straits to Greenland to demonstrate the distinctness of the three different dictionary entries found in the title. Use of  “logical grammar” as an analytical tool is productive. At this juncture I will avail myself  of the reviewer’s prerogative to make a few negative remarks. First article (Fortescue): Some of the ‘genealogical bridges’ he builds are a bit shaky. I am intrigued by the Eskimo-Aleut immuk, ‘cheese/milk’; why cheese in a historical article? Third article (Rischel): No mention of M. Swadesh who gave some attention to this problem quite early on?  Fourth article (Kaplan): Again no credit given to Swadesh’s priority. Is the Diomede dialect ‘retention’, or could it be (re)borrowing from across the Straits? As a linguist  well versed in phonological matters, how does he motivate ‘an’ before ‘histo- ry’?Fiftharticle(Crieder): Stilluses Swadesh’soutmoded‘Inupik’(which Swadesh gathered in the  Eastern U.S. from a Yuxpiq-speaking member of a traveling sideshow). Is the ‘h’  of ‘hinik’ really an ‘h’ or an ‘x’? Overall criticism: Why should an excellent book such as this one perpetuate the inappropriate use of the R (R, r) symbols to a predominantly English audience who  will, because of their perception of English orthography, be reinforced in their penchant to commit such barbarities as pronounc- ing  Birnik “Beer-nik”? Overall conclusion: anthropological linguistics has for too long been in the doldrums of safe particularism, and it is about time we  again try out some ventures into real theory, coupled with good scholarship. This book does so. Albert C .  Heinrich Department of Anthropology University of Calgary Calgary,  Alberta, Canada T2N IN4 THE TRADITIONAL ESKIMO HUNTERS OF POINT HOPE, ALASKA: 1800-1875. By ERNEST S. BURCH,  JR. Barrow: North Slope Borough, 1981. x + 89 p., 12 illus., 25 figs., 16 tab., bib. Paperbound, US $10.00. (Order from North Slope Borough, P.O. Box 69, Barrow, Alaska 99723.) In the spring of 1980 the  author was commissioned by the North Slope Borough, an organization of Alaska natives, to produce a base-line study of land use by the Tikerarmiut of Point Hope in northwest Alaska. The Borough could not have selected a more dedicated or qualified student of Alaskan Eskimo culture. This opportune selection provided the author with an opportunity to pull together the results of more than ten years of field and ethnohistorical research centered on the native inhabitants of northwest Alaska. The stated purpose of this study is to pre$ent a comprehensive account of land use by the people of the Point Hope region between about 1800 and 1875. This period was chosen because it is the latest in which native activities reasonably can be considered to have occurred with a minimum of Euro-American influence. Burch emphasizes, however, that his study is actually a model of traditional Point Hope land use rather than a true description since the nature of his research and the limitations inherent in his methodology preclude the compilation of an historical account satis- fying all the criteria of the western European intellectual tradition. 

Soil and Permafrost Surveys in the Arctic, by K.A. Linell and J.C.F. Tedrow

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Soil and Permafrost Surveys in the Arctic, by K.A. Linell and J.C.F. Tedrow

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