Includes bibliographical references (p. [377]-385).

TOPIC GUIDE -- THE ARTS: Literary references, Music and water, Water and the visual arts, Watercolor, Water in motion pictures -- ASSOCIATIONS, LEGISLATION AND EVENTS: 1998 International Year of the Ocean, American Institute of Hydrology, American Water Resources Association, Center for Marine Conservation, Clean Water Act of 1972, The Coral Reef Alliance, Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment, Global Rivers Environmental Education Network, Global water, Hydrological Sciences Branch (NASA), Hydrology and Water Resources Programme, Inter American Water Resources Network, International Association for Hydrologic Research and Engineering, International Association of Hydrogeologists, International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology, International Ground Water Modeling Center, International Hydrological Programme, International Maritime Organization, International Oceanographic Commission, International Office for Water, International Progamme for Technology and Research in Irrigation and Drainage, International Water Association, International Water Management Institute, International Water Resources Association, National Ice Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Water Research Institute, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, SeaWeb, Stockholm International Water Institute, Surfrider Foundation, UNEP Water Branch, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, U.S. Office of Water, U.S. Water News, WaterAid, Water Environment Federation, Water Industry Council, Water rights, Water use issues, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution World Water Council

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: Angeles Alvarino, Archimedes, Daniel Bernoulli, Joseph Bramah, John Cairns Jr., Rachel Carson, Henry Cavendish, Rita Rossi Colwell, James Cook, Jacques Yves Cousteau, Sylvia A. Earle, Maurice Ewing, Edward Forbes, William Francis Gibbs, Ernest Everett Just, Luna Leopold, Ferdinand Magellan, Matthew Fontaine Maury, Walter Munk, Ruth Patrick, Pelageya Yakovlevna Polubarinova-Kochina, Dixy Lee Ray, Roger Revelle, Simon Stevinus, Henry Stommel, Thales, Marie Tharp, Richard Vollenweider -- BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES: Aquaculture and mariculture, Aquatic plants and animals, Biological functions of water, Evapotranspiration, Hydroponics, Irrigation, Plankton, Transpiration, Waterborne hazards, Water use, Whales and whaling -- EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCES (INCLUDING GEOGREAPHY): Acid Rain, Caves, Drought, Estuaries, Extraterrestrial water, Floods, Geysers and hot springs, Groundwater, Gulf Stream, Hydrologic cycle, Hydrothermal vents, Ice, Icebergs, Oceans and seas, reservoirs, Rivers and streams, Tides (ocean), Tsunami, Waterfalls, Water pollution, Waterspouts, Water use, Water waves, Wetlands -- HISTORY: Aphorisms and sayings, Dowsing, Earth, air, fire and water, Johnstown Flood of 1899, Shipwrecks, Underwater archaeology, Water dwellers, Water use -- MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGION: Aegir, Atlantis, Biblical references to water, Flood legends, Fountain of youth, Gods and Goddesses of water, holy water, Indra, Jotuns, Mermaids and mermen, Nynphs, Poseidon, Sacred waters, Sea monsters, Water signs, Wishing wells, Ymir

PHYSICAL SCIENCES: Aqueous solution, Capillary action, Clouds, Distillation, electrolysis of water, emulsion, Energy from water, Evaporation, Hardness of water, Heavy water, Humidity, Hydrate, Hydrogen bonding, Hydrology, Oceanography, Osmosis, pH, Precipitation, Properties of water, Salinity, Steam, Surface tension, Water gas, Water glass, Water pressure, Water use -- SPORTS AND RECREATION: Aquatic sports, scuba, Water toys -- TECHNOLOGY AND INVENTIONS: Aqueducts, Cooling water, dams, Desalination, Firefighting, Fountains, Geothermal energy, Hookah, Hydraulic device, Hydraulics, hydrostatics and hydrodynamics, Hydrophone, Hygrometer, Plumbing, Scuba, Steam engine, Steam pressure sterilizer, Submarines and submersibles, Waterbed, Water cannon Water clock, Water mark, Water purification, Waterwheels, Weather modification, Wells -- TRANSPORTATION: Barges, Boats and ships, Canals, Steam engine, Submarines and submersibles.

The 236 entries in this book comprise an A-Z overview of water's manifold roles in human society and the natural world throughout history. Topics include boats and ships, dams, groundwater, hydrology, ice, the Johnstown Flood, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, sea monsters, surface tension, and water wheels, and much more. Scientific and technical issues are explored, including the physical and chemical properties of water, steam, and ice; the uses to which water and steam are put; and the purification, transfer, and uses of water by communities. The hydrologic cycle is explained, with attention to the properties and distribution of ice masses, and the properties of oceans and rivers. Philosophical, mystical, metaphorical, and symbolic roles of water in literature, mythology, religion, the visual arts, and music are considered, as are individuals and organizations responsible for contributing to our understanding of water. Each entry concludes with a list of further readings. Attention is also paid to the philosophical, mystical, metaphorical, and symbolic role that water has played for humans in literature, mythology, religion, the visual arts, and music. Finally, a number of individuals and organizations that now make and have made important contributions to our understanding of water and its role in human life and in the natural world are included.

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