Fresh Water

Toronto Globe and Mail

Pielou writes like an enthusiastic teacher who has lost none of her curiosity about her subject. . . . Dip into Fresh Water. It will both stimulate and satisfy as only good natural history can.

Fred Pearce

A wonderful naturall history of one of life's necessities, a refreshing break from the grand theory and special pleading of many a science book....Read it.
— New Scientist

Library Journal

Our planet is composed primarily of water, much of which is the ocean and not the subject of this book. Naturalist Pielou (A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic, LJ 11/1/94) concentrates on fresh water (usable by humans), which is a much smaller resource. Pielou describes the natural history of fresh water--where it comes from, where it goes, and how it moves under and over the earth and into the atmosphere. Even though scientists now believe that water is being added to our environment by "snowball" comets entering our atmosphere, the world's supply of fresh water is dwindling--and a shortage of usable fresh water ultimately limits population growth. Pielou's book would make an excellent textbook for any college class studying water. However, while the text is highly informative, it will not appeal to the average reader because of its technical nature. Recommended for academic libraries only.--Gloria Maxwell, Kansas City P.L., KS

Booknews

Presents a natural history of fresh water, exploring the science and wonder of water in a narrative, jargon-free fashion. Describes fresh water in all its forms, with chapters on the water cycle, groundwater, flowing water, ice and snow, dams, wetlands, and microscopic life. Includes hand-drawn b&w diagrams. For students and general readers. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Kirkus Reviews

A crystal-clear introduction to the physics, character, and exquisite grace of fresh water, from naturalist Pielou (After the Ice Age, not reviewed). Fresh waterþwithout which there would be no human lifeþis a paltry 2.6 percent of Earth's total water, and then only 30 percent of that is in cycle, shapeshifting through rain and snow to stream and aquifer, evaporating, falling, flowing. Pielou endeavors to bring the natural history of fresh water to life, and she does so admirably. Her book takes its broad circularity from the water cycle, starting with how groundwater gets underground, what it is doing down there, how it surfaces (including her nifty conceit that we are all walking on water). She moves on to stream morphology and how rivers shape the land and why they course rather than sink; the where and why of lakes and their watery architecture; and the hydrological, ecological, and biological wonder worlds of wetlandsþstring bogs, ribbed fens, wet meadows, prairie sloughs ("as always with wetlands, there's no shortage of names"). She explores the mechanics of ice and the dynamics of autumn freeze and spring breakup; the circumstantial advantagesþand disadvantagesþof reservoirs, dams, and diversion projects. Thence she returns to the atmosphereþvapor, clouds, fogþboth closing and restarting the cycle. There is a satisfyingly vast amount of detail in these pages, and Pielou never shies from scientific and technical explanations, but she knows how to coax the art out of þpotential evapotranspiration = precipitation + withdrawal + deficitþ with a poet's economy of means, carefully sprinkling hydrology's word-songs for effect. Thereis also much here for gardeners, who will appreciate an understanding of wilting points and moisture budgets. Pielou writes with clarity and a feel for words, and her affection for the subject at hand is immediately and infectiously communicated to readers. (81 b&w illustrations)