The Field Guide to Mixing Social and Biophysical Methods in Environmental Research

Author: Lane, Stuart
Published: Cambridge Open Book Publishers 2025
Physical Description: 1 online resource (646 p.)
Additional Creators: Lane, Stuart and Lave, Rebecca

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Series

Critical Physical Geography: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Nature, Power and Politics 1

Language Note

eng

Restrictions on Access

Open Access Unrestricted online access

Summary

Despite ongoing debates about its origins, the Anthropocene-a new epoch characterized by significant human impact on the Earth's geology and ecosystems-is widely acknowledged. Our environment is increasingly a product of interacting biophysical and social forces, shaped by climate change, colonial legacies, gender norms, hydrological processes, and more. Understanding these intricate interactions requires a mixed-methods approach that combines qualitative and quantitative, biophysical and social research. However, mixed-methods environmental research remains rare, hindered by academic boundaries, limited training, and the challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration. Time, funding, and the integration of diverse data further complicate this research, whilst the dynamics and ethics of interdisciplinary teams add another layer of complexity. Despite these challenges, mixed-methods research offers a more robust and ultimately transformative understanding of environmental questions. This Field Guide aims to inspire and equip researchers to undertake such studies. Organized like a recipe book, it assists researchers in the preparation of their field work, as well as offering entry points to key methods and providing examples of successful mixed-methods projects. This book will be of interest to scholars wishing to tackle environmental research in a more holistic manner, spanning 'sister' disciplines such as anthropology, statistics, political science, public health, archaeology, geography, history, ecology, and Earth science.

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ISBN

9781805113669
9781805113676
9781805113683
9781805113690
9781805113706

Collection

OAPEN Library.

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Creative Commons Licence

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