Open Book Publishers
The Field Guide to Mixing Social and Biophysical Methods in Environmental Research
- Rebecca Lave(editor)
- Stuart Lane(editor)
Export Metadata
| Title | The Field Guide to Mixing Social and Biophysical Methods in Environmental Research |
|---|---|
| Contributor | Rebecca Lave(editor) |
| Stuart Lane(editor) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0418 |
| Landing page | https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/OBP.0418 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Rebecca Lave; Stuart Lane. Copyright of individual chapters are maintained by the chapter author(s). |
| Publisher | Open Book Publishers |
| Publication place | Cambridge, UK |
| Published on | 2025-02-25 |
| Series |
|
| ISBN | 978-1-80511-366-9 (Paperback) |
| 978-1-80511-367-6 (Hardback) | |
| 978-1-80511-368-3 (PDF) | |
| 978-1-80511-370-6 (HTML) | |
| 978-1-80511-369-0 (EPUB) | |
| Short abstract | 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. |
| Long abstract | 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. |
| Print length | 644 pages (xvi+628) |
| Language | English (Original) |
| Dimensions | 156 x 45 x 234 mm | 6.14" x 1.77" x 9.21" (Paperback) |
| 156 x 48 x 234 mm | 6.14" x 1.89" x 9.21" (Hardback) | |
| Weight | 1205g | 42.51oz (Paperback) |
| 1395g | 49.21oz (Hardback) | |
| Media | 40 illustrations |
| 10 tables | |
| OCLC Number | 1503551623 |
| THEMA |
|
| BISAC |
|
| Keywords |
|
Contents
Introduction to the Field Guide
(pp. 1–8)- Rebecca Lave
- Stuart Lane
Introduction to building your research 'kitchen'
(pp. 11–14)- Stuart Lane
- Rebecca Lave
- Stuart Lane
- Rebecca Lave
- Christine Biermann
- Cerian Gibbes
- Alison M. Meadow
- Hailey Wilmer
- Daniel B. Ferguson
Embracing and enacting critical and constructive approaches to teaching Critical Physical Geography
(pp. 87–118)- Jennifer Salmond
- Gary Brierley
- Amy Leigh Johnson
- Katie Oven
- Nick Rosser
- Dipak Basnet
- Nyima Dorjee Bhotia
- Tek Bahadur Dong
- Anuradha Puri
- Sunil Tamang
- Mark Kincey
- Stuart Lane
Inclusive practices in fieldwork
(pp. 153–170)- Floreana Miesen
- Marjolein Gevers
Fieldwork safety planning and risk management
(pp. 171–180)- Floreana Miesen
Introduction to the research recipes
(pp. 183–188)- Stuart Lane
- Rebecca Lave
- Karen Lebek
- Tobias Krueger
Revealing the social histories of ancient savannas and intact forests using a historical ecology approach in Central Africa
(pp. 207–246)- Gretchen Walters
- Olivier Hymas
- Stevens Touladjan
- Kevin Ndong
- Maria Rusca
- Maurizio Mazzoleni
- Eric G. Booth
- Caroline Gottschalk Druschke
Using mixed methods to confront disparities in public health interventions in urban community gardens
(pp. 309–326)- Melanie Malone
Space and place in participatory arts-based research
(pp. 327–354)- Javier Arce-Nazario
- Stephen M. Chignell
- Adrian Howkins
- Andrew Fountain
Engaging remote sensing and ethnography to seed alternative landscape stories and scripts
(pp. 377–402)- Lisa C. Kelley
Mixing geoarchaeology, geohistory and ethnology to reconstruct landscape changes on the longue durée
(pp. 403–424)- Ninon Blond
Introduction to the list of ingredients
(pp. 427–430)- Rebecca Lave
- Stuart Lane
Archival methods
(pp. 431–440)- Meghan Cope
Arts-based environmental research
(pp. 441–446)- Mrill Ingram
Case studies
(pp. 447–454)- Stuart Lane
Descriptive statistics
(pp. 455–460)- Stuart Lane
Environmental modelling
(pp. 461–468)- Tobias Krueger
Focus groups
(pp. 469–474)- Robyn Longhurst
- Lynda Johnston
Geochronological Methods
(pp. 475–480)- Georgina E. King
- Peter M. Abbott
Historical ecology
(pp. 481–486)- Diana K. Davis
Hydraulic modelling
(pp. 487–492)- Stuart Lane
Hydrological modelling
(pp. 493–502)- Lieke Melsen
Interviews: Structured, semi-structured and open-ended
(pp. 503–508)- Lynda Johnston
- Robyn Longhurst
Oral history
(pp. 509–514)- Alexandra Chakov
- Tom Chang
- Henry Covey
- Taylor Dickson
- Sydney Goggins
- Nora Harris
- Sujash Purna
- Sydney Widell
- Caroline Gottschalk Druschke
Participant observation and ethnography
(pp. 515–520)- Nathan F. Sayre
Participatory modelling
(pp. 521–526)- Catharina Landström
Participatory methods
(pp. 527–534)- Jennifer Mokos
Q method
(pp. 535–542)- Eric Nost
Sampling
(pp. 543–548)- Nicolena vonHedemann
(Critical) Satellite Remote Sensing
(pp. 549–554)- Andreas Ch. Braun
Social network analysis
(pp. 555–562)- Stephen M. Chignell
Soil toxicological analysis
(pp. 563–570)- Salvatore Engel-Di Mauro
Statistical inference
(pp. 571–576)- Stuart Lane
Survey and questionnaire methods
(pp. 577–584)- Fikriyah Winata
- Sara L. McLafferty
Textual analysis
(pp. 585–592)- Marcus A. Doel
Uncrewed airborne systems
(pp. 593–600)- Elina Kasvi
Contributors
Rebecca Lave
(editor)Professor of Geography at Indiana University
Rebecca Lave is Professor of Geography at Indiana University and the 2022-2025 American Association of Geographers Vice-President/President/Past-President. Her research takes a Critical Physical Geography approach, combining political economy, STS, and fluvial geomorphology to analyze stream restoration, the politics of environmental expertise, and community-based responses to flooding. She has published in journals ranging from Science to Social Studies of Science and is the author of two monographs: Fields and Streams: Stream Restoration, Neoliberalism, and the Future of Environmental Science (2012, University of Georgia Press) and Streams of Revenues: The Restoration Economy and the Ecosystems it Creates (2021 MIT Press; co-written with Martin Doyle). She has co-edited four volumes, including the Handbook of Critical Physical Geography (2018, with Christine Biermann and Stuart N. Lane).
Stuart Lane
(editor)Professor of Geomorphology at University of Lausanne
Stuart N. Lane is Professor of Geomorphology at the University of Lausanne. He is a geographer and civil engineer by training who has held posts at the Universities of Cambridge, Leeds and Durham in the U.K. and Lausanne in Switzerland. His work has sought to bring a geographical perspective to contemporary environmental concerns such as flooding and pollution. The primary focus of his current work is the environments created by disappearing glaciers in terms of ice, water, sediment and ecosystems and the consequences of these changes for environmental management. An important thread through his most recent research criticizes the current alignment of geography as a discipline with the ever more neo-liberal academy; and then argues for the rediscovery of a more scientific geographical science better able to cope with the crises the world is experiencing today.