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Books in Earth and planetary sciences

Elsevier's Earth and Planetary Sciences collection brings together pioneering research on the complexities of our planet and beyond. Covering topics from Earth's structural dynamics and ecosystems to planetary exploration, these titles support advancements in geoscience, environmental science, and space studies, offering essential insights for researchers, professionals, and students.

BooksJournals

  • Lakes on Mars

    • 1st Edition
    • Nathalie A. Cabrol + 1 more
    • English
    On Earth, lakes provide favorable environments for the development of life and its preservation as fossils. They are extremely sensitive to climate fluctuations and to conditions within their watersheds. As such, lakes are unique markers of the impact of environmental changes. Past and current missions have now demonstrated that water once flowed at the surface of Mars early in its history. Evidence of ancient ponding has been uncovered at scales ranging from a few kilometers to possibly that of the Arctic ocean. Whether life existed on Mars is still unknown; upcoming missions may find critical evidence to address this question in ancient lakebeds as clues about Mars’ climate evolution and its habitability potential are still preserved in their sedimentary record. Lakes on Mars is the first review on this subject. It is written by leading planetary scientists who have dedicated their careers to searching and exploring the questions of water, lakes, and oceans on Mars through their involvement in planetary exploration, and the analysis of orbital and ground data beginning with Viking up to the most recent missions. In thirteen chapters, Lakes on Mars critically discusses new data and explores the role that water played in the evolution of the surface of Mars, the past hydrological provinces of the planet, the possibility of heated lake habitats through enhanced geothermal flux associated with volcanic activity and impact cratering. The book also explores alternate hypotheses to explain the geological record. Topographic, morphologic, stratigraphic, and mineralogic evidence are presented that suggest successions of ancient lake environments in Valles Marineris and Hellas. The existence of large lakes and/or small oceans in Elysium and the Northern Plains is supported both by the global distribution of deltaic deposits and by equipotential surfaces that may reflect their past margins. Whether those environments were conducive to life has yet to be demonstrated but from comparison with our planet, their sedimentary deposits may provide the best opportunity to find its record, if any. The final chapters explore the impact of climate variability on declining lake habitats in one of the closest terrestrial analogs to Mars at the Noachian/Hesperian transition, identify the geologic, morphologic and mineralogic signatures of ancient lakes to be searched for on Mars, and present the case for landing the Mars Science Laboratory mission in such an environment.

  • Marine Geology and Geophysics

    • 1st Edition
    • John H. Steele + 2 more
    • English
    Elements of Physical Oceanography is a derivative of the Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences, Second Edition and serves as an important reference on current physical oceanography knowledge and expertise in one convenient and accessible source. Its selection of articles—all written by experts in their field—focuses on ocean physics, air-sea transfers, waves, mixing, ice, and the processes of transfer of properties such as heat, salinity, momentum and dissolved gases, within and into the ocean. Elements of Physical Oceanography serves as an ideal reference for topical research.

  • The Coastal Ocean

    A derivative of the Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences
    • 1st Edition
    • John H. Steele + 2 more
    • English
    The Coastal Ocean is a derivative of the Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences, 2nd Edition, and serves as an important reference on coastal oceanography in one convenient and accessible source. Its selection of articles provides current knowledge and expertise in the areas of: Rivers, estuaries and fjords; Salt marshes, lagoons, beaches and rocky shores; Corals and reefs; Groundwater seepage; Ice and permafrost; Waves, tides, surges, tsunami and seiches; Topography and sea level; Plankton and benthos; Management, mariculture and fisheries; Pollution; Sediments, slides, slumps and cycling; Circulation and models; Remote sensing by acoustics, aircraft and satellites; and rigs, structures and shipping. The Coastal Ocean serves as an ideal reference for topical research.

  • Marine Ecological Processes

    • 1st Edition
    • John H. Steele + 2 more
    • English
    Elements of Physical Oceanography is a derivative of the Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences, Second Edition and serves as an important reference on current physical oceanography knowledge and expertise in one convenient and accessible source. Its selection of articles—all written by experts in their field—focuses on ocean physics, air-sea transfers, waves, mixing, ice, and the processes of transfer of properties such as heat, salinity, momentum and dissolved gases, within and into the ocean. Elements of Physical Oceanography serves as an ideal reference for topical research.

  • The Upper Ocean

    A derivative of the Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences
    • 1st Edition
    • John H. Steele + 2 more
    • English
    The Upper Ocean — a collection of articles from the Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences, 2nd Edition — reflects the trend toward the interdisciplinary study of oceanography, which integrates the disciplines of biology, chemistry, geology and physics. The upper ocean’s contact with the atmosphere profoundly impacts climate, making this reference both timely and critical. The selection of articles — all written by experts in their field — focuses on Air-Sea Transfers; Air-Sea Chemical Exchanges and Cycles; The Sea Surface, Waves and Upper Ocean Processes; Upper Ocean Circulation and Structure; Plankton; Ice; and Measurement Techniques including Remote Sensing.

  • Marine Policy and Economics

    • 1st Edition
    • John H. Steele + 2 more
    • English
    Elements of Physical Oceanography is a derivative of the Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences, Second Edition and serves as an important reference on current physical oceanography knowledge and expertise in one convenient and accessible source. Its selection of articles—all written by experts in their field—focuses on ocean physics, air-sea transfers, waves, mixing, ice, and the processes of transfer of properties such as heat, salinity, momentum and dissolved gases, within and into the ocean. Elements of Physical Oceanography serves as an ideal reference for topical research.

  • Interpretation of Micromorphological Features of Soils and Regoliths

    • 1st Edition
    • Georges Stoops + 2 more
    • English
    Interpretation of Micromorphological Features of Soils and Regolith, 2nd edition, provides researchers and students with a global tool for interpretation of micromorphological features of regoliths and soils. After an introduction and general overview by the editors, micromorphological aspects of regoliths (e.g. saprolites, unconsolidated sediments, transported materials) are highlighted, followed by a systematic and coherent discussion of the micromorphological expression of various pedogenic processes. This is done by discussing diagnostic horizons, materials and processes. The following topics are also treated: freeze-thaw features, redoximorphic features, calcareous and gypsiferous formations, textural features, spodic and oxic horizons, andic and volcanic materials, organic and surface horizons, laterites, surface crusts, salts, biogenic and inorganic siliceous materials, authigenic silicates, phosphates, thionic and derived materials, and features related to faunal activity. The last chapters address the impact of anthropic activities, with regard to archaeology and palaeopedology. Interpretation of Micromorphological Features of Soils and Regolith, 2nd edition, is written by a team of well-known, global experts in the field who all used a single set of concepts and terminology, making it a valuable interdisciplinary reference.

  • Pressure Transient Formation and Well Testing

    Convolution, Deconvolution and Nonlinear Estimation
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 57
    • Fikri J. Kuchuk + 2 more
    • English
    This reference presents a comprehensive description of flow through porous media and solutions to pressure diffusion problems in homogenous, layered, and heterogeneous reservoirs. It covers the fundamentals of interpretation techniques for formation tester pressure gradients, and pretests, multiprobe and packer pressure transient tests, including derivative, convolution, and pressure-rate and pressure-pressure deconvolution. Emphasis is placed on the maximum likelihood method that enables one to estimate error variances in pressure data along with the unknown formation parameters.

  • Principles of Electric Methods in Surface and Borehole Geophysics

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 44
    • Alex Kaufman + 1 more
    • English
    This title covers the physical and mathematical principles of electric methods in applied geophysics.

  • Small-Format Aerial Photography

    Principles, Techniques and Geoscience Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • James S. Aber + 2 more
    • English
    As the need for geographical data rapidly expands in the 21st century, so too do applications of small-format aerial photography for a wide range of scientific, commercial and governmental purposes. Small-format Aerial Photography (SFAP) presents basic and advanced principles and techniques with an emphasis on digital cameras. Unmanned platforms are described in considerable detail, including kites, helium and hot-air blimps, model airplanes, and paragliders. Several case studies, primarily drawn from the geosciences, are presented to demonstrate how SFAP is actually used in various applications. Many of these integrate SFAP with ground-based investigations as well as conventional large-format aerial photography, satellite imagery, and other kinds of geographic information.

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