Skip to main content
Elsevier
View Cart

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

    • Biogeochemistry in Mineral Exploration

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 9
      • July 11, 2007
      • Colin E. Dunn
      • English
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 4 6 4 9 0
      Significant refinements of biogeochemical methods applied to mineral exploration have been made during more than twenty years since the last major publication on this technique. This innovative, practical and comprehensive text is designed as a field handbook and an office reference volume. It outlines the historical development of biogeochemical methods applied to mineral exploration, and provides details of what, how, why and when to collect samples from all major climatic environments with examples from around the world. Recent commercialization of sophisticated analytical technology permits immensely more insight into the multi-element composition of plants. In particular, precise determination of ultra-trace levels of ‘pathfinder’ elements in dry tissues and recognition of element distribution patterns with respect to concealed mineralization. Data handling and interpretation are discussed in context of a wealth of previously unpublished information, including a section on plant mineralogy, much of which has been classified as confidential until recently. Data are provided on the biogeochemistry of more than 60 elements and, by case history examples, their roles discussed in assisting in the discovery of concealed mineral deposits. A look to the future includes the potential role of bacteria to provide new focus for mineral exploration. Analyses of samples from the controlled environment of Britain’s Eden Project are presented on an accompanying CD as part of a database that includes, also, the potential role of the halogens to assist in mineral exploration. Data on this CD provide a ‘hands-on’ approach for the reader to interrogate and personally assess real datasets from the burgeoning discipline of biogeochemical exploration.

    • Mountains: Witnesses of Global Changes

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 10
      • July 9, 2007
      • Renato Baudo + 2 more
      • English
      • Hardback
        9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 2 9 9 0 9
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 4 8 7 4 6
      From an environmental point of view, mountains are particularly sensitive and important for monitoring the state of health of our planet. Only through distribution of meteoclimatic and atmospheric composition monitoring points in mountain regions, coupled with modelling simulations, will we be able to thoroughly analyze complex pollutant transport mechanisms and better understand imminent global changes. The Himalayan-Karakoram range. For its elevation and geographic location, represents one of the ideal places for studying long-range pollutant transport systems on a regional scale and for monitoring changes index by mechanisms that act on global scale through monsoon circulation.The Ev-K2-CNR committee with this book reached its objective of creating a unique opportunity for dialogue between major environmental scientists and experts, highlighting the close relationship between diverse themes with a common underlying thread: in-depth comprehension of the environmental phenomena which are determining the health of our planet.

    • Global Warming and Global Cooling

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 5
      • July 2, 2007
      • O.G. Sorokhtin + 2 more
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 4 4 4 6 0 3 1 7 3
      • Hardback
        9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 2 8 1 5 5
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 2 4 7 5 7
      The theory of the Earth's climate evolution based on universal chemical-physical laws of matter-energy transformation is presented in the book. It shows how the process of Earth's core separation has led to formation and evolution of the hydrosphere and atmosphere. Having analyzed the processes of heat transfer in the atmosphere, the writers developed the adiabatic theory of the greenhouse effect, which was applied for analysis of climatic changes on the Earth. The influence of changes in climate on formation of mineral deposits and development of life on Earth was considered and presented based on modeling of typical climatic regimes. It shows that the anthropogenic effect on the Earth's global temperature is negligible in comparison with the effect of global forces of nature.

    • Light Scattering by Particles in Water

      • 1st Edition
      • June 29, 2007
      • Miroslaw Jonasz + 1 more
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 2 8 1 3 1 7
      • Hardback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 3 8 8 7 5 1 1
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 4 8 6 7 8
      Light scattering-based methods are used to characterize small particles suspended in water in a wide range of disciplines ranging from oceanography, through medicine, to industry. The scope and accuracy of these methods steadily increases with the progress in light scattering research. This book focuses on the theoretical and experimental foundations of the study and modeling of light scattering by particles in water and critically evaluates the key constraints of light scattering models. It begins with a brief review of the relevant theoretical fundamentals of the interaction of light with condensed matter, followed by an extended discussion of the basic optical properties of pure water and seawater and the physical principles that explain them. The book continues with a discussion of key optical features of the pure water/seawater and the most common components of natural waters. In order to clarify and put in focus some of the basic physical principles and most important features of the experimental data on light scattering by particles in water, the authors employ simple models. The book concludes with extensive critical reviews of the experimental constraints of light scattering models: results of measurements of light scattering and of the key properties of the particles: size distribution, refractive index (composition), structure, and shape. These reviews guide the reader through literature scattered among more than 210 scientific journals and periodicals which represent a wide range of disciplines. A special emphasis is put on the methods of measuring both light scattering and the relevant properties of the particles, because principles of these methods may affect interpretation and applicability of the results. The book includes extensive guides to literature on light scattering data and instrumentation design, as well as on the data for size distributions, refractive indices, and shapes typical of particles in natural waters. It also features a comprehensive index, numerous cross-references, and a reference list with over 1370 entries. An errata sheet for this work can be found at: http://www.tpdsci.co...

    • Proxies in Late Cenozoic Paleoceanography

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 1
      • May 25, 2007
      • C. Hillaire-Marcel + 1 more
      • English
      • Hardback
        9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 2 7 5 5 4
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 2 5 0 4 4
      The present volume is the first in a series of two books dedicated to the paleoceanography of the Late Cenozoic ocean. The need for an updated synthesis on paleoceanographic science is urgent, owing to the huge and very diversified progress made in this domain during the last decade. In addition, no comprehensive monography still exists in this domain. This is quite incomprehensible in view of the contribution of paleoceanographic research to our present understanding of the dynamics of the climate-ocean system. The focus on the Late Cenozoic ocean responds to two constraints. Firstly, most quantitative methods, notably those based on micropaleontological approaches, cannot be used back in time beyond a few million years at most. Secondly, the last few million years, with their strong climate oscillations, show specific high frequency changes of the ocean with a relatively reduced influcence of tectonics. The first volume addresses quantitative methodologies to reconstruct the dynamics of the ocean andthe second, major aspects of the ocean system (thermohaline circulation, carbon cycle, productivity, sea level etc.) and will also present regional synthesis about the paleoceanography of major the oceanic basins. In both cases, the focus is the “open ocean” leaving aside nearshore processes that depend too much onlocal conditions. In this first volume, we have gathered up-to-date methodologies for the measurement and quantitative interpretation of tracers and proxies in deep sea sediments that allow reconstruction of a few key past-properties of the ocean( temperature, salinity, sea-ice cover, seasonal gradients, pH, ventilation, oceanic currents, thermohaline circulation, and paleoproductivity). Chapters encompass physical methods (conventional grain-size studies, tomodensitometry, magnetic and mineralogical properties), most current biological proxies (planktic and benthic foraminifers, deep sea corals, diatoms, coccoliths, dinocysts and biomarkers) and key geochemical tracers (trace elements, stable isotopes, radiogenic isotopes, and U-series). Contributors to the book and members of the review panel are among the best scientists in their specialty. They represent major European and North American laboratories and thus provide a priori guarantees to the quality and updat of the entire book. Scientists and graduate students in paleoclimatology, paleoceanography, climate modeling, and undergraduate and graduate students in marine geology represent the target audience. This volume should be of interest for scientists involved in several international programs, such as those linked to the IPCC (IODP – Integrated Ocean Drilling Program; PAGES – Past Global Changes; IMAGES – Marine Global Changes; PMIP: Paleoclimate Intercomparison Project; several IGCP projects etc.), That is, all programs that require access to time series illustrating changes in the climate-ocean system.

    • Polynyas: Windows to the World

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 74
      • May 22, 2007
      • Walker O. Smith Jr. + 1 more
      • English
      • Hardback
        9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 2 9 5 2 7
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 2 2 9 3 7
      Polynyas are relatively ice-free regions when compared to the areas around them, and have been suggested as being foci for energy transfer between the atmosphere and ocean, ice “factories”, and critical areas with respect to polar ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles. This volume presents an integrated, multidisciplinary review of polynyas in both the Arctic and Antarctic. It emphasizes the meteorology, ice dynamics, oceanography, biological components, chemistry, and modeling of these systems, particularly with respect to their roles in polar processes and distributions. The various interactions within polynyas, particularly between the physical forcing and biological responses, is emphasized, as are the potential changes in polynyas that might occur under a climate regime that is rapidly changing. The authors of the reviews are leaders among their respective countries in polynya research, and all are internationally recognized.

    • Late Quaternary Climate Change and Human Adaptation in Arid China

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 9
      • May 10, 2007
      • D.B. Madsen + 2 more
      • English
      • Hardback
        9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 2 9 6 2 6
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 0 8 0 5 4 4 3 1 1
      Due to political pressures, prior to the 1990s little was known about the nature of human foraging adaptations in the deserts, grasslands, and mountains of north western China during the last glacial period. Even less was known about the transition to agriculture that followed. Now open to foreign visitation, there is now an increasing understanding of the foraging strategies which led both to the development of millet agriculture and to the utilization of the extreme environments of the Tibetan Plateau. This text explores the transition from the foraging societies of the Late Paleolithic to the emergence of settled farming societies and the emergent pastoralism of the middle Neolithic striving to help answer the diverse and numerous questions of this critical transitional period.

    • Juneau Icefield Research Project (1949-1958)

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 8
      • March 14, 2007
      • Cal Heusser
      • English
      • Hardback
        9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 2 9 5 1 0
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 0 8 0 4 8 9 3 1 5
      The Juneau Icefield Research Project (JIRP) was formed to find a prototype area to study Alaska's coastal glaciers and trends in climatic change. For the past 57 years JIRP has conducted a systematic study of key receding and advancing glaciers, including Lemon Creek and Taku Glaciers. From this study, a model has been developed to study the mass balance of these glaciers and their relation to general atmospheric circulation. Taku's mass balance was expected to provide a meaningful assessment of flakier climate relations and environmental trends, specifically the increase in atmospheric trace element pollution and global warming.Juneau Icefield Research Project (1949-1958) is represented by 15 chapters, organized in four parts: Background of the Project, Early Years of the Project (1949-1952, Later Years of the Project (1953-1958), and Summation and Epilogue. After describing the Project's background, Chapters 3 through 12 cover year-by-year activities, personnel, logistics, and research of the Taku and Lemon Creek Glaciers. These chapters included day-to-day journal entries that represent a record of the informal itineraries covering the course of the study. Chapters 13 and 14 summarize glaciological findings on Taku Glacier and the status of hydrological budgets on Lemon Creek Glacier through the International Geophysical year (1957-19658). The final chapter of the text is an overview of paleoecological work by the Project in North Pacific America brought into the context of modern research with the recognition of glacier-climate cycles.

    • Handbook of Gold Exploration and Evaluation

      • 1st Edition
      • February 21, 2007
      • Eoin Macdonald
      • English
      • Hardback
        9 7 8 1 8 4 5 6 9 1 7 5 2
      • eBook
        9 7 8 1 8 4 5 6 9 2 5 4 4
      Designed for geologists and engineers engaged specifically in the search for gold deposits of all types and as a reference for academics in higher schools of learning, Handbook of gold exploration and evaluation provides principles and detailed explanations that underpin the correct interpretation of day-to-day experience in the field. Problems are addressed with regard to the analysis, interpretation and understanding of the general framework within which both primary and secondary gold resources are explored, developed and exploited.Handbook of gold exploration and evaluation covers a comprehensive range of topics including the nature and history of gold, geology of gold ore deposits, gold deposition in the weathering environment, sedimentation and detrital gold, gold exploration, lateritic and placer gold sampling, mine planning and practise for shallow deposits, metallurgical processes and design, and evaluation, risk and feasibility.

    • Reservoir Formation Damage

      • 2nd Edition
      • February 14, 2007
      • Faruk Civan + 1 more
      • English
      • Hardback
        9 7 8 0 7 5 0 6 7 7 3 8 7
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 0 8 0 4 7 1 4 3 3
      Reservoir Formation Damage, Second edition is a comprehensive treatise of the theory and modeling of common formation damage problems and is an important guide for research and development, laboratory testing for diagnosis and effective treatment, and tailor-fit- design of optimal strategies for mitigation of reservoir formation damage. The new edition includes field case histories and simulated scenarios demonstrating the consequences of formation damage in petroleum reservoirsFaruk Civan, Ph.D., is an Alumni Chair Professor in the Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Dr. Civan has received numerous honors and awards, including five distinguished lectureship awards and the 2003 SPE Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty.

Related subjects

Atmospheric science

Computers in geosciences

Earth surface processes

Economic geology

Geochemistry and petrology

Geology

Geophysics

Geotechnical engineering engineering geology

Marine science and technology

Mineral processing

Space and planetary science