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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.

  • Integration of Computer Modeling and Field Observations in Geomorphology

    Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium 2000
    • 1st Edition
    • J.F. Shroder + 1 more
    • English
    The integration of classic field-gathered data with new computer models has allowed many new advances in geomorphology, which the 31st Binghamton Millennium Symposium 2000 presents in this latest of the well-known Binghamton book series, the Integration of Computer Modeling and Field Observations in Geomorphology.Concep... models have been most commonly inferred from analyses of topography and investigator perspectives derived from fieldwork. The main stumbling blocks to understanding surfaceprocesses, their interactions, temporal changes, and resulting landforms are the difficulty of observation, geological timescales involved, spatial-scale dependencies, and the inability to attribute differences to either process or age. Physically based computer models have thus become essential tools, primarily because of their ability to explore spatial and temporal trends and to determine the sensitivity of physical inputs to change without the difficulties of identification and generalization associated with the complexity of field studies. Thus, the combination of both methods, or the integration of field methods with computer modeling become a very powerful mechanism for robust understanding.This new book presents topics on fluvial processes of overland and channelized flow in arid, humid, and periglacial areas of high and low relief, as well as work on interlinked biogeographic and geomorphic fluctuations in alpine terrain, and ground penetrating radar of coastal geomorphology. Issues of long-termevolution of drainage networks are addressed in natural systems, as well as stream-table environments, and terrain analyses characterize surficial and subsurface geomorphic features by using GIS and remote sensing. Botanical and biogeomorphologic controls of landforms are assessed, along with issuesof scientific visualization, cartographic representation, DEMs, spatial analyses, and scale dependencies.
  • Gasification

    • 1st Edition
    • Christopher Higman + 1 more
    • English
    This book provides an excellent overview of current technologies for the gasification of coal, oil, gas, biomass and waste feedstocks. Starting from the basic theory, it reviews the potential feedstocks and their suitability for different types of gasification process. Commercial and near-commercial processes are described individually and various features discussed in detail. There is a comprehensive review of contaminants in synthesis gas as well as of gas treating processes. One chapter is devoted to discussions of various chemical, fuel and power applications for gasification. Economic, environmental and safety issues of gasification are also covered. Both authors have been involved with gasification for over 30 years, gaining in the process a fund of practical insight and experience, which is evident throughout the book.
  • Siberian river run-off in the Kara Sea

    Characterisation, quantification, variability, and environmental significance
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 6
    • R. Stein + 4 more
    • English
    Within the joint German-Russian research project "Siberian River Run-off (SIRRO)" multidisciplinary studies were carried out in the Ob and Yenisei estuaries and adjacent southern Kara Sea (Arctic Ocean). The overall goal of the project was to extend knowledge on understanding the freshwater and sediment input by the major Siberian rivers and its impact on the environments of the inner Kara Sea. The main results of oceanographical, biological, geochemical, geological and modelling studies are presented in four main chapters:(A) Modern Discharge: Data and modelling; (B) Discharge and biological processes, (C) Discharge and organic carbon cycle, and (D) Discharge and sediment records.
  • Water Resources Systems Planning and Management

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 51
    • Sharad K. Jain + 1 more
    • English
    This book is divided into four parts. The first part, Preliminaries, begins by introducing the basic theme of the book. It provides an overview of the current status of water resources utilization, the likely scenario of future demands, and advantages and disadvantages of systems techniques. An understanding of how the hydrological data are measured and processed is important before undertaking any analysis. The discussion is extended to emerging techniques, such as Remote Sensing, GIS, Artificial Neural Networks, and Expert Systems. The statistical tools for data analysis including commonly used probability distributions, parameter estimation, regression and correlation, frequency analysis, and time-series analysis are discussed in a separate chapter. Part 2 Decision Making, is a bouquet of techniques organized in 4 chapters. After discussing optimization and simulation, the techniques of economic analysis are covered. Recently, environmental and social aspects, and rehabilitation and resettlement of project-affected people have come to occupy a central stage in water resources management and any good book is incomplete unless these topics are adequately covered. The concept of rational decision making along with risk, reliability, and uncertainty aspects form subject matter of a chapter. With these analytical tools, the practitioner is well equipped to take a rational decision for water resources utilization. Part 3 deals with Water Resources Planning and Development. This part discusses the concepts of planning, the planning process, integrated planning, public involvement, and reservoir sizing.The last part focuses on Systems Operation and Management. After a resource is developed, it is essential to manage it in the best possible way. Many dams around the world are losing some storage capacity every year due to sedimentation and therefore, the assessment and management of reservoir sedimentation is described in details. No analysis of water resources systems is complete without consideration of water quality. A river basin is the natural unit in which water occurs. The final chapter discusses various issues related to holistic management of a river basin.
  • Geosciences, Environment and Man

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 1
    • H. Chamley
    • English
    Geosciences, Environment and Man has three major objectives, which determine the division in three parts of this volume: I. To consider the main natural geological processes interfering with and therefore threatening the activities of man: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, land movements, floods, wind and coastal risks; main prevention and mitigation measures against these natural hazards are presented. II. To examine the exploitation of earth's natural resources such as materials, ores and minerals, fossil fuels, water, radioactivity, and the resulting consequences on solid Earth balance and future. III. To assess the hold level reached by the activities of man on planet surface envelopes through agriculture, urbanization, industrialization, and communication; the local to global effects of human influence triggered by recent demographic growth on underground, soils, water and air characters are taken into account. Both deteriorating and beneficial aspects of Earth - the interactions of man are emphasized, as well as mitigation or restoration measures and perspectives.
  • Blowout and Well Control Handbook

    • 1st Edition
    • Robert D. Grace
    • English
    As with his 1994 book, Advanced Blowout and Well Control, Grace offers a book that presents tested practices and procedures for well control, all based on solid engineering principles and his own more than 25 years of hands-on field experience. Specific situations are reviewed along with detailed procedures to analyze alternatives and tackle problems. The use of fluid dynamics in well control, which the author pioneered, is given careful treatment, along with many other topics such as relief well operations, underground blowouts, slim hole drilling problems, and special services such as fire fighting, capping, and snubbing. In addition, case histories are presented, analyzed, and discussed.
  • 2001. A Clay Odyssey

    • 1st Edition
    • E. Domínguez + 2 more
    • English
    The meeting was organized by a local university committee and 205 delegates from 35 countries took part. European participation was low due to the economic crisis experienced by national air lines. During the conference, the AIPEA medals were awarded to Gerhard Lagaly and Tom Pinnavaia.This volume of the Conference Proceedings contains 85 out of a total of 235 oral presentations and posters presented at the following symposia: Teaching Clay Mineralogy, Clays in Hydrothermal Deposits, Clays in Ceramics, Clays in Petroleum Exploration and Production, Clay Barriers, and Waste Management, as well as in the following general sessions of the Conference: Clays in Geology, Clay Minerals and Environment, Soil Mineralogy, Methods, Crystal Chemistry Structure and Synthesis, and Clays in Industry.
  • Gas Well Testing Handbook

    • 1st Edition
    • Amanat Chaudhry
    • English
    Gas Well Testing Handbook deals exclusively with theory and practice of gas well testing, pressure transient analysis techniques, and analytical methods required to interpret well behavior in a given reservoir and evaluate reservoir quality, simulation efforts, and forecast producing capacity. A highly practical edition, this book is written for graduate students, reservoir/simulation engineers, technologists, geologists, geophysicists, and technical managers. The author draws from his extensive experience in reservoir/simulation... well testing, PVT analysis basics, and production operations from around the world and provides the reader with a thorough understanding of gas well test analysis basics. The main emphasis is on practical field application, where over 100 field examples are resented to illustrate basic methods for analysis. Simple solutions to the diffusivity equation are discussed and their physical meanings examined. Each chapter focuses in how to use the information gained in well testing to make engineering and economic decisions, and an overview of the current research models and their equations are discussed in relation to gas wells, homogenous, heterogeneous, naturally and hydraulically fractured reservoirs.
  • Marine Structural Design

    • 1st Edition
    • Yong Bai
    • English
    This new reference describes the applications of modern structural engineering to marine structures. It will provide an invaluable resource to practicing marine and offshore engineers working in oil and gas as well as those studying marine structural design. The coverage of fatigue and fracture criteria forms a basis for limit-state design and re-assessment of existing structures and assists with determining material and inspection requirements. Describing applications of risk assessment to marine and offshore industries, this is a practical and useful book to help engineers conduct structural design.
  • Seismic Waves and Rays in Elastic Media

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 34
    • M.A. Slawinski
    • English
    This book seeks to explore seismic phenomena in elastic media and emphasizes the interdependence of mathematical formulation and physical meaning. The purpose of this title - which is intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students as well as scientists interested in quantitative seismology - is to use aspects of continuum mechanics, wave theory and ray theory to describe phenomena resulting from the propagation of waves.The book is divided into three parts: Elastic continua, Waves and rays, and Variational formulation of rays. In Part I, continuum mechanics are used to describe the material through which seismic waves propagate, and to formulate a system of equations to study the behaviour of such material. In Part II, these equations are used to identify the types of body waves propagating in elastic continua as well as to express their velocities and displacements in terms of the properties of these continua. To solve the equations of motion in anisotropic inhomogeneous continua, the high-frequency approximation is used and establishes the concept of a ray. In Part III, it is shown that in elastic continua a ray is tantamount to a trajectory along which a seismic signal propagates in accordance with the variational principle of stationary travel time.