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Elsevier

Books in Environmental sciences

The Environmental Sciences titles present critical research and insights into the complex interactions within natural ecosystems, climate systems, and human impacts on the environment. Covering areas such as biodiversity, sustainability, climate change, and resource management, these titles support scientific discovery and practical solutions for addressing today’s most pressing environmental challenges. This collection is essential for researchers, policymakers, and students dedicated to advancing environmental understanding and stewardship

  • Principles of Environmental Physics

    Plants, Animals, and the Atmosphere
    • 4th Edition
    • John Monteith + 1 more
    • English
    Principles of Environmental Physics: Plants, Animals, and the Atmosphere, 4e, provides a basis for understanding the complex physical interactions of plants and animals with their natural environment. It is the essential reference to provide environmental and ecological scientists and researchers with the physical principles, analytic tools, and data analysis methods they need to solve problems. This book describes the principles by which radiative energy reaches the earth’s surface and reviews the latest knowledge concerning the surface radiation budget. The processes of radiation, convection, conduction, evaporation, and carbon dioxide exchange are analyzed. Many applications of environmental physics principles are reviewed, including the roles of surface albedo and atmospheric aerosols in modifying microclimate and climate, remote sensing of vegetation properties, wind forces on trees and crops, dispersion of pathogens and aerosols, controls of evaporation from vegetation and soil (including implications of changing weather and climate), and interpretation of micrometeorological measurements of carbon dioxide and other trace gas fluxes.

  • Managing Ocean Environments in a Changing Climate

    Sustainability and Economic Perspectives
    • 1st Edition
    • Kevin J. Noone + 2 more
    • English
    Managing Ocean Environments in a Changing Climate summarizes the current state of several threats to the global oceans. What distinguishes this book most from previous works is that this book begins with a holistic, global-scale focus for the first several chapters and then provides an example of how this approach can be applied on a regional scale, for the Pacific region. Previous works usually have compiled local studies, which are essentially impossible to properly integrate to the global scale. The editors have engaged leading scientists in a number of areas, such as fisheries and marine ecosystems, ocean chemistry, marine biogeochemical cycling, oceans and climate change, and economics, to examine the threats to the oceans both individually and collectively, provide gross estimates of the economic and societal impacts of these threats, and deliver high-level recommendations.

  • The Biogeography of the Australian North West Shelf

    Environmental Change and Life's Response
    • 1st Edition
    • Barry Wilson
    • English
    The Biogeography of the Australian North West Shelf provides the first assembly of existing information of the North West Shelf in terms of geological, oceanographic and climatological history and current understanding of such issues as biodiversity, connectivity, larval dispersal and speciation in the sea that determine the distribution patterns of its invertebrate fauna. It is intended as a source of information and ideas on the biota of the shelf and its evolutionary origins and affinities and the environmental drivers of species’ ecology and distribution and ecosystem function. Regulators and industry environmental managers worldwide, but especially on the resource-rich North West Shelf, are faced with having to make decisions without adequate information or understanding of conservation values or the factors that drive ecosystem processes and resilience in the face of increasing anthropogenic and natural change. This book will provide a resource of information and ideas and extensive references to issues of primary concern. It will provide a big-picture narrative, putting the marine biota into a geological, evolutionary, and regional biodiversity context.

  • Biomass for Energy, Environment, Agriculture and Industry

    • 1st Edition
    • P. Chartier + 2 more
    • English
    Interest in the use of biomass for non-food applications has grown strongly in recent years, mainly as a consequence of its potential as a prime renewable energy resource. Renewable energies rank highly among the options that will contribute to the prevention of climate change and to security of energy supply in the future. Furthermore, exploiting biomass is very attractive as a way of dealing with two sensitive issues facing the majority of westernEuropean countries today; the extent of unemployment and the setting aside of farm lands to limit excess agricultural production.The 8th European Conference for Energy, Environment, Agriculture and Industry, held in Vienna, October 1994 was larger that any of its predecessors, with over 300 refereed contributions from 20 countries worldwide and over 520 participants. It was arguably the most significant event to date in this field, providing the opportunity for an international exchange of information on the recent progress in developing and implementing renewable biomass based non-food technologies. Published in 3 volumes, the proceedings of this conference therefore contain the most complete overview of the present state-of-the-art. Subjects covered include: biomass resource base, electricity and heat generation, transportation fuels, chemicals from biomass, products from bio- and thermochemical conversion technologies, economics, environmental aspects and opportunities for implementation worldwide, in particular in developing countries.Apart from the numerous contributions on the most recent results in research, development and implementation, the publication also contains authoritative reviews on most of the above-mentioned areas from leading experts in each field. In addition to this, it contains a list of key issues for developing a successful strategy leading to a rapid implementation in Europe and abroad.As a result it is indispensable for anyone working in this area, whether in research, demonstration or in policy development.

  • Handbook of Energy

    Diagrams, Charts, and Tables
    • 1st Edition
    • Cutler J. Cleveland + 1 more
    • English
    Handbook of Energy, Volume I: Diagrams, Charts, and Tables provides comprehensive, organized coverage on all phases of energy and its role in society, including its social, economic, political, historical, and environmental aspects. While there is a wealth of information about energy available, it is spread across many books, journals, and websites and it tends to target either a particular form of energy or a specific audience. Handbook of Energy provides a central repository of information that meets diverse user communities. It focuses on visual, graphic, and tabular information in a schematic format. Individuals and researchers at all educational levels will find the Handbook of Energy to be a valuable addition to their personal libraries.

  • Global Ecology

    Towards a Science of the Biosphere
    • 1st Edition
    • Mitchell B. Rambler
    • English
    Public awareness and concern over environmental degradation has reached an all time high, as the effect of man's activities on the global environment grows to greater and greater proportions. To understand the consequences of these activities, it is necessary to understand the fundamental nature of the system that supports life on a planetary scale. This book is the first interdisciplinary text on global ecology and is readable to students with only one to two years of science background. It contains a glossary of specialized terms which will enable students who are traditionally trained in geology, astronomy, and chemistry to understand the ecological topics presented. It places biogeochemical cycles witin a planetary perspective, and ties satellite technology, and applications to the earth sciences. As such, it can be the basis for new courses in planetary ecology, as well as being useful for present day ecology courses and seminars in environmental science.

  • Chemical Modeling for Air Resources

    Fundamentals, Applications, and Corroborative Analysis
    • 1st Edition
    • Jinyou Liang
    • English
    Chemical Modeling for Air Resources describes fundamental topics in chemical modeling and its scientific and regulatory applications in air pollution problems, such as ozone hole, acid rain, climate change, particulate matter, and other air toxins. A number of corroborative analysis methods are described to help extract information from model data. With many examples, Chemical Modeling for Air Resources may serve as a textbook for graduate students and reference for professionals in fields of atmospheric science, environmental science and engineering.

  • Evaluating Environmental and Social Impact Assessment in Developing Countries

    • 1st Edition
    • Salim Momtaz + 1 more
    • English
    Evaluating Environmental and Social Impact Assessment in Developing Countries is a valuable reference book for practitioners and researchers conducting research in and developing studies on environmental science and management and environmental and social impact assessment. The book’s authors have developed and tested a new framework to evaluate environmental impact assessment (EIA) systems that may be adopted by most developing countries with EIA experience. Application of this framework will help determine if the EIA is achieving its intended goal of sustainable development in these countries. It also explains the reasons behind the strengths and weaknesses from which the development practitioners and international development partners can take lessons. This book will help the reader answer such questions as "What are the best forms of public participation?" and "How do we measure contributions to EIA procedure?" since it is based on direct experiences from a developing country that is struggling with many of these issues. Evaluating Environmental and Social Impact Assessment in Developing Countries provides further understanding of appropriate tools to evaluate environmental and social impacts of development initiatives especially in developing countries.

  • Forest Monitoring

    Methods for terrestrial investigations in Europe with an overview of North America and Asia
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 12
    • English
    The demand for comparable, long-term, high quality data on forest ecosystems' status and changes is increasing at the international and global level. Yet, sources for such data are limited and in many case it is not possible to compare data from different monitoring initiatives across space and time because of methodological differences. Apart from technical manuals, there is no comprehensive multidisciplinary, scientific, peer-reviewed reference for forest monitoring methods that can serve and support the user community. This book provides in a single reference the state-of-the-art of monitoring methods as applied at the international level.The book present scientific concepts and methods that form the basis of the transnational, long-term forest monitoring in Europe and looks at other initiatives at the global level. Standardized methods that have been developed over two decades in international forest monitoring projects are presented. Emphasis is put on trans-nationally harmonized methods, related data quality issues, current achievements and on remaining open questions.

  • Climate Vulnerability

    Understanding and Addressing Threats to Essential Resources
    • 1st Edition
    • Roger A. Pielke Sr.
    • English
    Climate change has been the subject of thousands of books and magazines, scientific journals, and newspaper articles daily. It’s a subject that can be very political and emotional, often blurring the lines between fact and fiction. The vast majority of research, studies, projections and recommendations tend to focus on the human influence on climate change and global warming as the result of CO2 emissions, often to the exclusion of other threats that include population growth and the stress placed on energy sources due to emerging global affluence. Climate Vulnerability, Five Volume Set seeks to strip away the politics and emotion that surround climate change and will assess the broad range of threats using the bottom up approach—including CO2 emissions, population growth, emerging affluence, and many others—to our five most critical resources: water, food, ecosystems, energy, and human health. Inclusively determining what these threats are while seeking preventive measures and adaptations is at the heart of this unique reference work.

  • Green and Sustainable Computing: Part II

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 88
    • English
    Since its first volume in 1960, Advances in Computers has presented detailed coverage of innovations in computer hardware, software, theory, design, and applications. It has also provided contributors with a medium in which they can explore their subjects in greater depth and breadth than journal articles usually allow. As a result, many articles have become standard references that continue to be of sugnificant, lasting value in this rapidly expanding field.

  • Encyclopedia of Biodiversity

    • 2nd Edition
    • Simon A Levin
    • English
    The 7-volume Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Second Edition maintains the reputation of the highly regarded original, presenting the most current information available in this globally crucial area of research and study. It brings together the dimensions of biodiversity and examines both the services it provides and the measures to protect it. Major themes of the work include the evolution of biodiversity, systems for classifying and defining biodiversity, ecological patterns and theories of biodiversity, and an assessment of contemporary patterns and trends in biodiversity. The science of biodiversity has become the science of our future. It is an interdisciplinary field spanning areas of both physical and life sciences. Our awareness of the loss of biodiversity has brought a long overdue appreciation of the magnitude of this loss and a determination to develop the tools to protect our future.

  • Biorefinery in the Pulp and Paper Industry

    • 1st Edition
    • Pratima Bajpai
    • English
    The traditional pulp and paper producers are facing new competitors in tropical and subtropical regions who use the latest and largest installed technologies, and also have wood and labor cost advantages. Due to the increasing global competition, the forest products prices will continue to decrease. To remain viable, the traditional producers need to increase revenue by producing bioenergy and biomaterials in addition to wood, pulp, and paper products. In this so-called Integrated Products Biorefinery, all product lines are highly integrated and energy efficient. Integrated Products Biorefineries present the forest products industry with a unique opportunity to increase revenues and improve environmental sustainability. Integrated Products Biorefinery technologies will allow industry to manufacture high-value chemicals, fuels, and/or electric power while continuing to produce traditional wood, pulp, and paper products. The industry already controls much of the raw material and infrastructure necessary to create Integrated Products Biorefineries, and Agenda 2020 partnerships are speeding development of the key enabling technologies. Once fully developed and commercialized, these technologies will produce enormous energy and environmental benefits for the industry and the nation. Biorefinery in the Pulp and Paper Industry presents the biorefining concept, the opportunities for the pulp and paper industry, and describes and discusses emerging biorefinery process options. This book also highlights the environmental impact and the complex and ambiguous decision-making challenges that mills will face when considering implementing the biorefinery.

  • Solid Waste Recycling and Processing

    Planning of Solid Waste Recycling Facilities and Programs
    • 2nd Edition
    • Marc J. Rogoff
    • English
    Solid Waste Recycling and Processing, Second Edition, provides best-practice guidance to solid waste managers and recycling coordinators. The book covers all aspects of solid waste processing, volume reduction, and recycling, encompassing typical recyclable materials (paper, plastics, cans, and organics), construction and demolition debris, electronics, and more. It includes techniques, technologies, and programs to help maximize customer participation rates and revenues, as well as to minimize operating costs. The book is packed with lessons learned by the author during the implementation of the most successful programs worldwide, and includes numerous case studies showing how different systems work in different settings. This book also takes on industry debates such as the merits of curbside-sort versus single-stream recycling and the use of advanced technology in materials recovery facilities. It provides key facts and figures, and brief summaries of legislation in the United States, Europe, and Asia. An extensive glossary demystifies the terminology and acronyms used in different sectors and geographies. The author also explains emerging concepts in recycling such as zero waste, sustainability, LEED certification, and pay-as-you-throw, and places waste management and recycling in wider economic, environmental (sustainability), political, and societal contexts.

  • Treating Worker Dissatisfaction During Economic Change

    • 1st Edition
    • Morley D. Glicken + 1 more
    • English
    In the current economy, companies are expected to turn on a dime in response to changing market needs to stay vibrant. What that means is that companies are constantly reorganizing. Employees are living in a constant state of change. This dynamic in the workplace has affected worker satisfaction, morale, and burnout. This is the first treatment manual to focus on treating job-related issues, whether it's conflict in the workplace, stress, burnout, performance, and more. Divided into two parts, Part One sets the stage with a discussion of the economic climate and how it impacts businesses, how business reacts to it, and how the new business climate affects employees. Part Two lays out the most current research on effectively treating work-related client issues. Individual, group, and organizational interventions are included, along with case examples, practical treatment exercises, checklists, and outlines for treatment.

  • Advances in Agronomy

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 119
    • English
    Advances in Agronomy continues to be recognized as a leading reference and a first-rate source for the latest research in agronomy. As always, the subjects covered are varied and exemplary of the myriad of subject matter dealt with by this long-running serial

  • Monitoring Water Quality

    Pollution Assessment, Analysis, and Remediation
    • 1st Edition
    • Satinder Ahuja
    • English
    Monitoring Water Quality is a practical assessment of one of the most pressing growth and sustainability issues in the developed and developing worlds: water quality. Over the last 10 years, improved laboratory techniques have led to the discovery of microbial and viral contaminants, pharmaceuticals, and endocrine disruptors in our fresh water supplies that were not monitored previously. This book offers in-depth coverage of water quality issues (natural and human-related), monitoring of contaminants, and remediation of water contamination. In particular, readers will learn about arsenic removal techniques, real-time monitoring, and risk assessment. Monitoring Water Quality is a vital text for students and professionals in environmental science, civil engineering, chemistry — anyone concerned with issues of water analysis and sustainability assessment.

  • Biogeochemistry

    An Analysis of Global Change
    • 3rd Edition
    • W.H. Schlesinger + 1 more
    • English
    Biogeochemistry—winn... of a 2014 Textbook Excellence Award (Texty) from the Text and Academic Authors Association—consider... how the basic chemical conditions of the Earth, from atmosphere to soil to seawater, have been and are being affected by the existence of life. Human activities in particular, from the rapid consumption of resources to the destruction of the rainforests and the expansion of smog-covered cities, are leading to rapid changes in the basic chemistry of the Earth. This expansive text pulls together the numerous fields of study encompassed by biogeochemistry to analyze the increasing demands of the growing human population on limited resources and the resulting changes in the planet's chemical makeup. The book helps students extrapolate small-scale examples to the global level, and also discusses the instrumentation being used by NASA and its role in studies of global change. With extensive cross-referencing of chapters, figures and tables, and an interdisciplinary coverage of the topic at hand, this updated edition provides an excellent framework for courses examining global change and environmental chemistry, and is also a useful self-study guide.

  • Sustainable Energy Management

    • 1st Edition
    • Mirjana Radovanovic + 2 more
    • English
    While the last few decades have witnessed incredible leaps forward in the technology of energy production, technological innovation can only be as transformative as its implementation and management allows. The burgeoning fields of renewable, efficient and sustainable energy have moved past experimentation toward realization, necessitating the transition to more sustainable energy management practices. Energy Management is a collective term for all the systematic practices to minimize and control both the quantity and cost of energy used in providing a service. This new book reports from the forefront of the energy struggle in the developing world, offering a guide to implementation of sustainable energy management in practice. The authors provide new paradigms for measuring energy sustainability, pragmatic methods for applying renewable resources and efficiency improvements, and unique insights on managing risk in power production facilities. The book highlights the possible financial and practical impacts of these activities, as well as the methods of their calculation. The authors’ guidelines for planning, analyzing, developing, and optimizing sustainable energy production projects provide vital information for the nations, corporations, and engineering firms that must apply exciting new energy technology in the real world.

  • Ostracoda as Proxies for Quaternary Climate Change

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 17
    • English
    Ostracod crustaceans, common microfossils in marine and freshwater sedimentary records, supply evidence of past climatic conditions via indicator species, transfer function and mutual climatic range approaches as well as the trace element and stable isotope geochemistry of their shells. As methods of using ostracods as Quaternary palaeoclimate proxies have developed, so too has a critical awareness of their complexities, potential and limitations. This book combines up-to-date reviews (covering previous work and summarising the state of the art) with presentations of new, cutting-edge science (data and interpretations as well as methodological developments) to form a major reference work that will constitute a durable bench-mark in the science of Ostracoda and Quaternary climate change.

  • Handbook of Hydrothermal Technology

    • 2nd Edition
    • K. Byrappa + 1 more
    • English
    Quartz, zeolites, gemstones, perovskite type oxides, ferrite, carbon allotropes, complex coordinated compounds and many more -- all products now being produced using hydrothermal technology. Handbook of Hydrothermal Technology brings together the latest techniques in this rapidly advancing field in one exceptionally useful, long-needed volume.The handbook provides a single source for understanding how aqueous solvents or mineralizers work under temperature and pressure to dissolve and recrystallize normally insoluble materials, and decompose or recycle any waste material. The result, as the authors show in the book, is technologically the most efficient method in crystal growth, materials processing, and waste treatment. The book gives scientists and technologists an overview of the entire subject including: À Evolution of the technology from geology to widespread industrial use. À Descriptions of equipment used in the process and how it works.À Problems involved with the growth of crystals, processing of technological materials, environmental and safety issues.À Analysis of the direction of today's technology. In addition, readers get a close look at the hydrothermal synthesis of zeolites, fluorides, sulfides, tungstates, and molybdates, as well as native elements and simple oxides. Delving into the commercial production of various types, the authors clarify the effects of temperature, pressure, solvents, and various other chemical components on the hydrothermal processes.

  • Agricultural Sustainability

    Progress and Prospects in Crop Research
    • 1st Edition
    • Gurbir Bhullar + 1 more
    • English
    Collaboratively written by top international experts and established scientists in various fields of agricultural research, this book focuses on the state of food production and sustainability; the problems with degradation of valuable sources of land, water, and air and their effects on food crops; the increasing demand of food resources; and the challenges of food security worldwide. The book provides cutting edge scientific tools and methods of research as well as solid background information that is accessible for those who have a strong interest in agricultural research and development and want to learn more on the challenges facing the global agricultural production systems.

  • Global Change in Multispecies Systems: Part II

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 47
    • English
    Advances in Ecological Research is one of the most successful series in the highly competitive field of ecology. Each volume publishes topical and important reviews, interpreting ecology as widely as in the past, to include all material that contributes to our understanding of the field. Topics in this invaluable series include the physiology, populations, and communities of plants and animals, as well as landscape and ecosystem ecology.

  • Fundamentals of Ecosystem Science

    • 1st Edition
    • Kathleen C. Weathers + 2 more
    • English
    Fundamentals of Ecosystem Science provides a compact and comprehensive introduction to modern ecosystem science. This book covers major concepts of ecosystem science, biogeochemistry, and energetics. It addresses, contrasts, and compares both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. It combines general lessons, concepts, frameworks, and challenges in highly accessible synthesis chapters. It presents firsthand case studies, written by leaders in the field, offering personal insights into how adopting an ecosystem approach led to innovations, new understanding, management changes, and policy solutions. This book is ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate students who have had a general biology course, but not further training in ecosystems as well as researchers and professionals in ecology and environmental sciences.

  • Farm Land Erosion

    in Temperate Plains Environments and Hills
    • 1st Edition
    • S. Wicherek
    • English
    During the last twenty years, mutations within agricultural systems in France and Europe have brought on a spectacular worsening of soil erosion and degradation. This volume, contributed to by scientists from 25 countries, discusses how this risk can be evaluated, and which solutions should be adopted without radically disturbing the socio-economic orientation of major agricultural regions. It is an excellent starting point for the development of new research themes, and will be of great value to soil and environmental scientists, and to all those involved in land irrigation and drainage.

  • Pollution Control for Agriculture

    Problems, Processes, and Applications
    • 2nd Edition
    • Loehr
    • English
    Pollution Control for Agriculture, Second Edition describes approaches adaptable to the treatment, disposal, and management of agricultural wastes, incorporating full-scale technologies, concepts, data, and operating systems. The book also discusses energy conservation, natural resource utilization, and nonpoint source control. Examples of problems attributable to agriculture include unbalanced natural ecological systems and increased eutrophication from waste disposal practices. Other problems include the depletion of dissolved oxygen in surface water, and impurities in groundwater from improper waste disposals on land. The text notes that understanding the characteristics of these wastes leads to more effective disposal methods and treatment. For example, biological treatment is preferred for liquid waste that contain dissolved organic solids, while incineration or composting is appropriate for solid waste with a high organic content. The book also lists the options that can be chosen to control agricultural nonpoint sources, the best of which is by planning and management practices that regulate the source and delivery of nonpoint pollutants, These practices will limit nonpoint pollutants from reaching their destinations (surface water or groundwater). The text also emphasizes the need for a balance between the extremes of agricultural production, profit motives, and environmental concerns. The book is suitable for agriculturists, economists, environmentalists, ecologists, and policy makers involved in food production, environmental safety, and health issues.

  • Flux Control in Biological Systems

    From Enzymes to Populations and Ecosystems
    • 1st Edition
    • Ernst-Detlef Schulze
    • English
    Comprehending and modelling biomass production, nutrient, and water fluxes in biological systems requires understanding control mechanisms at various levels of organiztion. This new book, with 16 pages of four-colorplates, compares patterns and mechanisms of regulation-starting from enzyme reactions and ending at the population and ecosystem level. By doing so, the book investigates the general principles of how fluxes are adjusted and regulated. Such principles areessential for preparing effective models and for predicting human impacts on ecosystems. Flux Control in Biological Systems: From Enzymes to Populations and Ecosystems will be an essential personal library addition for student and professional environmental biologists, ecologists, physiologists, biochemists, botanists, microbiologists, soil scientists, and zoologists; as well as anyone who investigate patterns of matter and energy transfer in biological systems of different levels of complexity.

  • Handbook of Hazardous Materials

    • 1st Edition
    • English
    Handbook of Hazardous Materials is a one-volume compendium of hazardous materials that discusses the toxic effects of these materials on human health and the global environment. It provides comprehensive coverage of individual toxic elements, covers hazardous material groups, and includes more general articles such as evaluation and testing of carcinogens, transport of pollutants, and inhalation toxicology. The fully referenced articles are presented in alphabetical order. The book features a subject index as well as numerous cross-references.

  • Transport Models/Inland & Coastal Waters

    Proceedings of a Symposium on Predictive Ability
    • 1st Edition
    • Hugo B. Fischer
    • English
    Professors and Students in Civil Engineering.

  • International Perspectives on Municipal Solid Wastes and Sanitary Landfilling

    • 1st Edition
    • Bozzano G Luisa
    • English
    This volume provides a perspective on how different countries cope with the municipal solid waste problem politically, administratively, and technically--with a particular focus on sanitary landfilling. Fifteen countries report on the quantities of such waste generated, its composition, and on various management methods used. In addition they report on sanitary landfilling, the impacts of past practices, current practices for leachate control, and landfill gas management. Finally, the role of government, new handling strategies, and likely future directions in waste management are discussed.

  • Nitrogen in Organic Wastes

    Applied to Soils
    • 1st Edition
    • Bozzano G Luisa
    • English
    Organic wastes are traditionally applied to land to recover their fertilizer value, but the microbial turnover of such organic matter in soil is often out of phase with the requirements of growing plants. Therefore, nutrients may be lost and may even act as potential pollutants of water and air, posing a particular challenge to agricultural and environmental engineers.This book addresses both experimental and modeling methodology under the main headings of nitrogen and carbon transformations, gaseous losses, chemical means of controlling nitrification, and nitrate leaching. The articles are based on material presented at a specialized seminar held under the auspices of ISWA and DAKOFA at Aalborg University, Denmark, in September, 1988.

  • Bird Census Techniques

    • 1st Edition
    • Colin J. Bibby + 2 more
    • English
    Wild birds are counted for a wide variety of reasons and by a bewildering array of methods. However, detailed descriptions of the techniques used and the rationale adopted are scattered in the literature, and the newcomer to bird census work or the experienced bird counter in search of a wider view, may well have difficulty in coming to grips with the subject as a whole. While not an end in itself, numerical and distributional census work is a fundamental part of many scientific and conservation studies, and one in which the application of given standards is vital if results are not to be distorted or applied in a misleading way.This book provides a concise guide to the various census techniques and to the opportunities and pitfalls which each entails. The common methods are described in detail, and illustrated through an abundance of diagrams showing examples of actual and theoretical census studies. Anyone with a bird census job to plan should be able to select the method best suited to the study at hand, and to apply it to best effect within the limits inherent in it and the constraints of the particular study.The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the British Trust for Ornithology have for many years pioneered the collaboration of amateurs and professionals in various census studies. Three members of their staff, each with extensive field experience, now pool the knowledge of these investigations to lay the groundwork for sound census work in future years.

  • Management and Analysis of Biological Populations

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 8
    • B.-S. Goh
    • English
    Management and Analysis of Biological Populations demonstrates the usefulness of optimal control theory in the management of biological populations and the Liapunov function in simulating an ecosystem model under large perturbations of its initial state and continual disturbances on its dynamics. The first chapter of the book introduces the topic by presenting the different models in ecology and discussing the stability concepts, the ecological engineering, and various relevant functions in ecosystem modeling. The next chapter contains a brief survey of static optimization techniques and optimal control theory for systems, which are modeled by differential and difference equations. Another chapter covers methods that use Liapunov and Liapunov-like functions to establish that a given population model is stable relative to finite perturbations of its initial state and that it is non-vulnerable relative to large continual disturbances. The book also covers fisheries and logistic modeling, including a discussion of a few management problems. Moreover, this reference considers stability in an ecosystem model with complexities due to species richness, nonlinearities, time delays, and spatial heterogeneity. Finally, it explains how to manage pests and greenhouse crops. The book is an excellent reference source for students and professionals in ecology and environmental engineering. Research professionals and extended workers in agriculture and agronomy will also find this book invaluable.

  • Management of Semi-Arid Ecosystems

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 7
    • B.H. Walker
    • English
    Extensive regions of the world have a climate which, whilst permitting development of a continuous vegetative cover, is too dry for successful annual cropping. These are the semi-arid areas where land use is based on the natural vegetation. Easily degraded and difficult to maintain, they are under increasing pressure as expanding human populations move in and endeavour to force a living from them. As a result they contain some of the worst examples of resource degradation.This book examines the problems and opportunities involved in man's use of semi-arid areas. The authors are all actively involved in research and land management in the areas discussed. Each chapter begins with a detailed, up-to-date account of the ecology of the region (its climate, soils, vegetation, fauna and main ecological characteristics). This is followed by a history of land use, problems involved in its management, a review of current research and recommended land use practices. The common features of semi-arid ecosystems are brought together in a final section.

  • Tropical Forests

    Some African and Asian Case Studies of Composition and Structure
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 22
    • J. Borota
    • English
    This publication deals with the composition and structure of both natural and artificially established tropical forests. After a general introduction, the role of tropical forests in the production of timber is discussed. Attention is then given to the structure of natural tropical forests, especially in Congo, Gabon, Ghana and Laos. The structure of artificially established forests is dealt with in another chapter. At the end, information is given on the thinning of such forest stands in Tanzania.

  • Wetlands of Bottomland Hardwood Forests

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 11
    • J.R. Clark + 1 more
    • English
    These Proceedings comprise two parts. Part I contains eight contributed papers on hydrology, fauna, soils, forests, agriculture and ecology. Part II comprises reports resulting from the five interdisciplinary workgroups whose participants included ecologists, botanists, zoologists, engineers, hydrologists, agrologists, dendrologists, resource managers and other specialists. Their aim was to evaluate conservation and management practices for wetland portions of the bottomland forests of the southeastern United States and to provide technical advice to responsible federal agencies. Thus the book is a state-of-knowledge review of scientific literature and current research, particularly that necessary to understand the effects of alterations such as forest clearing, land drainage or levee building that impair natural functions, i.e. production of timber, maintenance of water quality, flood water storage, support of migrating waterfowl and fish, carbon dioxide balance of the atmosphere etc.

  • Before Water Management Measures

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 15A
    • English
    The ultimate motivation for the study which is the subject of this book was the need to draw conclusions on the impact of man's activity on natural ecosystems. The results characterize the situation of the south-Moravian floodplain forest in the period of fading uncontrolled floods before the extensive technical measures successively changed the moisture regime by eliminating inundation and lowering the level of underground water. This publication is unique in Czechoslovakia as it records the ecological situation in the floodplain forest prior to the major and irreversible changes. The study also documents the exceptional role played by the Central-European floodplain forest in maintaining the gene pool and structure of the one thousand or so species in flora and fauna of an agricultural region.

  • Agriculture in Dry Lands

    Principles and Practice
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 26
    • I. Arnon
    • English
    Throughout history, man has, by over-use, consistently reduced the productive capacity of dry lands. This degradation of one-third of the land area of the globe is, unfortunately, increasing. In recent years, world interest has turned to the problems of pollution of the environment and the impending food shortage as world population grows explosively. Thus the attention of international and other agricultural bodies has turned to the need for preserving and developing more effectively the agricultural potential of these areas.This book provides a comprehensive review of present knowledge of the agriculture of dry lands, with special emphasis on measures for conserving their natural resources. Management practices are described which aim at optimizing productivity of rainfed and irrigated agriculture without adverse effects on sustainability. Land use in the dry regions, and its evolution throughout history is described and analysed, and the lessons to be learnt from destructive technologies are stressed. In particular, current proposals for an alternative agriculture are discussed and their justification is questioned. This is a generalist work, which specialists can also find interesting, not only in their own discipline but as a concise way of acquainting themselves with the state-of-the-art in associated fields. Increasing specialisation with each discipline using its own vocabulary leads inevitably to communication problems, and the need for multi-disciplinary teams makes inter-discipline communication indispensible.

  • Land and Stream Salinity : An International Seminar and Workshop Held in November 1980 in Perth Western Australia

    An International Seminar and Workshop Held in November 1980 in Perth Western Australia
    • 1st Edition
    • L.W. Holmes
    • English
    Land and Stream Salinity is a compilation of papers that review the state and knowledge of processes involved in land and stream salinity, and that consider its application in different environments. This book also identifies gaps in research and development, and it designates the priorities that could significantly benefit salinity control. In addition, it identifies alternative strategies of land and water management for salinity control and determines techniques for evaluating quantitatively the alternative strategies. Furthermore, this book focuses on salinity problems in south Western Australia. After discussing the history and effects of salinity in Western Australia, the book considers the influence of plant communities on the hydrology of catchments, and it discusses evapotranspiration rates from wet and dry foliage and soil water deficit. This is followed by the transport of salts in soils and subsoils; the residence times of water and solutes within and below the root zone and saturated zone; analyses of solute distributions in deeply weathered soils; and the transport of salts in catchments and soils. This book also includes chapters on the saline seed development and control in the North American Great Plains, and the terrain, groundwater and secondary salinity in Victoria, Australia. It also presents the hydrologic model, the solute-transport models and their role in the analysis of groundwater, and the hydrosalinity models. The last chapters focus on different kinds of management for salinity control.

  • Wetland Modelling

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 12
    • W.J. Mitsch + 2 more
    • English
    The study of wetlands is a relatively new field and the modelling of these systems is still in its formative stages. Nevertheless, the editors felt compelled to assemble this volume as a first statement of the state of the art of modelling approaches for the quantitative study of wetlands. A global approach has been adopted in this book, not only by including a wide geographic distribution of wetlands, but also by including papers on both freshwater and saltwater wetlands. Wetlands are defined as systems intermediate between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and include ecosystems under a wide range of hydrologic and ecologic conditions. The wetland types discussed in this book reflect that heterogeneity, ranging from intermittently flooded wet meadows to permanently flooded shallow reservoirs and lakes. Also included are modelling examples from coastal salt marshes, shallow estuaries, mesotrophic bogs, reedswamps, forested swamps, and regional wetlands. In summary, the book presents ecological modelling as a tool for management of these sensitive ecosystems, and for studying their structure and function. Each chapter has extensive references related to the modelling approach and wetland type discussed. It will be useful for wetland scientists and managers, and could also serve as a supplemental text on courses in wetland ecology.

  • Shrub-Steppe

    Balance and Change in a Semi-Arid Terrestrial Ecosystem
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 20
    • Alec Rickard + 3 more
    • English
    Owing to man-made intervention, the shrub-steppe now represents a rapidly disappearing landscape in the arid regions of North America. This book represents a systems-level study of ecological variables affecting water balance, and responses to perturbation. The study focused on a very large, protected, landscape unit, comprising a natural ``watershed'' area located in the semi-arid western United States. Long-term and concurrent data sets were established with a view towards establishing system-level responses to manipulative interventions, and natural perturbations like wildfire. These data sets were established for micrometeorology, climatology, mineral cycling in soils, nutrient and mineral pathways in springs and streams, vegetational dynamics, and population changes on the site. In synthesizing nearly twenty years of data, the more interesting ecosystem level responses concerned vegetational recovery and water balance. For instance, the synthesis uniquely demonstrates the interaction of biotic and non-biotic factors and their integrated effect on regional water balance. However, special attention was also paid to species diversity and the genetic resource pool represented at this site.This book will be of primary interest as a reference resource to land managers and wildlife specialists, and as a research study for scientists interested in systems-level ecology. Conservation-minded citizens who take more than a cursory interest in ecology will also find it interesting.

  • Channels, Carriers, and Pumps

    An Introduction to Membrane Transport
    • 1st Edition
    • Wilfred D. Stein
    • English
    For students as well as researchers this book describes the exciting new advances in the molecular biology of transport proteins and integrates this information with transport kinetics, function, and regulation. Experimental data are linked with theory.

  • Environmental Engineering and Renewable Energy

    • 1st Edition
    • Renato Gavasci + 1 more
    • English
    This book contains the papers presented at the First International Conference on Environmental Engineering and Renewable Energy held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in September 1998. The main aim of the conference was to give an opportunity to scientists, experts and researchers from different fields to convene and discuss environmental and energy problems and also be informed about the state of the art.Today, environmental protection is increasingly becoming a matter of global priority now that the tendency towards sustainable development is growing. The main concept of sustainable development is to fulfill both the demand of today's generation and cater for the requirements of future generations. Hence, sustainable development requires sound management of those environmental and research and development technologies which have low environmental impact and which promote the use of renewable sources.Renewable energies are the only environmentally benign sources of energy and are available at any site and any time of the year. Moreover, the utilization of renewable sources of energy can contribute to the increasing energy demand and also advance the improvement of life standards in rural areas, where it is difficult to establish a permanent connection with central electricity systems. Application and adoption of emerging renewable energy technologies in rural and remote areas cannot be successful without transfer of knowledge, information and know-how.Environment... engineering involves research and application of technologies to minimize the undesirable impact on the environment. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in environmental engineering problems in order to focus on theoretical and experimental studies on atmospheric pollution, water management and treatment, waste treatment, disposal and management.

  • Arctic Ecosystems in a Changing Climate

    An Ecophysiological Perspective
    • 1st Edition
    • F. Stuart Chapin III + 5 more
    • English
    The arctic region is predicted to experience the earliest and most pronounced global warming response to human-induced climatic change. This book synthesizes information on the physiological ecology of arctic plants, discusses how physiological processes influence ecosystem processes, and explores how climate warming will affect arctic plants, plant communities, and ecosystem processes.

  • Pollution Control for Agriculture

    • 1st Edition
    • Raymond Loehr
    • English
    Pollution Control for Agriculture is a substantial revision of the ""Agricultural Waste Management"" book that discusses the implications and possible management systems for crop production. This 14-chapter text also provides the basic information needed to understand the concern on pollution from agricultural wastes. Agricultural wastes are defined as the excesses and residues from the growing and first processing of raw agricultural products, such as fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. The introductory chapters deal with the influence of legal constraints and changing agricultural practices on the environmental problems associated with agricultural production. The following chapter focuses on the characteristics of food processing wastes and animal wastes. The remaining chapters are devoted to the fundamentals, principles, and benefits of various waste management processes and treatment systems, including biological and biochemical processes, ponds and lagoons, oxygen transfer, aerobic, anaerobic, physical and chemical treatments, nitrogen control, and land disposal. This book is of great value to food agricultural producers, scientists, and engineers who are interested in knowing and applying feasible agricultural waste management concepts and approaches.

  • Biogeochemistry

    An Analysis of Global Change
    • 1st Edition
    • William H Schlesinger
    • English
    Biochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change provides information pertinent to the chemistry of the surface of the Earth. This book presents the basics about the effect of life on the chemistry of the Earth. Organized into two parts encompassing 14 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the connection between the elements that are significant to life. This text then describes how computer models are employed to help understand elemental cycling and ecosystem function. Other chapters consider how satellite technology is beneficial in understanding global biochemistry. This book discusses as well the essential role theta the Earth Observing System (EOS) will play in investigations of global ecology. The final chapter deals with the human effect on global biochemical cycles, with focus on controlling human population growth to maintain life and quality of life on Earth. This book is a valuable resource for college-level and graduate students who are interested in global change.

  • Ecology of Tropical Oceans

    • 1st Edition
    • Bozzano G Luisa
    • English
    This book breaks new ground with the integration of geography, oceanography, plankton and benthic biology, as well as fish, to present a comprehensive account of the ecology of the tropical ocean. Proceeding from a description of the geomorphology, sediments, and vegetation of tropical continental shelves and the oceanography of tropical regions, the authors describe the benthos, plankton, and fish communities of tropical seas. An examination of the production of plant and animal life in tropical oceans is presented together with the numerical population biology of fish and invertebrates.

  • Homology

    The Hierarchial Basis of Comparative Biology
    • 1st Edition
    • Brian K. Hall
    • English
    Homology, the similarity between organisms that is due to common ancestry, is the central concept of all comparative biology. However, the application of this concept varies depending on the data being examined. This volume represents a state-of-the-art treatment of the different applications of this unifying concept. Chapters deal with homology on all levels, from molecules to behavior, and are authored by leading contributors to systematics, natural history, and evolutionary, developmental, and comparative biology.

  • Mathematical Modelling of Environmental and Ecological Systems

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 11
    • J.B. Shukla + 2 more
    • English
    This volume contains a cross-section of the papers presented at the International Symposium on Mathematical Modelling of Ecological, Environmental and Biological Systems held in Kanpur, India, in August 1985. The choice of topics emphasizes many aspects of ecological and environmental matters including air and water pollution, ecotoxicology, resource management, epidemiology, and population and community ecology.It is intended that this volume will focus international attention upon some problems in the ecological and environmental sciences that can be impacted by mathematical modelling and analysis.

  • Tropical Botanic Gardens

    Their Role in Conservation and Development
    • 1st Edition
    • V. H. Heywood + 1 more
    • English
    This book includes the proceedings of the second symposium on one important role of botanic gardens in conserving world plant resources. Sessions covered topics such as implementing the botanic gardens conservation strategy, regional networks and national programs in the tropics, and germplasm banks in botanic gardens.

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