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This book captures the essence of one of the most remarkable journeys of a professional who prevailed over numerous challenges and adverse situations that appeared before him from nowhere and how he emerged victorious to be hailed at a global forum of the American Geophysical Union in 2008. The author reflects upon the circumstances and times in post-independent India that threw him out of the comforts of a well-to-do family into the real world. He traces back his entry into the field of earthquake science and dwells at length upon the scope and freedom it offered for innovative thinking in the field with limitless opportunities. Mishaps and accidents paved the way to remarkable discoveries and achievements including the creation of the world record for establishing and populating India's first permanent base station in Antarctica in a record time of one Antarctic summer despite having a near-fatal helicopter crash on 4th day after reaching Antarctica. Stressing the need to live safely with earthquakes as their short-term prediction is not a possibility yet, the author advocates a two-prong strategy of directly looking into the earthquake source region deep inside the earth and developing an earthquake-resilient society, simultaneously. He cites the success story of the Indian Tsunami Early Warning System that is operational in the Indian Ocean, today. The book inspires young professionals with a flair for challenges and a burning desire to achieve results at any cost. This book provides important information in a nutshell about artificial water reservoir triggered earthquakes, India's building of the Dakshin Gangotri all-weather station in Antarctica, Indian Ocean Tsunami warning set-up, Low-Temperature Thermal Desalination, etc. The main objective of the book is to inspire a generation of young minds through a narration of scientific achievements that did not come easily to him. The aim is to tell them the difference between a reaction and a response to a given situation, the former being impulsive and irrational and the latter responsible and rational.

There are many GIS products for smart cities to implement smart city projects or activities. Most of the Geoinformatics Technologies and its application books are theoretical and lack of examples with real world data and step by step explanations to understand the facilities and utilities optimization and management for smart city applications and socio-economic aspects.This book focuses and discusses topics related to how technological advances in Geoinformatics can help in the management operations of smart city applications to help our environment to be smart. Specifically, the volume focuses on how these advancements can help optimize and manage facilities and utilities. This book focuses on geoinformation modelling, geo-smart city applications, geoinformation technology, information system and computer science, and geolocation and positioning as its five primary areas of discussion. Each of these primary subjects delves into the application that uses geoinformatics technology in greater depth. This covers the use of Geoinformatics technology in the prevention of crime, coastal erosion, carbon emission modelling, landslide modelling, urban farming, and various other applications linked to the field. This book's objective is to provide a comprehensive review of the accomplishments that geoinformatics has made in a number of different application areas for smart cities. It covers Geoinformation Technologies, Geoinformation Modelling, Information System and Computer Science, Geolocation & Positioning, and Geo-Smart City Applications.The book will be useful to graduate students, university faculty, and researchers in Geoinformatics sciences/engineering and architecture and town planning. It will also be useful to entrepreneurs, professionals, and planners in policy and decision making at the local, state and national levels.

This book presents the Rock-Eval® method, which was invented in France in the 1970s and is used by the oil industry worldwide to characterize source rocks and reservoir rocks as well as their petroleum potential. Rock Eval® has also spread to other fields of application, including soil science, paleoceanography, paleoclimatology, environmental science (i.e. monitoring pollution remediation), material chemistry (i.e. carbonates, microplastics) and many others. The Rock-Eval Method presents a collection of chapters reviewing this method and its fields of application, and examines its possible developments. The authors are from either the academic or applied sector and have all contributed to the development of the Rock Eval® apparatus and method. This instrument, which lies somewhere between a chromatographic, a thermal and an elemental analyzer, is now evolving to be an analytical platform, on which new fields of applications can be tested in the future.

Complex Systems lie at the heart of a variety of large-scale phenomena of great significance - global warming, ice ages, water, poverty, pandemics - and this text uses these case studies as motivations and contexts to explore complex systems and related topics of nonlinear dynamics and power-law statistics. Although detailed mathematical descriptions of these topics can be challenging, the consequences of a system being nonlinear, power-law, or complex are in fact quite accessible. This book blends a tutorial approach to the mathematical aspects of complex systems together with a complementary narrative on the global/ecological/societal implications of such systems. Nearly all engineering undergraduate courses focus on mathematics and systems which are small scale, linear, and Gaussian. Unfortunately there is not a single large-scale ecological or social phenomenon that is scalar, linear, and Gaussian. This book offers insights to better understand the large-scale problems facing the world and to realize that these cannot be solved by a single, narrow academic field or perspective. Instead, the book seeks to emphasize understanding, concepts, and ideas, in a way that is mathematically rigorous, so that the concepts do not feel vague, but not so technical that the mathematics get in the way. The book is intended for students in technical domains such as engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, and environmental studies. This second edition adds nine new examples, over 30 additional problems, 50 additional figures, and three new chapters offering a detailed study of system decoupling, extensive solutions to chapter problems, and a timely discussion on the complex systems challenges associated with COVID-19 and pandemics in general.

This book systematically introduces readers to the simulation theory and techniques of multiple media for unconventional tight reservoirs. It summarizes the macro/microscopic heterogeneities; the features of multiscale multiple media; the characteristics of complex fluid properties; the occurrence state of continental tight oil and gas reservoirs in China; and the complex flow characteristics and coupled production mechanism under unconventional development patterns. It also discusses the simulation theory of multiple media for unconventional tight oil and gas reservoirs; mathematic model of flow through discontinuous multiple media; geological modeling of discrete multiscale multiple media; and the simulation of multiscale, multiphase flow regimes and multiple media. In addition to the practical application of simulation and software for unconventional tight oil and gas, it also explores the development trends and prospects of simulation technology. The book is of interest to scientific researchers and technicians engaged in the development of oil and gas reservoirs, and serves as a reference resource for advanced graduate students in fields related to petroleum.

This book gives an overview of the relationships between agriculture and air quality, which is an issue of increasing importance for practitioners and policy makers. It provides the keys to understand natural and anthropogenic mechanisms governing emission and deposition of pollutants produced by and/or impacting agricultural activitiesIt identifies how management practices can help mitigating emissions and how public policies on air pollution progressively addressed the agricultural sectorThis book was written for students, researchers and agriculture actors as well as for public decision-makers

This book discusses the latest advances in singular spectrum-based algorithms for seismic data processing, providing an update on recent developments in this field. Over the past few decades, researchers have extensively studied the application of the singular spectrum-based time and frequency domain eigen image methods, singular spectrum analysis (SSA) and multichannel SSA for various geophysical data. This book addresses seismic reflection signals, which represent the amalgamated signals of several unwanted signals/noises, such as ground roll, diffractions etc. Decomposition of such non-stationary and erratic field data is one of the multifaceted tasks in seismic data processing. This volume also includes comprehensive methodological and parametric descriptions, testing on appropriately generated synthetic data, as well as comparisons between time and frequency domain algorithms and their applications to the field data on 1D, 2D, 3D and 4D data sets. Lastly, it features an exclusive chapter with MATLAB coding for SSA.

This book focuses on the mineral deposits from the mining complex of Kazakhstan, including copper ores from the Nikolayevsky and Shemonaikhinsky open-pit quarries, and from the Kazchrome and Konyrat mines in Balkhash. This study assesses the geomechanical conditions of the rock massive, as well as strengthening and reinforcing processes. It develops methods for their assessment and provides detailed instructions on applying the methods. The book also summarizes the latest research and developments in formulating cement solutions to reinforce slopes and suppress dust on the roads of the quarry. The book's overarching goal is to promote geological and mining engineering conditions that ensure the ecologically safe development of the mineral resource fields. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to mining engineers, researchers, and students in a broad range of geomechanical, geodesic, mining and environmental fields.

This book develops the theory of electromagnetic (EM) precursors to seaquakes (i.e. underwater earthquakes) and tsunamis, including the sequential stages of the transformation of a weak seismic mechanical excitation of the sea bottom into EM signals in the atmosphere. It further examines the relationship between geophysics and biophysics, using appropriate mathematical support, and a new model of the magnetic location of the epicenter of a possible land earthquake is described, as well as a block-scheme of the multidisciplinary multilevel seaquake monitoring complex. Also discussed are measured changes of brain bioelectric activity and heart functioning under the influence of moderate geomagnetic storms. Written for researchers and specialists (e.g. upper level undergraduates, postgraduates, scientists) in mathematical, computational, geophysical, biophysical, geodynamical, seismological and prognostic disciplines, this book provides multidisciplinary data and analytical tools supporting the theory and practice of seismic prognosis, promoting further understanding of novel marine and land monitoring systems.

This book presents the basic theories of Plastic Mechanics of Geomaterial, including the static and dynamic mechanical properties, nonlinear and classical plastic theory, yield surface theory, hardening model, flow rule and loading–unloading criterion, the calculation theory of principal stress axe rotation, and limit analysis of geomaterial and the latest advances in FEM limit analysis. It also set forth the typical static and dynamic constitutive model of geomaterial in detail. Broadening our understanding of the basic mechanical properties and constitutive model for geomaterial, the book helps readers to establish and select the most appropriate constitutive model according to the specific engineering problems and geomaterial characteristics. This book is a valuable resource for designers and researchers in fields related to geotechnical engineering, and it can also be used as a textbook for graduate courses.

This book includes the best-selected papers on the latest advancements in underground structures and geological engineering.The ongoing population growth is resulting in rapid urbanization, new infrastructure development, and increasing demand for the Earth's natural resources (e.g., water, oil/gas, minerals). This, together with the current climate change and increasing impact of natural hazards, implies that the engineering geology profession is called upon to respond to new challenges. It is recognized that these challenges are particularly relevant in the developing and newly industrialized regions.

Ursprünglich als einbändiges Buch geplant, wurden aus dem Felsbau letztendlich 4 Bücher mit einer Entstehungszeit von über 30 Jahren. Seit vielen Jahren nicht mehr lieferbar, sind sie nun mit dieser inhaltlich unveränderten Ausgabe wieder verfügbar.Da sich die Felsbau-Bände mit der gründlichen Erkundung und Beschreibung des Werkstoffes Fels beschäftigt und mit zahlreichen Beispiele aus der felsmechanischen Praxis angereichert sind, ist der Nachdruck dieser zeitlosen Klassiker, trotz nachfolgender Forschungen und Entwicklungen, für alle Felsmechaniker ein Muss!Alle drei Bände des Felsbaus eignen sich sowohl für Ingenieure, als auch für Studierende der Felsmechanik.Band 3Der 3. Band des Felsbaus führt in das Thema Felsbau unter Tage ein und befasst sich mit dem Tunnelbau. Dabei liegt der Fokus auf Stollen und Tunnel. Neben den Wechselbeziehungen zwischen Bergart, Bauvorgang und Konstruktion wird auf die zugrunde liegenden statischen Berechnungen und den Bauvorgang an sich im Detail eingegangen. Der Tunnelbau und -betrieb wird allumfassend erläutert - vom Bauentwurf und der Ausschreibung über die baugeologische und geomechanische Bauvorbereitung bis hin zur Ausbesserung schadhafter Tunnel. Der 3. Band erschien 1978 vor der Fertigstellung des 2. Bandes. Die Fortschritte auf dem Gebiete der theoretischen Felsmechanik sowie des praktischen Felsbaues ab den frühen 1960iger Jahren haben im Untertagebau zu völlig neuen Auffassungen und praktischen Methoden geführt. Zusammen mit seinem Kollegen Franz Pacher und dem bekannten Tunnelbauer Ladislaus von Rabcewicz entwickelte Leopold Müller in dieser Zeit eine neue Art Tunnel zu bauen, der sie den Namen „Neue Österreichische Tunnelbauweise“ gaben. Diese revolutionäre Art des Tunnelbaus führte zu großen Erfolgen und zu einem weltweiten Umdenken bei Bauherrn und Unternehmern.

Ursprünglich als einbändiges Buch geplant, wurden aus dem Felsbau letztendlich 4 Bücher mit einer Entstehungszeit von über 30 Jahren. Seit vielen Jahren nicht mehr lieferbar, sind sie nun mit dieser inhaltlich unveränderten Ausgabe wieder verfügbar.Da sich die Felsbau-Bände mit der gründlichen Erkundung und Beschreibung des Werkstoffes Fels beschäftigt und mit zahlreichen Beispiele aus der felsmechanischen Praxis angereichert sind, ist der Nachdruck dieser zeitlosen Klassiker, trotz nachfolgender Forschungen und Entwicklungen, für alle Felsmechaniker ein Muss!Alle drei Bände des Felsbaus eignen sich sowohl für Ingenieure, als auch für Studierende der Felsmechanik.Band 2Der 2. Band des Felsbaus besteht aus zwei Teilbänden.Der Teilband A: Felsbau über Tage, 2. Teil befasst sich mit den Gründungen und Wasserkraftanlagen (1. Abschnitt). Der 2. Band Teil A erschien 1992 nach dem Tod von Leopold Müller. Das weit gediehene Manuskript wurde von Edwin Fecker fertig gestellt und für den Druck vorbereitet.Bei den Gründungen schließt der 2. Band an die bereits im 1. Band behandelten Kapitel über Gründungen an und behandelt dann die Einbindung von Wasserkraftanlagen in den Untergrund. Es wird die Gründung von geschütteten Dämmen, von Gewichtsstaumauern und aufgelösten Staumauern eingehend dargestellt.Die Bogenstaumauern folgen in dem im Jahre 1995 erschienen 2. Band Teil B. Im Kapitel über die Gründung von geschütteten Dämmen wird sehr ausführlich auf die Standsicherheit der Talflanken von Stauräumen eingegangen, weil eine Rutschung in den Stauraum für einen geschütteten Damm weit gefährlicher ist, als für ein Absperrbauwerk aus Beton. Da den Autor die katastrophale Rutschung in den Stauraum der Talsperre von Vajont im Jahre 1963 über mehr als ein Jahrzehnt lang mit Gutachten beschäftigte, stellt er nochmals seine ganzen damals gemachten Erfahrungen dar und zieht daraus die Schlussfolgerungen für zukünftige Talsperrenprojekte.

Ursprünglich als einbändiges Buch geplant, wurden aus dem Felsbau letztendlich 4 Bücher mit einer Entstehungszeit von über 30 Jahren. Seit vielen Jahren nicht mehr lieferbar, sind sie nun mit dieser inhaltlich unveränderten Ausgabe wieder verfügbar.Da sich die Felsbau-Bände mit der gründlichen Erkundung und Beschreibung des Werkstoffes Fels beschäftigen und mit zahlreichen Beispielen aus der felsmechanischen Praxis angereichert sind, ist der Nachdruck dieser zeitlosen Klassiker, trotz nachfolgender Forschungen und Entwicklungen, für alle Felsmechaniker ein Muss!Alle drei Bände des Felsbaus eignen sich sowohl für Ingenieure, als auch für Studierende der Felsmechanik.Band 1Der erste von drei Bänden enthält den Theroretischen Teil mit den theoretischen und mechanischen Grundlagen der Felsmechanik und den Felsbau über Tage. Neben der Darstellung des Fels als Werkstoff werden die wichtigsten bautechnischen Eigenschaften des Gebirges erklärt. Die Leser werden im ersten Teil des ersten Bandes in die Methoden zur quantitativen geomechanischen Gebirgsbeschreibung sowie die Erhebung und Darstellung geologischer Daten detailliert eingeführt. Im zweiten Teil erklärt der Autor die Grundlagen zur Berechnung von Felsbauwerken mit besonderem Bezug auf die verschiedenen Felsböschungen.

Ursprünglich als einbändiges Buch geplant, wurden aus dem Felsbau letztendlich 4 Bücher mit einer Entstehungszeit von über 30 Jahren. Seit vielen Jahren nicht mehr lieferbar, sind sie nun mit dieser inhaltlich unveränderten Ausgabe wieder verfügbar.Da sich die Felsbau-Bände mit der gründlichen Erkundung und Beschreibung des Werkstoffes Fels beschäftigt und mit zahlreichen Beispiele aus der felsmechanischen Praxis angereichert sind, ist der Nachdruck dieser zeitlosen Klassiker, trotz nachfolgender Forschungen und Entwicklungen, für alle Felsmechaniker ein Muss!Alle vier Bände des Felsbaus eignen sich sowohl für Ingenieure, als auch für Studierende der Felsmechanik.Band 2Der zweite Band von vier Bänden des Felsbaus ist in zwei Teile unterteilt, Teil A und B.Der Teilband B befasst sich mit den Gründungen von Wasserkraftanlagen (2. Abschnitt). Er rundet das Thema mit dem Kapitel über die Gründung von gewölbten Staumauern ab. Methodisch wird auf die Aufnahme, Darstellung und Interpretation geologischer Daten eingegangen. Leopold Müller war im Laufe seiner Berufstätigkeit am Bau von über 100 Talsperren, meist gewölbten Staumauern beteiligt.Der 2. Band Teil B erschien 1995 nach dem Tod von Leopold Müller. Das Manuskript war in einem überarbeiteten Konzept fertig, für die Reinschrift waren aber noch umfangreiche Ergänzungen bei einzelnen Abschnitten erforderlich. Sie wurden von den Herren Prof. Rescher, Prof. Duddeck, Prof. Pacher, Dr. Fürlinger, Prof. John, Prof. Egger und Prof. Reik eingearbeitet und sind am Anfang der entsprechenden Kapitel in einer Fußnote kenntlich gemacht. Alle Beteiligten verzichteten darauf den Text des Autors wesentlich zu verändern, selbst wenn gelegentlich die Meinung der Revidierenden mit den Ansichten Müllers nicht völlig übereinstimmte.

The research and review papers presented in this volume provide an overview of the main issues, findings, and open questions in cutting-edge research on the fields of modeling, optimization and dynamics and their applications to biology, economics, energy, finance, industry, physics and psychology. Given the scientific relevance of the innovative applications and emerging issues they address, the contributions to this volume, written by some of the world's leading experts in mathematics, economics and other applied sciences, will be seminal to future research developments and will spark future works and collaborations. The majority of the papers presented in this volume were written by participants of the 4th International Conference on Dynamics, Games and Science: Decision Models in a Complex Economy (DGS IV), held at the National Distance Education University (UNED) in Madrid, Spain in June 2016 and of the 8th Berkeley Bioeconomy Conference: The Future of Biofuels, held at the UC Berkeley Alumni House in April 2015.

This well illustrated book presents a compact history of the Solar System from its dusty origins 4,600,000 years ago to the present day. Its primary aim is to show how the planets and their satellites, comets, meteors, interplanetary dust, solar radiation and cosmic rays continually interact, sometimes violently, and it reflects humanity's progress in exploring and interpreting this history. The book is intended for a general readership at a time when human and robotic exploration of space is often in the news and should also appeal to students at all levels. It covers the essentials but refers to a large literature which can be accessed via the internet.

This book examines the meso- and nanoscopic aspects of fluid adsorption in porous solids using a non-invasive method of small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). Starting with a brief summary of the basic assumptions and results of the theory of small-angle scattering from porous media, the author focuses on the practical aspects and methodology of the ambient and high pressure SANS and SAXS experiments and corresponding data analysis. It is illustrated with results of studies of the vapor and supercritical fluid adsorption in porous materials published during the last decade, obtained both for man-made materials (e.g. porous fractal silica, Vycor glass, activated carbon) and geological samples (e.g. sandstones, shales and coal). In order to serve the needs of broad readership, the results are presented in the relevant context (e.g. petroleum exploration, anthropogenic carbon capture and sequestration, ion adsorption in supercapacitors, hydrogen storage, etc.).

This atlas and reference resource assembles the latest research findings on the responsibility and obligation of human society for historical climate change. It clearly and quantitatively estimates to what extent the developed and developing world are responsible for historical climate change with regard to anthropogenic carbon and sulfur emissions as well as global carbon trade, and so provides a potential tool to address the controversial issue of carbon emission reduction in international climate negotiations. Since the quantitative attribution of historical climate change is calculated based on CMIP5 models, the fidelity of these models in representing the observed climate change is also evaluated. In addition to evaluation, future climate change based on CMIP5 models is also shown both on global and regional scales (especially for China and its surrounding areas) in terms of surface air temperature, precipitation, sea surface temperature, atmospheric circulations and Arctic Sea ice. The atlas also makes various comparisons among different multi-model ensemble methods in order to obtain the most reliable estimation.

This volume presents papers on the use of micro-XRF core scanners in palaeoenvironmental research. It contains a broad ranging view of instrument capability and points to future developments that will help contribute to higher precision elemental data and faster core analysis. Readers will find a diverse range of research by leading experts that have used micro-XRF core scanners in a wide range of scientific applications. The book includes specific application papers reporting on the use of XRF core scanners in a variety of marine, lacustrine, and pollution studies. In addition, coverage also examines practical aspects of core scanner usage, data optimisation and data calibration and interpretation.In a little over a decade, micro-XRF sediment core scanners have made a substantive contribution to palaeoenvironmental research. Their impact is based on their ability to rapidly, non-destructively and automatically scan sediment cores. Not only do they rapidly provide important proxy data without damaging samples, but they can obtain environmental data at decadal, annual and even sub-annual scales. This volume will help both experienced and new users of these non-destructive core scanners take full advantage of one of the most powerful geochemical screening tools in the environmental scientist's toolbox.

This book provides a unique overview of research methods over the past 25 years assessing critical loads and temporal effects of the deposition of air pollutants. It includes critical load methods and applications addressing acidification, eutrophication and heavy metal pollution of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Applications include examples for each air pollution threat, both at local and regional scale, including Europe, Asia, Canada and the US. The book starts with background information on the effects of the deposition of sulphur, nitrogen and heavy metals and geochemical and biological indicators for risk assessments. The use of those indicators is then illustrated in the assessment of critical loads and their exceedances and in the temporal assessment of air pollution risks. It also includes the most recent developments of assessing critical loads and current and future risks of soil and water chemistry and biodiversity under climate change, with a special focus on nitrogen. The book thus provides a complete overview of the knowledge that is currently used for the scientific support of policies in the field of air pollution control to protect ecosystem services.

Land use and land cover (LULC) as well as its changes (LUCC) are an interplay between bio-geophysical characteristics of the landscape and climate as well as the complex human interaction including its different patterns of utilization superimposed on the natural vegetation. LULC is a core information layer for a variety of scientific and administrative tasks(e.g. hydrological modelling, climate models, land use planning).In particular in the context of climate change with its impacts on socio-economic, socio-ecologic systems as well as ecosystem services precise information on LULC and LUCC are mandatory baseline datasets required over large areas. Remote sensing can provide such information on different levels of detail and in a homogeneous and reliable way. Hence, LULC mapping can be regarded as a prototype for integrated approaches based on spaceborne and airborne remote sensing techniques combined with field observations. The book provides for the first time a comprehensive view of various LULC activities focusing on European initiatives, such as the LUCAS surveys, the CORINE land covers, the ESA/EU GMES program and its resulting Fast-Track- and Downstream Services, the EU JRC Global Land Cover, the ESA GlobCover project as well as the ESA initiative on Essential Climate Variables. All have and are producing highly appreciated land cover products. The book will cover the operational approaches, but also review current state-of-the-art scientific methodologies and recommendations for this field. It opens the view with best-practice examples that lead to a view that exceeds pure mapping, but to investigate into drivers and causes as well as future projections.

Natural hazards and anthropic activities threaten the human environment. The gathering of field data is needed so as to quantify the impact of such activities. To gather the necessary data researchers nowadays use a great variety of new instruments based on electronics. Yet, the working principles of this new instrumentation might not be well understood by some potential users. All operators of these new tools must gain proper insight so as to be able to judge whether the instrument is selected appropriately and functions adequately. This book attempts to demonstrate some characteristics that are not easy to understand by the uninitiated in the use of electronic instruments. The material presented in this book was prepared with the purpose of reflecting the technological changes that have occurred in environmental modern instrumentation in the last few decades. The book is intended for students of hydrology, hydraulics, oceanography, meteorology and environmental sciences. Basic concepts of electronics, special physics principles and signal processing are introduced in the first chapters in order to enable the reader to follow the topics developed in the book, without any prior knowledge of these matters. The instruments are explained in detail and several examples are introduced to show their measuring limitations. Enough mathematical fundamentals are given to allow the reader to reach a good quantitative knowledge.

Climate change on earth is having significant impacts on water resources management in Southeast Asia. Knowledge of climate variations and climate change can be valuable for water resources management in agriculture, urban and industrial water supplies, hydroelectric power generation, and ecosystem maintenance. This book presents the findings of case studies on forecasting climate change and its impacts on water availability, irrigation water requirements, floods and droughts, reservoir inflows and hydropower generation, and crop yield in specific basins of Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam. All case studies start by forecasting the climate change and investigating its impacts by employing several hydrological reservoir simulations and crop water requirement models. The findings provide sound and scientific advice for water managers on the real impacts of climate change and how to adapt to its many challenges.

Earth Resources and Environmental Impacts uses everyday examples and current issues to help readers understand how mineral, water and energy resources – and the impacts of their use and extraction – affect their daily lives. A historical perspective makes the material in this text fascinating by showing readers that the earth's resources have always been fundamental to society, even as far back as the Stone Age. Environmental impacts and sustainable use of energy and mineral resources are emphasized. With the increase of public interest surrounding environmental impacts, readers will appreciate the knowledge gained from this text.

In view of the grave consequences of soil degradation on ecosystem functions, food security, biodiversity and human health, this book covers the extent, causes, processes and impacts of global soil degradation, and processes for improvement of degraded soils. Soil conservation measures, including soil amendments, decompaction, mulching, cover cropping, crop rotation, green manuring, contour farming, strip cropping, alley cropping, surface roughening, windbreaks, terracing, sloping agricultural land technology (SALT), dune stabilization, etc., are discussed. Particular emphasis is given to soil pollution and the methods of physical, chemical and biological remediation of polluted soils. This book will lead the reader from the basics to a comprehensive understanding of soil degradation, conservation and remediation.

Dieser Buchtitel ist Teil des Digitalisierungsprojekts Springer Book Archives mit Publikationen, die seit den Anfängen des Verlags von 1842 erschienen sind. Der Verlag stellt mit diesem Archiv Quellen für die historische wie auch die disziplingeschichtliche Forschung zur Verfügung, die jeweils im historischen Kontext betrachtet werden müssen. Dieser Titel erschien in der Zeit vor 1945 und wird daher in seiner zeittypischen politisch-ideologischen Ausrichtung vom Verlag nicht beworben.

​This book represents different types of progress in hydrogeology, including conceptualization changes, different approaches to simulating groundwater flow and transport new hydrogeophysical methods. Each chapter extends or summarizes a recent development in hydrogeology, with forward-looking statements regarding the challenges and strengths that are faced. While the title and scope is broad, there are several sub-themes that connect the chapters. Themes include theoretical advances in conceptualization and modeling of hydrogeologic problems. Conceptual advances are further tempered by insights arising from observations from both field and laboratory work.​

The second volume of “Adaptation and Evolution in Marine Environments – The Impacts of Global Change on Biodiversity” from the series “From Pole to Pole” integrates the marine biology contribution of the first tome to the IPY 2007-2009, presenting overviews of organisms (from bacteria and ciliates to higher vertebrates) thriving on polar continental shelves, slopes and deep sea. The speed and extent of warming in the Arctic and in regions of Antarctica (the Peninsula, at the present) are greater than elsewhere. Changes impact several parameters, in particular the extent of sea ice; organisms, ecosystems and communities that became finely adapted to increasing cold in the course of millions of years are now becoming vulnerable, and biodiversity is threatened. Investigating evolutionary adaptations helps to foresee the impact of changes in temperate areas, highlighting the invaluable contribution of polar marine research to present and future outcomes of the IPY in the Earth system scenario.

Trotz 900 bi- oder multilateraler Umweltverträge bleiben die drängendsten Probleme des globalen Wandels ungelöst. Das internationale Organisationengefüge konnnte diesen Herausforderungen nicht effektiv und effizient begegnen. Daher entwickelt der Wissenschaftliche Beirat der Bundesregierung Globale Umweltveränderungen (WBGU) eine Vision für eine Reform der Vereinten Nationen im Umweltbereich ('Earth Alliance'). Die Earth Alliance umfaßt drei miteinander vernetzte Bereiche. Es wird erstens die Einrichtung einer unabhängigen Instanz vorgeschlagen, die auf besonders risikoreiche Entwicklungen des globalen Wandels (früh-)warnend hinweisen soll (Earth Assessment). Zweitens werden Änderungen des organisatorischen Kerns der internationalen Umweltpolitik empfohlen (Earth Organization). Drittens werden neue Wege zur Finanzierung globaler Umweltpolitik aufgezeigt (Earth Funding). Die Vorschläge des Beirats verstehen sich auch als Beitrag zur Rio+10-Konferenz.

The present work reflects a multi-disciplinary effort to address the topic of confined hydrosystems developed with a cross-fertilization panel of physics, chemists, biologists, soil and earth scientists. Confined hydrosystems include all situations in natural settings wherein the extent of the liquid phase is limited so that the solid-liquid and/or liquid-air interfaces may be critical to the properties of the whole system. Primarily, this so-called “residual” solution is occluded in pores/channels in such a way that decreases its tendency to evaporation, and makes it long-lasting in arid (Earth deserts) and hyper-arid (Mars soils) areas. The associated physics is available from domains like capillarity, adsorption and wetting, and surface forces. However, many processes are still to understand due to the close relationship between local structure and matter properties, the subtle interplay between the host and the guest, the complex intermingling among static reactivity and migration pathway.Expert contributors from Israel, Russia, Europe and US discuss the behaviour of water and aqueous solutes at different scale, from the nanometric range of carbon nanotubes and nanofluidics to the regional scale of aquifers reactive flow in sedimentary basins. This scientific scope allowed the group of participants with very different background to tackle the confinement topic at different scales. The book is organized according to four sections that include: i) flow, from nano- to mega-scale; ii) ions, hydration and transport; iii) in-pores/channels cavitation; iv) crystallization under confinement. Most of contributions relates to experimental works at different resolution, interpreted through classic thermodynamics and intermolecular forces. Simulation techniques are used to explore the atomic scale of interfaces and the migration in the thinnest angstrom-wide channels.

The authors in this volume make a case for LTSER's potential in providing insights, knowledge and experience necessary for a sustainability transition. This expertly edited selection of contributions from Europe and North America reviews the development of LTSER since its inception and assesses its current state, which has evolved to recognize the value of formulating solutions to the host of ecological threats we face. Through many case studies, this book gives the reader a greater sense of where we are and what still needs to be done to engage in and make meaning from long-term, place-based and cross-disciplinary engagements with socio-ecological systems.

Modern Earth System Monitoring represents a fundamental change in the way scientists study the Earth System. In Oceanography, for the past two centuries, ships have provided the platforms for observing. Expeditions on the continents and Earth's poles are land-based analogues. Fundamental understanding of current systems, climate, natural hazards, and ecosystems has been greatly advanced. While these approaches have been remarkably successful, the need to establish measurements over time can only be made using Earth observations and observatories with exacting standards and continuous data. The 19 peer-reviewed contributions in this volume provide early insights into this emerging view of Earth in both space and time in which change is a critical component of our growing understanding.

Modeling of flow and transport in groundwater has become an important focus of scientific research in recent years. Most contributions to this subject deal with flow situations, where density and viscosity changes in the fluid are neglected. This restriction may not always be justified. The models presented in the book demonstrate immpressingly that the flow pattern may be completely different when density changes are taken into account. The main applications of the models are: thermal and saline convection, geothermal flow, saltwater intrusion, flow through salt formations etc. This book not only presents basic theory, but the reader can also test his knowledge by applying the included software and can set up own models.

Modern Earth System Monitoring represents a fundamental change in the way scientists study the Earth System. In Oceanography, for the past two centuries, ships have provided the platforms for observing. Expeditions on the continents and Earth's poles are land-based analogues. Fundamental understanding of current systems, climate, natural hazards, and ecosystems has been greatly advanced. While these approaches have been remarkably successful, the need to establish measurements over time can only be made using Earth observations and observatories with exacting standards and continuous data. The 19 peer-reviewed contributions in this volume provide early insights into this emerging view of Earth in both space and time in which change is a critical component of our growing understanding.

In the dozen years since the first edition appeared, there has been a great advance in understanding of the Earth's deep interior. This is not because there have been breakthroughs in understanding, or even many changes of ideas, but largely because of many small advances, often the result of improved tech­ niques. This has led to a complete revision of the book. For instance, we have a much better idea of how the cloud of gas that formed the Solar Nebula evolved into the Sun and the planets, and of the chemical processes that accompanied its evolution and determined the mix of elements in the Earth. We have a better understanding of convection and how plates are an essential part of it, and how it is accompanied by chemical processes that have extracted the materials to build continents. Although the major variation within the Earth is radial, improved geophysical and geochemical techniques have made progress in investigating and under­ standing the lateral heterogeneities, and it is encouraging that when geochemists and geophysicists talk about lateral heterogeneities they can sometimes be referring to the same thing. Plumes have become very fashionable as the cause of hot-spot magmatism and associated geochemical anomalies, probably origi­ nating at the base of the mantle (though clear evidence for their existence is lacking).

The book deals with various consequences of major nuclear accidents, such as in 1986 in Chernobyl and in 2011 in Fukushima. The public is extremely interested in learning more about the movements and risks posed by radiation in the environment related to food supply and food safety. Radionuclides are found in air, water, soil and even in us not only after nuclear accidents because they occur also in nature. Every day, we ingest and inhale radionuclides in our air and food and the water. This book provides a solid underpinning of the basic physical-chemistry and biogeochemistry of naturally occurring and anthrop radioactivity. The mechanisms of radioactive element transfer in the atmosphere, tropospheric and stratospheric diffusion of radioactivity, environmental contamination from accidents and the impact of atmospheric pollution on the food chain, soil and plants, are analyzed and the analytical methods are illustrated. The question of natural radioactivity concentration in building materials is addressed too. While the book contains many case studies and data for Greece, it is of general value. It contributes to the development of international environmentally safe standards and economically reasonable standard regulations based on justified radiological, social and economical legislation concepts.

2012 International Conference on Environment Science and 2012 International Conference on Computer Science (ICES 2012/ICCS 2012) will be held in Australia, Melbourne, 15‐16 March, 2012.Volume 1 contains some new results in computational environment science. There are 47 papers were selected as the regular paper in this volume. It contains the latest developments and reflects the experience of many researchers working in different environments (universities, research centers or even industries), publishing new theories and solving new technological problems on computational environment science. The purpose of volume 1 is interconnection of diverse scientific fields, the cultivation of every possible scientific collaboration, the exchange of views and the promotion of new research targets as well as the further dissemination, the dispersion, the diffusion of the environment science, including but not limited to Ecology, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Soil Science, Geology, Atmospheric Science and Geography We are sure that the efforts of the authors as well as the reviewers to provide high level contributions will be appreciated by the relevant scientific community. We are convinced that presented volume will be a source of knowledge and inspiration for all academic members, researchers and practitioners working in a field of the topic covered by the book.

Nos institutions écartent toute évaluation environnementale sérieuse par la promotion d'une démarche antiscientifique. Ce livre décrit au contraire les démarches sérieuses des sciences et techniques, et la problématique environnementale. La rigueur, qui fait habituellement défaut à ce secteur d'étude, est indispensable pour permettre l'Intelligence Artificielle appliquée rationnellement à nos évalutations environnementales et à la méthode scienfique dans les systèmes complexes.

Numerical and statistical methods have rapidly become part of a palaeolimnologist's tool-kit. They are used to explore and summarise complex data, reconstruct past environmental variables from fossil assemblages, and test competing hypotheses about the causes of observed changes in lake biota through history. This book brings together a wide array of numerical and statistical techniques currently available for use in palaeolimnology and other branches of palaeoecology. ​Visit http://extras.springer.com the Springer's Extras website to view data-sets, figures, software, and R scripts used or mentioned in this book.

This book presents contributions to the 9th International Workshop on Bifurcation and Degradation in Geomaterials held in Porquerolles, France, May 23-26, 2011. This series of conferences, started in the early 1980s, is dedicated to the research on degradation and instability phenomena in geomaterials.The volume gathers a series of manuscripts by brilliant international scholars reflecting recent trends in theoretical and experimental research in geomechanics. It incorporates contributions on topics like instability analysis, localized and diffuse failure description, multi-scale modeling and applications to geo-environmental issues.This book will be valuable for anyone interested in the research on degradation and instabilities in geomechanics and geotechnical engineering, appealing to graduate students, researchers and engineers alike.

This state-of-the-art book contains all results and papers of the International Workshop on Multiscale and Multiphysics Processes in Geomechanics at Stanford University Campus, June 23–25, 2010.

This series covers leading-edge research in a cross-section of fields focusing on the environment, including current research data on the impacts of antibiotics on the natural environment; the potential of biogas in the zero-waste mode in cold-climate environment; environmental considerations in construction projects; removal of cationic dyes from aqueous solution by adsorption; impact of spinosad and harvest time residues of oryzalin and benthiocarb.

Landscape Development and Climate Change in Southwest Bulgaria aims to address some of the current limitations in our understanding of past Balkan climate and environment. High mountains and their ecosystems offer an outstanding opportunity for studies on the impact of climate change. The Balkan Mountains in Southeast Europe, situated at the transition between temperate and Mediterranean climate, are considered as very sensitive to historical and current global changes. The geoarchives lake sediment, peat and soil, long living trees and glaciers have been used to reconstruct the climatically-driven change of forest and treeline during the Holocene and the younger past. These processes are interrelated with complex ecological changes, as for example the seasonality of climate parameters. The landscape research approach with the analyses through multi-palaeo-geoecological proxies is new for the Balkans.

Landslides represent one of the most destructive natural catastrophes. They can reach extremely long distances and velocities, and are capable of wiping out human communities and settlements. Yet landslides have a creative facet as they contribute to the modification of the landscape. They are the consequence of the gravity pull jointly with the tectonic disturbance of our living planet.Landslides are most often studied within a geotechnical and geomorphological perspective. Engineering calculations are traditionally applied to the stability of terrains. In this book, landslides are viewed as a physical phenomenon. A physical understanding of landslides is a basis for modeling and mitigation and for understanding their flow behavior and dynamics. We still know relatively little about many aspects of landslide physics. It is only recently that the field of landslide dynamics is approaching a more mature stage. This is testified by the release of modelling tools for the simulation of landslides and debris flows. In this book the emphasis is placed on the problems at the frontier of landslide research. Each chapter is self-consistent, with questions and arguments introduced from the beginning.

This book deals with the theory and the applications of a new time domain, termed natural time domain, that has been forwarded by the authors almost a decade ago (P.A. Varotsos, N.V. Sarlis and E.S. Skordas, Practica of Athens Academy 76, 294-321, 2001; Physical Review E 66, 011902, 2002). In particular, it has been found that novel dynamical features hidden behind time series in complex systems can emerge upon analyzing them in this new time domain, which conforms to the desire to reduce uncertainty and extract signal information as much as possible. The analysis in natural time enables the study of the dynamical evolution of a complex system and identifies when the system enters a critical stage. Hence, natural time plays a key role in predicting impending catastrophic events in general. Relevant examples of data analysis in this new time domain have been published during the last decade in a large variety of fields, e.g., Earth Sciences, Biology and Physics. The book explains in detail a series of such examples including the identification of the sudden cardiac death risk in Cardiology, the recognition of electric signals that precede earthquakes, the determination of the time of an impending major mainshock in Seismology, and the analysis of the avalanches of the penetration of magnetic flux into thin films of type II superconductors in Condensed Matter Physics. In general, this book is concerned with the time-series analysis of signals emitted from complex systems by means of the new time domain and provides advanced students and research workers in diverse fields with a sound grounding in the fundamentals of current research work on detecting (long-range) correlations in complex time series. Furthermore, the modern techniques of Statistical Physics in time series analysis, for example Hurst analysis, the detrended fluctuation analysis, the wavelet transform etc., are presented along with their advantages when natural time domain is employed.

This is the first book to cover actinide nano research. It is of interest both for fundamental research into the chemistry and physics of f-block elements as well as for applied researchers such as those studying the long-term safety of nuclear waste disposal and developing remediation strategies.The authors cover important issues of the formation of actinide nano-particles, their properties and structure, environmental behavior of colloids and nanoparticles related to the safe disposal of nuclear wastes, modeling and advanced methods of characterization at the nano-scale.

International voices fill the pages of Water and Sustainability in Arid Regions, forming an original scientific exploration of current water research and management issues. In arid regions, agriculture that is ill-adapted to the environment, accelerated urbanization, poverty, and increasing pollution challenge access to and uses of water. Understanding these issues requires incorporating findings from both the physical and social sciences at different temporal and spatial scales. The chapters in this book were written by hydrologists, remote sensing specialists, ecologists, historians, economists, political scientists, architects, archaeologists, and other experts who live in and study arid lands. The authors present updates, overviews, and analyses of water challenges these areas have faced and are striving to address, from salinization in the fabled Taklimakan Desert in China to land degradation in the northern Mediterranean to groundwater over-exploitation in the southwestern United States. The book also examines desertification, remote sensing, qanat systems, architecture, arsenic contamination, and other case studies from Iran, the Maghreb region, Argentina and Chile, and Mexico. From this conceptual mosaic of comparative perspectives and research methods emerges a strong assumption: an interdisciplinary approach that combines physical and social sciences is the first step toward globally and comprehensively addressing water and sustainability.'This book is a valuable and welcome contribution to the discussion of water and sustainable development. Through the collection of chapters, the book clearly illustrates the contemporary diversity of approaches to water scarcity and presents pertinent and new research findings that readers generally do not find compiled together. The result is a highly relevant, accessible, and timely resource that is unique in its international and interdisciplinary content. This is a must-read for anyone working on environmental and sustainability issues in arid lands.'André Mariotti, University Pierre et Marie Curie, and INSU - CNRS (National Institute for Earth Sciences and Astronomy-National Center for Scientific Research/Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), France'Anyone who reads this book will find himself or herself contemplating the need to rethink how we approach the issue of water and sustainability in arid lands. Drawing on the expertise of both physical and social scientists, the chapters taken as a whole present global, historic, and current perspectives on water scarcity in a multi-layered way that rarely has been done before.'Miguel Solanes, Madrid Water Institute, Spain

All the sciences are interrelated, as our 3-panel (6-page) guide will reinforce by showing the relationship between human beings, the environment and planet Earth. With its overview of Earth's history to the study of ecosystems, sustainability, pollution and climate change, our information-packed guide is sure to appeal equally to science students and environmentalists. Vivid graphics and diagrams illustrate the concepts explained throughout the text.