الصفحة 19
الصفحة 19
Ecotoxicology, Ecological Risk Assessment and Multiple Stressors
The science of ecotoxicology and the practice of ecological risk assessment are evolving rapidly. Ecotoxicology as a subject area came into prominence in the 1960s after the publication of Rachel Carson's book on the impact of pesticides on the environment. The rise of public and scientific concern for the effects of chemical pollutants on the environment in the 1960s and 1970s led to the development of the discipline of ecotoxicology, a science that takes into account the effects of chemicals in the context of ecology. Until the early 1980s, in spite of public concern and interest among scientists, the assessment of ecological risks associated with natural or synthetic pollutants was not considered a priority issue by most government. However, as the years passed, a better understanding of the importance of ecotoxicology emerged and with it, in some countries, the progressive formalization of an ecological risk assessment process.
Ecosystem Services for Well-Being in Deltas : Integrated Assessment for Policy Analysis
Answers key questions about environment, people and their shared future in deltas. It develops a systematic and holistic approach for policy-orientated analysis for the future of these regions. It does so by focusing on ecosystem services in the world’s largest, most populous and most iconic delta region, that of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh. The book covers the conceptual basis, research approaches and challenges, while also providing a methodology for integration across multiple disciplines, offering a potential prototype for assessments of deltas worldwide.
Ecosystem Organization of a Complex Landscape : Long-Term Research in the Bornhöved Lake District, Germany
Presents the major findings of a 12-year ecological study of the Bornhöved Lake District, situated some 30 km south of Kiel. Historically speaking, the present research scheme, like comparable long-term ecosystem studies at Göttingen, Bayreuth, München, and Berchtesgaden, has been conceived as the core of a comprehensive ecological surveillance system for Germany (Ellenberg et al. 1978). Comprising three interrelated components, namely an ecological monitoring network, comparative ecosystem research, and an environmental specimen bank, this system is intended to promote both ecological science and planning and policy. In this connection the geo- and bioscientifically based ecosystem research aims at understanding the structure and functions of systems, the natural equilibrium and stress tolerance of singular components and the entire system against changes and disturbances from within and from outside, and the relationships between diversity, productivity, and stability. Thus, ecosystem research forms the indispensable basis for the rational analysis of the comprehensive data sets made available by ecological monitoring networks and for the adequate selection of plant, animal, and soil specimens for environmental specimen banking purposes.
Economics, Sustainability, and Natural Resources: Economics of Sustainable Forest Management
The economics of sustainability is much more complex than the neoclassical (Newtonian) economic approach to economic efficiency. Forest resources provide the ideal starting point for the economic analysis of sustainability. This book provides a systematic critique of neoclassical economic approaches and their limitations with respect to sustainability. Leading economists from different streams of economics discuss key economic aspects of sustainability and sustainable forest management including complexity, ethical issues, consumer choice theory, intergenerational equity, non-convexities, and multiple equilibria. This is the book which integrates different streams of economics – complexity theory, behavioral economics, post-Keynesian consumer choice theory, social choice theory, and non-convexities – and suggests the main features of Post-Newtonian economics.
Economics of the Environment : Theory and Policy
The labor of nature is paid, not because she does much, but because she does little. In proportion as she becomes niggardly in her gifts, she exacts a greater price for her work. Where she is munificently bene- cent, she always works gratis.“ David Ricardo* This book interprets nature and the environment as a scarce resource. Whereas in the past people lived in a paradise of environmental superabundance, at p- sent environmental goods and services are no longer in ample supply. The en- ronment fulfills many functions for the economy: it serves as a public-c- sumption good, as a provider of natural resources, and as receptacle of waste. These different functions compete with each other. Releasing more pollutants into the environment reduces environmental quality, and a better environm- tal quality implies that the environment’s use as a receptacle of waste has to be restrained. Consequently, environmental disruption and environmental use are by nature allocation problems. This is the basic message of this book.
Economics of Land Degradation and Improvement : A Global Assessment for Sustainable Development
This volume deals with land degradation, which is occurring in almost all terrestrial biomes and agro-ecologies, in both low and high income countries and is stretching to about 30% of the total global land area. About three billion people reside in these degraded lands. However, the impact of land degradation is especially severe on livelihoods of the poor who heavily depend on natural resources. The annual global cost of land degradation due to land use and cover change (LUCC) and lower cropland and rangeland productivity is estimated to be about 300 billion USD. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounts for the largest share (22%) of the total global cost of land degradation.
Economic Liberalization and Integration Policy : Options for Eastern Europe and Russia
The authors of this book analyze the dynamics of macroeconomic and structural developments in Eastern Europe and Russia, with special attention paid to problems of international and national integration, "Dutch disease" and natural resource dependency, and distortions in institutional reforms. The analysis also sheds light on how these problems have implications for cooperation among OECD-countries. A critical focus is on institutional adjustment and learning, human capital formation, trade and foreign investment.
Economic Geology of Natural Gas Hydrate
This is the first book that attempts to broadly integrate the most recent knowledge in the fields of hydrate nucleation and growth in permafrost regions and marine sediments. Gas hydrate reactant supply, growth models, and implications for pore fill by natural gas hydrate are discussed for both seawater precursors in marine sediments and for permafrost hydrate. These models for forming hydrate concentrations that will constitute targets for exploration are discussed, along with exploration methods. Thermodynamic models for the controlled conversion of hydrate to natural gas, which can be recovered using conventional industry practices, suggest that a number of different types of hydrate occurrence are likely to be practical sources of hydrate natural gas. Current progress in the various aspects of commercial development of hydrate gas deposits are discussed, along with the principal extractive issues that have yet to be resolved.
Ecology, Planning, and Management of Urban Forests : International Perspective
Ecology, Planning, and Management of Urban Forests contains studies and perspectives on urban forests from a broad array of basic and applied scientific disciplines including ecosystem ecology, biogeochemistry, landscape ecology, plant community ecology, geography, and social science. The book contains contributions from experts in Asia, Europe, and North America, allowing the reader to evaluate methods and management that are appropriate for particular geographic, environmental, and socio-political contexts. Urban forests are also approached on regional and landscape scales to encompass more natural environments in and around cities, rather than within arbitrary municipal boundaries. The studies provided are intended to motivate scientists, planners, and managers to work together and to adopt a broader landscape ecology approach to urban forestry, and in so doing, better address the pressing needs for improving the quality of life in urban environments.
Ecology of Riparian Forests in Japan : Disturbance, Life History, and Regeneration
It presents the dynamics and mechanisms that govern the coexistence of riparian tree species, tree demography, the response to water stress of trees, and the conservation of endangered species, and focuses on natural disturbances, life-history strategies, and the ecophysiology of trees. Because many riparian landscapes have been degraded and are disappearing at an alarming rate, the regeneration of the remaining riparian ecosystems is urgent. With contributions by more than 20 experts in diverse fields, this book offers useful information for the conservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of riparian ecosystems that remain in world streams and rivers.
Ecology of Baltic Coastal Waters
The Baltic Sea is one of the most investigated water bodies in the world. For decades, the many highly industrialised nations around the Baltic have financed basic and applied investigations, as well as the building and development of research stations and vessels. After World War II, research in the Baltic Proper was intensified and investi- tions became much more international. The main goals of such investigations were analysis of the eutrophication and pollution of the Baltic Sea, and development of mitigating strategies (e.g. the HELCOM-Program). In contrast, research into the coastal zones was carried out mainly under national sovereignty by individual governments due to differing political regimes. Consequently, there was a lack of international collaboration and publications regarding these regions. This changed following the collapse of the former socialist governments. Nevertheless, research activities in the coastal regions still lag behind those in the Baltic Proper. A general description is further hampered by the great variety of coastal water ecosystems. The aim of this book is to overcome this lack by presenting the important Baltic coastal zones in the form of “ecological case studies”. In this way the book rep- sents an important supplement to literature concerning the Baltic Proper.
Ecology and Conservation of Neotropical Montane Oak Forests
Covers the range of natural and managed oak forests in the highlands of tropical America. Providing an understanding of ecological patterns and processes that determine the structure and functioning of these forests, this volume aims to serve as a basis for sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation.
Ecological risks associated with the destruction of chemical weapons ; Proceedings of the NATO ARW on ecological risks associated with the destruction of chemical weapons, Lüneburg, Germany, from 22-26 October 2003
Chemical Weapons Convention after the First Review Conference -- Implementation of Russia’s Obligation to Destroy chemical Weapons in the Udmurt Republic -- The CWC after the Review Conference . Prof. Dr. Vladimir Mikhailovitsh Kolodkin , Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Ruck 1 Institute of Natural and Technogenic Disasters, Udmurt State University, Izhevsk (Russia), 2 Institute of Ecology and Environmental Chemistry, University Lüneburg (Germany) During the Cold War a whole arsenal of deadly chemical weapons was allowed to build up on both sides of the ideological divide. Happily, today the problems are reversed. Expertise is now required in the field of safe and environment-friendly disposal of chemical weapons and cleaning up of contaminated sites all around the world, but not least in the ex-Soviet-led countries. In all, there were 57 participants, of which 11 dispatched from the TACIS project “The development of the chemical weapons” facility at the detached plant No 4 of OAO Khimprom, Novocheboksarsk.
Ecological Responses to the 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens
The eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, had a momentous impact on the fungal, plant, animal, and human life from the mountain to the far reaches of the explosion's ash cloud and mudflows. Although this intense natural event caused loss of substantial life and property, it also created a unique opportunity to examine a huge disturbance of natural systems and their subsequent responses. Based on one of the most studied areas of volcanic activity, this book synthesizes the ecological research that has been conducted for twenty-five years since the eruption.
Ecological and Genetic Implications of Aquaculture Activities
Aquaculture is a rapidly growing industry and aquaculture practices can directly interact with and depend upon the surrounding environment. Therefore, the effects of all types of aquaculture on living natural resources and ecosystems are of significant and increasing national and international interest. In Ecological and Genetic Implications of Aquaculture Activities, numerous nationally and internationally prominent aquaculture researchers contribute 27 chapters that comprise overviews of aquaculture effects on the environment, discussions of genetic considerations, thorough documentation of aquaculture effects and their solutions specific to countries, and approaches toward environmentally sustainable aquaculture. Together, these chapters comprise a comprehensive synthesis of many ecological and genetic problems implicated in the practice of aquaculture and of many proven, attempted, or postulated solutions to those problems. Many chapters can serve as benchmark documentations of specific aquaculture effects on biodiversity at different levels.
Eco-and ground bio-engineering : The use of vegetation to improve slope stability ; Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Eco-Engineering 13-17 September 2004
In an era where climate change, natural catastrophes and land degradation are major issues, the conservation of soil and vegetation in mountainous or sloping regions has become an international priority. How to avoid substrate mass movement through landslides and erosion using sustainable and ecologically sound techniques is rapidly becoming a scientific domain where knowledge from many different fields is required. These proceedings bring together papers from geotechnical and civil engineers, biologists, ecologists and foresters, who discuss current problems in slope stability research, and how to address those problems using ground bio- and eco-engineering techniques.
Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Nuclear Risks : Prediction and Assessment Beyond the Fukushima Accident
This book covers seismic probabilistic risk assessment (S-PRA) and related studies which have become more important to increase the safety of nuclear facilities against earthquakes and tsunamis in the face of the many uncertainties after the Fukushima accident. The topics are (1) Active faults and active tectonics important for seismic hazard assessment of nuclear facilities,(2) Seismic source modeling and simulation and modeling techniques indispensable for strong ground motion prediction, and (3) PRA with external hazard and risk communication.
Earthquake disaster simulation of civil infrastructures : From tall buildings to urban areas
Covers a range of numerical modeling approaches, higher performance computation methods, and high fidelity visualization techniques for earthquake disaster simulation of tall buildings and urban areas. It also demonstrates successful engineering applications of the proposed methodologies to typical landmark projects (e.g., Shanghai Tower and CITIC Tower, two of the world's tallest buildings; Beijing CBD and San Francisco Bay Area).
Earth Sciences and Mathematics ; Vol.1
This volume contains papers addressing different topics as deformation modelling applied to natural hazards, inverse gravimetric problem to determine 3D density structure, advanced differential SAR interferometry, climate change, geomagnetic field, Earthquake statistics, meteorological studies using satellite images, climate energy balance models, study of soils properties, and multifractal data sets.
Early Modern Humans at the Moravian Gate : The Mladec Caves and their Remains
The Upper Paleolithic fossils of the Mladec caves, South Moravia, excavated at the end of the 19th century, hold a key position in the current discussion on modern human emergence within Europe and the fate of the Neanderthals. Although undoubtedly early modern humans - recently radio carbon dated to 31.000 years BP - their morphological variability and the presence of archaic features are indicative to some degree of regional Neanderthal ancestry. The beautifully illustrated monograph addresses - for the first time - the complete assemblage of the finds, including the human cranial.
