الصفحة 1
الصفحة 1
Natural Disasters as Interactive Components of Global-Ecodynamics
This book opens a new approach to the study of global environmental changes having unfavourable character for mankind and other living systems. The main advantage of the book consists in the accumulation of knowledge from different sciences to parametrize the global ecodynamic process. Natural catastrophes are considered as an interactive element of global natural dynamics which are described by means of simulation models of global nature/society. The realization of this approach allows the integration within a complex structure of all international and national means of environmental monitoring and provides a tool for objective evaluation of the environmental quality. The main purpose of this book is to develop a universal information technology to estimate the state of environmental subsystems functioning under various climatic and anthropogenic conditions.
Microwave Radiometry of Vegetation Canopies
Research into microwave radiation from the Earth’s surface in the presence of vegetation canopies, as well as the development of algorithms for retrieval of soil and vegetation parameters from microwave radiometric measurements, have been actively conducted for the last 30 years by scientific groups worldwide. The capability of the microwave radiometric method to determine soil moisture and vegetation biometric indices was revealed 25 years ago by the author and his colleagues. Soil moisture and vegetation covers play a key role in the hydrological cycle and in water and energy transfer on the border of land surface and atmosphere through evaporation and transpiration. Accomplishment of large international projects shows that microwave radiometry of soil and vegetation has become an instrument of practical application and operational use. A systematic account of questions concerning the microwave radiometry of the Earth’s surface in the presence of vegetation canopies is the main objective of the book.
Global Change and Mountain Regions : An Overview of Current Knowledge
Mountain regions occupy about a quarter of the global terrestrial land surface and provide goods and services to more than half the humanity. Global environmental change threatens the integrity of these systems and their ability to provide the goods and services upon which humanity has come to depend. This book gives an overview of the state of research in fields pertaining to the detection, understanding and prediction of global change impacts in mountain regions. More than 60 contributions from paleoclimatology, cryospheric research, hydrology, ecology, and development studies are compiled in this volume, each with an outlook on future research directions.
Forest Trees
Genome Mapping and Molecular Breeding in Plants presents the current status of the elucidation and improvement of plant genomes of economic interest. The focus is on genetic and physical mapping, positioning, cloning, monitoring of desirable genes by molecular breeding and the most recent advances in genomics. The series comprises seven volumes: Cereals and Millets; Oilseeds; Pulses, Sugar and Tuber Crops; Fruits and Nuts; Vegetables; Technical Crops; and Forest Trees. Forest trees cover one third of the global land surface, constitute many ecosystems and play a pivotal role in the world economy. Despite their importance in the economy, ecology and environment, genetic analysis and breeding efforts have lagged behind. Presented here are chapters on Populus trees, pines, Fagaceae trees, eucalypts, spruces, Douglas fir and black walnut, and a first-ever detailed review of Cryptomeria japonica. Innovative strategies to address the inherent problems of genome analysis of tree species are thoroughly discussed.
Contaminant Geochemistry : Interactions and Transport in the Subsurface Environment
This book combines earth science, subsurface hydrology and environmental geochemistry, providing a comprehensive background for specialists interested in the protection and sustainable management of the subsurface environment.The major focus of the book is on contaminant reactions in soil solutions, groundwater and porous media solid phases, accounting for their persistence and transformation in the subsurface, as they are transported from the land surface into groundwater.
Managed Ecosystems and CO2 : Case Studies, Processes, and Perspectives
Managed ecosystems cover a large part of the Earth's land surface, provide almost all of our food and most of our wood and fibre, and are increasingly a source of renewable energy. Forecasting the ability of managed ecosystems to continue these vital roles in a globally changing environment is an inter-disciplinary challenge. To elucidate the complex responses of managed systems to elevated [CO2], several free air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) facilities were established. These FACE systems allow large areas to be exposed to the elevated [CO2] we expect by the middle of the century. This volume summarizes the main findings from 13 experiments with annual crops, permanent pastures and plantation forests at 11 sites throughout the world during the past ten years. The results significantly alter our perception of how rising [CO2] will directly affect these managed ecosystems, with implications for policy, plant-breeding objectives and adaptation.
Land-Use and Land-Cover Change : Local Processes and Global Impacts
The book presents recent estimates of the rates in changes of major land classes such as forest, cropland and pasture. Among the causative mechanisms behind land change, synergetic factor combinations are found to be more common than single key factor explanations. Aggregated globally, multiple impacts of local land changes are shown to significantly affect central aspects of Earth System functioning. Innovative developments and applications in the fields of modeling and scenario construction are presented. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the most pressing implications for the design of appropriate intervention policies, and on new directions and frontiers of research.
Atmospheric and Oceanic
This volume contains many original findings on mesoscale processes in atmospheric and oceanic systems through mathematical modeling, numerical simulations and field experiments. These scientific papers examine and provide the latest developments on a range of topics that include tropical cyclones/hurricanes, mesoscale variability and modeling, seasonal monsoons and land surface processes including atmospheric boundary layer. This volume will be useful as a reading material in graduate level courses dealing with mesoscale systems, weather, climate, monsoon variability and boundary layer.
Advances in Land Remote Sensing : System, Modeling, Inversion and Application
It systematically summarizes the past achievements and identifies the frontier issues as the research agenda for the near future. It covers all aspects of land remote sensing, from sensor systems, physical modeling, inversion algorithms, to various applications. The papers on remote sensing system evaluate the capabilities of different sensor systems for estimating key land surface variables and how they can best be improved and integrated effectively in the future.
