Coal and Peat Fires: A Global Perspective, Volumes 1-4, presents a fascinating collection of research about prehistoric and historic coal and peat fires. Magnificent illustrations of fires and research findings from countries around the world are featured-a totally new contribution to science. This third of four volumes in the collection, Coal Fires - Case Studies, examines in detail specific coal fires chronicled in a number of locations around the world including Brazil, the Czech Republic, Germany, Malawi, Poland, Russia, Spain, Tajikistan, the United States, Venezuela, and others.

This volume provides an overview of current and future trends in aeolian research. It is written by leading scientists from the UK, Canada, India, Australia and the USA, all of whom are actively involved in aeolian research. The book seeks to provide a comprehensive account of present aeolian processes, landforms and sediments, together with an analysis of past aeolian environments. Further, it looks at some of the anthropogenic pressures on aeolian processes, both on coasts and in deserts, and discusses some management solutions. The text is characterised by the wide perspective it provides and by the authority of its authors. Its fourteen chapters cover the history of desert dune studies, recent investigations of airflow and sand transport, sand seas, coastal dune dynamics, dune management, the physics of aeolian movement, wind erosion (especially of agricultural land), dust storms, loess deposition, the aeolian rock record, palaeoenvironments in the Quaternary, luminescence dating techniques, and aeolian research for the Millennium.

This book provides a snapshot of representative modeling analyses of coastal hypoxia and its effects. Hypoxia refers to conditions in the water column where dissolved oxygen falls below levels that can support most metazoan marine life (i.e., 2 mg O2 l-1). The number of hypoxic zones has been increasing at an exponential rate since the 1960s; there are currently more than 600 documented hypoxic zones in the estuarine and coastal waters worldwide. Hypoxia develops as a synergistic product of many physical and biological factors that affect the balance of dissolved oxygen in seawater, including temperature, solar radiation, wind, freshwater discharge, nutrient supply, and the production and decay of organic matter. A number of modeling approaches have been increasingly used in hypoxia research, along with the more traditional observational and experimental studies. Modeling is necessary because of rapidly changing coastal circulation and stratification patterns that affect hypoxia, the large spatial extent over which hypoxia develops, and limitations on our capabilities to directly measure hypoxia over large spatial and temporal scales. This book consists of 15 chapters that are broadly organized around three main topics: (1) Modeling of the physical controls on hypoxia, (2) Modeling of biogeochemical controls and feedbacks, and, (3) Modeling of the ecological effects of hypoxia. The final chapter is a synthesis chapter that draws generalities from the earlier chapters, highlights strengths and weaknesses of the current state-of-the-art modeling, and offers recommendations on future directions.

In this spirit, the ATMSS International Workshop "Advances in Laboratory Testing & Modelling of Soils and Shales" (Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland; 18-20 January 2017) has been organized to promote the exchange of ideas, experience and state of the art among major experts active in the field of experimental testing and modelling of soils and shales. The Workshop has been organized under the auspices of the Technical Committees TC-101 "Laboratory Testing", TC-106 "Unsaturated Soils" and TC-308 "Energy Geotechnics" of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. This volume contains the invited keynote and feature lectures, as well as the papers that have been presented at the Workshop. The topics of the lectures and papers cover a wide range of theoretical and experimental research, including unsaturated behaviour of soils and shales, multiphysical testing of geomaterials, hydro-mechanical behaviour of shales and stiff clays, the geomechanical behaviour of the Opalinus Clay shale, advanced laboratory testing for site characterization and in-situ applications, and soil - structure interactions.

This book presents a selection of the best papers from the HEaRT 2013 conference, held in Cosenza, Italy, which provided a valuable forum for engineers and architects, researchers and educators to exchange views and findings concerning the technological history, construction features and seismic behavior of historical timber-framed walls in the Mediterranean countries. The topics covered are wide ranging and include historical aspects and examples of the use of timber-framed construction systems in response to earthquakes, such as the gaiola system in Portugal and the Bourbon system in southern Italy; interpretation of the response of timber-framed walls to seismic actions based on calculations and experimental tests; assessment of the effectiveness of repair and strengthening techniques, e.g., using aramid fiber wires or sheets; and modelling analyses. In addition, on the basis of case studies, a methodology is presented that is applicable to diagnosis, strengthening and improvement of seismic performance and is compatible with modern theoretical principles and conservation criteria. It is hoped that, by contributing to the knowledge of this construction technique, the book will help to promote conservation of this important component of Europe's architectural heritage.

Earthquake and tsunami disasters have been increasing rapidly and globally in the last quarter-century. The purpose of this book is to provide essential knowledge and information on the mitigation of earthquakes and tsunamis for graduate students, young researchers, and geotechnical engineers. It begins by presenting recent cases of earthquakes that have occurred in the world, referring to tsunamis and soil liquefaction and how to cope with such disasters. The final chapter proposes strategies for disaster mitigation against in Japan earthquakes and tsunamis in the future.

This book presents a collection of selected reviews from PLMMP 2018 that address modern problems in the fields of liquids, solutions and confined systems, critical phenomena, as well as colloidal and biological systems. The papers focus on state-of-the-art developments in the contemporary physics of liquid matter, and are divided into four parts: (i) water and water systems, (ii) physical-chemical properties of liquid systems, (iii) aggregation in liquid systems, and (iv) biological aspects of liquid systems, irradiation influences on liquid systems. Taken together, they cover the latest developments in the broader field of liquid states, including interdisciplinary problems.

Great blue herons, yellow birches, damselflies, and beavers are among the talismans by which Bill Roorbach uncovers a natural universe along the stream that runs by his house in Farmington, Maine. Populated by an oddball cast of characters to whom Roorbach ("The Professor") and his family might always be considered outsiders, this book chronicles one man's determined effort-occasionally with hilarious results-to follow his stream to its elusive source. Acclaimed essayist and award-winning fiction writer Bill Roorbach uses his singular literary gifts to inspire us to laugh, love, and experience the wonder of living side by side with the natural world.

This is the first handbook that covers all aspects of bio-inoculants used in degraded lands to improve soil fertility and crop productivity as well as for the remediation of polluted lands. It discusses all novel sustainable approaches for the reclamation of problematic soils. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, this book explores the recent uses of plant microbe interactions in ecological and agricultural revitalization beyond normal agriculture practices and offers practical and applied solutions for the restoration of degraded lands for food, fodder, fuel and fiber security. Provides a single comprehensive platform for soil scientist, agriculture specialists, ecologists, and others.

This book is a unified, condensed, and simplified version of the recently issued twin volumes, Fundamentals of Soil Physics and Applications of Soil Physics. Nonessential topics and complexities have been deleted, and little prior knowledge of the subject is assumed. An effort has been made to provide an elementary, readable, and self-sustaining description of the soil's physical properties and of the manner in which these properties govern the processes taking place in the field. Consideration is given to the ways in which the soil's processes can be influenced, for better or for worse, by man. Sample problems are provided in an attempt to illustrate how the abstract principles embodied in mathematical equations can be applied in practice. The author hope that the present version will be more accessible to students than its precursors and that it might serve to arouse their interest in the vital science of soil physics.

Our understanding of the rheological and seismic properties of the Earth's interior relies on interpreting geophysical observations using mineral physics data. The complexity of natural materials complicates these interpretations, but here the key features of such materials in controlling the attenuation of seismic waves are determined by a set of careful experiments. This thesis clearly explains how dynamic mechanical spectroscopy has been used to determine the visco-elastic properties of igneous and sedimentary rocks containing geological fluids. These experiments highlight, for the first time, the importance of mineral and rock microstructures as controls on geophysical properties of solids, particularly near the melting point. The results have impacts in areas ranging from volcanic processes, through the structure of the deep Earth, to fluid-saturated porous media.

Originally published in the early 1900s, this book is - 'primarily for the general reader who likes to know more about that much talked about, but little understood, topic - the weather'. Rather than being a dry text book, covering the entire field of meteorology, this includes general interest that the reader can use as a reference for the varying weather experienced every day. Contents Include: GENERAL NOTES AND SPRING WEATHER: Observe the Weather - Early Spring - Moisture in the Air - Clouds - Wind and Weather - rain - May Weather - Some Weather Proverbs - Summer Weather - Mountain Weather - Thunderstorms - Thunderstorms and the Vacationist - West Indian and Other Hurricanes - Autumn Foreshadows Winter - Autumn Winds and Storms - Weather Periods and Major Air Streams - Autumn Weather Proverbs - Our Atmosphere - WINTER: Winter Storms - Snow - Winter Resorts and Sports - Winter Sunshine - Winter Cold - Winter in the Home

This is a comprehensive handbook focused on geospatial applications used to study, assess, and monitor the Himalayan mountains. As a region of high relevance and very vulnerable regarding geohazards, it is crucial to detect landscape changes and understand the drivers behind the changes. With advanced remote sensing and GIS tools, in-depth analyses, and interdisciplinary approaches, the Handbook of Himalayan Ecosystems and Sustainability, Two Volume Set studies forest and agriculture ecosystems, urban sprawl and air pollution, geo and other hazards, and provides a breadth of data to support decision making and to aids in the preservation of the landscapes in a sustainable way. Features: Uses geospatial technology for studying fragile Himalayan ecosystems and their sustainability Includes 21 case studies from Indian Himalayan, Nepal, and Afghanistan regions Provides satellite data and geospatial modelling tools for assessing and monitoring all Himalayan landscapes Addresses cryospheric studies and related ongoing geohazards and potential climate change impacts Discusses ecology of the Himalayan rivers, biodiversity, and floristic shifting of endemic species, and landscape restoration

This book presents investigations on the Earth's seismic structure using both active-source and natural earthquake records. It discusses the ground-truth data obtained from the TAiwan Integrated GEodynamics Research (TAIGER) active-source experiments that provides excellent and unique insights into the shallow crustal structures beneath Taiwan. It also explores the full-wave sensitivity kernels, which account for the effects of all possible wave interferences involved in shear-wave splitting and therefore loosen the restrictions on source-receiver geometry amenable to shear-wave splitting analysis. Moreover, it describes the 3D Frechet kernels, which enable us to resolve the vertical and lateral variations in seismic anisotropy and obtain 3D images of the Earth's anisotropic structure, as well as the practice in Southern California that enables us to infer the state of the stress and strain in the lithosphere and the dynamics of the asthenospheric mantle flow for a better understanding of the strength and deformation in the upper mantle beneath the San Andreas Fault system.

This is a work of historical significance, an experimental study reproducing parts of the late Dr. Wilhelm Reich's controversial atmospheric research, specifically the technique of Cosmic Orgone Engineering ("cloudbusting"). This study took place in the late 1970s at the University of Kansas, Geography-Meteorology Department, as part of the author's graduate-level research, showing changes in cloud cover and rainfall across the state of Kansas as the apparatus was operated. Reich's original findings had been dismissed as "impossible" by the scientific community of his day, stirring up such outrage that his writings were literally "banned and burned" by Federal bureaucrats, who also threw Reich into prison on fabricated charges, where he died in 1957. This particular study was the first university-level investigation into the most extreme of Reich's claims - of an atmospheric energy which could be affected by his cloudbuster invention to bring rains over widespread areas, even during droughts or in deserts. The study verified Reich's claims. This republication of that original study also includes a major separate work as an Appendix, "Evidence for the Existence of a Principle of Atmospheric Continuity," which makes the argument for a renewed examination of the old cosmic-ether of space, as a parallel concept to Reich's orgone energy discovery. It also reviews similar inexplicable long-distance energetic phenomenon in the natural world which require a similar mechanism, such as solar-terrestrial phenomenon.

Written for engineers without a background in seismic design. Provides design standards and parameters, explaining how to interpret and apply them. Examines and recommends procedures to accommodate the enormous forces and variations in effects common to major earthquakes. Covers practical aspects of soil behavior and structural and foundation design. Gives tips on special construction situations: foundations, dams and retaining walls, strengthening existing structures and construction over active faults.

Historically, it is the land of the bison. But the land across which these powerful herds once thundered has been transformed. We know it today by such names as Montana, Wyoming, Dakota, western Iowa, and Nebraska--but it is really buffalo country, the land of the big sky rivers. This book is a tale of two rivers, a history of the majestic Missouri and how it was once wedded to the Yellowstone. Though quite different today--one dammed into reservoirs, the other unregulated with a semblance of wildness--they were once linked ecologically, geographically, and historically. Then in the twentieth century, Euro-Americans dismantled many of these connections and attempted to uncouple the streams. Viewing the rivers and their surrounding lands as a living system, Robert Kelley Schneiders focuses on four components within the Upper Missouri bioregion--the Missouri River valley, the Yellowstone River valley, Homo sapiens, and bison--to show the significance of their interaction over the past two hundred years. To frame his story, Schneiders goes back to the nineteenth-century journals of fur traders and settlers, and in the record of flora, fauna, floods, and human activity he finds evidence of rapid and disruptive change. Bison once had the greatest influence on the land, and Schneiders depicts an original bison and Indian trail network on which were overlaid the first forts and towns and then the railroads, highways, and reservoirs that reconfigured the region forever. Schneiders explains how these geographical constructs interacted with larger demographic and economic trends in the twentiety-century West, as dams and their resultant reservoirs enhanced the federal presence in the Dakotas andeastern Montana. He describes human encroachment on the rivers and tells why the Corps of Engineers dammed the Missouri but spared the Yellowstone. The engineers and their backers have so completely engineered the Missouri that few people today think of it as anything other than water. But we can reestablish our bonds to the river if we decide to let it flow once again, argues Schneiders. Removing the dams on the Missouri is the first step toward reasserting localism and grassroots democracy. In what was once buffalo country, a dormant ecology awaits rebirth. A major work of environmental history, "Big Sky Rivers offers a challenging vision for the future of the Upper Missouri bioregion.