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.

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.

Data assimilation (DA) has been recognized as one of the core techniques for modern forecasting in various earth science disciplines including meteorology, oceanography, and hydrology. Since early 1990s DA has been an important s- sion topic in many academic meetings organized by leading societies such as the American Meteorological Society, American Geophysical Union, European G- physical Union, World Meteorological Organization, etc. nd Recently, the 2 Annual Meeting of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS), held in Singapore in June 2005, conducted a session on DA under the - tle of "Data Assimilation for Atmospheric, Oceanic and Hydrologic Applications." nd This rst DA session in the 2 AOGS was a great success with more than 30 papers presented and many great ideas exchanged among scientists from the three different disciplines. The scientists who participated in the meeting suggested making the DA session a biennial event. th Two years later, at the 4 AOGS Annual Meeting, Bangkok, Thailand, the DA session was of cially named "Sasaki Symposium on Data Assimilation for At- spheric, Oceanic and Hydrologic Applications," to honor Prof. Yoshi K. Sasaki of the University of Oklahoma for his life-long contributions to DA in geosciences.

This book provides essential information on the higher mathematical level of approximation over the gradually varied flow theory, also referred to as the Boussinesq-type theory. In this context, it presents higher order flow equations, together with their applications in a broad range of pertinent engineering and environmental problems, including open channel, groundwater, and granular material flows.

"Introduction to Mineralogy and Petrology" presents the essentials of both disciplines through an approach accessible to industry professionals, academic researchers, and students.

Mineralogy and petrology stand as the backbone of the geosciences. Detailed knowledge of minerals and rocks and the process of formation and association are essential for practicing professionals and advanced students. This book is designed as an accessible, step-by-step guide to exploring, retaining, and implementing the core concepts of mineral and hydrocarbon exploration, mining, and extraction. Each topic is fully supported by working examples, diagrams and full-color images. The inclusion of petroleum, gas, metallic deposits and economic aspects enhance the book s value as a practical reference for mineralogy and petrology.

Authored by two of the world s premier experts, this book is a must for any young professional, researcher, or student looking for a thorough and inclusive guide to mineralogy and petrology in a single source.
Authored by two of the world s experts in mineralogy and petrology, who have more than 70 years of experience in research and instruction combinedAddresses the full scope of the core concepts of mineralogy and petrology, including crystal structure, formation and grouping of minerals and soils, definition, origin, structure and classification of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocksFeatures more than 150 figures, illustrations, and color photographs to vividly explore the fundamental principles of mineralogy and petrologyOffers a holistic approach to both subjects, beginning with the formation of geologic structures followed by the hosting of mineral deposits and concluding with the exploration and extraction of lucrative, usable products to improve the health of global economies"

Soils, invaluable indicators of the nature and history of the physical and human landscape, have strongly influenced the cultural record left to archaeologists. Not only are they primary reservoirs for artifacts, they often encase entire sites. And soil-forming processes in themselves are an important component of site formation, influencing which artifacts, features, and environmental indicators (floral, faunal, and geological) will be destroyed and to what extent and which will be preserved and how well. In this book, Holliday will address each of these issues in terms of fundamentals as well as in field case histories from all over the world. The focus will be on principles of soil geomorphology, soil stratigraphy, and soil chemistry and their applications in archaeological research.

A stunning panoramic exploration of some of planet Earth's greatest natural wonders.

This stunning book gives you the big picture on some of the most amazing sights and events on, above and below planet Earth. Discover the epic journeys that animals make to feed and rear their young, explore the breathtaking variety of Earth's natural habitats and the wildlife that inhabits them and dive to the very depths of the vast oceans in this breathtaking celebration of our beautiful world.

Ideal for readers aged 9 and up.

Contents include Big diverse planet, Tropical rainforest, Desert, Temperate rainforest, Mountains, Scrubland, Rivers and lakes, Tropical grassland, The tundra, The Arctic, Big planet journeys, Wildebeest, Humpback whales, Monarch butterflies, Caribou, Salmon, Arctic terns, Christmas Island crabs, Army ants Emperor penguins, Big blue planet, River mouths, Between the tides, Mangroves, Seagrass meadows, Coral reefs, Open ocean, Ocean deep, Southern Ocean.

In its first English-language edition, this book introduces the many-faceted interactions of animal populations with their habitats. From soil fauna, ants and termites to small and large herbivores, burrowing mammals and birds, the author presents a comprehensive analysis of animals and ecosystems that is as broad and varied as all nature. Chapter 2 addresses the functional role of animals in landscape ecosystems, emphasizing fluxes of energy and matter within and between ecosystems, and the effects of animals on qualitative and structural habitat change. Discussion includes chapters on the role of animal population density and the impacts of native herbivores on vegetation and habitats from the tropics to the polar regions. Cyclic mass outbreaks of species such as the larch bud moth in Switzerland, the mountain pine beetle and the African red-billed weaver bird are described and analyzed. Other chapters discuss Zoochory - the dispersal of seeds by ants, mammals and birds - and the influence of burrowing animals on soil development and geomorphology. Consideration extends to the impact of feral domestic animals. Chapter 5 focuses on problems resulting from introduction of alien animals and from re-introduction of animal species to their original habitats, discusses the effects on ecosystems of burrowing, digging and trampling by animals. The author also addresses keystone species such as kangaroo rats, termites and beavers. Chapter 6 addresses the role of animals in landscape management and nature conservation, with chapters on the impact of newcomer species such as animals introduced into Australia, New Zealand and Europe, and the consequences of reintroduction of species to original habitat. It also discusses the carrying capacity of natural habit, public attitudes toward conversation and more. The final section ponders the effects of climate on interactions between animals and their habitats.

The North China Craton is one of the oldest cratonic blocks in the world, containing rocks as old as 3.85 billion years. Focusing on Neoarchean mantle plumes and Paleoproterozoic plate tectonics, this book combines the results from modern geological research to provide you with a detailed synthesis of the geology, structure, and evolution of the North China Craton. It will be of value to anyone interested in the evolution of cratonic blocks and Precambrian geology as well as geoscientists interested in applying tectonic models to other cratonic blocks globally. This work will also be of interest to geologists concerned with the problems of structure and evolution of the Precambrian continents and supercontinents.
The first book to apply mantle plume and plate tectonics models to understanding the Neoarchean accretion and Paleoproterozoic amalgamation of a craton Features more than 75 geologic maps, illustrations, diagrams, and microphotographs depicting the progressive stages of the North China Craton s Precambrian evolutionAuthored by one of the world s foremost experts in cratonic evolution and mantle plume and plate tectonic modeling "

Using a series of case studies, the book demonstrates the power of dynamic analysis as applied to the fossil record. Written in an engaging and informative style, Dynamic Paleontology outlines the best application of quantitative and other tools to critical problems in the paleontological sciences including such topics as analysis of the Cambrian Explosion and the question regarding the presence of life on Mars. The book considers how we think about certain types questions and shows how we can refine our approach to analysis right from the beginning of any particular research effort. The analytical tools presented here will have wide application to other fields of knowledge; as such the book represents a major contribution to our deployment of modern scientific method.

This book gives a comprehensive presentation of our present understanding of the Earth's Hydrological cycle and the problems, consequences and impacts that go with this topic. Water is a central component in the Earth's system. It is indispensable for life on Earth in its present formand influences virtually every aspect of our planet's life support system. On relatively short time scales, atmospheric water vapor interacts with the atmospheric circulation and is crucial in forming the Earth's climate zones. Water vapor is the most powerful of the greenhouse gases and serves to enhance the tropospheric temperature. The dominant part of available water on Earth resides in the oceans. Parts are locked up in the land ice on Greenland and Antarctica and a smaller part is estimated to exist as groundwater. If all the ice over the land and all the glaciers were to melt, the sea level would rise by some 80 m. In comparison, the total amount of water vapor in the atmosphere is small; it amounts to 25 kg/m2, or the equivalent of 25 mm water for each column of air. Yet atmospheric water vapor is crucial for the Earth s energy balance. The book gives an up to date presentation of the present knowledge.Previously published in Surveys in Geophysics, Volume 35, No. 3, 2014"

This book is not, in any case, in total defiance of the Wise Old Man's admonition, for it is not an entirely new book. Rather, it is an outgrowth of a previous treatise, written a decade ago, entitled "Soil and Water: Physical Principles and Processes." Though that book was well enough received at the time, the passage of the years has inevitably made it necessary to either revise and update the same book, or to supplant it with a fresh approach in the form of a new book which might incorporate still-pertient aspects of its predecessor without necessarily being limited to the older book's format or point of view.

This book analyses the state of the natural environment and the causes of its degradation using the biosphere approach. Further, those issues that must be resolved immediately on the global level are identified following the ideas defined by V.I. Vernadsky, and new principles of Man-Nature interaction are pursued. The modern world currently faces three global trends inducing biosphere degradation and the aggravation of ecological hazards, namely: a) rapid and uncontrolled growth of human population on the Earth and insufficient natural resources to sustain it; (b) technogenesis development; and (c) global climate change and the aggravation of natural disasters. Ecological safety and military security are becoming the crucial conditions for the survival of modern civilization. To mitigate the ecological strain on the Earth, the technogenesis strategy should be changed and many other pressing issues must be resolved. These problems should be addressed using the biosphere approach, because the individual human being is the biosphere constituent, and his or her safety cannot be provided without maintaining the entire natural system on our planet.

This multivolume handbook is the most comprehensive and updated reference of advanced geospatial techniques for water resource and watershed management. It addresses complex solutions that appear in individual articles but require an exhaustive search for assimilation. By assembling these tremendous advances in an expertly curated resource and making it available in depth to professionals and the water research community worldwide, this successful vehicle will help readers in elevating the quality and variety of water research and solutions. A broad range of authors, specialties, sources, institutions, countries, and continents showcase exemplary approaches and capabilities for the 21st century.

Climate change and the related adverse impacts are among the greatest challenges facing humankind during the coming decades. Even with a significant reduction of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, it will be inevitable for societies to adapt to new climatic conditions and associated impacts and risks. This book offers insights to first experiences of developing and implementing adaptation measures, with a particular focus on mountain environments and the adjacent downstream areas. It provides a comprehensive 'state-of-the-art' of climate change adaptation in these areas through the collection and evaluation of knowledge from several local and regional case studies and by offering new expertise and insights at the global level. As such, the book is an important source for scientists, practitioners and decision makers alike, who are working in the field of climate change adaptation and towards sustainable development in the sense of the Paris Agreement and the Agenda 2030.

This book contributes to the current discussion on global environmental changes by discussing modifications in marine ecosystems related to global climate changes. In marine ecosystems, rising atmospheric CO2 and climate changes are associated with shifts in temperature, circulation, stratification, nutrient input, oxygen concentration and ocean acidification, which have significant biological effects on a regional and global scale. Knowing how these changes affect the distribution and abundance of plankton in the ocean currents is crucial to our understanding of how climate change impacts the marine environment. Ocean temperatures, weather and climatic changes greatly influence the amount and location of nutrients in the water column. If temperatures and currents change, the plankton production cycle may not coincide with the reproduction cycle of fish. The above changes are closely related to the changes in radiative forcing, which initiate feedback mechanisms like changes in surface temperature, circulation, and atmospheric chemistry.