Many scientists either working on the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) problem or its many applications have not been trained in both the equatorial ocean and atmospheric dynamics necessary to understand it. This book seeks to overcome this difficulty by providing a step by step introduction to ENSO, helping the upper level graduate student or research scientist to learn quickly the ENSO basics and be up to date with the latest ENSO research. The text assumes that the reader has a knowledge of the equations of fluid mechanics on a rotating earth and emphasizes the observations and simple physical explanations of them.
Following a history of ENSO and a discussion of ENSO observations in Chapters 1 and 2, Chapters 3-5 consider relevant equatorial ocean dynamics, Chapters 6 and 9 relevant atmospheric dynamics, and Chapters 7 and 8 the main paradigms for how the Pacific Ocean and atmosphere couple together to produce ENSO. Chapter 8 also discusses the old mystery of why ENSO tends to be locked in phase with the seasonal cycle. Successful dynamical and statistical approaches to ENSO prediction are discussed in Chapters 10 and 11 while Chapter 12 concludes the book with examples of how ENSO influences marine and bird life.
* Quick reference guide and step by step introduction to El Nino/Southern Oscillation dynamics
* Keep informed and up to date on El Nino/Southern Oscillation research and how El Nino and the Southern Oscillation can be predicted
* Understand how El Nino can affect marine and bird life

As the Earth's oil supply runs out, and the effects of climate change threaten nations and their populations, the search for carbon-neutral sources of energy becomes more important and increasingly urgent. This book focuses on solutions to the energy problem, and not just the problem itself. It describes the major energy-generation technologies currently under development, and provides an authoritative summary of the current status of each one. It stresses the need for a balanced portfolio of alternative energy technologies. Certain solutions will be more appropriate than others in particular locations, due to the differences in availability of natural resources such as solar, wind, wave, tidal and geothermal. In addition, nuclear options (both fission and fusion), as well as technologies such as fuel cells, photovoltaics, artificial photosynthesis and hydrogen (as an energy carrier), all have a potential role to play. A state-of-the-art critique of energy efficiency in building design is also included. Each chapter is written by an acknowledged international expert and provides a non-technical overview of the competing and complementary approaches to energy generation.
Broad in scope and comprehensive in treatment, Energy..beyond Oil provides an authoritative synthesis of the scientific and technological issues which are essential to the survival of the human race in the near future. The book will be of interest and use to graduate students and researchers in all areas of energy studies, and will also be highly useful for policy-makers and professionals in the environmental sector as well as a more general readership who wish to learn more about this extremely topical subject.

Now in paperback, a biography of the German scientist who came up with the idea of continental drift, telling of how he ended up journeying to Greenland in the winter of 1930-and died there. How, in 1930, did Alfred Wegener, the son of a minister from Berlin, find himself in the most isolated spot on earth, attempting to survive an unthinkably cold winter in the middle of Greenland? In All the Land, Jo Lendle sets out to chronicle Wegener's extraordinary journey from his childhood in Germany to the most unforgiving corner of the planet. As Lendle shows, Wegener's life was anything but ordinary. Surrounded by children at the orphanage his parents ran, Wegener was driven by his scientific spirit in search not only of answers to big questions but of solitude. Though Wegener's life ended in tragedy during his long winter in Greenland, he left us with a scientific legacy: the theory of continental drift, mocked by his peers and only recognized decades after his death. Lendle gives us the story of this great adventurer, of the experiences that shaped him, resulting in a tale that is both thrilling and tender.

Rice has supported a greater number of people for a longer period of time than any other crop. Nearly half of the global population is dependent on rice as its major staple food. While Asia remains the main centre of production and consumption of rice, the importance of rice is increasing rapidly in Africa and Latin America, and exports of rice from the United States and Australia are of major importance to the world rice trade. This book explores the factors which have contributed to the sustainability of rice production over the eight or nine thousand years for which rice has been produced. Sustainability is defined as the maintenance or improvement of production levels and protection of natural resources, within the context of economic viability and social acceptability. The author covers a wide range of issues, including soil fertility, plant breeding, pest management, irrigation, land degradation and social and economic factors. Greatest emphasis is placed on the special features of wetland rice production, and the importance of the nutrient balance. It is also shown that without the Green Revolution there would have been a period of mass starvation in Asia, a problem which continues to threaten and which will be unavoidable unless the successes of the Green Revolution can be sustained. The book provides a unique review of the sustainability of the production of the world's most important crop, and should be of interest to students, research workers and policy makers in agriculture, soil science, and agricultural economics and food policies, as well as all interested in development in the third world.

This self-contained monograph gives a thorough introduction to the theory of gravity which is used as the basis for developing applications in exploration and geodesy. In addition, a survey of gravity instrumentation is given, with emphasis on the theory of underlying these instruments. The book finishes with an exposition of forward modeling and inverston, again emphasizing fundamental principles.
*Surveys gravity instrumentation with emphasis on the theory of why certain instrumentation is used
*Presents thorough developments of the theory of gravity to aid in creating applications in exploration and geodesy
*Emphasizes the fundamental principles of forward modeling and inversion in the gravitational method

A participatory and integrated procedure for the planning of water resources is presented and illustrated through its application to a real-world case study: the planning of a trans-boundary, multi-purpose, regulated lake. Methods and concepts from Hydrology, System Analysis, Optimal Control, Decision and Negotiation Theory are presented and framed in a comprehensive and coherent procedure for the efficient development of the decision-making process. Relevant theoretical and mathematical aspects are briefly presented for the non-expert reader, as well as all those practical details that are often omitted in texts, but that constitute the very essence of a project and make the difference between a successful project and a failure. The book provides practicing professionals, decision-makers and scientists with a complete, immediate example of application of the Integrated Water Resource Management paradigm.
- Complete development of a real world application of IWRM
- Integration of technical modelling and control aspects with participatory and decision-making issues
- Enclosed DVD with videos and a hypertext with deep insights into the IWRM application, related problems and practical solutions