This book focuses on the robustness analysis of high accuracy surface modeling method (HASM) to yield good performance of it. Understanding the sensitivity and uncertainty is important in model applications. The book aims to advance an integral framework for assessing model error that can demonstrate robustness across sets of possible controls, variable definitions, standard error, algorithm structure, and functional forms. It is an essential reference to the most promising numerical models. In areas where there is less certainty about models, but also high expectations of transparency, robustness analysis should aspire to be as broad as possible. This book also contains a chapter at the end featuring applications in climate simulation illustrating different implementations of HASM in surface modeling. The book is helpful for people involved in geographical information science, ecological informatics, geography, earth observation, and planetary surface modeling.

The focus of this work is the development of models to estimate evapotranspiration (ET), investigating the partitioning between soil evaporation and plant transpiration at field and regional scales, and calculating ET over heterogeneous vegetated surfaces. Different algorithms with varying complexities as well as spatial and temporal resolutions are developed to estimate evapotranspiration from different data inputs. The author proposes a novel approach to estimate ET from remote sensing by exploiting the linkage between water and carbon cycles. At the field scale, a hybrid dual source model (H-D model) is proposed. It is verified with field observations over four different ecosystems and coupled with a soil water and heat transfer model, to simulate water and heat transfer in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. At the regional scale, a hybrid dual source scheme and trapezoid framework based ET model (HTEM), using remote sensing images is developed. This model is verified with data from the USA and China and the impact of agricultural water-saving on ET of different land use types is analyzed, in these chapters. The author discusses the potential of using a remote sensing ET model in the real management of water resources in a large irrigation district. This work would be of particular interest to any hydrologist or micro-meteorologist who works on ET estimation and it will also appeal to the ecologist who works on the coupled water and carbon cycles. Land evapotranspiration is an important research topic in hydrology, meteorology, ecology and agricultural sciences. Dr. Yuting Yang works at the CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, Australia.

Yeasts are a versatile group of eukaryotic microorganisms, exhibiting heterogeneous nutritional profiles and an extraordinary ability to survive in a wide range of natural and man-associated ecosystems, including cold habitats. Cold-adapted yeasts inhabit numerous low-temperature environments where they are subjected to seasonal or permanent cold conditions. Hence, they have evolved a number of adaptation strategies with regard to growth and reproduction, metabolic activities, survival and protection. Due to their distinctive ability to thrive successfully at low and even subzero temperatures, cold-adapted yeasts are increasingly attracting attention in basic science and industry for their enormous biotechnological potential.

This book presents our current understanding of the diversity and ecology of cold-adapted yeasts in worldwide cold ecosystems, their adaptation strategies, and their biotechnological significance. Special emphasis is placed on the exploitation of cold-adapted yeasts as a source of cold-active enzymes and biopolymers, as well as their benefits for food microbiology, bioremediation and biocontrol. Further, aspects of food biodeterioration are considered.

In recent decades, significant advances in new methodologies like DNA sequencing and high-throughput sequencing have been used to identify microorganisms and monitor their interactions with different environments. Microbial genomics techniques are opening new approaches to microbiology by revealing how microorganisms affect human beings and the environment. This book covers four major areas: 1) Environmental microbial genomics, 2) Microbial genomics in human health, 3) Microbial genomics in crop improvement and plant health protection, and 4) Genome analysis of microbial pathogens. Within these areas, the topics addressed include: microbial genome diversity, evolution, and microbial genome sequencing; bioinformatics and microarray-based genomic technologies; functional genomics of bioremediation of soil and water from organic and inorganic pollutants and carbon management; functional genomics of microbial pathogens and relevant microorganisms; functional genomics of model microorganisms; and applied functional genomics. Given its scope, the book offers a comprehensive source of information on the latest applications of microorganisms and microbial genomics to enhance the sustainability of agriculture and the environment.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book defines the new field of "Bioeconomy" as the sustainable and innovative use of biomass and biological knowledge to provide food, feed, industrial products, bioenergy and ecological services. The chapters highlight the importance of bioeconomy-related concepts in public, scientific, and political discourse. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the authors outline the dimensions of the bioeconomy as a means of achieving sustainability. The authors are ideally situated to elaborate on the diverse aspects of the bioeconomy. They have acquired in-depth experience of interdisciplinary research through the university's focus on "Bioeconomy", its contribution to the Bioeconomy Research Program of the federal state of Baden-Wurttemberg, and its participation in the German Bioeconomy Council. With the number of bioeconomy-related projects at European universities rising, this book will provide graduate students and researchers with background information on the bioeconomy. It will familiarize scientific readers with bioeconomy-related terms and give scientific background for economists, agronomists and natural scientists alike.

The object of this book is to highlight how the nascent field of sustainability science is addressing a key challenges for scientists; that is, understanding the workings of complex systems especially when humans are involved. A consistent thread in the sustainability science movement is the wide acknowledgement that greater degrees of integration across what are now segmented dimensions of extant Science and Technology systems will be a key factor in matching the most appropriate science and technology solutions to specific sustainability problems in specific places.

'A do-er, not a dreamer, Gow has become one of our most outspoken rewilders.' Countryfile Magazine 'In this warm and funny autobiography, [Gow] writes with a whimsical fluency about the moments of humour and pathos in an unusual life.' Country Life 'Gow reinvents what it means to be a guardian of the countryside.' Guardian 'Courageous, visionary, funny.' Isabella Tree, author of Wilding Tearing down fences literally and metaphorically, Birds, Beasts and Bedlam recounts the adventures of Britain's most colourful rewilder, Derek Gow. How he raised a sofa-loving wild boar piglet, transported a raging bison bull across the UK, got bitten by a Scottish wildcat and restored the ancient white stork to the Knepp Estate with Charlie Burrell and Isabella Tree. After a Shetland ewe captured a young Derek's heart, he grew up to become a farmer with a passion for ancient breeds. But when he realised how many of our species were close to extinction, even on his own land, he tore up his traditional Devon farm and transformed it into a rewilding haven for beavers, water voles, lynx, wildcats, harvest mice and more. Birds, Beasts and Bedlam is the story of a rewilding maverick and his single-minded mission to save our wildlife.

This book provides information about microbial mats, from early fossils to modern mats located in marine and terrestrial environments. Microbial mats layered biofilms containing different types of cells are most complex systems in which representatives of various groups of organisms are found together. Among them are cyanobacteria and eukaryotic phototrophs, aerobic heterotrophic and chemoautotrophic bacteria, protozoa, anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria, and other types of microorganisms.

These mats are perfect models for biogeochemical processes, such as the cycles of chemical elements, in which a variety of microorganisms cooperate and interact in complex ways. They are often found under extreme conditions and their study contributes to our understanding of extremophilic life. Moreover, microbial mats are models for Precambrian stromatolites; the study of modern microbial mats may provide information on the processes that may have occurred on Earth when prokaryotic life began to spread."

This book analyzes the issues associated with climate change in the Himalayas. The purpose of choosing the Himalayas as a focus is because it is a particularly fragile mountain system, highly sensitive to climate change impacts, and it contains one of the largest human populations affected by climate change. The book provides extensive data and information regarding the climate history of the Himalayas, and the current effects of climate change on Himalayan weather systems, and on human and animal populations in the region. The book begins with an overview of global climate change with discussions of data trends and international initiatives, then segues into a history of climate changes and weather trends in the Himalayas. Weather systems of the Himalayas, both past and current, are analyzed and detailed through climate models, seasonal observations of weather fronts, and overviews of various climate scenarios. The book then discusses climate change impacts and signat ures specific to the Central Himalayan region, where the largest effects of impacts are observed. Readers will discover analysis presented on water resources, meteorological changes, biodiversity, agriculture and human health along with perspectives of management and policy. This book will appeal to researchers studying climate science, climatology, environmental scientists and policymakers.

This book gives basic facts about litter decomposition studies, which are of guidance for scientists who start studies. Since the publication of the third edition, there has been quite a development not only in the field of litter decomposition but also in supporting branches of science, which are important for fruitful work on and understanding of decomposition of plant litter and sequestration of carbon. A consequence is that 'old established truths' are becoming outdated. New knowledge in the fields of phytochemistry and microbial ecology has given a new baseline for discussing the concepts 'litter decomposition' and 'carbon sequestration'. We can also see a rich literature on litter decomposition studies using roots and wood as substrates. These have given new insights in factors that regulate the decomposition rate and as regards roots their contribution to sequestered carbon in humus. Additional facts on the role of temperature vs the litters' chemical composition may in part change our view on effects of climate change. Further information on applications of the new analytical technique (13C-NMR) for determining organic-chemical compounds has allowed us to develop these parts. Focus is laid on needle litter of Scots pine as a model substrate as this species has been considerably more studied than other litter species. Also the boreal/northern temperate coniferous forest has in part been given this role. Still, new information may allow us to develop information about litter from further tree species.

This edited book details the plant-assisted remediation methods, which involves the interaction of plant roots with associated rhizospheric microorganisms for the remediation of soil and water contaminated with high levels of heavy metals, pesticides, radionuclides, agricultural by-products, municipal wastes, industrial solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons, organic compounds, and various other contaminants. Each chapter highlights and compares the beneficial and economical alternatives of phytoremediation to currently practiced soil, water, and air removal. This book covers state-of-the-art approaches in phytoremediation contributed by leading and eminent scientists from across the world. Phytoremediation approaches for environmental sustainability dealing the readers with a cutting-edge of multidisciplinary understanding in the principal and practical approaches of phytoremediation from laboratory research to field application. This book is of interest to researchers, teachers, environmental scientists, environmental engineers, environmentalists, and policy makers. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of environmental microbiology, biotechnology, eco-toxicology, environmental remediation, waste management, and environmental sciences as well as the general audience.

In a world where habitats are constantly changing and the impact of anthropization on the environment is increasingly intense, interactions between human and wildlife are becoming more and more complex. Some species pose problems for human activities while many others need to be helped in order to continue to exist. This book follows the first volume called 'Problematic Wildlife', edited by F.M. Angelici and published by Springer in 2016, which has had considerable success with readers and critics. The volume includes 21 chapters divided into 7 parts devoted specific topics which are approached in a multidisciplinary way. There are both review chapters and specific cases, always bearing in mind the interest for an international audience. The book is useful both for scientists, wildlife specialists, conservationists, zoologists, ecologists, university students, nature managers, and for those who live in contact with wildlife and its problems, such as farmers, shepherds, hunters, urban planners, and staff of parks and nature reserves. Its ultimate goal is to offer scientific and pragmatic approaches to manage each categories of problematic species.

This volume is an energy-tailored sequel to the research on the Arctic carried out at MGIMO University. Specifically, the proposed book is grounded in the profound academic and practical expertise of the specialized body of MGIMO University - International Institute of Energy Policy and Diplomacy chaired by Prof. Valery Salygin. Thus, the research exclusively focuses on energy-related aspects of exploration of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF). This particular region with its ample oil and gas resources has been comparatively and critically studied by a team of authors representing Russia, USA, France, Switzerland, Slovakia, and Lithuania from legislative, political, economic, technical, transport, environmental, sustainability, and security perspectives.

Steppes form one of the largest biomes. Drastic changes in steppe ecology, land use and livelihoods came with the emergence, and again with the collapse, of communist states. Excessive ploughing and vast influx of people into the steppe zone led to a strong decline in nomadic pastoralism in the Soviet Union and China and in severely degraded steppe ecosystems. In Mongolia nomadic pastoralism persisted, but steppes degraded because of strongly increased livestock loads. After the Soviet collapse steppes regenerated on huge tracts of fallow land. Presently, new, restorative steppe land management schemes are applied. On top of all these changes come strong effects of climate change in the northern part of the steppe zone. This book gives an up-to-date overview of changes in ecology, climate and use of the entire Eurasian steppe area and their effects on livelihoods of steppe people. It integrates knowledge that so far was available only in a spectrum of locally used languages.

New Zealand, with its long isolation from other lands and latitudes extending from subtropical to sub Antarctic, has a unique flora and highly diverse vegetation. This book is a comprehensive description of that vegetation, ranging from its origins to the major communities within which the plants exist. The text, supported by over 300 photographs, maps and diagrams, has made an outstanding contribution to the understanding of the biology of these islands. This is a reprint of the volume originally published in 1991. Chapters 1 - 4 describe the New Zealand environment, flora and fauna. They discuss the origin, relationships, life forms and reproductive aspects of the indigenous vegetation. Chapter 5 is a synopsis of vegetation types, habitat classes and environmental processes; it also serves to define the terms that are described in the book. Chapter 6 contains an outline of the geographic divisions of the country. Chapters 7 - 9 offer expanded descriptions of plant communities, preceded, where appropriate, by information on their structure and characteristic species and genera. The concluding chapters discuss ecologic functions and processes. Vegetation of New Zealand is an essential book for botanists, ecologists, conservationists and others who love New Zealand's plants, animals and landscapes. There will also be a large audience outside New Zealand. Its natural vegetation is unique; because of this and the longevity of its evolutionary history, it has always attracted considerable global interest. "The breadth of scholarship displayed by Peter Wardle is impressive. The book as a whole is remarkably readable; testimony to that comes from this reviewer who read all 672 pages in one day and was still captivated at the end " Annals of Botany "A simple title and a great achievement. This is a great book and a major achievement by the author. It will be a source book for many years to come." Vegetation "This book is a magnificent successor to Cockayne's original Vegetation in New Zealand." Biological Conservation

Our interest in the microbial biodegradation of xenobiotics has increased many folds in recent years to find out sustainable ways for environmental cleanup. Bioremediation and biotransformation processes harness the naturally occurring ability of microbes to degrade, transform or accumulate a wide range of organic pollutants. Major methodological breakthroughs in recent years through detailed genomic, metagenomic, proteomic, bioinformatic and other high-throughput analyses of environmentally relevant microorganisms have provided us unprecedented insights into key biodegradative pathways and the ability of organisms to adapt to changing environmental conditions. The degradation of a wide spectrum of organic pollutants and wastes discharged into the environment by anthropogenic activities is an emerging need today to promote sustainable development of our society with low environmental impact. Microbial processes play a major role in the removal of recalcitrant compounds taking advantage of the astonishing catabolic versatility of microorganisms to degrade or transform such compounds. New breakthroughs in sequencing, genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics and imaging are generating vital information which opens a new era providing new insights of metabolic and regulatory networks, as well as clues to the evolution of degradation pathways and to the molecular adaptation strategies to changing environmental conditions. Functional genomic and metagenomic approaches are increasing our understanding of the relative importance of different pathways and regulatory networks to carbon flux in particular environments and for particular compounds. New approaches will certainly accelerate the development of bioremediation technologies and biotransformation processes in coming years for natural attenuation of contaminated environments

This book represents a rather complicated history of encounters, changes in research interest and some very interesting results. Initially it is the very fruitful interaction of Ecology and Geology. The point of view of ecologists is extremely refreshing for hard science people. Interaction and inter-relationships are the focus of Ecology whereas the traditional sciences, such as Geology, have tried to isolate the natural phenomena so that thye could be studied in a more rigorous manner. The traditional sciences were of course natural science - based since the world to be observed was at the door step of everyone, mountains, weather patterns, plants and so forth. Chemistry and Physics were de ned after Mathematics in order to establish more precise and viable principles of the behavior of the materials that formed the world around mankind. It became quite clear that the observation of the natural world was too complicated to consider all of the possible variables which could affect an observed process or situation. The systems were simpli ed and taken into the laboratory in order to better master the phenomena observed. Physics c- cerned itself with non-reacting materials, subjected to essentially mechanical forces.

The Baltic Sea is an area extensively explored by the oceanographers. Hence it is one of the most often described marine areas in the scientific literature. However, there are still several fields which are poorly investigated and reported by scientists. One of them is the carbon cycle of the Baltic Sea. Although it is believed the shelf seas are responsible for about 20% of all marine carbon dioxide uptake, while they constitute only 7% of the whole sea surface, still a scientific debate exists on the role of the Baltic Sea in the global carbon cycle. "Carbon cycle of the Baltic Sea" is intended to be a comprehensive presentation and discussion of state of the art research by biogeochemists involved in the Baltic Sea carbon cycle research. This work presents both qualitative and quantitative descriptions of the main carbon flows in the Baltic Sea as well as their possible shifts induced by climatic and global change.

This completely updated fifth edition of Bacterial Fish Pathogens is a comprehensive discussion of the biological aspects of the bacteria which cause disease in farmed and wild fish. Since the 4th edition was published in 2007, there has been an upturn in the application of molecular approaches to taxonomy, diagnosis and vaccine development. New pathogens, e.g. Aeromonas schubertii, have been described. Also, there has been the emergence of diseases caused by bacteria which have not been cultured, and which have been equated with new taxa, i.e. Candidatus . Consideration is given to all the bacterial fish pathogens, including primary pathogens and opportunists."

1. 1 Nautilus and Allonautilus: Two Decades of Progress W. Bruce Saunders Department of Geology Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr PA 19010 wsaunder@brynmawr. edu Neil H. Landman Division of Paleontology American Museum of Natural History New York, New York 10024 landman@amnh. org When Nautilus: Biology and Paleobiology of a Living Fossil was published in 1987, it marked a milestone in cross-disciplinary collaboration. More than half of the contributing authors (36/65) were paleontologists, many of whom were collaborating with neontological counterparts. Their interest in studying this reclusive, poorly known animal was being driven by a search for clues to the mode of life and natural history of the once dominant shelled cephalopods, through study of the sole surviving genus. At the same time, Nautilus offered an opportunity for neontologists to look at a fundamentally different, phylogenetically basal member of the extant Cephalopoda. It was a w- win situation, combining paleontological deep-time perspectives, old fashioned expeditionary zeal, traditional biological approaches and new techniques. The results were cross-fertilized investigations in such disparate fields as ecology, functional morphology, taphonomy, genetics, phylogeny, locomotive dynamics, etc. As one reviewer of the xxxvi Introduction xxxvii book noted, Nautilus had gone from being one of the least known to one of the best understood of living cephalopods.

Advance in barley sciences presents the latest developments in barley sciences. It collects 39 papers submitted to the 11th International Barley Genetics Symposium, and covers all presentation sessions of the conference, i.e., barley development and economy, utilization of germplasm, genetic resources and genetic stocks, end-uses, biotic stress tolerance, abiotic stresses, new and renewed breeding methodology, barley physiology, breeding success stories, barley genomics and all other '-omics.' Th e information will be useful for barley breeders, brewers, biochemists, molecular geneticists and biotechnologists. Th is book may also serve as reference text for students and scientists engaged in barley research. Dr. Guoping Zhang is a barley breeder and crop physiologist at the Department of Agronomy, Zhejiang University, China. Dr. Chengdao Li is a senior molecular geneticist and barley breeder at the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia, Australia. He is also an adjunct professor at Murdoch University of Australia and Zhejiang University. Dr. Xu Liu, a member of the China Academy of Engineering, is a plant resources researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Lakes across the globe require help. The Lake Restoration Handbook: A New Zealand Perspective addresses this need through a series of chapters that draw on recent advances in modelling and monitoring tools, citizen science and First Peoples' roles, catchment and lake-focused restoration techniques, and policy implementation. New Zealand lakes, like lakes across the globe, are subject to multiple pressures that have increased in severity and scale as land use has intensified, invasive species have spread and global climate change becomes manifest. This books builds on the popular Lake Managers Handbook (1987), which provided guidance on undertaking investigations into, and understanding lake ecosystems in New Zealand. The Lake Restoration Handbook: A New Zealand Perspective synthesises contemporary issues related to lake restoration and rehabilitation, integrated with social science and cultural viewpoints, and complemented by authoritative topic-area summaries by renowned scientists and practitioners from across the globe. The book examines the progress of lake restoration and the new and emerging tools available to managers for predicting and effecting change. The book will be a valuable resource for natural and social scientists, policy writers, lake managers, and anyone interested in the health of lake ecosystems.

Enabling Environment is as real as it gets. The global commons are jointly owned and their inhabitants are jointly obligated to ensure their preservation. In the face of protracted negotiations, convoluted documentation, discord, and incessant bickering among scientists, activists, pressure groups of various hues, politicians and negotiators, very often the people on the ground are ignored or taken for granted. In the meantime, life meanders along. It is these 'everyday individuals' who make consumption-related choices on their lifestyles, travel or on preferring certain products or services over others. Enabling Environment puts the individual front and center.

Ecosystem services need to be recognized, appropriately priced and the costs allocated to the agents concerned. Enabling Environment is about defining economic and non-economic incentive structures and utilizing them to arrive at pro-environmental outcomes. This collection of articles illustrates the use of existing social, economic and regulatory structures, and the financial architecture and instruments, suitably modified or extended, to help internalize the environmental externality.

This book is about politics and planning outside of cities, where urban political economy and planning theories do not account for the resilience of places that are no longer rural and where local communities work hard to keep from ever becoming urban. By examining exurbia as a type of place that is no longer simply rural or only tied to the economies of global resources (e.g., mining, forestry, and agriculture), we explore how changing landscapes are planned and designed not to be urban, that is, to look, function, and feel different from cities and suburbs in spite of new home development and real estate speculation. The book's authors contend that exurbia is defined by the persistence of rural economies, the conservation of rural character, and protection of natural ecological systems, all of which are critical components of the contentious local politics that seek to limit growth. Comparative political ecology is used as an organizing concept throughout the book to describe the nature of exurban areas in the U.S. and Australia, although exurbs are common to many countries. The essays each describe distinctive case studies, with each chapter using the key concepts of competing rural capitalisms and uneven environmental management to describe the politics of exurban change. This systematic analysis makes the processes of exurban change easier to see and understand. Based on these case studies, seven characteristics of exurban places are identified: rural character, access, local economic change, ideologies of nature, changes in land management, coalition-building, and land-use planning. This book will be of interest to those who study planning, conservation, and land development issues, especially in areas of high natural amenity or environmental value. There is no political ecology book quite like this-neither one solely focused on cases from the developed world (in this case the United States and Australia), nor one that specifically harnesses different case studies from multiple areas to develop a central organizing perspective of landscape change.

This book explores the ethnobiology of corals by examining the various ways in which humans, past and present, have exploited and taken care of coral and coralline habitats. This book will bring the educated general audience closer to corals by exploring the various circumstances of human-coral coexistence by providing scientifically sound and jargon-free perspectives and experiences from across the globe. Corals are a vital part of the marine environment since they promote and sustain marine and global biodiversity while providing numerous other environmental and cultural services. Countless valuable coral conservation efforts are published in academic and general audience venues on a daily basis. However relevant, few of these reports show a direct, deeper understanding of the intimate relationship between people and corals throughout the world's societies. Ethnobiology of Corals and Coral Reefs establishes an intimate bond between the audience and the wonder of corals and their importance to humankind.