In this brief we consider some stochastic models that may be used to study problems related to environmental matters, in particular, air pollution. The impact of exposure to air pollutants on people's health is a very clear and well documented subject. Therefore, it is very important to obtain ways to predict or explain the behaviour of pollutants in general. Depending on the type of question that one is interested in answering, there are several of ways studying that problem. Among them we may quote, analysis of the time series of the pollutants' measurements, analysis of the information obtained directly from the data, for instance, daily, weekly or monthly averages and standard deviations. Another way to study the behaviour of pollutants in general is through mathematical models. In the mathematical framework we may have for instance deterministic or stochastic models. The type of models that we are going to consider in this brief are the stochastic ones.

This volume includes revised versions of most of the presentations made at the International Conference "Understanding the Earth Sys tem: Compartments, Processes and Interactions" held on November 24-26, 1999 in Bonn. The Conference was organized by the German National Committee on Global Change Research as part of the Bonn Science Festival 1999-2000. The Bonn Science Festival (Wissen schaftsfestival Region Bonn) was organized and funded by sfg Strukturforderungsgesellschaft Bonn/Rhein-Siegl Ahrweiler mbH. The generous support for organizing the conference and printing this volume by sfg is gratefully acknowledged. Additional financial and organizational support for separate workshop sessions and publica tions have also been provided by the German Federal Ministry for Science and Research, BMBF and Germany's major research funding agency, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. The editors wish to gratefully acknowledge the help, advice and especially patience of many individuals who have contributed to this volume. The contributions are intended to document the debate on crucial issues of the emerging concept of earth system science and to stimulate the necessary scientific discussion. While every effort has been made on the part of the editors to ensure consistency in termi nology, style and methods of quotation, the variety of contributors has inevitably resulted in certain discrepancies. E. EHLERS Bonn, February 2001 T. KRAFFT Contents Part I Panorama: The Earth System: Analysis from Science and the Humanities Chapter 1 Understanding the Earth System - From Global Change Research to Earth System Science . . . . . . . 3 E. EHLERS and T. KRAFFT Chapter 2 Earth System Analysis and Management. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 17 . . .

The history of chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences is an impressive success story. The products of chemical and pharmaceutical industries are present eve- where in our everyday life. They help to pursue the modern way of living and they contribute to our high standard of living and safety, mobility, communication te- nologies, food, health, textiles and drinking water treatment, among many others. These products are labeled under the categories: pharmaceuticals, pesticides, det- gents, fertilizers, dyes, paints, preservatives, food additives and personal care pr- ucts, to name a few. Within these categories, groups of chemicals with similar structures can be found. However, often groups of chemicals with very different structures belong to the same category. For a long time the production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, their usage and application was connected with the heavy pollution of the environment and serious health effects. At the end of the last century, it was realised that the products of che- cal and pharmaceutical industries are presenting a new type of environmental pol- tion that may also pose a health risk to the consumer. Most chemicals are used in so-called open applications in excessive amounts e. g. for personal care, hygiene, plant protection, health and in textiles. In many cases such as scents, detergents, textile chemicals, surface disinfectants, pesticides and others it is unavoidable that these chemicals are released into the environment according to their intended use.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Conference on ICT as Key Technology for the Fight against Global Warming, ICT-GLOW 2012, held in Vienna, Austria, in September 2012, in conjunction with DEXA 2012. The 9 revised papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected for inclusion in the volume. They are organized in the following topical sections: novel implementations for energy awareness; green data centers and supercomputing; and green organization and business modelling.

This book is the latest volume in the series entitled " Data and Knowledge in a Changing World ", published by the Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA) of the International Council of Scientific Unions (Icsu). This series was established to collect together, from many diverse fields, the wealth of information pertaining t.o the intelligent exploitation of data in the conduct of science and technology. This volume is the first in a two-volume series that will discuss techniques for the analysis of natural dynamic systems, and their applications to a variety of geophysical problems. The present volume lays out the theoretical foun dations for these techniques. The second volume will use these techniques in applications to fields such as seismology, geodynamics, geoelectricity, ge omagnetism, aeromagnetics, topography and bathymetry. The book consists of two parts, which describe two complementary ap proaches to the analysis of natural systems. The first, written by A. Gvishi ani, deals with dynamic pattern recognition. It lays out the mathematical VI Foreword theory and the formalized algorithms that. forms the basis for the classifi cation of vector objects and the use of this classification in the study of dynamical systems, with particular emphasis on the prediction of system behavior in space and time. It discusses the construction of classification schemes, and the evaluation of their stability and reliability.

The goal of the book is to examine scientific advances since 2000 that may have increased understanding and options in three general areas related to hypoxia: Characterization the Cause(s) of Hypoxia. The physical, biological and chemical processes that affect the development, persistence and extent of hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Characterization of Nutrient Fate, Transport and Sources. Nutrient loadings, fate, transport and sources in the Mississippi River that impact Gulf Hypoxia. Scientific Basis for Goals and Management Options. The scientific basis for, and recommended revisions to, the goals proposed in the Action Plan; and the scientific basis for the efficacy of recommended management actions to reduce nutrient flux from point and nonpoint sources. In addressing the state of the science, the book focuses on the strengths and limitations of the science in managing the Gulf hypoxia problem, including available data, models and model results and uncertainty. It includes work from the following authors: C. Kling, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA; J.L. Meyer, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; J.Sanders, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Savannah, GA, USA; H. Stallworth, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington D.C., USA; T. Armitage, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., USA; D. Wangsness, U.S. Geological Survey, Atlanta, GA, USA; T.S. Bianchi, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA; A. Blumberg, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, USA; W. Boynton, University of Maryland, MD, USA; D.J. Conley, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; W. Crumpton, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA; M.B. David, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA; D. Gilbert, Maurice-Lamontagne Institute, Mont-Joli, Quebec, Canada; R.W. Howarth, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; R. Lowrance, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Tifton, GA, USA; K. Mankin, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA; J. Opaluch, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA; H. Paerl, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Morehead City, NC, USA; K. Reckhow, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; A.N. Sharpley, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA; T.W. Simpson, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; C. Snyder, International Plant Nutrition Institute, USA; Conway, AR; D.Wright, College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, VA, US

To avoid uncontrolled climate change, greenhouse gas emissions will have to be brought under control by major emitters outside the affluent West. The authors investigate the political obstacles in BRIC countries and what their governments could do to strengthen climate policies without incurring serious political damage.

Characterising spatial and temporal variation in environmental properties, generatingmapsfromsparse samples,and quantifyinguncertaintiesin the maps,are key concerns across the environmental sciences. The body of tools known as g- statistics offers a powerful means of addressing these and related questions. This volume presents recent research in methodological developments in geostatistics and in a variety of speci?c environmental application areas including soil science, climatology, pollution, health, wildlife mapping, ?sheries and remote sensing, amongst others. This book contains selected contributions from geoENV VII, the 7th Int- national Conference on Geostatistics for Environmental Applications, held in Southampton, UK, in September 2008. Like previous conferences in the series, the meeting attracted a diversity of researchers from across Europe and further a?eld. A total of 82 abstracts were submitted to the conference and from these the organisation committee selected 46 papers for oral presentation and 30 for poster presentation. The chapters contained in the book represent the state-of-the-art in geostatistics for the environmental sciences. The book includes 35 chapters arranged according to their main focus, whether methodological, or in a particular application. All of the chapters included were accepted after review by members of the scienti?c c- mittee and each chapter was also subject to checks by the editors.

The key novelty of this book is first of all in the successful attempt to conduct jointly modeling of environment in terms of physical environment related parameters and measuring similar parameters by means of multispectral remote sensing, primarily by means of passive microwave remote sensing technology. Another new step is in the development and utilization of a multilevel approach which includes remote sensing of the land and water parameters like soil moisture, depth to water table, biomass of vegetation, temperature and salinity of water, in situ measurements of similar parameters and incorporation of GIS and data sets into the models of typical environments. The part of book, which contains remote sensing is focused on multipurpose observations from aircraft obtained in many soil-climatic zones in different countries and is reach of the examples of practical application. Applied mathematicians, geophysics, hydrologists, socio-economists, statesmans and other researchers of environmental changes will find a wealth of information and ideas in this book.

This book about the Mekong Delta presents a unique collection of state-of-the-art contributions by international experts from different scientific disciplines about the characteristics and pressing water-related challenges of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. The Mekong Delta belongs to one of the areas, which are to expect the largest challenges concerning environmental change and climate change induced sea level rise . The Delta acts as the "rice bowl" of Southeast Asia and is home to over 17 Million people, who need to cope with ecologic as well as socio-economic changes linked to the rapid economic development of the country. Annual floods, severe droughts, salt water intrusion, degrading water quality, tropical cyclones, hydrologic changes due to hydropower projects in the upstream of the Mekong, coastal erosion, and the loss of biodiversity are some of the problems in the region. Heterogeneous resource management responsibilities, and the fact that the Mekong - and thus also the Delta - is influenced by six countries aggravate the situation. Integrated water resources management and fostered cooperation and information exchange are pressing needs for the sustainable development of the Delta.

The 21st century promises to be an era dominated by international response to c- tain global environmental challenges such as climate change, depleting biodiversity and biocapacity as well as general atmospheric, water and soil pollution problems. Consequently, Environmental decision making (EDM) is a socially important ?eld of development for Operations Research and Management Science (OR/MS). - certainty is an important feature of these decision problems and it intervenes at very different time and space scales. The Handbook on "Uncertainty and Environmental Decision Making" provides a guided tour of selected methods and tools that OR/MS offer to deal with these issues. Below, we brie?y introduce, peer reviewed, chapters of this handbook and the topics that are treated by the invited authors. The ?rst chapter is a general introduction to the challenges of environmental decision making, the use of OR/MS techniques and a range of tools that are used to deal with uncertainty in this domain.

Twenty years ago, researchers wishing to identify contaminated areas in aquatic environments generally took water samples, and analysed them badly (as we have since discovered) for a few "pollutants" which were of topical note at the time (and which could be quantified by the methods then available). Today, the use of aquatic organisms as biomonitors in preference to water analysis has become commonplace, and many national and interna tional programmes exist around the world involving such studies. We believe that this trend will continue, and have complete faith in the methodology (when it is employed correctly). We hope that the following text assists in some part in attaining this goal, such that the quality of our most basic global resource - water - is adequately protected in the future. DAVE PHILLIPS, PHIL RAINBOW England. March 1992 VII Acknowledgements Our thanks for contributions to this book are due to several individuals and groups, for varying reasons. Firstly, a co-authored book is always a triumph, and we trust that the following text is an acceptable compromise ofthe views oftwo individual authors, on a complex and developing topic. Secondly, many of the ideas herein have crystallised over the last two decades as the field has grown, and we are individually and collectively grateful to a number of researchers for their insight and assistance.

This book is devoted to a wide range of problems concerning applications of nanomaterials and nanodevices as effective solutions to modern ecological problems. Leading experts in nanoscience and nanotechnology present the key theoretical, experimental and implementation issues related to the creation and utilization of novel nanoscale devices to help ensure ecological security. The authors discuss appropriate nanotechnologies for minimizing various types of risk: to human life, technogenic risk, or indeed terrorist threats. Particular emphasis is placed on defining and studying the required materials properties, and - in the field - on nanoscale devices for sensors and monitoring.

This book is devoted to a wide range of problems concerning applications of nanomaterials and nanodevices as effective solutions to modern ecological problems. Leading experts in nanoscience and nanotechnology present the key theoretical, experimental and implementation issues related to the creation and utilization of novel nanoscale devices to help ensure ecological security. The authors discuss appropriate nanotechnologies for minimizing various types of risk: to human life, technogenic risk, or indeed terrorist threats. Particular emphasis is placed on defining and studying the required materials properties, and - in the field - on nanoscale devices for sensors and monitoring."

In this book, scientists from eleven countries summarize the results of an EU project (CLIME) that explored the effects of observed and projected changes in the climate on the dynamics of lakes in Northern, Western and Central Europe. Historical measurements from eighteen sites were used to compare the seasonal dynamics of the lakes and to assess their sensitivity to local, regional and global-scale changes in the weather. Simulations using a common set of water quality models, perturbed by six climate-change scenarios, were then used to assess the uncertainties associated with the projected changes in the climate. The book includes chapters on the phenology and modelling of lake ice, the supply and recycling of nitrogen and phosphorus, the flux of dissolved organic carbon and the growth and the seasonal succession of phytoplankton. There are also chapters on the coherent responses of lakes to changes in the circulation of the atmosphere, the development of a web-based Decision Support System and the implications of climate change for the Water Framework Directive.

With remarkable vision, Prof. Otto Hutzinger initiated The Handbook of Envir- mental Chemistry in 1980 and became the founding Editor-in-Chief. At that time, environmental chemistry was an emerging ?eld, aiming at a complete description of the Earth's environment, encompassing the physical, chemical, biological, and geological transformations of chemical substances occurring on a local as well as a global scale. Environmental chemistry was intended to provide an account of the impact of man's activities on the natural environment by describing observed changes. While a considerable amount of knowledge has been accumulated over the last three decades, as re?ected in the more than 70 volumes of The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, there are still many scienti?c and policy challenges ahead due to the complexity and interdisciplinary nature of the ?eld. The series will therefore continue to provide compilations of current knowledge. Contri- tions are written by leading experts with practical experience in their ?elds. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry grows with the increases in our scienti?c understanding, and provides a valuable source not only for scientists but also for environmental managers and decision-makers. Today, the series covers a broad range of environmental topics from a chemical perspective, including methodol- ical advances in environmental analytical chemistry.

The subject of this volume is the observation and modelling of the gravity wave field in the atmosphere. The focus is on the question of how to include the effects of small-scale gravity waves in sophisticated global climate models.
The book comprises 26 chapters, including contributions from distinguished experts in observation and theory, along with results from studies of gravity wave parameterization within comprehensive climate models.

Since this new science is of an unprecedented interdisciplinary nature, the book does not merely take stock of its numerous ingredients, but also delivers their multifaceted integration.
The resulting master paradigm - the co-evolution of nature and anthroposphere within a geo-cybernetic continuum of processes - is based on a structured manifold of partial paradigms with their specific ranges. Most importantly, this serves the scientific foundation of a meaningful, safe and efficient environment and development management for solving the most burning questions concerning humankind and its natural environment.
The more concrete elucidation of the natural and human dimensions, as well as various attempts and instruments of integration are represented in the different parts of the book, while the didactic quality is heightened by many allegoric illustrations.

The intersection of new communication technologies and the ideological hegemony is one area that has not been adequately examined. Existing literature on NCTs shows that most studies have been focusing on NCTs potential to alter existing social-political categories that border on economic class, social status, race, gender, and ethnicity. Cultural Identity and New Communication Technologies: Political, Ethnic and Ideological Implications presents a careful blend of conceptual, theoretical and applied research in NCTs. This book examines content that places new communication technologies in a context that recognizes their seamless co-option into the designs of politics and culture, as well as the ideological hegemony of non-Western societies and interrogates the diagnostic degree to which the use of new communication technologies is demonstrative of the users imaginary relations to imaginary reality, their thoughts and perceptions. The role NCTs play is significant in so far as they are avenues through which the progression towards the hegemonic (or nationalistic) normative can be catalyzed.

GKSS SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH The National Research Laboratory GKSS (member of the Hermann von Helmholtz-Association of German Reserach Centres) located in Geesthacht, near Hamburg, is engaged in environmental research. The main interest of the research center focuses on regional climatology and climate dynamics, interdecadal variations in the state of the Baltic and North Sea and related estuaries, and the flow ofheavy metals, nutrients, and other materials in river catchments to the coastal zones. This research aims at-developing an under standing ofchanges in the environment, both as a result ofinternal (natural) dynamics and as a result of anthropogenic interference. In an effort to dis seminate the results of these research activities, as well as to initiate a broad discussion among senior scientists in the field, and younger colleagues from all areas of the globe, the Institutes of Hydrophysics and Atmospheric Physics at GKSS have instituted the GKSS School of Environmental Research. Appliedenvironmental research has always containedanelement ofaware ness ofthe societal implications and boundary conditions associated with en vironmental concerns. Consequently, the School of Environmental Research adheres to the philosophy that all discussion regarding environmental change should incorporate a social component. This necessity has been well acknowl edged and is apparent by the incorporation ofsocial scientists into the series of lectures. Senior scientists from Europe and North America were invited to give lectures to "students" from all parts of the globe."

Applied mathematics is a central connecting link between scientific observations and their theoretical interpretation. Nonlinear analysis has surely contributed major developments which nowadays shape the face of applied mathematics. At the beginning of the millennium, all sciences are expanding at increased speed. Technological, ecological, economical and medical problem solving is a central issue of every modern society. Mathematical models help to expose fundamental structures hidden in these problems and serve as unifying tools to deepen our understanding. What are the new challenges applied mathematics has to face with the increased diversity of scientific problems? In which direction should the classical tools of nonlinear analysis be developed further? How do new available technologies influence the development of the field? How can problems be solved which have been beyond reach in former times? It is the aim of this book to explore new developments in the field by way of discussion of selected topics from nonlinear analysis.

In regard to global change, emphasis is generally placed on the increase in global temperature, but large changes in the distribution of precipitation are also likely to occur. Such changes have been redorded in the past by paleoclimatological studies or in the field of climatology. Different approaches to monitoring and forecasting the evolution of climate-scale precipitation are reviewed by paleoclimatologists, hydrologists, satellite meteorologists, and climate modellers.

Ecotoxicology Modeling is a comprehensive and well-documented text providing a collection of computational methods to the ecotoxicologists primarily interested in the study of the adverse effects of chemicals, their mechanisms of action and/or their environmental fate and behavior. Avoiding mathematical jargon, the book presents numerous case studies to enable the reader to understand the interest but also the limitations of linear and nonlinear models in ecotoxicology.

Written by an international team of scientists, Ecotoxicology Modeling is of primary interest to those whose research or professional activity is directly concerned with the development and application of models in ecotoxicology. It is also intended to provide the graduate and post-graduate students with a clear and accessible text covering the main types of modeling approaches used in environmental sciences.

Z. Sonoda It is my great honour to declare the opening of the 2nd IBM Japan International Symposium on 'The Global Environment'. It is especially my honour, on behalf of IBM Japan, to welcome all of you most distinguished experts of the world. Historically, IBM Japan has maintained a strong interest in the protection of the global environment, not only as a member of the industrial community, but also as a member of the global community where environmental disruption has become more and more significant and of common concern. In 1990, we held the first environmental symposium on 'Global Warming'. It offered a stage to which both social and natural scientists could bring problems about 'The Global Environment' for in-depth discussions. One of its conclusions includes collaboration about socio economic aspects among the industrialized and developing countries. With this in mind, we now host the 2nd symposium which focuses upon a socio-economic approach to global environmental problems. I understand that the symposium will seek a solution by examining actual experiences and circumstances from various parts of the world, with special attention given to North/South issues. Thus, we have invited guests from America, Europe, and neighbouring Asian countries alike. I wish, and believe, that the symposium will bring about new clues, toward a breakthrough for the betterment of the environment through positive and harmonious discussions in this beautiful setting at the foot of Mt Fuji."