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Books > Professional & Technical > Environmental engineering & technology > Environmental monitoring
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
The threat of biological and chemical terrorism has driven the demand for timely techniques that can quickly detect the agent or agents used in an attack. The detection and/or prevention of these potential security threats provide significant scientific and technical challenges due to the combination of possible agents and modes of delivery available. This book will present a thorough look at the importance and technological challenges of mass spectrometry (MS) for the detection & identification of biological and chemical threats. This new contribution's general aims are to draw the attention of recognized practitioners, experts and graduate students trying to grasp the latest MS developments in the cutting-edge fields of MS-biodefense technologies for the rapid/early/specific sensitive threat detection of pathogens, viruses, explosives, mycotoxins, chemical agents, and biological markers of xenobiotic chemicals.
J.-E. Dubois and N. Gershon This book was inspired by the Symposium on "Communications and Computer Aided Systems" held at the 14th International CODATA Conference in September 1994 in Chambery, France. It was conceived and influenced by the discussions at the symposium and most of the contributions were written following the Conference. This is the first comprehensive book, published in one volume, of issues concerning the challenges and the vital impact of the information revolution (including the Internet and the World Wide Web) on science and technology. Topics concerning the impact of the information revolution on science and technology include: * Dramatic improvement in sharing of data and information among scientists and engineers around the world * Collaborations (on-line and off-line) of scientists and engineers separated by distance . * Availability of visual tools and methods to view, understand, search, and share information contained in data * Improvements in data and information browsing, search and access and * New ways of publishing scientific and technological data and information. These changes have dramatically modified the way research and development in science and technology are being carried out. However, to facilitate this information flow nationally and internationally, the science and technology communities need to develop and put in place new standards and policies and resolve some legal issues.
This book explores the dynamic processes in economic systems, concentrating on the extraction and use of the natural resources required to meet economic needs. Sections cover methods for dynamic modeling in economics, microeconomic models of firms, modeling optimal use of both nonrenewable and renewable resources, and chaos in economic models. This book does not require a substantial background in mathematics or computer science.
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."
This is one of the most comprehensive books on complex subjects of environmental engineering assessment and planning. Addressing these issues requires an understanding of technical, economic, and policy perspectives; based upon extensive research and practical experience of the authors, these perspectives are thoughtfully and clearly presented. Covered in this book are subjects related to environmental engineering and planning which include environmental laws and regulations, international perspectives on environmental analysis engineering and planning, economic and social impact analysis, public participation, and energy and environmental implications of major public works and private projects. Contemporary issues ranging from climate change to ecorisk and sustainability are covered in a special section as well. Under Contemporary Challenges are environmental issues that have received considerable public support and concern; they include: climate change, acid rain, deforestation, endangered species, biodiversity, ecorisk, cultural resources, and sustainability. For most of these issues, there are scientific agreements and disagreements; there are many uncertainties, thus views differ widely. These topics are discussed in considerable detail. Notwithstanding uncertainties and differing views on such topics, all of this information is put in a policy context such that progress towards addressing these contemporary challenges can be made while consensus on the nature and extent of the problem and resultant solutions are being developed. The book provides considerable information about many timeless
issues. These issues range from resources needed for sustaining the
quality of life on the planet: air resources to natural resources.
Specifically covered are: air, water, land, ecology, sound/noise,
human aspects, economics, and resources. For each of these areas,
some of the key elements are described so that one can effectively
manage complex environmental engineering and planning requirements.
Each of the elements are clearly defined and other information,
such as how human activities affect the element, source of affects,
variable to be measured, how such variables can be measured, data
sources, and evaluation and interpretation of data, etc. are
provided. Material presented provides a rich source of information
so the reader can efficiently and effectively use it to make
meaningful environmental engineering, planning, and management
decisions. Complete coverage of current approaches, practices, procedures, documentations, regulations, and issues related to environmental engineering and planning. Step-by-step directions for preparing environmental impact analysis, and environmental reports. Valuable expert advice on international perspectives, public participation, social and environmental impacts. A comprehensive write-up on contemporary issues ranging from climate change to sustainability. A comprehensive description and analysis of timeless issues ranging from air resources to natural resources.
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.
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.
Bivalve filter-feeding mollusks are important components of coastal ecosystems because they remove large quantities of suspended material from the water and excrete abundant amounts of reactive nutrients. These animals are also major prey for numerous predators including birds, fish, mammals, and invertebrates; furthermore, they are significant food resources for humans. While studies on the organismic and population level have dominated bivalve ecology, the recent focus on the ecosystem roles of filter feeding systems has led to larger-scale investigations. With this approach the specific topics of physiology, grazing, predation, nutrient cycling, physical environment, computer simulation modeling, and environmental management are combined into a meaningful whole.
The connections between economics, planning, and the environment are receiv ing increased attention among scholars and policy makers in many countries. The common denominator among these three variables is the earth's life support sys tems, the ecosystems on which the world depends. When we describe our physi cal surroundings as a collection of possible uses, we are establishing linkages between economics, planning, and the environment. Because possible alternative uses compete with each other, and conflicts arise over scarce land resources, the varying environmental impacts of alternative uses are major concerns for the cur rent as well as the next generation. How to achieve sustainable development is the pressing question for today's environmental professionals. Environmental planners and engineers help us study the implications of our choices, and new technologies and techniques that improve the practice of environmental planning should enhance our ability to protect our future. The depletion of the earth's natural resources and loss of biodiversity, the deg radation of air, land, and water quality, the accumulation of greenhouse gases leading to changes in our climate, and the depletion of the ozone layer comprise only a partial list of environmental issues that concern our policy makers. To sup port their decisions, environmental planning must be a multidimensional and multidisciplinary activity that incorporates social, economic, political, geograph ical, and technical factors. Solutions for problems in these areas frequently re quire not only numerical analyses but also heuristic analyses, which in turn depend on the intuitive judgements of planners and engineers."
It has been evident from many years of research work in the geohydrologic sciences that a summary of relevant past work, present work, and needed future work in multivariate statistics with geohydrologic applications is not only desirable, but is necessary. This book is intended to serve a broad scientific audience, but more specifi cally is geared toward scientists doing studies in geohydrology and related geo sciences.lts objective is to address both introductory and advanced concepts and applications of the multivariate procedures in use today. Some of the procedures are classical in scope but others are on the forefront of statistical science and have received limited use in geohydrology or related sciences. The past three decades have seen a significant jump in the application of new research methodologies that focus on analyzing large databases. With more general applications being developed by statisticians in various disciplines, multivariate quantitative procedures are evolving for better scientific applica tion at a rapid rate and now provide for quick and informative analyses of large datasets. The procedures include a family of statistical research methods that are alternatively called "multivariate analysis" or "multivariate statistical methods.""
Experts report the state of the art in the study of global climate
change using remote sensing techniques. Topics covered include the
principles of remote sensing, the management of data, data
requirements in climatology, the principles of modelling, the input
of data into models, and the application of remote sensing to the
atmosphere, ice and snow, seas and land.
Partitioning of chemicals in the environment and its modeling is becoming an important field in environmental science and engineering. This book enables students, researchers, and interested laymen to enter the field of environmental modeling in a fast and effective way. The book contains modeling software (CemoS V 1.10), data sets and the CemoS handbook. Each chapter contains examples and exercises.
Air quality and air pollution control are tasks of international concern as, for one, air pollutants do not refrain from crossing borders and, for another, industrial plants and motor vehicles which emit air pollutants are in widespread use today. In a number of the world's expanding cities smog situations are a frequent occurrence due to the number and emission-intensity of air pollution sources. Polluted air causes annoy ances and can, when it occurs in high concentrations in these cities, constitute a seri ous health hazard. How important clean air is to life becomes apparent when consid ering the fact that humans can do without food for up to 40 days, without air, how ever, only a few minutes. The first step towards improving the air quality situation is the awareness that a sound environment is as much to be aspired for as the development of new tech nologies improving the standard of living. Technical progress should be judged es pecially by how environmentally benign, clean and noiseless its products are. Of these elements, clean air is of special concern to me. I hope that this book will awaken more interest in this matter and that it will lead to new impulses. Due to the increasing complexity of today's machinery and industrial processes science and technology can no longer do without highly specialized design engineers and opera tors. Environmental processes, however, are highly interdependent and interlinked."
One of the major findings in the 1992 IPCC report and the 1994 World Meteorological Organization's Ozone Assessment report was the identification of possible climatic effects over the last few decades resulting from anthropogenic ally-induced changes in atmospheric ozone. The initial quantitative estimates of their direct climatic effects indicate significant impacts, though large uncertainties exist and studies using general circulation models are needed. A point that needs to be addressed in particular is that atmospheric ozone differs from greenhouse gases in that it is formed and destroyed by chemical processes in the atmosphere due to interaction involving a large number of source gases (e. g. H0, NO ' CO, 2 x NMHC, N0, CH and the CFCs). Therefore, the indirect effect of climate-chemistry 2 4 interaction involving atmospheric ozone is an important aspect for consideration in general circulation models. During the last few years, there have been several international workshops related to atmospheric ozone. In 1987, a NATO workshop on atmospheric ozone was held in Lillehammer, Norway. More recently, two workshops were organized to discuss the topic "General Circulation Model Study of Climate-Chemistry Interaction. " The first was held August 19-21, 1992, in Oslo, Norway, and the second held May 26-27,1993, in Albany, New York, USA. The two workshops were IAMAP activities under the Trace Constituent Working Group.
Experts in soil and environmental sciences as well as in the theory of wave propagation and numerical modeling methods provide a comprehensive account of different aspects of pollutant migration in soils, aquifers, and other geological formations. Emphasis is laid on the analysis of contributing phenomena and their interactions, modeling, and the practical use of such knowledge and models for guidance in disposal operations, preventive measures to minimize ecological damage, prediction of consequences of seepage, and design of remedial actions. Topics covered include the chemical behavior of soils, sorption and retardation, biochemistry of pollutants, ion exchange and kinetics of reactions in soils, measurement of adsorption and desorption, multiphase hydrodynamics, multicomponent wave theory and the coherence concept, nonlinear wave propagation in geological formations, multiphase convective transport, diffusion and fast reaction, modeling pollutant transport, numerical methods, dispersion of contaminants from landfills, risk analysis, water reuse, and radioactive soil contamination at Chernobyl.
Organic chemicals constitute minor gaseous components of the earth's atmosphere. Despite low concentrations they play an important role in the global processes influencing the composition of our atmosphere. The author summarizes the multidisciplinary data on sources and thermo- and photochemical transformations of organic components in the atmosphere. Modern methods of atmospheric microimpurity analysis are explained. Models for their time-dimensional distribution both in the urban atmosphere and in unpolluted air are developed. The book provides a unique source of contemporary information for scientists involved in atmospheric chemistry, meteorology, ecology and geophysics.
This volume is the outcome of a recent NATO Advanced Study Institute (ASI) on "Technology Assessment. Environmental Impact Assessment. and Risk Analysis: Contributions from the Psychological and Decision Sciences." The Institute was held in Les Arcs. France and functioned as a high level teaching activity during which scientific research results were presented in detail by eminent lecturers. Support for the Institute was provided by grants from the NATO Division of Scientific Affairs. the u.S. Office of Naval Research. and the Russell Sage Foundation. The Institute covered several areas of research. including quantitative studies on decision and judgmental processes. studies on human intellectual limitations. studies on risk attitudes and perceptions. studies on factors contributing to conflicts and disputes about hazardous technologies and activities. studies on factors influencing forecasts and judgments by experts. studies on public preferences for decisionmaking processes. studies on public responses to technological hazards. and case studies applying principles and methods from the psychological and decision sciences in specific settings.
Recent developments in air pollution modeling and its application are explored here in contributions by researchers at the forefront of their field. The book is focused on local, urban, regional and intercontinental modeling; data assimilation and air quality forecasting; model assessment and evaluation; aerosol transformation; the relationship between air quality and human health and the effects of climate change on air quality. The work will provide useful reference material for students and professors interested in air pollution modeling at the graduate level as well as researchers and professionals involved in developing and utilizing air pollution models. |
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