In this book the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) patterns of decadal-to-multidecadal variability observed and simulated by 17 general circulation models (GCMs) are analyzed. Furthermore, their impact on precipitation in West Africa and South America and the atmospheric mechanisms involved are assessed. Through this analysis, the effect of external forcings on these impacts and the relative contribution of decadal-to-multidecadal variability patterns of SST to precipitation are presented in depth. Finally, a humid period in the West African region of the Sahel during the 19th century, previously little documented, is analyzed using an atmospheric GCM. The monsoons of West Africa and South America have shown changes in the timescales of a few decades. Previous work suggests a relationship with patterns of decadal-to-multidecadal variability of SST, such as global warming and the Atlantic and Pacific variability. However, the dynamics underlying this relationship and its simulation by current GCMs had not been addressed in a consistent manner. This is the main motivation of this book. The results of this book not only represent a great step forward in our understanding of the changes in the precipitation regimes of the studied regions, but they can also be of great help for the improvement of decadal prediction systems and the associated social consequences.

This book presents the spatial and temporal dynamics of land use and land cover in the central Tibetan Plateau during the last two decades, based on various types of satellite data, long-term field investigation and GIS techniques. Further, it demonstrates how remote sensing can be used to map and characterize land use, land cover and their dynamic processes in mountainous regions, and to monitor and model relevant biophysical parameters. The Tibetan Plateau, the highest and largest plateau on the Earth and well known as "the roof of the world," is a huge mountainous area on the Eurasian continent and covers millions of square kilometers, with an average elevation of over 4000 m. After providing an overview of the background and an introduction to land use and land cover change, the book analyzes the current land use status, dynamic changes and spatial distribution patterns of different land-use types in the study area, using various types of remotely sensed data, digital elevation models and GIS spatial analysis methods to do so. In turn, it discusses the main driving forces, based on the main physical environment variables and socioeconomic data, and provides a future scenario analysis of land use change using a Markov chain model. Given its scope, it provides a valuable reference guide for researchers, scientists and graduate students working on environmental change in mountainous regions around the globe, and for practitioners working at government and non-government agencies.

This book presents worked examples of five analytical procedures. These practical examples address traceability, validation and measurement uncertainty aspects in a systematic and consistent way, and cover applications in the analysis of water, food, as well as ores and minerals. This concept is based on the experiences of the TrainMiCc program, in which more than 9000 laboratory professionals all over Europe have participated.

This book provides an authoritative review of the origin and extraction of strontium and its impact on the environment. It also presents the latest strontium decontamination and remediation strategies. Around the globe, nuclear power is being recognized as a major source of energy and is expected to play a crucial role in meeting the energy requirements of present day society. However, the pros and cons have to be considered, and the safe disposal of large amounts of radionuclide wastes is becoming a matter of great concern. These wastes encompass contaminants such as heavy metals and toxic substances, which may exist in solid, liquid or gaseous forms or a combination of these, and as such, their disposal requires particular attention. The book focuses on 90Sr, which is a predominant isotope of strontium and considered an intermediate level radioactive waste with a half-life of 28.8 years, average biological half-life of 18 years and 546 KeV decay energy. Written by expert contributors, it addresses occurrence, detection and extraction of strontium, the chemical and nuclear properties of strontium isotopes, the fate and migration of strontium in soil, its bioaccumulation, and its associated health impact, mechanistic toxicity response as well as related regulation and remediation. It appeals to scholars, scientists and environmental managers working with strontium contamination in the environment and its consequences.

The book presents high-quality research papers from the Seventh International Conference on Solid Waste Management (IconSWM 2017), held at Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Hyderabad on December 15-17, 2017. The conference, an official side event of the high-level Intergovernmental Eighth Regional 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific, aimed to generate scientific inputs into the policy consultation of the Forum co-organized by the UNCRD/UNDESA, MoEFCC India, MOUD India and MOEJ, Japan. Presenting research on solid waste management from more than 30 countries, the book is divided into three volumes and addresses various issues related to innovation and implementation in sustainable waste management, segregation, collection, transportation of waste, treatment technology, policy and strategies, energy recovery, life cycle analysis, climate change, research and business opportunities.

The crucible of innovation in wildlife and habitat conservation is in southern Africa where it has co-evolved with decolonization, political transformation and the rise of development, ownership, management and livelihood debates. Charting this innovation, early chapters deal with the traditional 'fines and fences' conservation that occurred in the colonial and early post-independence period, with subsequent sections focussing on the experimentation and innovation that occurred on private and communal land as a result of the break from these traditional methods. The final section deals with more recent innovations in the sector, focussing on building and strengthening the relationships between parks and society. Importantly, the book provides a data-rich summary of experimentation with more inclusive models of conservation in terms of ecological, social, political and economic indicators. Published with the Southern African Sustainable Use Specialist Group (SASUSG) of IUCN

"Handbook of Environmental Permitting Calculations" provides an essential reference for the technical calculations to obtain environmental permits. Along with accurate explanations, the text includes helpful chemical equations, examples, and case studies to assist and illuminate calculations. Filled with the rich experience from the author's work in environmental permitting, the coverage features major concepts and practice in the environmental permitting process; environmental chemistry; air pollution control; and more. "Handbook of Environmental Permitting Calculations" is a must-have for anybody working on environmental planning and compliance, as well as those issuing and monitoring environmental permits.

Remote sensing has witnessed a renaissance as new sensor systems, data collection capabilities and image processing methodologies have expanded the technological capabilities of this science into new and important applications areas. Perhaps nowhere has this trend been more evident than in the study of earth environments. Within this broad application area remote sensing has proven to be an invaluable asset supporting timely data gathering at a range of synoptic scales, facilitating the mapping of complex landscapes and promoting the analysis of environmental process. Yet remote sensing's contribution to the study of human/environmental interaction is scattered throughout a rich and diverse literature spanning the social and physical sciences, which frustrates access to, and the sharing of the knowledge gained through, these recent advances, and inhibits the operational use of these methods and techniques in day to day environmental practice, a recognized gap that reduces the effectiveness of environmental management programs. The objective of this book is to address this gap and provide the synthesis of method and application that is currently missing in the environmental science, re-introducing remote sensing as an important decision-support technology.

As climate change and urban development are closely interlinked and often interact negatively, this edited volume takes Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam's first mega-urban region as a case study to analyse its vulnerability to climate change and to suggest measures towards a more sustainable urban development. The book offers an overview on land use planning regarding the aspects of urban flooding, urban climate, urban energy and urban mobility as well as spatial views from the angle of urban planning such as the metropolitan level, the city, the neighbourhood and building level. It shows that to a significant degree, measures dealing with climate change can be taken from the toolbox of sustainable urban development and reflects how institutional structures need to change to enhance chances for implementation given socio-cultural and economic constraints. This is merged and integrated into a holistic perspective of planning recommendations, supporting the municipal government to increase its adaptive capacity. The authors are members of a German government funded research project on how to support HCMC's municipal government to adapt to risks related to climate change.

The book provides a review of experimental methods and presents the worldwide newest literature regarding chemical substances fluxes via submarine groundwater discharge (SGD). Thus, the book characterizes both the distribution of chemicals in groundwater impacted areas in the Baltic Sea and their fluxes via SGD to the Baltic Sea. This book presents the state of art regarding the SGD and detailed studies on SGD characterization in the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is an example of a region highly influenced by a variety of human activities that affect the ecosystem. It is shown that SGD has been proven to be one of the important sources introducing dissolved substances into the Baltic Sea. The loads of chemical substances delivered to the Baltic sea with SGD have not been quantified so far.

This book includes keynote presentations, invited speeches, and general session papers presented at the 7th International Symposium on Environmental Vibration and Transportation Geodynamics (formerly the International Symposium on Environmental Vibration), held from October 28 to 30, 2016 at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. It discusses topics such as the dynamic and cyclic behaviors of soils, dynamic interaction of vehicle and transportation infrastructure; traffic-induced structure and soil vibrations and wave propagation; soil-structure dynamic interaction problems in transportation; environmental vibration analysis and testing; vehicle, machine and human-induced vibrations; monitoring, evaluation and control of traffic induced vibrations; transportation foundation deformation and deterioration induced by vibration; structural safety and serviceability of railways, metros, roadways and bridges; and application of geosynthetics in transportation infrastructure. It is a valuable resource for government managers, scientific researchers, and engineering professionals engaged in the field of geotechnical and transportation engineering.

This book assesses river health in the Lancang River Basin with regard to the impacts of hydropower projects. It studies key components of the transboundary effects of Chinese dams on the Lancang River including its hydrology, sediment transport, water temperature, and fish community. It also investigates the specific impacts of hydropower on women's lives and livelihoods, and factors that influence women's participation in river health management. In closing, the lessons learned regarding environmental protection and hydropower development in the Lancang River Basin are shared, e.g. with hydropower developers and regulators in Laos.

In this concise book, the author presents the essentials every chemist needs to know about how to obtain reliable measurement results. Starting with the basics of metrology and the metrological infrastructure, all relevant topics - such as traceability, calibration, chemical reference materials, validation and uncertainty - are covered. In addition, key aspects of laboratory management, including quality management, inter-laboratory comparisons, proficiency testing, and accreditation, are addressed.

This book presents current applications of remote sensing techniques for clouds and precipitation for the benefit of students, educators, and scientists. It covers ground-based systems such as weather radars and spaceborne instruments on satellites. Measurements and modeling of precipitation are at the core of weather forecasting, and long-term observations of the cloud system are vital to improving atmospheric models and climate projections. The first section of the book focuses on the use of ground-based weather radars to observe and measure precipitation and to detect and forecast storms, thunderstorms, and tornadoes. It also discusses the observation of clouds using ground-based millimeter radar. The second part of the book concentrates on spaceborne remote sensing of clouds and precipitation. It includes cases from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, using satellite radars to observe precipitation systems. Then, the focus is on global cloud observations from the ClaudSat, Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), including a perspective on the Earth Clouds, Aerosols, and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) satellite. It also addresses global atmospheric water vapor profiling for clear and cloudy conditions using microwave observations. The final part of this volume provides a perspective into advances in cloud modeling using remote sensing observations.

This book offers extensive and comprehensive knowledge to the researchers and academicians who are working on decontamination of radioactively contaminated areas. Remediation strategies for contaminated sites are provided. Readers who will find this book useful include professionals specializing in radioecology, safe disposal of radioactive waste, as well as decontamination, remediation legacies and impact of radioactive waste material on the environment. The chapters give a broad overview and reviews of a number of original publications on remediation strategies that were explored after the Chernobyl and Fukushima Nuclear Power plant accidents. Useful case studies are provided that explore the latest technological developments and future trends for affected area decontamination.

The aim of this book is to demonstrate how environmental factors have caused an evolution in the landscape of national security since the end of the Cold War. Through relevant case studies, the scope of the problem on the national security landscape due to environmental stressors is illuminated, examined, and synthesized with climate-related data. Human variables such as governance, GDP, and vulnerability are taken into account, and are compared against environmental factors to more accurately determine the causative agents of regional conflicts which threaten national security. These case studies comprise the majority of the text, and they show how individual conflicts are uniquely influenced by environmental stress with variations from situation to situation. This book will be of interest to government and military professionals, and may serve as a resource for college courses in the areas of military geography, international affairs, and sustainability studies.

This book is about the varied range of emerging applications using specially trained detection dogs to monitor and protect aquatic ecosystems, animals, plants and related resources. Featuring contributions from those at the forefront of converging disciplines ranging from canine training, ecological and biological monitoring, water resource management, law enforcement, and eco-toxicology, it addresses everyone already immersed in these or related fields, and anyone seeking to gain a broader understanding of them. Chapters cover several common themes including monitoring presence/absence through biological and ecological surveys; maintaining and evaluating water quality; law enforcement and anti-poaching initiatives; public education, awareness and compliance; standards and best practices; optimal uses of dogs in relation to and in conjunction with other available tools and pragmatic considerations for selecting and working with dogs and handlers. The aim of the book is to stimulate new ideas, promote the sharing and dissemination of information and findings - and, ideally, to catalyze new and innovative partnerships, to strengthen the preservation and conservation of our aquatic heritage.

This book provides an overview of modern sensing technologies and reflects the remarkable advances that have been made in the field of intelligent and smart sensors, environmental monitoring, health monitoring, and many other sensing and monitoring contexts in today's world. It addresses a broad range of aspects, from human health monitoring to the monitoring of environmental conditions, from wireless sensor networks and the Internet of Things to structural health monitoring. Given its breadth of scope, the book will benefit researchers, practitioners, technologists and graduate students involved in the monitoring of systems within the human body, functions and activities, healthcare technologies and services, the environment, etc.

This book is devoted to the analysis and applications of energy, exergy, and environmental issues in all sectors of the economy, including industrial processes, transportation, buildings, and services. Energy sources and technologies considered are hydrocarbons, wind and solar energy, fuel cells, as well as thermal and electrical storage. This book provides theoretical insights, along with state-of-the-art case studies and examples and will appeal to the academic community, but also to energy and environmental professionals and decision makers.

The book contains high-quality research papers presented at Sixth International Conference on Solid Waste Management held at Jadavpur University, Kolkata India during November 23-26, 2016. The Conference, IconSWM 2016, is organized by Centre for Quality Management System, Jadavpur University in association with premier institutes and societies of India. The researchers from more than 30 countries presented their work in Solid Waste Management. The book is divided into two volumes and deliberates on various issues related to innovation and implementation in sustainable waste management, segregation, collection, transportation of waste, treatment technology, policy and strategies, energy recovery, life cycle analysis, climate change, research and business opportunities.

This manual describes the wide range of electromechanical, electrochemical and electro-optical transducers at the heart of current field-deployable ocean observing instruments. Their modes of operation, precision and accuracy are discussed in detail. Observing platforms ranging from the traditional to the most recently developed are described, as are the challenges of integrating instrument suits to individual platforms. Technical approaches are discussed to address environmental constraints on instrument and platform operation such as power sources, corrosion, biofouling and mechanical abrasion. Particular attention is also given to data generated by the networks of observing platforms that are typically integrated into value-added data visualization products, including numerical simulations or models. Readers will learn about acceptable data formats and representative model products. The last section of the book is devoted to the challenges of planning, deploying and maintaining coastal ocean observing systems. Readers will discover practical applications of ocean observations in diverse fields including natural resource conservation, commerce and recreation, safety and security, and climate change resiliency and adaptation. This volume will appeal to ocean engineers, oceanographers, commercial and recreational ocean data users, observing systems operators, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students in the field of ocean observing.

This book comprising seven parts is organized under two sections. The first section deals with environment containing four parts, whereas the second section, containing three parts, is on energy. The first part deals with some aspects of hydrologic impacts of global warming and anthropogenic changes. Part II is on bio-environment and discusses plants, biomass, and bacterial species. Part III focuses on chemical environment. Section one is concluded with Part IV on social environment. Section two starts out with Part V on solar energy. Hydropower is discussed in Part VI. The concluding Part VII deals with biogas. The book will be of interest to researchers and practitioners in the field of water resources, hydrology, environmental resources, agricultural engineering, watershed management, earth sciences, as well as those engaged in natural resources planning and management. Graduate students and those wishing to conduct further research in water and environment and their development and management may find the book to be of value.

This volume of the Chinese Water Systems subseries offers up-to-date and comprehensive information on various aspects of the Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China. Following a detailed introduction of the lake basin, the respective chapters present the findings of studies examining surface and subsurface hydrology, relationships between plant ecology and pollution of the wetlands, changes of land cover as well as the development of modern computational approaches to create Environmental Information Systems for water management. Moreover, the results are supplemented by a wealth of numerical calculations, tables, figures and photographs to make the research results more tangible. Closing with concise information on the "Research Centre for Environmental Information Science" (RCEIS), the book offers a valuable guide for researchers, teachers and professionals working in the areas of water environment, water security and ecological restoration. The projects have been supported by the Sino-German Centre for Science Promotion, the Helmholtz Association and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

There are two basic policy tools for promoting renewable electricity: price regulation (feed-in tariffs) and quantity regulation (green certificates). In economic theory, they are equally efficient. Contrary to conventional thinking, the author demonstrates that under real-world conditions, price regulation is more efficient. EU law obliges Member States to put support schemes in place, but leaves their design to national authorities. They need, however, to comply with EU state aid and internal market rules, and their financing may not result in import duties and discriminatory taxation. This book provides a detailed analysis of the decisions practice adopted by the Commission and the case law of the Union Courts. As support schemes mature, has time not come for putting an end to regulatory competition? With huge efficiency gains to be expected, the author expertly examines the political obstacles and sets out three different pathways to achieve EU-wide harmonization.

Innovationen entziehen sich immer deutlicher einer technologisch verkurzten Sichtweise. Angesichts der gestiegenen Dynamik und Komplexitat der Umfeldbedingungen fur Unternehmen kommen der Fruherkennung und dem Monitoring technologischer, wirtschaftlicher, politischer und gesellschaftlicher Entwicklungen immer grossere Bedeutung fur den Innovationserfolg zu. Dies gilt besonders fur dynamische Technologiefelder, wie dem Pervasive Computing. Die fortschreitende Nutzung des Internets, die Einbettung von Elektronikkomponenten in Alltagsgegenstande und der Trend zur standigen Vernetzung ( Always on - Anywhere & Anytime") sind unubersehbar. Die vorliegende Arbeit ermittelt okologische Veranderungspotenziale und geht der Frage nach, wie Nachhaltigkeitsanforderungen bereits fruhzeitig in Innovationsprozesse einbezogen werden konnen. Mit Blick auf diese Aufgabe wurde das Konzept der Integrierten Technologie-Roadmap" entwickelt. Mit der Integrierten Technologie-Roadmap wird es moglich, mehrere Dimensionen zukunftsfahigen Wirtschaftens in dynamischen Technologiefeldern simultan zu betrachten. Sie fragt nach technologischen Beitragen zur Bewaltigung von gesellschaftlichen, okonomischen, politischen und okologischen Herausforderungen und ruckt die Sicht der Anwender in den Mittelpunkt. Beides hilft Unsicherheiten bei Technologieentwicklung, Markteinfuhrung und Geschaftsmodellen zu minimieren und die Richtungssicherheit zu erhohen."