![]() |
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
|
Your cart is empty |
||
|
Books > Earth & environment > Earth sciences > General
In their approach to Earth dynamics the authors consider the
fundamentals of "Jacobi Dynamics" (1987, Reidel) for two reasons.
First, because satellite observations have proved that the Earth
does not stay in hydrostatic equilibrium, which is the physical
basis of today's treatment of geodynamics. And secondly, because
satellite data have revealed a relationship between gravitational
moments and the potential of the Earth's outer force field
(potential energy), which is the basis of "Jacobi Dynamics." This
has also enabled the authors to come back to the derivation of the
classical virial theorem and, after introducing the volumetric
forces and moments, to obtain a generalized virial theorem in the
form of Jacobi's equation. Thus a physical explanation and rigorous
solution was found for the famous Jacobi's equation, where the
measure of the matter interaction is the energy.
Most industrial and natural materials exhibit a macroscopic behaviour which results from the existence of microscale inhomogeneities. The influence of such inhomogeneities is commonly modelled using probabilistic methods. Most of the approaches to the evaluation of the safety of structures according to probabilistic criteria are somewhat scattered, however, and it is time to present such material in a coherent and up-to-date form. Probabilities and Materials undertakes this task, and also defines the great tasks that must be tackled in coming years. For engineers and researchers dealing with materials, geotechnics, solid mechanics, soil mechanics, statistics and stochastic processes. The expository nature of the book means that no prior knowledge of statistics or probability is required of the reader. The book can thus serve as an excellent introduction to the nature of applied statistics and stochastic modelling.
Structural clay products have had a place in the history of civilization like bread and cloth. Probably because the industry has been so commonplace in the lives of people, 1ittle has been written about it; even the history of its development is sketchy. There is no other book quite like this in publication at present, and it is prompted now because much general scientific knowledge can be, and is, applied to the manufacture of structural clay products. This book is an attempt to bring together in one place the basic sciences that can be useful in all of the processes and experiences of the clayworker. This volume was written primarily as a text to be used in courses for third and fourth year college students; however, there will be a broader interest in it by industrial foremen, engineers, architects, and scientists employed in the manu facture, research and use of structural clay products. It will also be a source of general information for those interested in entering the field. The treatment of the basic principles of clay products manufacturing and use is so general that even those interested in refractories, whitewares, and pottery may find many parts useful to them."
Le rassemblement sur la zone industrielle de FOS-BERRE d'une densite importante de mesures meteorologiques et physioo-chimiques, per- met de proposer, dans Ie cadre de notre action COST 61 a bis, l'utilisa- tion de ces mesures pour initialiser et verifier divers types de modeles. L'objectif initial de cette campagne est l'intercomparaison d'instruments de teledetection. II s'agit d'une des campagnes effectuees periodiquement, en des sites differents a l'initiative des Communautes europeennes. Ces campagnes comportent deux phases: la premiere est l'inter- calibration des instruments au m@me point, et la seconde est l'estimation des flux de polluants sur la zone etudiee. Effectuee en general a l'aide de moyens mobiles de teledetec- tion, cette estimation ne peut @tre assuree que si lion connatt Ie champ de vent et Ie profil vertical de temperature (et, bien sOr, les caracte- ristiques des sources polluantes). L'Etablissement d'Etudes et de Recherches Meteorologiques de la Meteorologie Nationale (EERM) et Ie Service Etudes et Recherches de l'E- lectricite de France (EDF) sollicites pour fournir l'assistance meteoro- logique correspondante, ont propose, du fait de la presence de moyens im- portants sur Ie site, une campagne mesometeorologique. Ce deuxieme objec- tif a permis d'obtenir des donnees tres completes, que les modelisateurs europeens devraient pouvoir utiliser. II - Aspects meteorologigues, reconstitution des champs Le site de FOS-BERRE se caracterise par sa geographie tourmen- tee: presence de la mer, de l'Etang de Berre et de reliefs. Toutefois, Ie mecanisme engendrant les fortes pollutions reste en gros Ie m@me que sur site homogene.
The outflow of heat from the earth's interior, the terrestrial heat flow, and the temperature field at depth are determined by deep-seated tectonic processes. The knowledge of the re gional heat flow pattern is thus very important in geophysics and provides a useful tool for studying crustal and litho spheric structure and understanding the nature of their evo lution. In order to use the results of heat flow measurements for regional studies and/or to correlate the observed surface geothermal activity with other geophysical or geological fea tures, a map showing the surface distribution of heat flow is necessary. Since 1963, when the first comprehensive listing of all available heat flow data appeared (Lee, 1963), several at tempts have been made to up-date the list, to classify all the data and to interpret them with respect to tectonics, deep structure and to use them for constructing surface heat flow maps. The first listing was subsequently revised by Lee and Uyeda (1965); numerous new data which were published there after were included in successive catalogs compiled by Simmons and Horai (1968) and then again by Jessop et al. (1976). The map showing the surface heat flow pattern may also be of great value for practical purposes, in view of the recent world-wide search for applicable sources of geothermal energy."
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 . . .
Although a considerable amount of information concerning the applications for arc plasmas in the materials sciences is available, it is contained in literally thousands of separate manuals, technical notes, textbooks, and government and industrial reports. Each source generally deals with only one specific application or, at best, a narrow range of utilization. This book was developed to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date compilation of information in the technology of arc plasma utilization. The book is divided into two general categories: flame spraying and materials evaluation. In the flame spraying section a comprehensive review of the plasma spraying process is presented. The design and operation of plasma spraying equipment are described. Included are a description of the nature of a plasma, and the design and operation of plasma generators, powder feed systems and accessory control equip ment. The general process procedures, and associated process variables are de scribed. Particular emphasis is given to the particle heating process and the mechanisms for adherence and cohesion of coatings. Competitive flame spraying equipment is also detailed (combustion process, detonation and electric arc) and compared with the plasma spray process. A discussion and compilation of flame sprayed ceramic and metal materials, their properties and applications are also included."
This book describes and analyses various aspects of Israeli climate. This work also elucidates how both man and nature adjust to various climates. The first part (Chapters 1-9) deals with the meteorological and climatological network stations, the history of climate research in Israel, analysis of the local climate by season, and a discussion of the climate variables their spatial and temporal distribution. The second part (Chapters 10-14) of this work is devoted to a survey of applied climatology. This part presents information on weather forecasting, rainfall enhancement, air quality monitoring, and various climatological aspects of planning. There is no sharp division between theoretical and applied climatology topics. Moreover, though various sections seem exclusively theoretical, they also include important applications for various real life situations (such as rainfall intensities (Section 5. 3), frost, frost damage (Section 6. 2. 4), degree-days (Section 6. 2. 5) and heat stress (Section 6. 2. 6). Professionals and university students of geography and earth science, meteorology and climatology, even high school students majoring in geography will be able to use this book as a basic reference work. Researchers in atmospheric science can also use this work as an important source of reference. Students of agriculture will also gain theoretical and practical insights. Even architects and engineers will gain another perspective in their fields.
Of interest to both researchers and policy makers
Oxidation and removal of atmospheric constituents involve complex sequences of reactions which can lead to the production of photo-oxidants such as ozone. In order to understand and model these complex reaction sequences, it is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of reaction mechanisms and accurate estimates of kinetic parameters for relevant gas-phase atmospheric reactions. This book presents recent advances in the field and includes the following topics: e.g. the oxidation of simple organic compounds, NOx kinetics and mechanisms, OH radical production and rate constants for the OH attack on more complex organic compounds, peroxy and alkoxy radical reactions, photo-oxidation of aromatic and biogenic compounds, and the interaction between radical species.
This is the first study of the karst areas of China to be carried out by a Western geomorphologist, and almost all the sources are from Chinese works, as yet unpublished in the West. Karst areas are sensitive to environmental influences and Chinese attempts to deal with these are discussed here, as are Chinese methods of studying karst since they differ somewhat from those in the West. Finally, the author compares karst areas in Europe and elsewhere with those in China. The book is illustrated by numerous diagrams from Chinese sources as well as the author's own photographs.
Earth scientists, who have worked together for 6 years in the priority pro gram "Hydrogeochemical Processes in the Hydrological Cycle Within the Unsaturated and Saturated Zones," have summarized the results of their research in this volume. This is the occasion to take stock and then look ahead. The priority program was set up by the Senate of The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft in October 1981. This was preceded by lengthy and careful preparation by a Program Committee, and was finally recom mended by the Senate Commission for Joint Research in Earth Sciences. The main aim was the interdisciplinary research of geochemical processes in natural systems in the total underground water cycle, whereby water pollution was not to be considered. Officially started on 1 September 1982, the program has received a grant of DM 10. 9 Mio. from the DFG, and this has enabled it to support a total of 50 projects. Although at the beginning, practice-oriented projects, which were funded elsewhere, were not to be included, many of the results are applicable. The four categories presented were investigated with vary ing intensity. An early concentration on certain representative fields of measurement and research areas proved to be the right approach - this avoided a waste of effort in other fields. During the period of the priority program, new and topical questions arose, e. g."
Water is an extremely important factor in global environmental change. Water influences the processes causing change. The human and economic consequences of changes in the water system can be very significant. The aim of this NATO Advanced Study Institute was to present a state-of-the-art assessment of the role of water in global change, ranging from a consideration of atmospheric processes to the social and political impacts of changes in water resources. Many initiatives have recently been developed, such as international conferences and research programmes in particular themes, but there was still a need for information from these diverse activities to be brought together. One of the aims of the ASI was to encourage cross-fertilization between the various disciplines looking at water in the global system. This book contains the expanded written versions of the lectures presented during the AS! held in Italy in May/June 1994. It falls into two basic parts. The first twelve chapters cover the role of water in the climate system and climate modelling. Various areas of the water balance including global budgets, the effect of each element of the water balance on regional and global climates, and procedures used to model hydrological processes at all scales are discussed. Precipitation, ice, lake, groundwater, land surface and atmospheric considerations are included together with hydrological process linkage to climate models. Ocean effects were not covered as they were considered to be outside the scope of this particular AS!.
This volume is a summary of work undertaken since 1978 when I completed my doctoral dissertation at the Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique (LMO) of the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris. Since that time, my career has taken me through different countries and institutions, many of which have strong links to climate research in one form or another. It would be difficult to thank the numer ous persons whom I have met in the course of my professional life and who contributed directly (for example as co-authors), or indirectly, to the papers which I have published in various journals. I am particularly indebted to Dr. Gilles Sommeria, who at the time was my thesis supervisor, for his advice during the preparation of my dissertation, and for his enthusiasm which encouraged me to take up a career in scientific research. My thanks also go to Prof. Ernst Augstein, Prof. Hans Hinzpeter, and Prof. Klaus Hasselmann for giving me the opportunity to carry out advanced research at the Max-Planck-Institute for Meteorology, from the early to mid-1980s."
It is well known that the biochemical processes of life on Earth are maintained by the external solar radiation and can be reduced to the synthesis and decomposition of organic matter. Man has added the synthesis and decomposition of various in dustrial products to these natural processes. On one hand, biological synthesis may only be conducted within the rather narrow margins of parameters of the environ ment, including temperature, humidity, concentrations of the inorganic substances used by life (such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, etc.) On the other hand, the physical and chemical composition of the environment suffers significant changes during those processes of synthesis and decomposition. The maximum possible rate of such change due to the activity of living beings can exceed the average geophysical rates of change of the environment due to activity ofterrestrial depths and cosmic processes by a factor often thousand. In the absence of a rigid correlation between the biological synthesis and decomposition, the environment would be greatly disturbed within a decade and driven into a state unfit for life. A lifeless Earth, however would suffer similar changes only after about a hundred thousand years. Preservation of the existing state of the environment is only possible with strict equality between the rates of biological synthesis and decomposition, that is, when the biochemical cycles of matter are virtually closed."
Numerical weather prediction on the one hand needs a very large number of floating point calculations, but on the other hand is very time-critical. Therefore, the largest computers available, i.e., the "supercomputers," have usually been acquired by the national meteorological services long before they were used in other fields of research or business. Since the available technology limits the speed of any single computer, parallel computations have become necessary to achieve further improvements in the number of results produced per time unit. This book collects the papers presented at two workshops held at ECMWF on the topic of parallel processing in meteorological models. It provides an insight into the state-of-the-art in using parallel processors operationally and allows extrapolation to other time-critical applications. It also shows trends in migrating to massive parallel systems in the near future.
This book is primarily concerned with the space planning of restaurants and, since their basic elements are much the same throughout the civilised world, is directed at an international readership. Although concentrating on the average restaurants, we also look at the wider commercial range-banquet ~ooms, cafeterias, fast food establishments, drug stores, sandwich bars and cafes-as well as private dining rooms, outdoor and in-transit situations. Where a particular environment is not specifically singled out, its elements can be deduced by comparison to similar spaces. At a detailed planning level, the design of dining spaces is not a well investigated and documented field. The present work attempts to fill this gap and address the designer's need for hard facts, dimensions, and sound spatial guidelines. The author of this book firmly believes that given rigorous scrutiny of all relevant data almost any design problem can be solved; and that the process of arriving at a solution (or recommendation) can and should be explicable in unequivocal terms.
This book is of interest to mathematicians, geologists, engineers and, in general, researchers and post graduate students involved in spline function theory, surface fitting problems or variational methods. From reviews: The book is well organized, and the English is very good. I recommend the book to researchers in approximation theory, and to anyone interested in bivariate data fitting." (L.L. Schumaker, Mathematical Reviews, 2005).
Researchers in the natural sciences are faced with problems that require a novel approach to improve the quality of forecasts of processes that are sensitive to environmental conditions. Nonlinearity of a system may significantly complicate the predictability of future states: a small variation of parameters can dramatically change the dynamics, while sensitive dependence of the initial state may severely limit the predictability horizon. Uncertainties also play a role. This volume addresses such problems by using tools from chaos theory and systems theory, adapted for the analysis of problems in the environmental sciences. Sensitive dependence on the initial state (chaos) and the parameters are analyzed using methods such as Lyapunov exponents and Monte Carlo simulation. Uncertainty in the structure and the values of parameters of a model is studied in relation to processes that depend on the environmental conditions. These methods also apply to biology and economics. For research workers at universities and (semi)governmental institutes for the environment, agriculture, ecology, meteorology and water management, and theoretical economists.
Throughout the last 20 years, the study of disasters has developed into a well respected body of know ledge in the social sciences. Disaster research has found its way to several disciplines and it has been remarkably receptive to multi and interdisciplinary impulses. Many disaster studies show how important and stimulating it is to explore events and developments which reach beyond the usual business of the social and political fabric. There. is quite a difference between the daily routines of social and political life, and the upheaval, stress, and shock of a life-threatening danger which may fall upon society. Even when the danger does not materialize to the fullest and society gets off with a fright, the population as well as the authorities may experience demanding situations and critical moments which ask for an effective and quick response. Although the study of disasters is in steady progress, there still remains a lot to be done. One of the blind spots in disaster research continues to be cross national knowledge of disasters and disaster management. Certainly, during the last decade a number of encouraging efforts have been made to promote a more international perspective in disaster management. But as disasters and crises will increasingly feature transnational and even global characteristics, in that sense disaster and crisis research are lagging behind. Students of disasters and crises cannot limit themselves to typically domestic and local events."
Provided here is up-to-date and in-depth information on various swelling phenomena occurring in living organisms and in the unanimated world. Thebook is arranged in six parts, which cover fundamentals, special topics, analytical and experimental methods and applications relevant to swelling insoils, cells and tissues of plants and animals. Specifically, it includes all aspects of osmotic phenomena leading to swelling in clays, cells, tissues, gels, blisters, colloidal systems, surfaces and membranes. Forces between surfactant, lipid and protein membranes and in polymeric systems are also considered.
----- One of the arguments most frequently raised by objectors to nuclear power production is the spectrum of the hazard from the nuc.lear waste. In the public's perception one of the most dangerous features of this waste is the threat to future generations due to the long life of the radio-emitting nuclides. People's concern for this hazard seems to be greater than that for other types of toxic wastes, widely produced and released to the environment (heavy metals, PCBs, arsenic etc.) though these might last even longer. In fact public attitude toward risk depends very strongly on the nature of the risk, as clearly illustrated ill the initial papers of these proceedings. On this basis it appears that tile safety of the nuclear practice, including waste disposal, cannot be assessed only by comparison with other practices or risks. For this reason the analysts have accepted the challenge of investigating the long term safety of this type of waste, taking it much further than for many other known pollution problems affecting mankind. Moreover, for one of the first times lhis is being dulle IJi2fure disp, )sal. The c, )ntributiolls tu these pruceedillljs attempt to describe the specific nature of this type of assessment, pi esent ing Ilew developments which have been made in the field. These include the recourse to system variability analysis, the use of natural and archaeulugical analogues and predictive geology.
Karst is characterized particularly by special landforms and sub surface drainage. The various actions of water result in numerous variations of surface and sub-surface karst forms. They also bring about distinctive geologic-morphologic forms, and more striking ly, specific flora and fauna. The scientific discipline of hydrology, although a long-established science, cannot easily be applied to karst regions with their very complex drainage system. A special approach is therefore necessary to understand and predict water circulation in these areas. This is the viewpoint we must adopt if hydrology is to solve the complex problems of karst phenomena. This book can be seen as the appeal of a hydrologist to experts from different scientific dis ciplines (geology, hydrology, geomorphology, geography, geo physics, meteorology, ecology, civil engineering, forestry, agricul ture, etc.) to collaborate towards a better understanding of karst areas. Evidently, karst phenomena have not been sufficiently and carefully studied worldwide. It is equally true that the first theories on water circulation in karst were developed according to ex periences in the Dinaric karst. This can easily be explained. In habitants in those areas had no place to which to escape, as was the case in other countries."
In November 1988 the "'Third Oberursel Symposium" devoted to the problems of input of pollutions into forest-ecosystems and their effects on plants or soil convened. After several years of intensive research on the effects of pollutions on forest ecosystems it is obvious that not a single specific pollutant can be made responsible but a mixture of several components act together or interact with each other. The contributions of the workshop _ reflect to a large extend the results of research projects which were started at the beginning of the eighties. They review our improved knowledge on the patterns of concentration, of the mechanism of wet and dry deposition and fog interception, modelling studies and the effect of the processes on plant receptors and surfaces. Since the 1985 symposium the pathways of pollutants leading to biological damage have been examined and are more clearly recognised. The book reflects the common interest and the continuous effort of scientists from many different disciplines to better understand the physical and chemical processes which finally lead to the observed damage of forest-trees. Comparing the conclusions of the contributions of this book _ with the results of the first Oberursel symposium in 1981, our knowledge on the relevance of the different mechanisms leading to forest-decay has been considerably improved. The book indicates also in which directions future work should be concentrated. Again, I have to thank the authors for their cooperation by submitting their recent research-results."
The book comprises innovative research presented at the 14th Conference of the Association of Geographic Information Laboratories in Europe (AGILE), held in 2011 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The scientific papers cover a large variety of fundamental research topics as well as applied research in Geoinformation Science including measuring spatiotemporal phenomena, quality and semantics, spatiotemporal analysis, modeling and decision support as well as spatial information infrastructures. The book is aimed at researchers, practitioners and students who work in various fields and disciplines related to Geoinformation Science and technology. |
You may like...
Vegetation Dynamics Revealed by Remote…
Xuejia Wang, Tinghai Ou, …
Hardcover
Energy-Efficiency of Conveyor Belts in…
Daniela Marasova, Monika Hardygora, …
Hardcover
|