In aquatic ecosystems, the oligochaetes are often a major component of the community. Their relevance in sediment quality assessment is largely related to their benthic and detritivorous life habit. In this book, we aim to present the state of the art of Pollution Biology using oligochaete worms in laboratory and field studies. Future research will require the combination of a variety of methodological approaches and the integration of the resulting information, avoiding fragmented and often conflicting visions of the relationships of the species with their environment. Current approaches to ecotoxicology and bioaccumulation using ecological risk assessment provide the opportunity to relate community studies with probability of effects. This book addresses three main themes: Ecological and Field Studies using the composition and structure of oligochaete communities, Toxicology and Laboratory Studies, and Bioaccumulation and Trophic Transfer Studies. Two appendices list values of toxicological parameters (LC50, EC50) and several bioaccumulation variables (bioaccumulation factors, biological half-life, toxicokinetic coefficients, and critical body residues) for different oligochaete species. Additional information is provided on Methodological Issues and on the Taxonomy of several oligochaete families, with information on the most recent taxonomic debates. Each chapter includes a critical view, based on the authors experience, of a number of current issues which have been raised in the literature.

This book provides an overview of flood and drought in the Lower Mekong Basin, reviews the characteristics of flood and drought, and details structural and non-structural measures for flood and drought mitigation employed in the basin countries, as well as their flood and drought mitigation capacity. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable resource for researchers and engineers in the field of transboundary rivers, especially those with an interest in the Lower Mekong River.

This text covers the proceedings of the third International Symposium - TISAR 98, held in Amsterdam. Topics include: basin recharge; water management in arid regions; behaviour of pollutants; bank, basin, well and other types of recharge; and storage and recovery efficiency.

One of the basic concepts of ocean biogeochemistry is that of an ocean with extremely active boundary zones and separation boundaries of extensive biochemical interactions. The areas of these zones are characterized by a sharp decrease of element migration intensity and consequently the decrease in their concentrations gave the boundaries for the naming of the geochemical barriers (Perelman, 1972). For the purposes of biogeo chemistry the most important ones are the boundaries of separation between river-sea, ocean-atmosphere, and water-ground (Lisitzin, 1983). The most complicated of them is the river-sea boundary, where the biogeochemical processes are the most active and complicated (Monin and Romankevich, 1979, 1984). The necessity of studying organic matter in rivers, mouth regions and adjoining sea aquatories has been repeatedly pointed out by v.I. Vernadsky (1934, 1960) who noted both the importance of registration of solid and liquid run-off of rivers, coming into the sea, and "the quality and the character of those elements, which are washed-down into the sea," emphasizing that "wash-down of organic substances into the sea is of great value." The interest in studying organic matter in natural waters, including river and sea waters, has grown considerably over the last 30 years. During this period essential material was collected on the content and composition of organic matter in various types of river waters of the USSR, and this was published in papers by B.A Scopintzev, AD. Semenov, M.V."

Engineers from around the world recount in this volume their successes and failures in attempting to deal with unique and quixotic landscapes.

Borehole geophysics is frequently applied in hydrogeological environmental investigations where, for example, sites must be evaluated to determine the distribution of contaminants. It is a cost-effective method for obtaining information during several phases of such investigations.
Written by one of world's leading experts in the field, A Practical Guide to Borehole Geophysics in Environmental Investigations explains the basic principles of the many tools and techniques used in borehole logging projects. Applications are presented in terms of broad project objectives, providing a hands-on guide to geophysical logging programs, including specific examples of how to obtain and interpret data that meet particular hydrogeologic objectives.

R. S. GOVINDARAJU and ARAMACHANDRA RAO School of Civil Engineering Purdue University West Lafayette, IN. , USA Background and Motivation The basic notion of artificial neural networks (ANNs), as we understand them today, was perhaps first formalized by McCulloch and Pitts (1943) in their model of an artificial neuron. Research in this field remained somewhat dormant in the early years, perhaps because of the limited capabilities of this method and because there was no clear indication of its potential uses. However, interest in this area picked up momentum in a dramatic fashion with the works of Hopfield (1982) and Rumelhart et al. (1986). Not only did these studies place artificial neural networks on a firmer mathematical footing, but also opened the dOOf to a host of potential applications for this computational tool. Consequently, neural network computing has progressed rapidly along all fronts: theoretical development of different learning algorithms, computing capabilities, and applications to diverse areas from neurophysiology to the stock market. . Initial studies on artificial neural networks were prompted by adesire to have computers mimic human learning. As a result, the jargon associated with the technical literature on this subject is replete with expressions such as excitation and inhibition of neurons, strength of synaptic connections, learning rates, training, and network experience. ANNs have also been referred to as neurocomputers by people who want to preserve this analogy.

Many areas of the world are arid or semi-arid. This text looks at the problems caused by the loss of water stored in lakes and reservoirs for irrigation and domestic use by evaporation during the summer months.

Focusing on modeling applications, this outstanding reference provides a step-by-step, non-mathematical approach to constructing and using realistic workable groundwater models on a daily basis. Extensive detailed drawings, case studies, practical examples, and sample models illustrate important concepts. Includes data on hydrogeologic features and pollutants plus a glossary of terms.

The book provides a comprehensive account of a tropical lake, Alchichica, considering that tropical limnology is by far less known and well-understood than temperate. Many of the well-known temperate limnology paradigms do not apply in tropical limnology, such as the 1C/m thermocline concept, or the role of phosphorous as a limiting nutrient. Lake Alchichica is - most likely - the best limnologically known Mexican lake up to date. Twenty years of continuous monitoring has led us to understand this deep, warm monomictic lake. The peculiar chemical composition of this saline lake - sodium-alkaline with a high concentration in magnesium waters, and groundwater-fed - led to the formation of its unique stromatolite ring that has become world-famous, studied by scientists from various countries. From a biological point of view, this relatively small maar lake displays a comparatively low species richness but surprisingly is plentiful in microendemic species for a recently-formed lake (13,000-6,300 years old, at the Late Pleistocene/Holocene Epoch), eleven of which already described, with more to come. Researchers and students interested in tropical limnology, extreme ecosystems, evolutionary biology, astrobiology, and microbiology will find this book a must-read.

Vadose Zone Hydrology describes the elements of the physical processes most often encountered by hydrogeologists and ground-water engineers in their vadose zone projects. It illustrates the application of soil physics to practical problems relevant to the characterization and monitoring of the vadose zone. It includes an introduction to physical processes, including basic flow theory, and provides examples of important field-scale processes that must be recognizable by hydrogeologists. Considerable attention is given to the concepts of recharge, including how it is most accurately evaluated in the vadose zone. Field and laboratory methods for characterizing hydraulic properties in the vadose zone are also covered, and case studies illustrating these methods are provided. New and emerging technologies for monitoring the vadose zone, particularly for the purpose of detecting contaminants, are highlighted. In the last section of the book, additional case studies are presented, demonstrating applications related to seepage detection, landfill monitoring, and soil gas investigations.
This book is written from the perspective of hydrogeologists and is designed to be directly applicable and to maintain continuity and consistency between chapters. It will be an invaluable primer for environmental or geotechnical consultants, regulators, or students who have no prior formal academic training in unsaturated flow concepts. Because the text contains some of the latest advances in this field, it will be an excellent reference for geologists and engineers currently working on problems of vadose zone hydrology.

Humic Substances color all waters more or less brown. Their concentrations exceed all carbon of living organisms by at least one order of magnitude. Opposite to former paradigms, they participate in almost any metabolic pathway. They protect against UV-irradation, enable indirect photolysis and, thus, purify hazardous chemicals, they provide inorganic and organic nutrients, may form cryptic genes with DNA and dampen metabolic fluctuations. More recently they can increase adverse effects of hazardous chemicals and they can directly interfere with organisms. The book tries to relate effects to structural features.

In view of the rapidly expanding urban, industrial and agri cultural water requirements in many areas and the normally associated critical unreliability of surface water supplies in arid and semi-arid zones, groundwater exploration and use is of fundamental importance for logical economic development. Two interrelated facets should be evident in all such groundwater projects : (a) definition of groundwater recharge mechanisms and characteristics for identified geological formations, in order to determine whether exploitation in the long-term involves 'mining' of an es sentially 'fossil' resource or withdrawal from a dynamic supply. A solution to this aspect is essential for development of a re source management policy: (b) determination of recharge variability in time and space to thus enable determination of total aquifer input and to quantify such practical aspects as 'minimum risk' waste disposal locations and artificial recharge potential via (e.g.) devegetation or engi neering works. However, current international developments relating to natural recharge indicate the following 'problems' ; no single comprehensive estimation technique can yet be iden tified from the spectrum of methods available; all are reported to give suspect results.

The last few years have witnessed an enormous interest in application of GIS in hydrology and water resources. This is partly evidenced by organization of sev eral national and international symposia or conferences under the sponsorship of various professional organizations. This increased interest is, in a large measure, in response to growing public sensitivity to environmental quality and management. The GIS technology has the ability to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, and visualize the diverse sets of geo-referenced data. On the other hand, hydrology is inherently spatial and distributed hydrologic models have large data requirements. The integration of hydrology and GIS is therefore quite natural. The integration involves three major components: (1) spatial data construction, (2) integration of spatial model layers, and (3) GIS and model interface. GIS can assist in design, calibration, modification and comparison of models. This integration is spreading worldwide and is expected to accelerate in the foreseeable future. Substantial op portunities exist in integration of GIS and hydrology. We believe there are enough challenges in use of GIS for conceptualizing and modeling complex hydrologic processes and for globalization of hydrology. The motivation for this book grew out of the desire to provide under one cover a range of applications of GIS tech nology in hydrology. It is hoped that the book will stimulate others to write more comprehensive texts on this subject of growing importance."

Since the pioneering work of Shannon in the late 1940's on the development of the theory of entropy and the landmark contributions of Jaynes a decade later leading to the development of the principle of maximum entropy (POME), the concept of entropy has been increasingly applied in a wide spectrum of areas, including chemistry, electronics and communications engineering, data acquisition and storage and retreival, data monitoring network design, ecology, economics, environmental engineering, earth sciences, fluid mechanics, genetics, geology, geomorphology, geophysics, geotechnical engineering, hydraulics, hydrology, image processing, management sciences, operations research, pattern recognition and identification, photogrammetry, psychology, physics and quantum mechanics, reliability analysis, reservoir engineering, statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, topology, transportation engineering, turbulence modeling, and so on. New areas finding application of entropy have since continued to unfold. The entropy concept is indeed versatile and its applicability widespread. In the area of hydrology and water resources, a range of applications of entropy have been reported during the past three decades or so. This book focuses on parameter estimation using entropy for a number of distributions frequently used in hydrology. In the entropy-based parameter estimation the distribution parameters are expressed in terms of the given information, called constraints. Thus, the method lends itself to a physical interpretation of the parameters. Because the information to be specified usually constitutes sufficient statistics for the distribution under consideration, the entropy method provides a quantitative way to express the information contained in the distribution.

Dams are constructed for economic development, and their construction involves large investments of money, and natural and human resources. Of the various types of dams constructed around the globe, earth dams are the most common type and constitute the vast majority of dams. When adam fails, it culminates in the sudden release of artificially stored water which, in turn, becomes a potential menace to virtually everything downstream. The dam failure may result in loss of life and property. In recent years, instances of dam failure in the world have been too many, and the resulting loss too high. As a result, dam safety pro grams have been developed in most countries of the world since the beginning of the nineteenth eighties. . Earth dams are more susceptible to failure than other types. The cause of failure is often either overtopping or piping. The modeling of dam breaching due to either or both of these causes is of fundamental importance to development of dam-safety programs. This book is, therefore, an attempt to present some aspects of earth-dam breach modeling technology. It is hoped that others will be stimulated to write more comprehensive texts on this subject of growing interest and importance. The book is divided into eight chapters. The first chapter is introductory and discusses some aspects of dams and dam failures in the world."

This book is written by the world's leading climatologists and environmental scientists. It addresses many of the issues raised in the debate on global change, providing a new point of view on climate which is being integrated into the space and time organization of societies. The volume contains three main parts: 1. Climatic Changes and Fluctuations; 2. Climates on a Regional Scale, including problems from tropical through temperate zones to polar regions; and 3. Man-Climate Relationships on a Local Scale. Global change is caused mainly by climatic variation and change and activities of human societies. This book aims to describe these facts from the various space scales - global, regional and local - and also different time scales - post-glacial, historical and recent periods. Since climate affects all kinds of human activities such as agriculture, forestry, architecture, civil engineering, transportation, tourism, health, etc., this book may contribute to the work of researchers, planners and policy makers in a wide variety of fields. For example, as indicated by the IPCC 1995 Report, adjustment of human societies is considered to be one of the most important features in the 21st Century. For consideration of these past, present and future problems, this book will provide, in a systematic way, numerous sources of up-to-date knowledge.

An understanding of the ecology of a fish pond is essential for the achievement of steady and high fish production in ponds. For the ecologist, the fish pond is a small laboratory: easy to investigate and responding rapidly to manipulation. For the aquaculturist, the ecology shows the ways and means of interventions ensuring an increase of production. The book deals with the different aspects of natural production within a pond, referring it to African conditions: considering first the role of soil as source and sink of nutrients for the water, then nutrient cycling within water and the fate of fertilizers added to ponds, and finally the contribution of natural productivity to fish production. The important sum of information brought together in this volume is valuable for both aquaculturist and ecologist, who lack a handbook on the ecology of a fish pond. It will capture the interest of African aquaculturists and stimulate aquaculture research on natural production.

‘Brilliant, clear, and humane’ Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love ‘Miraculous and hopeful’ Emma Straub, author of All Adults Here ‘Quietly profound … belongs on the shelf next to Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild’ New York Times Riverman: An American Odyssey uncovers the story of an extraordinary man and his puzzling disappearance, and paints a picture of the singular spirit of America’s riverbank towns. ‘The peace of mind I found, largely alone, on that white-water mecca convinced me that life was capable of exquisite pleasure and undefined meaning deep in the face of failure. The experience itself is the reward.’ Dick Conant On his forty-third birthday, Dick Conant, a golden boy who never quite grew up as those around him expected, stepped into a homemade boat to embark on a journey despite a gathering snowstorm. Among his possessions was a Gideon Bible and biographies of Einstein and Bismark. It was the beginning of an all-consuming odyssey by an unconventional man into the watery arteries of America, a journey to the unreported margins of society. He was to spend the next twenty years canoeing thousands of miles of rivers and their innumerable smaller tributaries, from one end of the country to the other. ‘I can, and I will!’ he said. And then, in 2014, he disappeared. Not long before Conant’s upturned canoe was found in a brackish North Carolina bay, Ben McGrath met Conant by chance as he paddled down the Hudson, headed for Florida. McGrath set out to find the people whose lives, like his own, had been touched by their encounter with the great river wanderer. Along the way he meets eccentrics and ne’er-do-wells drawn straight from the pages of Mark Twain, a vast network of friends and acquaintances who would forever remember this brilliant and charming man even after a single meeting. Riverman is the story of a restless soul who was as troubled as he was charismatic, a contemporary folk hero who slips the moorings of ordinary civilised life to tap into what Thoreau called ‘a yearning toward all wildness.’ It is also a riveting portrait of an America we rarely see: a nation of unconventional characters, small river towns, and long forgotten waterways.

The text is designed for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate-level courses in hydrology, groundwater hydrology, hydrogeology, and civil engineering. This best selling text gives students a balanced examination of all facets of hydrogeology. The text stresses the application of mathematics to problem solving rather than derivation of theory. It provides a balance between physical and chemical hydrogeology. Numerous case studies cultivate student understanding of the occurrence and movement of ground water in a variety of geologic settings.

Hydrodynamic and pollutant transport models are useful tools for evaluating remediation options for polluted water bodies. These models span the range from highly theoretical, fine resolution, physically-based designs to lumped, black-box representations of real world phenomena.
This book examines the numerical approaches used in hydrodynamic and pollutant transport modeling. First, the theory and physical basis of transport and mixing in lakes and coastal waters are provided. Methodologies that use a three-dimensional (3D) approach to predicting the fate and transport of pollutants are presented and this is followed by a presentation of alternatives to 3D circulation modeling as well as new advances in the field. These alternatives offer near 3D accuracy but without the computational burden. Illustrations of the calibration and verification of these models using laboratory data, as well as, field data are also provided. The models are applied to a diverse array of study sites ranging from The Great Lakes in North America to the coastal areas of Northern Crete.
*Presents the theory of hydrodynamic and pollutant transport modelling in lakes and coastal areas
* Thoroughly examines the issues and limitations of the numerical approaches used in hydrodynamic and pollutant transport modelling
* Demonstrates the calibration and verification of hydrodynamic and pollutant transport models using laboratory and field data

This book provides essential information and recent findings on hydro-environmental issues in the Lower Danube River, particularly its hydrological and hydromorphological processes; physico-chemical features; climate and water-related hazards; and not only the biodiversity and quality but also the sustainable management and governance of its hydro-environment. Accordingly, it presents a broad range of scientific information on the lower sector of the second-longest river in Europe, which holds major economic importance and has been severely impacted by human pressures, especially since the second part of the last century. The engineering works (e.g. dams, reservoirs, levees, channelization, etc.) on the Danube and its tributaries, despite their benefits to society, have altered its flow and significantly reduced its sediment load, with consequences for hydromorphological processes and aquatic ecosystems. These ecosystems have also been affected by pollution from various sources. To promote sustainable management of the Danube River and its watershed, several strategies and measures have been developed by a number of institutions, from the European level to the national and regional levels (commissions, national authorities, non-governmental organizations, etc.). Compared to the upper and middle sectors of the Danube, the lower sector has received less attention in the international scientific literature in terms of hydro-environmental issues. The book fills this gap and provides current and original insights and findings from recent studies conducted by scientists from three countries drained by the Lower Danube River and its tributaries: Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia. This unique book will be of great scientific interest to professional engineers, policy planners and policymakers in the three countries mentioned above, helping them to implement their own sustainable development plans. It also offers a valuable resource for graduate students, researchers and stakeholders.

This book discusses how emerging groundwater risks under current and potential climate change conductions reduce available groundwater resources for domestic use, and agriculture and energy production. The topics discussed throughout this book are grouped into five sections; (i) Sea Level Rise, Climate Change, and Food Security, (ii) Emerging Contaminants, (iii) Technologies and Decision Support Systems, (iv) Surface Water-Groundwater Interactions, and (v) Economics, and Energy Production and Development. This book is unique and different from other groundwater hydrology books in that it uses a holistic approach in investigating the risks related to groundwater resources. This book will be of interest to a wide audience in academia, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and environmental entities. This book will greatly contribute to a better understanding of the emerging risks to groundwater resources and should help responsible stakeholders make informed decisions in this regard.

High mountains can be considered as particularly appropriate environments to detect effects ofclimate change on natural biocoenoses in a global scale for the following reasons: Firstly, ecosystems at the l- temperature limits of plant life are generally thought to be especially sensitive to climate change [1][2][3]. An already ongoing upward shift of vascular plants at high summits in the Alps, determined by the Austrian IGBP-research [4][5][6][7][8], is most likely a response to the atmospheric warming since the 19th century. Secondly, high mountains still comprise the most natural ecosystems in many countries, being largely untouched by human settlements and agricultural influences, Therefore, climatic effects on ecosystems can be studied without masking effects from human land use. Thirdly, high mountain ranges are present in virtually every major zonobiome of the earth. The research initiative GLORIA aims to establish an urgently needed global monitoring network, by using high mountain ecosystems as sensitive indicators, as required in the "IGBP-Mountain Workplan" [9]. Moreover, a deeper understanding of assemblagemechanisms andassemblage processes in vegetation patterns as a contribution to ecological theory can be expected. This paper gives a short general overview about GLORIA and a first outline about the concept, method, and some few results of the "Multi Summit-Approach", one of the basic intentions within the proposed network. It aims to encourage the involvement of high mountain researchers and research co-ordinators in a detailed discussion of the proposed research activities and in a co-operation within the planned global monitoring network.