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Books > Earth & environment > Earth sciences > The hydrosphere > Hydrology (freshwater)
While addressing the issues of using groundwater in agriculture for irrigation in the developing world, this book discusses the problems associated with the degradation and overexploitation of using it. It explores the practiced and potential methods for its management in the context of agricultural development.
Ponds and pools are a common feature of our landscape – there are at least ten times as many ponds as lakes in the UK – and they are also important wildlife habitats. This book provides a comprehensive and detailed account of these freshwater habitats. The first chapter discusses what ponds, pools and puddles are, how they differ from rivers and lakes, their origin – natural or man-made, the different types of ponds and their abundance and distribution in Britain. A second chapter looks at ponds as ancient natural habitats that have existed for millennia on the earth’s surface. Ancient pond communities, as preserved in inter- and post-glacial sediments, are compared with modern pond communities. This chapter also examines the physical and chemical environment of ponds, covering aspects such as size, shape and depth, hydrology, oxygen and temperature. Ponds, pools and puddles are important wildlife habitats; they are as rich in species as rivers, and support rare and uncommon taxa including about half of Britain’s Red Data Book wetland plant and animal species. The authors give a comprehensive survey of the variety of plant and animal life for which ponds, pools and puddles are a habitat, with a chapter each on plants, invertebrates, amphibians, and fish, birds and mammals. The book discusses the importance of ponds to each of these groups and the ways in which the organisms exploit ponds, describing their habitats and major variations in life cycles. The pond ecosystem and colonisation and succession are discussed in two further chapters, before the final chapter, which is devoted to the subject of conservation and how best to protect and manage ponds and pond wildlife in Britain today. In spite of their evident importance, ponds have been largely ignored by freshwater biologists during this century. Ponds, Pools and Puddles makes an invaluable contribution to raising awareness of these popular, yet frequently underrated freshwater habitats, giving them the attention they rightly deserve.
A major contribution to the nascent anthropology of urban environments, "Reigning the River" illuminates the complexities of river restoration in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital and one of the fastest-growing cities in South Asia. In this rich ethnography, Anne M. Rademacher explores the ways that urban riverscape improvement involved multiple actors, each constructing ideals of restoration through contested histories and ideologies of belonging. She examines competing understandings of river restoration, particularly among bureaucrats in state and conservation-development agencies, cultural heritage activists, and advocates for the security of tens of thousands of rural-to-urban migrants settled along the exposed riverbed. Rademacher conducted research during a volatile period in Nepal's political history. As clashes between Maoist revolutionaries and the government intensified, the riverscape became a site of competing claims to a capital city that increasingly functioned as a last refuge from war-related violence. In this time of intense flux, efforts to ensure, create, or imagine ecological stability intersected with aspirations for political stability. Throughout her analysis, Rademacher emphasizes ecology as an important site of dislocation, entitlement, and cultural meaning.
"A World of Rivers" explores the confluence of human and environmental change on ten of the great rivers of the world. Ranging from the Yellow River in China to Central Europe's Danube, the book journeys down the most important rivers in all corners of the globe. Wohl shows us how pollution, such as in the Ganges and in the Ob of Siberia, has affected biodiversity in the water. But rivers are also resilient, and Wohl stresses the importance of conservation and restoration to help reverse the effects of human carelessness and hubris. What these diverse rivers share is a critical role in shaping surrounding landscapes and biological communities, and Wohl's book ultimately makes a strong case for the need to steward positive change in the world's great rivers.
Viktor Schauberger (1885-1958) combined precise observation of nature and intuition with hard science and engineering. He researched into the real nature of water. Natural water, says Schauberger, is a living organism, akin to blood in the human body. It is the most important life-giving and energy-empowering substance on the planet. It nourishes the whole biosphere and, when it becomes corrupted, the ecosystem becomes sick. Through the tireless study of mountain streams and rivers, Schauberger was able to show the importance of energy in water, and how nature uses this to create life. He engaged contemporary scientists in heated debates about where he saw they were going wrong. Sadly, the same extractive and water-management policies which brought devastation in his day have even greater consequences today, and the world will reject at its peril Schauberger's pleas to rediscover how to work with nature. This is the first volume of "Eco-Technology", a series based on the writings and discussions of Viktor Schauberger. The other volumes will cover Schauberger's research on trees, soils and the atmosphere and his practical applications for working with nature. In public, Schauberger
The Colorado River Basin's importance cannot be overstated. Its living river system supplies water to roughly forty million people, contains Grand Canyon National Park, Bears Ears National Monument, and wide swaths of other public lands, and encompasses ancestral homelands of twenty-nine Native American tribes. John Wesley Powell, a one-armed Civil War veteran, explorer, scientist, and adept federal administrator, articulated a vision for Euro-American colonization of the "Arid Region" that has indelibly shaped the basin-a pattern that looms large not only in western history, but also in contemporary environmental and social policy. One hundred and fifty years after Powell's epic 1869 Colorado River Exploring Expedition, this volume revisits Powell's vision, examining its historical character and its relative influence on the Colorado River Basin's cultural and physical landscape in modern times. In three parts, the volume unpacks Powell's ideas on water, public lands, and Native Americans-ideas at once innovative, complex, and contradictory. With an eye toward climate change and a host of related challenges facing the basin, the volume turns to the future, reflecting on how-if at all-Powell's legacy might inform our collective vision as we navigate a new "Great Unknown."
Though not traditionally thought of as key natural resource, glaciers are a crucial part of both our global ecosystem and the sustaining of life around the world. Comprising three quarters of the worlds fresh water, they freeze in the winter and melt in the summer, supplying water that is plentiful enough for agriculture and clean enough to drink. Without them, many of the planets rivers would run dry shortly after the winter snow-melt. In fact, a single mid-sized glacier in regions like California, Argentina, India, Kyrgyzstan, or Chile can provide an entire community with drinking water for generations. On the other hand, when global temperatures rise not only does glacier ice wither away into the oceans, but these massive ice bodies can become unstable and cause severe natural events like glacier tsunamis. But glaciers often exist well outside our environmental consciousness, and they are mostly unprotected from atmospheric impacts from transportation emissions, or from industrial threats such as the mining industry, which seeks the precious metals that lie beneath them. Glaciers: The Politics of Ice is a scientific, cultural, and political examination of the cryospherethe earths iceand the environmental policies that aim to protect it. Jorge Daniel Taillant discusses the debates and negotiations behind the passing of the worlds first glacier-protection law in the mid-2000s, and reveals the tension between the industry experts, politicians, and glacier conservationists. The book provides the basic environmental science behind glaciers, outlines current and future risks to their preservation, and reveals the intriguing politics behind the debate over glacier policies and laws. Taillant also makes suggestions on what can be done to preserve these crucial sources of fresh water, from both a scientific and policymaking standpoint.
Water is the Earth's most precious resource. Until recent years, water was often overlooked as being overly abundant or available, but much has changed all over the world. As climate change, human encroachment on environmental areas, and deforestation become greater dangers, the study of groundwater has become more important than ever and is growing as one of the most important areas of science for the future of life on Earth. This three-volume set is the most comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of hydrogeochemistry that is available. The first volume lays the foundation of the composition, chemistry, and testing of groundwater, while volume two covers practical applications such as mass transfer and transport. Volume three, which completes the set, is an advanced study of the environmental analysis of groundwater and its implications for the future. This first volume in the set is an important milestone in hydrogeochemistry, covering the fundamentals of groundwater science. It also goes further into testing methods, applications of testing, and analysis. It is not only the introductory text for this groundbreaking and ambitious new three-volume project, but it is also a valuable reference for the scientist, engineer, or student. Whether as a textbook or a reference work, this volume is a must-have for any library on hydrogeochemistry.
The Antarctic continent carries the greatest diversity of lake environments on the planet: freshwater and saline lakes, tidal freshwater epishelf lakes, lakes on ice shelves and glacier surfaces, and over three hundred subglacial lakes; extraordinary ecosystems that have been separated from the atmosphere for up to millions of years. This book provides a unique and cutting edge synthesis of Antarctic limnology, drawing together current knowledge on geomorphology, morphometry, chemistry, community structure and function. It emphasises throughout the value of these near-pristine ecosystems as barometers of climate change, showing how responsive and vulnerable they are to the indirect impacts of anthropogenic activity. Antarctic Lakes begins with an introduction to their physical, chemical, and biological characteristics, providing a basis for understanding the subsequent detailed chapters on different lake types, and ends with a chapter considering the application of new technologies to polar limnology as well as identifying future research directions. This accessible text is suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in Antarctic and polar limnology, and will also be of broad interest to researchers working in the areas of polar science, microbial ecology (and extremophiles), climatology, glaciology, and astrobiology.
The authoritative introduction to natural water chemistry THIRD EDITION Now in its updated and expanded Third Edition, Aquatic Chemistry remains the classic resource on the essential concepts of natural water chemistry. Designed for both self-study and classroom use, this book builds a solid foundation in the general principles of natural water chemistry and then proceeds to a thorough treatment of more advanced topics. Key principles are illustrated with a wide range of quantitative models, examples, and problem-solving methods. Major subjects covered include:
Cutting-edge techniques for groundwater modeling using GIS technology Groundwater Modeling Using Geographical Information Systems covers fundamental information on flow and mass transport modeling and demonstrates how GIS technology makes these models and analyses more accurate than ever before. GIS technology allows for swift organization, quantification, and interpretation of large quantities of geohydrological data with computer accuracy and minimal risk of human error. This book’s companion Web site provides the Princeton Transport Code, as well as the plug-in extensions required to interface this code with the Argus ONE numerical environment software enclosed with this book. Plug-in extensions for MODFLOW and MT3D computer codes can be found at the Argus ONE Web site (www.argusint.com). The process for using the Geographic Modeling Approach (GMA) to model groundwater flow and transport is demonstrated step by step with a field example from Tucson, Arizona. The GMA is composed of the Argus ONE Geographic Information Modeling system and the Princeton Transport Code groundwater flow and transport model, interfaced through the plug-in extension available on Argus ONE. Enhanced with more than 150 illustrations and screen captures, Groundwater Modeling Using Geographical Information Systems is a fundamental book for civil engineers, hydrologists, environmental engineers, geologists, and students in these fields, as well as software engineers working on GIS applications and environmental attorneys and regulators. When used in combination with the free modeling software, this book provides an excellent student text.
Plasticity theory is widely used to describe the behaviour of soil and rock in many engineering situations. Plasticity and Geomechanics presents a concise introduction to the general subject of plasticity with a particular emphasis on applications in geomechanics. Derived from the authors' own lecture notes, this book is written with students firmly in mind. Excessive use of mathematical methods is avoided in the main body of the text and, where possible, physical interpretations are given for important concepts. In this way the authors present a clear introduction to the complex ideas and concepts of plasticity as well as demonstrating how this developing subject is of critical importance to geomechanics and geotechnical engineering. This book therefore complements Elasticity and Geomechanics by the same authors and will appeal to graduate students and researchers in the fields of soil mechanics, foundation engineering, and geomechanics.
This open access book is an original contribution to the knowledge on fishing and research associated with one of the most enigmatic fish of our seas: bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus (L.). Based on available evidence, it reconstructs the possible methods used to catch large spawners in the Strait of Gibraltar thousands of years ago and describes the much more recent overfishing that led to a great reduction in the catches of the trap fishery on the area and the disappearance of the northern European fisheries. It is the first book to relate the overfishing of juvenile fishes in certain areas to the decline of large spawners in other very distant areas, revealing one of the main underlying causes of this decline, which has remained a mystery to the fishing sector and scientists alike for over 50 years. This finding should serve to prevent similar cases from arising in the future.
Global wetlands exhibit significant differences in both hydrology
and species composition and range from moss-dominated arctic
peatlands to seasonally-flooded tropical floodplains. They are
increasingly recognized for the important services that they
provide to both the environment and human society such as wildlife
and fish production, nutrient filtering, and carbon sequestration.
This professional reference tool combines basic concepts of hydrology with the latest applications for landscape architecture and site engineering—including effective, eco-friendly, and people-friendly design methods for:
Stormwater management is an essential component of all landscape architecture and site engineering projects. Introduction to Stormwater helps solve environmental problems that arise in the process of planning, implementing, and evaluating the built environment. This useful guide is of singular importance to landscape architects, civil engineers, architects, wetlands scientists, and other environmental professionals who must comply with ever-changing government regulations. Concepts such as drainage, runoff quality, and drought control are presented in an easy-to-learn, nontechnical format, using case studies drawn from all regions of the United States. Over 200 charts, tables, photographs, and examples aid in conceptualization and calculations. Each chapter contains exercises to ensure that the user acquires applied skills essential to professional licensure exams and practice in the field, as well as information on related software.
Hydroclimatology provides a systematic structure for analysing how the climate system causes time and space variations (both global and local) in the hydrologic cycle. Changes in the relationship between the climate system and the hydrologic cycle underlie floods, drought and possible future influences of global warming on water resources. Land-based data, satellite data, and computer models contribute to our understanding of the complex time and space variations of physical processes shared by the climate system and the hydrologic cycle. Blending key information from the fields of climatology and hydrology - which are not often found in a single volume - this is an ideal textbook for students in atmospheric science, hydrology, Earth and environmental science, geography, and environmental engineering. It is also a useful reference for academic researchers in these fields.
Aquatic Chemistry An Introduction Emphasizing Chemical Equilibria in Natural Waters Second Edition Edited by Werner Stumm and James J. Morgan This second edition of the renowned classic unites concepts, applications, and techniques with the growing amounts of data in the field. Expanded treatment is offered on steady-state and dynamic models employing mass-balance approaches and kinetic information. New chapters address such topics as: environmental aspects of aquatic chemistry; new material on organic compounds in natural water systems; the use of stable and radioactive isotopes in chemical and physical processes; the latest advances in marine chemistry; solid-solution interface; kinetic considerations of equilibria; metal-ligand interactions; and an expanded compilation of thermodynamic data for important reactions in natural water systems. 1981 (0 471-04831-3) Cloth 780 pp. (0 471-09173-1) Paper Chemical Processes in Lakes Edited by Werner Stumm This is a multidisciplinary analysis of recent research on the physical, chemical, and biological processes in aquatic systems. Coverage includes: distribution of elements and compounds in water and sediments; sedimentation and sediment accumulation of nutrients and pollutants; eurtophication and acidification; atmospheric deposition; redox-related geochemistry and sediment-water exchange of nutrients and metals; sediment dating and paleolimnology; and steady-state and dynamic models. Most chapters focus on the role of biological processes and the coupling of elemental cycles by organisms. 1985 (0 471-88261-5) 435 pp. Principles of Aquatic Chemistry Francois M. M. Morel Here is a quantitative treatment of the chemical principles that govern the composition of natural waters. Features include an in-depth examination of the use of conservation principles in chemical systems, a review of thermodynamic and kinetic principles applicable to aquatic systems, and a novel presentation of a systematic methodology for equilibrium calculations. Detailed coverage is provided on the topic of aquatic chemistry, following the traditional divisions of acid-base, precipitation-dissolution, coordination, redox and surface reactions. 1983 (0 471-08683-5) 446 pp.
Temporary waters are found throughout the world, and include intermittent streams and ponds, episodic rain puddles, seasonal limestone lakes, the water-retaining structures of plants, such as bromeliads and pitcher plants, and a variety of man-made container habitats. They are probably populated by various plant, animal, and microscopic communities ranging from the very simple to the highly complex. Temporary waters therefore represent fascinating and significant arenas in which to study the properties of species, as the latter deal with the rigours of living in highly variable environments. Obligate temporary water species display a remarkable array of adaptations to the periodic loss of their primary medium that largely set them apart from the inhabitants of permanent water bodies. Survival of individuals frequently depends upon exceptional physiological tolerance or effective migrational abilities that are timed to appropriate habitat phases. Quite apart from their inherent biological interest, temporary waters are now in the limelight from a conservation perspective as these habitats come more and more into conflict with human activities. Traditionally, many temporary waters (be they ponds, pools, streams, or wetlands) have been considered to be 'wasted' areas of land, potentially convertible to agriculture once drained. In reality, they are natural features of the global landscape that represent distinct and unique habitats for many species, some that are found nowhere else and others that reach their maximum abundance and/or genetic diversity there. Temporary waters are also very important from a human health perspective since they function as breeding places for the vectors of many disease organisms, including those that spread malaria, schistosomiasis, yellow fever, and dengue. Most of these exact a high toll in terms of global human suffering and reduced regional economies. This book collates and synthesises the highly scattered and diverse global literature on pure and applied aspects of these habitats and their biota. It examines the ecology of temporary waters in both natural and human environments, and seeks to identify common evolutionary themes. It will be of particular interest to aquatic ecologists, invertebrate and vertebrate biologists, environmental biologists, wetland managers and conservationists, those charged with controlling water-associated diseases, entomologists, educators, and natural historians.
Das Meer ist der groesste Lebensraum der Erde - hier hat die Evolution der Organismen begonnen, und hier findet sich auch die groesste Vielfalt organismischer Bauplane. Lernfreundlich aufbereitet und leicht verstandlich geschrieben, gibt das Lehrbuch einen grundlegenden und umfassenden UEberblick uber die verschiedenen Lebensraume und Lebensgemeinschaften des Meeres. OEkologische Prozesse wie Konkurrenz, Fressbeziehungen, Symbiosen und Nahrungsnetze sind zentrale Themen. Zahlreiche Abbildungen regen zum Lesen und Lernen an.
Although its history is etched on canyon walls reaching back twenty million years, the Niobrara is very much a river of today. Stretching 535 miles from its headwaters to the Missouri River, it is one of Nebraska's least altered waterways and is designated as a national scenic river. Its waterfalls and wildlife make it a haven for outdoor enthusiasts, but pressures from development still threaten its scenic and ecological wonders. This first book-length study of the Niobrara is a comprehensive look at an ecological treasure. Paul A. Johnsgard reviews the river's history from its geologic past through prehistoric settlement to the present and highlights its historical and biological features. Writing from this crossroads of eastern and western species, Johnsgard also describes the Niobrara's varied plants and animals, providing extensive information on bird populations. He offers portraits of sixteen species of special conservation concern, such as the black-tailed prairie dog and the olive-backed pocket mouse. Drawings by Johnsgard, information tables on various species, plus site lists make the book an invaluable reference. It conveys the Niobrara's value as a recreational and scientific resource to help visitors better appreciate this riparian paradise while offering specialists an unimpeachable guide to its scientific riches. The Niobrara includes chapters by Jon Farrar and Duane Gudgel.
Rivers are said to be the veins, and streams the capillaries, that carry freshwater, the scarce lifeblood of the Earth. However, freshwaters are experiencing species extinctions at a rate faster than any other ecosystem, and human activities are threatening our survival through overexploiting and degrading water quality. Rivers have been channelled, buried underground, dammed, diverted and polluted; some so over-abstracted that their waters no longer reach the sea. With abundant rainfall, Irish rivers are less damaged than many of those in other countries, but most have water quality problems that can impact the quality of our lives and economic activities, as shortages of safe water supplies have demonstrated. This timely book aims to raise awareness of Ireland's fantastic and often undervalued river resource, and the importance of changing our behaviour and policies to ensure that we keep it in a healthy condition for its sustainable benefits, as well as protection of its biodiversity. The book captures the expertise of 39 Irish freshwater experts to provide an up-to-date account on the evolution of Ireland's rivers and their flow characteristics, biodiversity and how humans have depended on, used and abused our rivers through time. Irish rivers include types that are rare elsewhere in Europe and support a wide range of aquatic organisms and processes. In Ireland's Rivers there are chapters on their hydrology and on their animal and plant life, on crayfish, fish and pearl mussels, and on aquatic birds and mammals, describing their importance and the threats to their survival such as pollution and loss of habitat. There are case studies of characteristic but contrasting Irish rivers, the Avonmore, Burrishoole, Araglin and the mighty Shannon, and information on invasive aquatic species. Water quality and river management are underlying themes. Ireland's Rivers concludes with some suggestions for ways that individuals, households, communities and policy makers can help protect the health and beauty of our rivers and their wildlife.
Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Water Resources Monograph Series, Volume 18. Landslides are a constant in shaping our landscape. Whether by large episodic, or smaller chronic, mass movements, our mountains, hills, valleys, rivers, and streams bear evidence of change from landslides. Combined with anthropogenic factors, especially the development and settlement of unstable terrain, landslides (as natural processes) have become natural disasters.This book charts our understanding of landslide processes, prediction methods, and related land use issues. How and where do landslides initiate? What are the human and economic consequences? What hazard assessment and prediction methods are available, and how well do they work? How does land use, from timber harvesting and road building to urban and industrial development, affect landslide distribution in time and space? And what is the effect of land use and climate change on landslides?This book responds to such questions with: - Synopses of how various land uses and management activities influence landslide behavior- Analyses of earth surface processes that affect landslide frequency and extent- Examples of prediction techniques and methods of landslide hazard assessment, including scales of application- Discussion of landslide types and related costs and damagesThose who study landslides, and those who deal with landslides, from onset to after-effects--including researchers, engineers, land managers, educators, students, and policy makers--will find this work a benchmark reference, now and for years to come.
BL A practical teaching course BL Takes an environmental approach to hydrology This is a textbook in environmental hydrology DSa field of study concerned with the basic system of water circulation and patters of runoff and the major ways in which human occupation of Earth alters both processes and pattersn. It focuses on the river basin or catchment unit not only because of its geographical appeal but because it is the basic experimental and data-gathering unit, and the fundamental unit for water management. The book explores a considerable number of methodological frameworks. Most of these are scientific; an acceptable replacement for problem-solving by data collection, analysis, and prediction has yet to be found. However, it also considers non-digital values DSattitudes, preferences, policies, laws DSespecially in the case of the freshwater environment, where key data are still relatively scarce. Having developed a holistic approach to river basins, the author concludes by considering the utility of our current knowledge of environment hydrology to provide the reader with a practical response to the conservation of fresh water. This book is intended for second and third year und |
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