There have been many excellent books written on the subject of plastic deformation in solids, but rarely can one find a textbook on this subject. "Plasticity Modeling & Computation" is a textbook written specifically for students who want to learn the theoretical, mathematical, and computational aspects of inelastic deformation in solids. It adopts a simple narrative style that is not mathematically overbearing, and has been written to emulate a professor giving a lecture on this subject inside a classroom. Each section is written to provide a balance between the relevant equations and the explanations behind them. Where relevant, sections end with one or more exercises designed to reinforce the understanding of the "lecture." Color figures enhance the presentation and make the book very pleasant to read. For professors planning to use this textbook for their classes, the contents are sufficient for Parts A and B that can be taught in sequence over a period of two semesters or quarters.

Water engineers require knowledge of stochastic, frequency concepts, uncertainty analysis, risk assessment, and the processes that predict unexpected events. This book presents the basics of stochastic, risk and uncertainty analysis, and random sampling techniques in conjunction with straightforward examples which are solved step by step. In addition, appropriate Excel functions are included as an alternative to solve the examples, and two real case studies is presented in the last chapters of book.

Landslides and debris flows belong to the most dangerous natural hazards in many parts of the world. Despite intensive research, these events continue to result in human suffering, property losses, and environmental degradation every year. Better understanding of the mechanisms and processes of landslides and debris flows will help make reliable predictions, develop mitigation strategies and reduce vulnerability of infrastructure. This book presents contributions to the workshop on Recent Developments in the Analysis, Monitoring and Forecast of Landslides and Debris Flow, in Vienna, Austria, September 9, 2013. The contributions cover a broad spectrum of topics from material behavior, physical modelling over numerical simulation to applications and case studies. The workshop is a joint event of three research projects funded by the European Commission within the 7th Framework Program: MUMOLADE (Multiscale modelling of landslides and debris flows, www.mumolade.com), REVENUES (Numerical Analysis of Slopes with Vegetations, http://www.revenues-eu.com) and HYDRODRIL (Integrated Risk Assessment of Hydrologically-Driven Landslides, www.boku.ac.at/igt/).

Climate change highlights the challenges for long-term policy making in the face of persistent and irreducible levels of uncertainties. It calls for the development of flexible approaches, innovative governance and other elements that contribute to effective and adaptive decision-making. Exploring these new approaches is also a challenge for those involved in climate research and development of adaptation policy. The book provides a dozen real-life examples of adaptation decision making in the form of case studies: * Water supply management in Portugal, England and Wales and Hungary * Flooding, including flood risk in Ireland, coastal flooding and erosion in Southwest France, and flood management in Australia's Hutt River region * Transport and utilities, including the Austrian Federal railway system, public transit in Dresden, and Quebec hydro-electric power * Report examining communication of large numbers of climate scenarios in Dutch climate adaptation workshops.

Lectures in Meteorology is a comprehensive reference book for meteorologists and environmental scientists to look up material on the thermodynamics, dynamics and chemistry of the troposphere. The lectures demonstrate how to derive/develop equations – an essential tool for model development. All chapters present applications of the material including numerical models. The lectures are written in modular form, i.e. they can be used at the undergraduate level for classes covered by the chapters or at the graduate level as a comprehensive, intensive course. The student/instructor can address chapters 2 (thermodynamics) and 4 (radiation) in any order. They can also switch the order of chapter 5 (chemistry) and 6 (dynamics). Chapter 7 (climatology and climate) requires an understanding of all chapters. Chapter 3 (cloud physics) needs basics from chapter 2 to understand the cloud microphysical processes. The governing conservation equations for trace constituents, dry air, water substances, total mass, energy, entropy and momentum are presented, including simplifications and their application in models. A brief introduction to atmospheric boundary layer processes is presented as well. Basic principles of climatology discussed include analysis methods, atmospheric waves and their analytical solutions, tropical and extra-tropical cyclones, classical and non-classical mesoscale circulations, and the global circulation. The atmospheric chemistry section encompasses photolytic and gas-phase processes, aqueous chemistry, aerosol processes, fundamentals of biogeochemical cycles and the ozone layer. Solar and terrestrial radiation; major absorber; radiation balance; radiative equilibrium; radiative-convective equilibrium; and basics of molecular, aerosol and cloud adsorption and scattering and their use in remote sensing are also presented.

The book provides suitable methods for the simulations of boundary value problems of geotechnical installation processes with reliable prediction for the deformation behavior of structures in static or dynamic interaction with the soil. It summarizes the basic research of a research group from scientists dealing with constitutive relations of soils and their implementations as well as contact element formulations in FE-codes. Numerical and physical experiments are presented providing benchmarks for future developments in this field. Boundary value problems have been formulated and solved with the developed tools in order to show the effectivity of the methods. Parametric studies of geotechnical installation processes in order to identify the governing parameters for the optimization of the process are given in such a way that the findings can be recommended to practice for further use. For many design engineers in practice the assessment of the serviceability of nearby structures due to geotechnical installation processes is a very challenging task. Some hints about possible effects and their consideration are given in this book which may provide a help for such estimations which are still not possible to be given in a satisfactory manner.

Although devoted to his parish, Leonard Jenyns (1800 93) combined his clerical duties with keen research into the natural world around him. His numerous publications include A Manual of British Vertebrate Animals (1835) and Observations in Natural History (1846), both of which are reissued in this series. This 1858 work is based on nineteen years of meticulous observation of Cambridgeshire weather, including trends in atmospheric pressure and precipitation. Jenyns' careful recording of his surroundings supplies the raw data for the text and many informative tables. The geological position of Swaffam Bulbeck, where most of the observations were made, is briefly discussed along with other factors bearing upon the climate of Cambridgeshire more generally. Throwing light on how meteorological observation was conducted and interpreted, the work reflects a growing interest in the topic in Victorian Britain."

Fluxes of trace gases, water and energy - the 'breathing of the biosphere' - are controlled by a large number of interacting physical, chemical, biological and ecological processes. In this interdisciplinary book, the authors provide the tools to understand and quantitatively analyse fluxes of energy, organic compounds such as terpenes, and trace gases including carbon dioxide, water vapour and methane. It first introduces the fundamental principles affecting the supply and demand for trace gas exchange at the leaf and soil scales: thermodynamics, diffusion, turbulence and physiology. It then builds on these principles to model the exchange of water, carbon dioxide, terpenes and stable isotopes at the ecosystem scale. Detailed mathematical derivations of commonly used relations in biosphere-atmosphere interactions are provided for reference in appendices. An accessible introduction for graduate students and a key resource for researchers in related fields, such as atmospheric science, hydrology, meteorology, climate science, biogeochemistry and ecosystem ecology.

In 2013 several scientific activities have been devoted to mathematical researches for the study of planet Earth. The current volume presents a selection of the highly topical issues presented at the workshop “Mathematical Models and Methods for Planet Earth�, held in Roma (Italy), in May 2013. The fields of interest span from impacts of dangerous asteroids to the safeguard from space debris, from climatic changes to monitoring geological events, from the study of tumor growth to sociological problems. In all these fields the mathematical studies play a relevant role as a tool for the analysis of specific topics and as an ingredient of multidisciplinary problems. To investigate these problems we will see many different mathematical tools at work: just to mention some, stochastic processes, PDE, normal forms, chaos theory.

Coupled climate system models are of central importance for climate studies. A new model known as FGOALS ( the Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System model), has been developed by the Sate Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (LASG/IAP, CAS), a first-tier national geophysical laboratory. It serves as a powerful tool, both for deepening our understanding of fundamental mechanisms of the climate system and for making decadal prediction and scenario projections of future climate change. "Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System Model: A Modeling Tool for the Climate Change Research Community" is the first book to offer systematic evaluations of this model's performance. It is comprehensive in scope, covering both developmental and application-oriented aspects of this climate system model. It also provides an outlook of future development of FGOALS and offers an overview of how to employ the model. It represents a valuable reference work for researchers and professionals working within the related areas of climate variability and change. Prof. Tianjun Zhou, Yongqiang Yu, Yimin Liu and Bin Wang work at LASG, the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.

This book presents a history of roundabouts, an introduction to their design, calculations of their capacity and traffic-safety features. It describes the key features of standard roundabouts and their limitations. Alternative types of roundabouts are a fairly recent development and have only been implemented in a few countries to date. The book illustrates a broad variety of these recent alternative types of roundabouts, as well as proposed types still in the development phase, explaining for each the specific needs it meets, its advantages and drawbacks. In closing, the book offers an outlook on the role of roundabouts in future street traffic.

Schumann resonance has been studied for more than half a century. The field became popular among researchers of the terrestrial environment using natural sources of electromagnetic radiation—lightning strokes, primarily—and now many Schumann observatories have been established around the world. A huge number of publications can be found in the literature, the most recent collection of which was presented in a special Schumann resonance section of the journal Radio Science in 2007. The massive publications, however, impede finding information about how to organize measurements and start observations of global electromagnetic resonance. Relevant information is scattered throughout many publications, which are not always available. The goal of this book is to collect all necessary data in a single edition in order to describe the demands of the necessary equipment and the field-site as well as the impact of industrial and natural interference, and to demonstrate typical results and obstacles often met in measurements. The authors not only provide representative results but also describe unusual radio signals in the extremely low-frequency (ELF) band and discuss signals in the adjacent frequency ranges.

This book explores a new realm in data-based modeling with applications to hydrology. Pursuing a case study approach, it presents a rigorous evaluation of state-of-the-art input selection methods on the basis of detailed and comprehensive experimentation and comparative studies that employ emerging hybrid techniques for modeling and analysis. Advanced computing offers a range of new options for hydrologic modeling with the help of mathematical and data-based approaches like wavelets, neural networks, fuzzy logic, and support vector machines. Recently machine learning/artificial intelligence techniques have come to be used for time series modeling. However, though initial studies have shown this approach to be effective, there are still concerns about their accuracy and ability to make predictions on a selected input space.

First published in 1919 as part of the Cambridge Nature Study Series, and originally intended for schoolchildren, this book introduces some of the basic concepts of meteorology. The text is illustrated with photographs and illustrations of weather systems and necessary meteorological equipment, and Chapman suggests exercises and topics for discussion in class. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the history of education.

This book assists the reader in determining storm risks, focussing on sandy coasts and cliff coasts in the context of expected sea level rise from littoral transformation and climate change. It examines storm impacts through matrixes concerning physical parameters, socio-economic activities, ecological and historic resources, and it presents the Coastline Risk to Storms Index as a single numerical measure of the risk for a given area. The methodology is described and tested against two coastal areas: one in the Caribbean Sea (Cartagena, Colombia) and the other on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean (Cadiz, Spain). Both areas record an important flow of tourists associated with the "sun, sea and sand market" which represents an economic recourse for the hinterland too. Chapters describe this approach and explore three particular types of variables: i) the forcing variables contributing to storm-induced erosion, ii) dynamic variables that determine the resilience to erosion (Susceptibility) and iii) the vulnerable targets grouped in three different contexts (socio-economic, ecological and heritage). These are combined into two separate indices, the Hazard Index (combining forcing and susceptibility) and the Vulnerability Index, which together constitute the Coastline Risk to Storms Index. Maps created using this semi-quantitative approximation method can help to determine the causes, processes and consequences of storm-related processes. This book is therefore important to anyone considering coastal development programs, especially decision-makers: the work presented here can assist in the development of preventative management strategies for the most vulnerable areas.

Natural ecosystems are heavily dependent on water, as it is essential to the development of life. The ecology and landscape play an important role in the quality and availability of water. It is no coincidence that exceptional hydrological phenomena are found in protected areas. Such is the case with, for example, the geothermic occurrences (principally, geysers) in America's Yellowstone National Park , the oldest park in the world. The Ramsar wetlands (where the ecosystem's dependency on water is strongly evident), The Iguacu Falls (on the border of Argentina and Brazil), or the Zapata Swamp (the largest of its kind on the Caribbean island of Cuba) further exemplify this point. However, in many cases, the conservation strategies for hydraulic resources in protected areas are ignored, or simply deprived of the attention they require. There are many types of suitable management strategies for planning and protecting our valuable treasures. Hydraulic resource management in protected areas is something that must not be separated from these conservation measures. The first Symposium for the Management of Hydraulic Resources in Protected Areas was intended to be a framework of communication about experiences with water resource management in protected areas. Advances in research and possible solutions to the problems within these areas were discussed. The contributions in this proceedings volume are grouped under seven main themes: Purification and reuse of wastewater in rural communities; Impact of public use on water resources; Vulnerability and risks associated with aquifers, Design and management water resources in protected areas; Research and monitoring of water resources in protected areas; Water and its importance as a source of renewable energy in protected spaces; and Geodiversity and conservation of areas with hydraulic heritage.

This book aims to promote the understanding of some of the basic mathematical and scientific issues in the subjects relating to climate dynamics, chaos and quantum mechanics. It is based on substantial research work in atmospheric science carried out over twenty years. Atmospheric flows exhibit self similar fractal fluctuations, a signature of long-range correlations on all space-time scales. Realistic simulation and prediction of atmospheric flows requires the incorporation of the physics of observed fractal fluctuation characteristics in traditional meteorological theory. A general systems theory model for fractal space-time fluctuations in turbulent atmospheric flows is presented and applied to the formation of rain in warm clouds. This model gives scale-free universal governing equations for cloud growth processes. The model predicted cloud parameters are in agreement with reported observations, in particular, the cloud drop-size distribution. Rain formation can occur in warm clouds within 30 minutes as observed in practice under favourable conditions of moisture supply in the environment. Traditional cloud physical concepts for rain development requires over an hour for a full-sized raindrop to form. The book provides background reading for postgraduate students of Meteorology, Atmospheric Sciences/Physics, Environmental Sciences, and scientists working in the field of the topic of the book as well as the multidisciplinary field of Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos.

In this wide-ranging and comprehensive review of the historical development and current status of ocean circulation models, the analysis extends from simple analytical approaches to the latest high-resolution numerical models with data assimilation. The authors, both of whom are pioneer scientists in ocean and shelf sea modelling, look back at the evolution of Western and Eastern modelling methodologies during the second half of the last century. They also present the very latest information on ocean climate modelling and offer examples for a number of oceans and shelf seas.

The book includes a critical analysis of literature on ocean climate variability modelling, as well as assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the best-known modelling techniques. It also anticipates future developments in the field, focusing on models based on a synthesis of numerical simulation and field observation, and on nonlinear thermodynamic model data synthesis.

This volume presents eighteen case studies of natural disasters from Australia, Europe, North America and developing countries. By comparing the impacts, it seeks to identify what moves people to adapt, which adaptive activities succeed and which fail, and the underlying reasons, and the factors that determine when adaptation is required and when simply bearing the impact may be the more appropriate response. Much has been written about the theory of adaptation and high-level, especially international, policy responses to climate change. This book aims to inform actual adaptation practice - what works, what does not, and why. It explores some of the lessons we can learn from past disasters and the adaptation that takes place after the event in preparation for the next. This volume will be especially useful for researchers and decision makers in policy and government concerned with climate change adaptation, emergency management, disaster risk reduction, environmental policy and planning.

Flash floods typically develop in a period a few hours or less and can arise from heavy rainfall and other causes, such as dam or flood defence breaches, and ice jam breaks. The rapid development, often associated with a high debris content, can present a considerable risk to people and property. This book describes recent developments in techniques for monitoring and forecasting the development of flash floods, and providing flood warnings. Topics which are discussed include rainfall and river monitoring, nowcasting, Numerical Weather Prediction, rainfall-runoff modelling, and approaches to the dissemination of flood warnings and provision of an emergency response. The book is potentially useful on civil engineering, water resources, meteorology and hydrology courses (and for post graduate studies) but is primarily intended as a review of the topic for a wider audience.

Early nineteenth-century farmers often sowed their crops on an arbitrarily chosen day every year. Impatient with this practice, naturalist Joseph Taylor (c.1761-1844) presents an alternative method in this work, which first appeared in 1812. He argues that by studying the atmosphere, the behaviour of animals and the condition of local flora, a farmer can not only determine the optimal time for sowing, but also forecast the weather. Including the Shepherd of Banbury's famous rules for judging changes in the weather, alongside remarks on the quality of this wisdom, Taylor's book also draws on a wealth of wider countryside knowledge. He observes, for example, that the flowering of primroses and lettuce occurs at such precise times as to be useful for botanical clocks, while the proximity of bees to their hives and the agitation of dogs suggest oncoming weather conditions.

The Earth's average temperature has risen by 1.4 DegreesF over the past century, and computer models project that it will rise much more over the next hundred years, with significant impacts on weather, climate, and human society. Many climate scientists attribute these increases to the build up of greenhouse gases produced by the burning of fossil fuels and to the anthropogenic production of short-lived climate pollutants. Climate Change Modeling Methodologies: Selected Entries from the Encyclopaedia of Sustainability Science and Technology provides readers with an introduction to the tools and analysis techniques used by climate change scientists to interpret the role of these forcing agents on climate. Readers will also gain a deeper understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of these models and how to test and assess them. The contributions include a glossary of key terms and a concise definition of the subject for each topic, as well as recommendations for sources of more detailed information.

SCIAMACHY, the SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHar tographY, is a passive sensor for exploring the Earth's atmosphere. It is part of the payload of the European Earth Observation mission ENVISAT, launched on 1 March 2002. SCIAMACHY observes absorption spectra of molecules from the UV (214 nm) to the short-wave infrared wavelength range (2386 nm) and derives the atmospheric composition - trace gases, aerosols, clouds - from these measurements. Having meanwhile successfully monitored and explored the Earth's atmosphere for more than 8 years, new and exciting insights into the Earth-atmosphere system are obtained. The provided global data sets do not only cover greenhouse gases and pollutants in the troposphere or the ozone chemistry in the stratosphere but even reach up to the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. They contribute significantly to atmospheric physics and chemistry as well as climate change research. SCIAMACHY is one of the major current Earth Observation undertakings of Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium, accomplished in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA). Many scientific groups at various institutes in Europe and abroad were and are actively involved in the analysis of the data. This book is a comprehensive summary describing the entire SCIAMACHY mission - from the very first ideas to the current results. It illustrates how the measurements are performed, how the trace gas concentrations are derived from the measured spectra and how the unique data sets are used to improve our understanding of the changing Earth's atmosphere. The targeted readership is not only the existing and potentially new SCIAMACHY data users from undergraduate student level up to researchers new in the fields of atmospheric chemistry and remote sensing, but anyone who is keen to learn about SCIAMACHY's efforts to study the atmosphere and its responses to both, natural phenomena and anthropogenic effects.

Hurricanes are nature's most destructive agents. Widespread interest surrounds the possibility that they might get even more destructive in the future. Policy makers consider it a call for action. Answers about when and by how much hurricanes will change are sought by financial institutions especially industry. And scientists are challenged by the range and interactions of the processes involved. This book, arising from the 2nd International Summit on Hurricanes and Climate Change, contains new research on topics related to hurricanes and climate change since the 1st Summit. Chapters are grouped into research studies using global climate models and those taking empirical and statistical approaches. The latter include investigations of basin-wide and regional hurricane activity.

This volume provides an up to date overview of climate variability during the 20th century in the context of natural and anthropogenic variability. It compiles a number of contributions to a workshop held in Gwatt, Switzerland, in July 2006 dealing with different aspects of climate change, variability, and extremes during the past 100 years. The individual contributions cover a broad range of topics. The volume fills a gap in this exciting field of research.