From where -- and what -- does water come? How did it become the key to life in the universe? Water from Heaven presents a state-of-the-art portrait of the science of water, recounting how the oxygen needed to form H2O originated in the nuclear reactions in the interiors of stars, asking whether microcomets may be replenishing our world's oceans, and explaining how the Moon and planets set ice-age rhythms by way of slight variations in Earth's orbit and rotation. The book then takes the measure of water today in all its states, solid and gaseous as well as liquid.

How do the famous El Ni?o and La Ni?a events in the Pacific affect our weather? What clues can water provide scientists in search of evidence of climate changes of the past, and how does it complicate their predictions of future global warming? Finally, Water from Heaven deals with the role of water in the rise and fall of civilizations. As nations grapple over watershed rights and pollution controls, water is poised to supplant oil as the most contested natural resource of the new century. The vast majority of water "used" today is devoted to large-scale agriculture and though water is a renewable resource, it is not an infinite one. Already many parts of the world are running up against the limits of what is readily available.

Water from Heaven is, in short, the full story of water and all its remarkable properties. It spans from water's beginnings during the formation of stars, all the way through the origin of the solar system, the evolution of life on Earth, the rise of civilization, and what will happen in the future. Dealing with the physical, chemical, biological, and political importance of water, this book transforms our understanding of our most precious, and abused, resource. Robert Kandel shows that water presents us with a series of crucial questions and pivotal choices that will change the way you look at your next glass of water.

First published in 1987, Maritime Boundaries and Ocean Resources is a collection of essays which examines the political jurisdiction of ocean boundaries and the affects that this has on the world's oceans. It examines how the intensification of ocean use has raised questions of how rational planning, and the management of the oceans can avoid increasingly environmental damage and sea use conflict and examines the ocean as a tool for space, trade and communication. It also addresses the creation of integrated regional planning for ocean management.

Sea Ice Image Processing with MATLAB addresses the topic of image processing for the extraction of key sea ice characteristics from digital photography, which is of great relevance for Artic remote sensing and marine operations. This valuable guide provides tools for quantifying the ice environment that needs to be identified and reproduced for such testing. This includes fit-for-purpose studies of existing vessels, new-build conceptual design and detailed engineering design studies for new developments, and studies of demanding marine operations involving multiple vessels and operational scenarios in sea ice. A major contribution of this work is the development of automated computer algorithms for efficient image analysis. These are used to process individual sea-ice images and video streams of images to extract parameters such as ice floe size distribution, and ice types. Readers are supplied with Matlab source codes of the algorithms for the image processing methods discussed in the book made available as online material. Features Presents the first systematic work using image processing techniques to identify ice floe size distribution from aerial images Helps identify individual ice floe and obtain floe size distributions for Arctic offshore operations and transportation Explains specific algorithms that can be combined to solve various problems during polar sea ice investigations Includes MATLAB (R) codes useful not only for academics, but for ice engineers and scientists to develop tools applicable in different areas such as sustainable arctic marine and coastal technology research Provides image processing techniques applicable to other fields like biomedicine, material science, etc

Authored by world-class scientists and scholars, The Handbook of Natural Resources, Second Edition, is an excellent reference for understanding the consequences of changing natural resources to the degradation of ecological integrity and the sustainability of life. Based on the content of the bestselling and CHOICE-awarded Encyclopedia of Natural Resources, this new edition demonstrates the major challenges that the society is facing for the sustainability of all well-being on the planet Earth. The experience, evidence, methods, and models used in studying natural resources are presented in six stand-alone volumes, arranged along the main systems of land, water, and air. It reviews state-of-the-art knowledge, highlights advances made in different areas, and provides guidance for the appropriate use of remote sensing and geospatial data with field-based measurements in the study of natural resources. Volume 6, Atmosphere and Climate, covers atmospheric pollution and the complexity of atmospheric systems and their interactions with human activity. As an excellent reference for fundamental information on air systems, the handbook includes coverage of acid rain and nitrogen deposition, air pollutants, elevated carbon dioxide, atmospheric circulation patterns, and climate change effects on polar regions and climatology. New in this edition are discussions on aerosols monitoring and mapping, greenhouse gases, the Greenland ice sheet, and mountainous regions. This book presents the key processes, methods, and models used in studying the impact of air pollution on ecosystems worldwide. Written in an easy-to-reference manner, The Handbook of Natural Resources, Second Edition, as individual volumes or as a complete set, is an essential reading for anyone looking for a deeper understanding of the science and management of natural resources. Public and private libraries, educational and research institutions, scientists, scholars, and resource managers will benefit enormously from this set. Individual volumes and chapters can also be used in a wide variety of both graduate and undergraduate courses in environmental science and natural science at different levels and disciplines, such as biology, geography, earth system science, and ecology.

The hydrological cycle of the Arctic Ocean has intimate and complex linkages to global climate: changes in one affect the other, usually with a feedback. The combined effects of large river runoff, advection of meteoric water, low evaporation rates and distillation by freezing contribute to the formation of a strong halocline in the upper Arctic ocean, which limits thermal communication between the sea ice and the warmer waters of Atlantic origin below. Sea ice and freshened surface waters are transported from the marginal seas by winds and currents, ultimately exiting the Arctic Ocean through Fram and Davis Straits. Variations in the freshwater outflow from these regions affect the density structure of the Arctic Ocean itself and so the surface heat balance. Another feedback is the effect these variations have on the density profile of the water column in the Greenland and Labrador seas where, at present, convection takes place mixing surface waters downwards with those at greater depth. This downward convective motion produces dense deep waters that flow outwards from these two centres and affect the entire North Atlantic.

In September 1996, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), prohibiting nuclear explosions worldwide, in all environments. The treaty calls for a global verification system, including a network of 321 monitoring stations distributed around the globe, a data communications network, an international data centre (IDC), and on-site inspections, to verify compliance. A global hydroacoustic monitoring system is being planned and implemented for verification of the CTBT. Much of the research conducted over the past several decades on acoustic surveillance of the oceans, formerly driven by the need to detect and track submarines, is now being applied to the development of effective monitoring methods to verify compliance with the CTBT. The aim of this volume on Hydroacoustic Monitoring of the CTBT is to summarize the research being conducted in this field and to provide basic references for future research. Much of the new research emphasizes major advances in understanding the coupling of ocean acoustic waves with elastic waves in the solid Earth. Topics covered include source excitation, detection and classification of events generating hydroacoustic signals, discrimination between underwater explosions and naturally occurring events, as well as topics in coupling of acoustic to seismic wavefields.

This book assembles a group of contributors to provide an in-depth perspective on a nationally high profile and complex climate event: El Niño 1997-1998. The focus is largely on the United States, where El Niño produced widespread changes in how the public perceives weather and in the accuracy of forecasts. Among the key issues it examines are how the news media interpreted and dramatized El Niño and the reaction both of the public and decision-makers; the scientific issues emerging from the event; and the social and economic consequences of the event. Finally, it suggest what can and should be done when El Niño occurs in the future.

The realism of large scale numerical ocean models has improved dra matically in recent years, in part because modern computers permit a more faithful representation of the differential equations by their algebraic analogs. Equally significant, if not more so, has been the improved under standing of physical processes on space and time scales smaller than those that can be represented in such models. Today, some of the most challeng ing issues remaining in ocean modeling are associated with parameterizing the effects of these high-frequency, small-space scale processes. Accurate parameterizations are especially needed in long term integrations of coarse resolution ocean models that are designed to understand the ocean vari ability within the climate system on seasonal to decadal time scales. Traditionally, parameterizations of subgrid-scale, high-frequency mo tions in ocean modeling have been based on simple formulations, such as the Reynolds decomposition with constant diffusivity values. Until recently, modelers were concerned with first order issues such as a correct represen tation of the basic features of the ocean circulation. As the numerical simu lations become better and less dependent on the discretization choices, the focus is turning to the physics of the needed parameterizations and their numerical implementation. At the present time, the success of any large scale numerical simulation is directly dependent upon the choices that are made for the parameterization of various subgrid processes.

Without light there would be no life in the sea. Since the seas were the cradle for the evolution of all life forms, the theme of this book is central to our understanding of the interaction between living organisms and their environments. To express the breadth of research in this area, leading experts in topics as diverse as satellite imagery and molecular biology have contributed to this collection of essays on light and life in the sea, first published in 1990. Intended for all with an interest in the marine environment, this book aims to present the reader with a sampler of the exciting research that is underway and to provide an introduction to its broad compass.

This book presents many types of tidal phenomena. The contributions evolved from a seminar in Oberwolfach, Black Forest, where German experts on tidal research met in October 1994 to present their views and experience to interested graduate students and scientists in an informal way. The seminar focused on earth tides, tides of the atmosphere and the oceans, including solar-induced variations of the magnetic field and climate, and tidal phenomena in the planetary system and universe. This book has an introductory character, but some contributions describe the state of the art in tidal research.

The multidisciplinary character of this Encyclopedia of Marine Sciences (biology, chemistry, geology, physics in oceanography) is reflected in some 1980 up-to-date alphabetically listed keywords, and many illustrations, to give scientists, teachers, and students a helpful and time-saving aid when studying marine scientific literature. The brief explanation of the concepts, terminology and methods makes this book more valuable than just a glossary or dictionary.

This book takes the reader through the complete weathering cycle, from the continents to the oceans, from the perspective of modern radiogenic isotope geochemistry. Topics include surface weathering, fluvial processes, environmental pollution, oceanography and paleoceanography, sedimentary mineral diagenesis and radiometric dating, thus bridging the gap between processes acting on the Earth today and the geological record. Extensive use is made of carefully selected case studies, both pioneering and state-of-the-art. This book enables the reader to critically assess previous work from the literature as well as encouraging already established researchers to apply the most modern isotopic approaches to their particular field of study.

From the bestselling author of Breath, a “fascinating, informative, exhilarating” voyage from the ocean’s surface to its darkest trenches (Wall Street Journal).

Fascinated by the sport of freediving—in which competitors descend great depths on a single breath—James Nestor embeds with a gang of oceangoing extreme athletes and renegade researchers. He finds whales that communicate with other whales hundreds of miles away, sharks that swim in unerringly straight lines through pitch-black waters, and other strange phenomena. Most illuminating of all, he learns that these abilities are reflected in our own remarkable, and often hidden, potential—including echolocation, directional sense, and the profound bodily changes humans undergo when underwater.

Along the way, Nestor unlocks his own freediving skills as he communes with the pioneers who are expanding our definition of what is possible in the natural world, and in ourselves.

This book explores the types of conflicts that occur over marine and coastal resources, the underlying causes, and attempts to prevent them. Despite the emergence of various marine and coastal governance approaches to address the effects of human activities within the marine environment, conflict continues. In this book, the author outlines the reasons conflicts can, and do, arise in the marine and coastal environment. Drawing on case studies from both the northern and southern hemispheres, the book takes a broad view of how we interact with our environment, of how and why conflict is perpetuated as a political and cultural phenomenon, and how this varies or remains constant across space and place. The case studies explore not only the underlying perceptions and needs of those involved in marine and coastal conflict and the types of conflicts that arise in oceanic and coastal areas, but also the underpinning reasons for these conflicts. Marine and coastal resource conflicts have the potential to derail conservation efforts and blue growth policies, as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Thus, it is imperative we understand the drivers and exacerbating factors of marine and coastal conflict. Arguing that there is an urgent need for renewed thinking and focus on conflict prevention, the author develops a theory of marine and coastal conflict which allows us to understand those factors and the means to help prevent such conflicts arising in the first place. This book will be of interest to students and researchers of coastal and marine science and environmental management as well as those working in the field of marine resource management, including coastal zone managers and fisheries managers.

The 1993 Southwest Hokkaido Earthquake of Magnitude 7. 9 (July 12, 22: 17 JST) caused serious tsunami disasters in the southwestern part of Hokkaido, particularly on Okushiri Island (a tiny island off the southwest coast of Hokkaido with a population of about 4,500 at the time of earthquake). Of 230 casualties, including 28 missing, about 200 deaths are attributable to the tsunami. We have conducted detailed field surveys of tsunami disasters to learn lessons from this costly natural experiment for the future prevention of similar tsunami disasters. Our field work was conducted in four surveys totaling 39 days. During the first field survey (July 16 through July 21, 1994), we worked mostly on the estimation of the subsidence of Okushiri Island during the earthquake. Hence, our main work on tsunami disasters initiated from the second field survey (July 31 through Aug. 15, 1994). Several groups have conducted detailed surveys of the distribution of tsunami runup height as measured from the level of sea water (TsUJI et al. , 1 994a, b; MATSUTOMI and SHUTO, 1994; GOTO et al. , 1994). Such a precise runup height distribution is essential for characterizing tsunami, including its overall size. Indeed, the height distribution is the fundamental data for inferring earthquake source parameters through the simulation of tsunami generation (TAKAHASHI et al. , 1994; IMAMURA et al. , 1994; TSUJI et al. , 1994a; SATAKE and TANIOKA 1994; ABE, 1994; TANIOKA et al. , in review).

Working at advanced levels of oceanography requires a firm grasp of the mathematical and physical underpinnings of oceanic processes. George Mellor's Introduction to Physical Oceanography provides the appropriate analytical foundation. Written for advanced undergraduate/first-year graduate students, the book focuses on the elements of fluid dynamics essential to further study and research in oceanography. Based on lecture notes for his introductory class in physical oceanography, Mellor's text provides clear descriptions of concepts and simple analytical models of oceanic processes in a systematic presentation. Specific topics include the equations of motion, scaling analysis, geostrophic flow, atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers, barotropic and baroclinic flows, ocean circulation, surface waves, tides, and vorticity concepts. The text is enhanced by numerous figures and diagrams, with appendices providing details of mathematical topics. The information provided in the Introduction to Physical Oceanography give students the background they need for further study of the oceans. Physicists, meteorologists, and engineers in other specialties will find it a useful reference on fluid dynamics relevant to oceanography.

This book gives a comprehensive, theoretical account of the wave-wave interaction process responsible for high acoustic noise levels, including: a geometric description of the interaction mechanism, which provides the basis for a full-wave analysis of the source process, the inclusion of both the monogeneous and inhomogeneous components of the wave-induced pressure field in the analytical description of the source, an examination of the relative contributions of the sum and difference-frequency components of the wave interaction process, the removal of the deep-water assumption of earlier analyses, and the development of an "exact" analytical expression which allows the source function of the wave-induced pressure field to be calculated over the whole frequency-wave number domain.

The book content corresponds to a course of the International Summer School of Theoretical Geodesy held every 4 years under the sponsorship of the International Association of Geodesy. This particular course, that was given at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, has been dedicated to the theory of satellite altimetry as a response to the increasing need of scientific work in this field due to important recent and forthcoming space mission. The course was conceived to supply a good theoretical basis in both disciplines, i.e. geodesy and oceanography, which are deeply involved in the analysis and in the use of the altimetric signal. The main items of interest are the physical theory of ocean circulation, the theory of tides and the ocean time-variability, from the point of view of oceanography and the orbit theory, with particular regard to the formation of the radial orbital error, the so-called cross over adjustment, the analysis of geodetic boundary value problems, the integrated determination of the gravity field and of the radial orbital error, from the point of view of geodesy. All these arguments are treated from the foundation by very-well experts of the various fields, to introduce the reader into the more difficult subjects on which advanced research is currently performed. The peculiarity of the book is in its interdisciplinarity as it can serve to both communities of oceanographers and geodesists to get acquainted with advanced aspects one of the other.

Public awareness of the importance of Antarctic research, particularly in relation to global problems, has increased. The book spans a broad spectrum of Antarctic science from the "ozone hole" to microbiology to the sea ice. The main focus is on the role of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in the world climate system, e.g. the formation of sea ice and its relevance to ocean circulation, the biological pump in relation to CO2 release. The past climate history is revealed by the analysis of ice cores and sediments. Studies of plate tectonics and fossil records reach further back in earth history. Key words in the biological chapters are krill and the rich Antarctic benthos. Finally, the potential conflict between conservationists, researchers and tourists is discussed.

In the early 1950s microseisms, with characteristic amplitudes of several micro meters, were considered insignificant relative to powerful destructive earthquakes. They were understood to be noise, as natural fluctuations, not carrying any in formation and distorting recordings on seismograms. Intensive investigations over subsequent decades have shown, however, that microseisins are only a single facet of a huge complex of phenomena comprising cyclone movement over oceans, sea roughness, infrasound, geomagnetic micropulsations, terrestial of these phenomena proved to be confined in time currents, etc. The source and space, whereas their effects propagated over global distances. This could be interpreted as a case of natural "remote sensing." It should be mentioned that all of the evidence gathered in the last few decades supports the theory of M. S. Longuet-Higgins published in 1950. The author has been engaged in problems of microseisms since 1955 and is deeply convinced that these phenomena are not only of theoretical interest but may also find practical application in meteorology, oceanology, navigation and other areas. She hopes. that this book will stimulate further research as well as new approaches to practical problems."

The laboratory work to the dynamics of turbidity currents, outlined in this volume, is the first experimental investigation of the nature of downslape gravity-driven currents of suspended sediments which are reflected/ deflected against obstacles such as seamounts oceanfloor slopes. Scientists and researchers working on the interpretation and understanding of features occurring in sequence stratigraphic sections will find useful clues.

Ocean Wave Dynamics is the most up-to-date book of its kind on the three main processes responsible for the generation and evolution of ocean waves: (i) atmospheric input from the wind, (ii) wave breaking and (iii) nonlinear interactions.Ocean waves are important for many reasons. They are the major environmental impact on in the design of coastal or offshore structures. Ocean waves are also fundamental to the processes of coastal flooding and beach erosion. They will play a major role in storm related coastal flooding which will rise in frequency as a result of sea level rise. Ocean waves are also an important part of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system. They determine the roughness of the ocean surface and hence have an impact on winds, fluxes of energy, gases and heat to the ocean and even the stability of ice sheets.Containing the latest research on ocean waves, it is a valuable resource for an overview of knowledge in this important field.Related Link(s)

This book reviews the origin, development, morphology, environment and ecology of the world's coastal lagoons. There are particularly extensive series of lagoons - areas of salt or brackish water separated from the adjacent sea by a low-lying sand or shingle barrier - along the eastern and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the USA, in Mexico itself, in Brazil, West Africa, Natal, southern and eastern India, south-west and south-east Australia, Alaska, Siberia and around the shores of the Mediterranean, southern Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas. In several of these areas they support important fisheries. This book summarises what is known of the formation and fate of lagoons, the lagoonal environment, lagoonal ecology, the strategies of lagoonal species, the human use of lagoons, besides containing a general introduction and a section on methods for the study of coastal lagoons.

This study of organic carbon accumulation in marine environments begins with a review of mechanisms controlling organic carbon deposition, concentrating on results from expeditions into Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea, as well as the Sea of Japan and the northwest coast of Africa. Major objects of the study were the reconstruction of changes in palaeoceanic variables and the history of palaeoclimates in different environments. The contributors also developed more general models for organic carbon accumulation and compared organic-carbon characteristics derived from different analytical techniques in order to reach the best-fitting interpretation model.