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Books > Earth & environment > Earth sciences > The hydrosphere > Oceanography (seas)
Thisvolumecontainsacollectionofpapersbyinternationalexpertsingeoph- ical ?uid dynamics, based upon presentations at a colloquium held in memory of Pedro Ripa on the ?rst anniversary of his untimely death. They review or present recent developments in hydrodynamic stability theory, Hamiltonian ?uid mechanics,balanceddynamics, waves,vortices,generaloceanographyand the physical oceanography of the Gulf ofCalifornia; all of them subjects in which Professor Ripamadeimportant contributions. His work, but also his friendly spiritandkindnesswerehighly regardedandappreciatedby colleagues and students alike around the world. This book is a tribute to his scienti?c legacy and constitutes a valuable reference for researchers and graduate s- dents interested in geophysical and general ?uid mechanics. Earlyin his career asa physicaloceanographer,Pedro Ripa made two la- mark contributions to geophysical ?uid dynamics. In 1981, he showed that the conservation of the potential vorticity is related to the invariance of the eq- tions of motion under the symmetry transformationsof the labels that identify the ?uid particles. That is, potential vorticity conservation is a consequence, via Noether's theorem, of the particle re-labelling symmetry. Two years later he published a paper entitled "General stability conditions for zonal ?ows in a one-layer model on the beta-plane or the sphere", where he established nec- sary conditions for stability in the shallow water equations, nowadays known as "Ripa's Theorem. " This is one of the very few Arnol'd-like stability con- tions that goes beyond two-dimensional or quasi-geostrophic ?ow, and stands alongside other famous stability criteria in making the foundations of the ?eld.
Recent global events such as the devastating 1998 Papua New Guinea tsunami, the 2004 Sumatran tsunami and the 2006 SE Asia undersea network cable failure underscore the societal and economic effects of submarine mass movements. These events call upon the scientific community to understand submarine mass movement processes and consequences to assist in hazard assessment, mitigation and planning. Additionally, submarine mass movements are beginning to be recognized as prevalent in continental margin geologic sections. As such, they represent a significant if not dominant role in margin sedimentary processes. They also represent a potential hazard to hydrocarbon exploration and development, but also represent exploration indicators and targets. This volume consists of a collection of the latest scientific research by international experts in geological, geophysical, engineering and environment aspects of submarine mass failures, focussed on understanding the full spectrum of challenges presented by submarine mass movements and their consequences.
Our desire to understand the global carbon cycle and its link to the climate system represents a huge challenge. These overarching questions have driven a great deal of scientific endeavour in recent years: What are the basic oceanic mechanisms which control the oceanic carbon reservoirs and the partitioning of carbon between ocean and atmosphere? How do these mechanisms depend on the state of the climate system and how does the carbon cycle feed back on climate? What is the current rate at which fossil fuel carbon dioxide is absorbed by the oceans and how might this change in the future? To begin to answer these questions we must first understand the distribution of carbon in the ocean, its partitioning between different ocean reservoirs (the "solubility" and "biological" pumps of carbon), the mechanisms controlling these reservoirs, and the relationship of the significant physical and biological processes to the physical environment. The recent surveys from the JGOFS and WOCE (Joint Global Ocean Flux Study and World Ocean Circulation Ex periment) programs have given us a first truly global survey of the physical and biogeochemical properties of the ocean. These new, high quality data provide the opportunity to better quantify the present oceans reservoirs of carbon and the changes due to fossil fuel burning. In addition, diverse process studies and time-series observations have clearly revealed the complexity of interactions between nutrient cycles, ecosystems, the carbon-cycle and the physical envi ronment."
Submarine mass movements represent major offshore geohazards due
to their destructive and tsunami-generation potential. This
potential poses a threat to human life as well as to coastal,
nearshore and offshore engineering structures. Recent examples of
catastrophic submarine landslide events that affected human
populations (including tsunamis) are numerous; e.g., Nice airport
in 1979, Papua-New Guinea in 1998, Stromboli in 2002, Finneidfjord
in 1996, and the 2006 and 2009 failures in the submarine cable
network around Taiwan. The Great East Japan Earthquake in March
2011 also generated submarine landslides that may have amplified
effects of the devastating tsunami. Given that 30% of the World 's
population live within 60 km of the coast, the hazard posed by
submarine landslides is expected to grow as global sea level rises.
This elevated awareness of the need for better understanding of
underwater landslides is coupled with great advances in underwater
mapping, sampling and monitoring technologies, laboratory analogue
and numerical modeling capabilities developed over the past two
decades. Multibeam sonar, 3D seismic reflection, and remote and
autonomous underwater vehicle technologies provide hitherto
unparalleled imagery of the geology beneath the oceans, permitting
investigation of submarine landslide deposits in great detail.
Increased and new access to drilling, coring, in situ measurements
and monitoring devices allows for ground-thruthing geophysical
data, provides access to samples for geotechnical laboratory
experiments and unprecedented in situ information on strength and
effective stress conditions of underwater slopes susceptible to
fail. Great advances in numerical simulation of submarine landslide
kinematics and tsunami propagation, particularly since the 2004
Sumatra tsunami, have also lead to increased understanding and
predictability of submarine landslide consequences.
The enclosed and marginal seas surrounding the European continent exhibit a wide spectrum of environmental traits, ranging from sub-polar to sub-tropical climates, from shallow continental shelves to deep oceanic basins, from pristine marine reserves to regions impacted by countless economic and recreational activities. Understanding the inner workings of these seas a" aiming to reconcile the conflicting needs of protecting their ecological balance and exploiting their natural resources a" requires adequate observation systems, integrating both in situ and remote sensing techniques. This volume reviews the current potential of Earth Observations, while devoting particular attention to applications dealing with the issues, peculiarities and special challenges posed by the European Seas. The assessment of surface parameters by means of passive techniques a" which measure reflected visible and near-infrared sunlight, or surface emissions in the thermal infrared or microwave spectral regions a" is addressed. Active techniques a" which use transmitted impulses of visible or microwave radiation, for a subsequent evaluation of the signal returned by the water surface a" are covered as well. An in-depth analysis of the specific merits and drawbacks of each spectral region, and of both passive and active techniques, provides clues to help compose the unique mosaic of dynamical and bio-geo-chemical features of the European Seas.
A coastal sea area usually indicates a sea area between a continental shelf break with a water depth of about 200 m and the land shore. About 70% of global fish resources spend part of their life cycle in the coastal seas, which accounts for 90% of marine biomass yield. Freshwater and nutrients from the land have a great influence on the coastal seas, especially since more than half the human population lives within 100 km of a coast. Chemical reactions occur there rapidly between substances from the land as they encounter substances from the ocean. In terms of physics, a coastal sea acts as a boundary layer and kinetic energy is actively exchanged there. But if coastal oceanography were to be summed up in a single sentence, it would be the study that quantitatively makes clear the material transport in the coastal sea area'. Because the physical, chemical and biological processes relate to the material transport in the sea, it can be said the coastal oceanography is a genuinely interdisciplinary study. This book clarifies the quantitative material transport processes in the coastal sea area, mainly from a physical viewpoint.
Does there exist, deep within the earth's crust, a second biosphere-- composed of very primitive, thermophilic (heat-loving) bacteria, and containing more living matter than the entire surface? This idea, first proposed by the author in the early 1980s, is now supported by a growing body of evidence. The implications are astonishing: is the deep biosphere where life originated? Can Mars and other seemingly dead planets contain deep biospheres? Is there yet another--deeper, hotter--biosphere within the earth, based on silicon instead of carbon? This is the first book to explore this very controversial, intriguing theory.
Stimulated by Noah's Flood Hypothesis proposed by W. Ryan and W. Pitman in which a catastrophic inundation of the Pontic basin was linked to the biblical story, leading experts in Black Sea research (including oceanography, marine geology, paleoclimate, paleoenvironment, archaeology, and linguistic spread) provide overviews of their data and interpretations obtained through empirical scientific approaches. Among the contributors are many East European scientists whose work has rarely been published outside of Cyrillic. Each of the 35 papers marshals its own evidence for or against the flood hypothesis. No summary or overall resolution to the flood question is presented, but instead access is provided to a broad range of interdisciplinary information that crosses previously impenetrable language barriers so that new work in the region can proceed with the benefit of a wider frame of reference.
The emphasis now placed on the concept of sediment cells as boundaries for coastal defence groups, and the development of SMPs, should help CPAs realise the importance of natural processes at the coast when designing defence and protection schemes. However, this will only be the case where defence groups exist, and where CPAs take up the challenge of developing SMPs. Coastal landscapes have been produced by the natural forces of wind, waves and tides, and many are nationally or internationally important for their habitats and natural features. Past practices at the coast, such as the construction of harbours, jetties and traditional defence systems may have contributed to the deterioration of the coast. English Nature (1992) have argued that if practices and methods of coastal defence are allowed to continue, then coastlines would be faced with worsening consequences, including: The loss of mudflats and the birds which live on them Damage to geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and scenic heritage by erosion, due to the stabilisation of the coast elsewhere Cutting of sediment supplies to beaches resulting in the loss of coastal wildlife Cessation through isolation from coastal processes, of the natural operation of spits, with serious deterioration of rare plants, animals and geomorphological and scenic qualities (English Nature, 1992) A number of designations, provided by national and international legislation do exist to aid conservation.
The book addresses a weakness of current methodologies used in extreme value assessment, i.e. the assumption of stationarity, which is not given in reality. With respect to this issue a lot of new developed technologies are presented, i.e. influence of trends vs. internal correlations, quantitative uncertainty assessments, etc. The book not only focuses on artificial time series data, but has a close link to empirical measurements, in order to make the suggested methodologies applicable for practitioners in water management and meteorology.
Oceans play a pivotal role in our weather and climate. Ocean-borne
commerce is vital to our increasingly close-knit global community.
Yet we do not fully understand the intricate details of how they
function, how they interact with the atmosphere, and what the
limits are to their biological productivity and their tolerance to
wastes. While satellites are helping us to fill in the gaps,
numerical ocean models are playing an important role in increasing
our ability to comprehend oceanic processes, monitor the current
state of the oceans, and to a limited extent, even predict their
future state.
This volume is one outcome of the 6th International Conference on Paleoceano graphy (ICP VI). The conference was held August 23-28, 1998 in Lisbon, Portugal. The meeting followed the traditional format of a small number of invited oral presentations complemented by a large number ofcontributed posters. Over 550 participants attended, representing thirty countries and nearly 450 posters were presented. The invited speakers addressed the main themes of the 5oral sessions. The session topics were: Polar-Tropical and Interhemisphere Linkages; Does the Ocean Cause, or Respond to, Abrupt Climatic Changes?; Biotic Responses to Major Paleoceanographic Changes; Past Warm Climates; and Innovations In Monitoring Ocean History. This is the first time in ICP history that the Conference Proceedings are published. The aim of the organisers with the publication of this book is two-fold: to provide a useful review of the field and to document the ideas/controversies raised during the con ference that may stimulate future work. The book reflects the initial intentions of the conference, but it is not a conven tional conference proceedings, given that the papers have been reviewed by formal exter nal referees. Each of the conference topics is introduced by a review article designed to summarize the state of the art in each theme followed by articles prepared by the invited speakers. As with most conference proceedings, each theme is covered heterogenously. Some topics have all the expected contributions, others are less well covered."
Gas hydrates are both a huge energy resource and an environmental challenge. They have a significant impact on society because of their applications to the future of energy, protection of the environment and fuel transportation. Gas Hydrates opens up this fascinating, multidisciplinary field to non-specialists. It provides a scientific study of gas hydrates that considers their potential as an energy source while assessing the possible risk to the environment. The authors also examine the feasibility of using these natural compounds for storing and transporting gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. Diagrams and photos are used throughout Gas Hydrates to help readers understand the scientific and technical content. Each section has been designed so it can be read independently by academics and professionals in the oil and gas industry, as well as by all those with an interest in how hydrates combine to be an energy resource, an industrial challenge and a geological hazard.
The text of the Persian poet Rum - - ?, written some eight centuries ago, and reproduced at the beginning of this book is still relevant to many of our pursuits of knowledge, not least of turbulence. The text illustrates the inability people have in seeing the whole thing, the 'big picture'. Everybody looks into the problem from his/her vi- point, and that leads to disagreement and controversy. If we could see the whole thing, our understanding would become complete and there would be no cont- versy. The turbulent motion of the atmosphere and oceans, at the heart of the observed general circulation, is undoubtedly very complex and dif?cult to understand in its entirety. Even 'bare' turbulence, without rotation and strati?cation whose effects are paramount in the atmosphere and oceans, still poses great fundamental ch- lenges for understanding after a century of research. Rotating strati?ed turbulence is a relatively new research topic. It is also far richer, exhibiting a host of distinct wave types interacting in a complicated and often subtle way with long-lived - herent structures such as jets or currents and vortices. All of this is tied together by basic ?uid-dynamical nonlinearity, and this gives rise to a multitude of phen- ena: spontaneous wave emission, wave-induced transport, both direct and inverse energy scale cascades, lateral and vertical anisotropy, fronts and transport barriers, anomalous transport in coherent vortices, and a very wide range of dynamical and thermodynamical instabilities.
This guide details the techniques and numerical procedures required for numerical modelling of radioactivity dispersion in marine environments. The book goes beyond the basics of hydrodynamic modeling to analyze the latest trends in modeling.
This book commemorates the 70th birthday of Eugene Morozov, the noted Russian observational oceanographer. It contains many contributions reflecting his fields of interest, including but not limited to tidal internal waves, ocean circulation, deep ocean currents, and Arctic oceanography. Special attention is paid to studies on internal waves and especially those on tidal internal waves in the Global Ocean. These papers describe the most important open problems concerning experimental studies of internal waves and their theoretical, numerical, and laboratory modeling. Further contributions investigate the physics of surface waves and their interaction with internal waves. Here, the focus is on describing interaction processes between internal waves and deep currents in the ocean, especially currents of Antarctic Bottom Water in abyssal fractures. They also touch on the problem of oceanic circulation and related processes in fjords, including those occurring under sea ice. Given its breadth of coverage, the book will appeal to anyone interested in a survey of ocean dynamics, ranging from historic perspectives to modern research topics.
This study analyzes carbon-cycle conditions controlling the state of the Arctic ecosystem and their seasonal variations. Territory covered includes the Barents, White, Kara, Laptev, East-Siberian and Chukchi Seas, considering inter-correlations between sources of organic carbon, their fluxes, recycling and burial in bottom sediments. All biological communities (phythoplankton, macrophythobenthos, microphythobentos, bacterioplankton, zooplankton and zoobenthos) are taken into account regarding their participation in the carbon cycle.
The goals of wind wave research are relatively well defined: to be
able to predict the wind wave field and its effect on the
environment. That environment could be natural (beaches, the
atmosphere etc.) or imposed by human endeavour (ports, harbours,
coastal settlements etc.). Although the goals are similar, the
specific requirements of these various fields differ
considerably. This book attempts to summarise the current state of this
knowledge and to place this understanding into a common frame work.
It attempts to take a balanced approach between the pragmatic
engineering view of requiring a short term result and the
scientific quest for detailed understanding. Thus, it attempts to
provide a rigorous description of the physical processes involved
as well as practical predictive tools.
Since the late 1960s, various groups have investigated the influence of marine surface films on mechanisms dominating energy and mass transfer across the ocean/atmosphere interface. However, a compendium summarizing the state-of-the-art research in this field is still missing. The book fills this gap and transfers the accumulated knowledge to the scientific community. After a brief historical chapter basic chemical insights are presented, followed by theoretical and experimental approaches carried out in laboratory facilities. Air-sea interaction experiments are then described and finally, remote sensing applications with sea slicks and crude oil spills are presented.
This popular undergraduate textbook offers students a firm grounding in the fundamentals of biological oceanography. As well as a clear and accessible text, learning is enhanced with numerous illustrations including a colour section, thorough chapter summaries, and questions with answers and comments at the back of the book.
An overview of the advances made in the last decade and a half in this field. Based on an advanced graduate level course, the book represents fundamental insights into the structure of the physical theory of the large-scale dynamics of the oceans. The author has maintained throughout a blend of analytical and numerical results so as to achieve as deep a physical understanding of the dynamics of the large-scale circulations as possible. The results of the theories are compared with observations and the success or inadequacies of the theories are highlighted. Topics of particular interest are: theory of the wind-driven circulation, the thermocline, the equatorial circulation and the abyssal circulation. Much of the material - previously scattered throughout the literature - has been collated here for the first time.
This book describes the work of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) since its launch 1992. Mapping the evolution of its agenda gives insight into the development of modern marine science in the context of competing demands of stakeholders within and outside the organization. The opening chapter consider the challenges of marine science as a large scale, and places PICES in the contexts of internationalism and science-based resource management. They also lay out the organization's longstanding focus on the development of climate science and its applications. Subsequent chapters explore the pros and cons of national vs. international science, negotiating the nature of investigation and cooperation across scientific, political and institutional boundaries in the region; national perspectives on purpose, scope, and mandates; assessing two major initiatives undertaken to date; the challenges of incorporating social science into an organization of mainly natural scientists. |
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