Compared to many other regions of the world, Africa is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and variability. Widespread poverty, an extensive disease burden and pockets of political instability across the continent has resulted in a low resilience and limited adaptative capacity of African society to climate related shocks and stresses. To compound this vulnerability, there remains large knowledge gaps on African climate, manifestations of future climate change and variability for the region and the associated problems of climate change impacts. Research on the subject of African climate change requires an interdisciplinary approach linking studies of environmental, political and socio-economic spheres. In this book we use different case studies on climate change and variability in Africa to illustrate different approaches to the study of climate change in Africa from across the spectrum of physical, social and political sciences. In doing so we attempt to highlight a toolbox of methodologies (along with their limitations and advantages) that may be used to further the understanding of the impacts of climate change in Africa and thus help form the basis for strategies to negate the negative implications of climate change on society.

Changing desert areas for land use implies a lot of ecological problems. These and related ones are dealt with in this book covering various interdisciplinary and international aspects. Large areas in arid and semi-arid regions are already polluted in various ways. One of the biggest problems is the anthropogenic salinization by inadequate means of agriculture and irrigation. Additionally, most arid areas in the world are dramatically overgrazed. Methods and practices of a sustainable land use in deserts are urgently needed in many arid regions. This book gives a broad survey on some of the affected regions of the world as well as some case studies from elsewhere (Aral Sea, Negev desert, Namib desert etc.). Thus, basic and applied sciences are brought together. Water management in deserts, grazing systems or reclamation of desertified areas are among the topics of this book, as well as social and economic aspects.

Coral Reefs of the USA provides a complete overview of the present status of knowledge regarding all coral reef areas within the USA and its territories. It is written by the most experienced authorities in their fields and geographic areas. Stretching from the Caribbean to the western Pacific, the coral reefs of the USA span extensive geographic and biotic diversity, occur in a wide variety of geomorphological settings, and provide a representative cross-section of Holocene reef-building. This book will therefore be of broad general interest. For the first time, complete scholarly reviews are given for the geology, geomorphology and the biology of reefs encompassing a vast area stretching from the Mariana Islands in the west, Samoa in the south, Hawaii in the north and the Virgin Islands in the east. This book is not a status report, but will provide up-to-date information about stressors and the biotic responses of the reefs, as well as the geological explanations why these reefs exist in the first place. It will be an invaluable baseline-reference for all those who are engaged in research or management of these coral reefs or to those who simply enjoy being well-informed about one of the most iconic ecosystems of the USA.

Remote Sensing of the Changing Oceans is a comprehensive account of the basic concepts, theories, methods and applications used in ocean satellite remote sensing. The book provides a synthesis of various new ideas and theories and discusses a series of key research topics in oceanic manifestation of global changes as viewed from space. A variety of research methods used in the analysis and modeling of global changes are introduced in detail along with numerous examples from around the world s oceans. The authors review the changing oceans at different levels, including Global and Regional Observations, Natural Hazards, Coastal Environment and related scientific issues, all from the unique perspective of Satellite Observation Systems. Thus, the book not only introduces the basics of the changing oceans, but also new developments in satellite remote sensing technology and international cooperation in this emerging field.

Danling Tang (Lingzis) received her Ph.D from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She conducted research and teaching in Hong Kong, USA, Japan, and South Korea for more than 10 years; in 2004, she received 100 Talents Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences and returned to China. She was a professor of Fudan University, and now is a Leading Professor of Remote Sensing of Marine Ecology and Environment at the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Tang has been working on satellite remote sensing of marine ecology and environment; her major research interests include ocean dynamics of phytoplankton bloom, global environmental changes, and natural hazards.

Dr. Tang has organized several international conferences, workshops, and training, she also services as member of organizing committee for several international scientific organizations; she was the Chairman of the 9th Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference (PORSEC 2008), and currently is the President-elect of PORSEC Association.

England & Wales Island Bagging by Lisa Drewe is a stunning and informative guide to the islands of England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is ideal for swimmers, kayakers, adventure travellers, wildlife spotters and ice cream connoisseurs. Go on an inspirational and fascinating coastline journey - familiar islands are visited, such as Lundy and the Isle of Wight; others are less well known, such as Gewni in Pembrokeshire and Coquet Island in Northumberland. Almost 300 islands are included, from larger, populated islands to remote, uninhabited islets - some can be reached by foot at low tide, others have ferry services, and some you will need your own transport, or be content to view them from the mainland. Once you've found your island this book introduces you to the best sites on the island to appreciate: hidden beaches and coves, the tastiest local food and the wildlife that can be seen in the locality. Watch the Cemlyn Bay terns on Anglesey, go paddleboarding around Mersea Island in Essex, walk in the footsteps of pilgrims on Lindisfarne in Northumberland, or enjoy ice cream from one of the smallest dairy herds in the country on St Agnes in the Isles of Scilly ... it's all there to be enjoyed in England & Wales Island Bagging.

Offering a cross-country examination and comparison of drought awareness and experience, this book shows how scientists, water managers, and policy makers approach drought and water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions of Spain, Mexico, Australia, South Africa and the United States.

This book addresses the major challenges in assuring globally sustainable water use. It examines critical contemporary and global issues through the lens of global change processes and with a focus on mountain regions. In doing so, it aims to bring state-of-the-art science from numerous disciplines to bear on important environmental and policy questions related to water resources. The volume will be a boon to a range of readers, from environmental scientists to hydrologists.

An expert on the buffalo tells the history of this keystone species through extensive research and beautiful photographs. The mere mention of the buffalo instantly brings to mind the vast herds that once roamed the North American continent, and few wild animals captivate our imaginations as much as the buffalo do. Once numbering in the tens of millions, these magnificent creatures played a significant role in structuring the varied ecosystems they occupied. For at least 24,000 years, North American Indigenous Peoples depended upon them, and it was the abundance of buffalo that initially facilitated the dispersal of humankind across the continent. With the arrival of Europeans and their rapacious capacity for wildlife destruction, the buffalo was all but exterminated. In a span of just thirty years during the mid-1800s, buffalo populations plummeted from more than 30 million to just twenty-three. And with them went all of the intricate food webs, the trophic cascades, and the inter-species relationships that had evolved over thousands of years. Despite this brush with extinction, the buffalo survived, and isolated populations are slowly recovering. As this recovery proceeds, the relationships the animals once had with thousands of species are being re-established in a remarkable process of ecological healing. The intricacy of those restored relationships is the subject of this book. Based on author Wes Olson's thirty-five years of working intimately with bison-and featuring 180 stunning, full-colour photographs by Johane Janelle- The Ecological Buffalo is a story that takes the reader on a journey to understand the myriad connections this keystone species has with the Great Plains.

The Siberian environment is a unique region of the world that is both very strongly affected by global climate change and at the same time particularly vulnerable to its consequences. The news about the melting of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean and the prospect of an ice-free shipping passage from Scandinavia to Alaska along the Russian north coast has sparked an international debate about natural resource exploitation, national boundaries and the impacts of the rapid changes on people, animals and plants. Over the last decades Siberia has also witnessed severe forest fires to an extent that is hard to imagine in other parts of the world where the po- lation density is higher, the fire-prone ecosystems cover much smaller areas and the systems of fire control are better resourced. The acceleration of the fire regime poses the question of the future of the boreal forest in the taiga region. Vegetation models have already predicted a shift of vegetation zones to the north under s- narios of global climate change. The implications of a large-scale expansion of the grassland steppe ecosystems in the south of Siberia and a retreat of the taiga forest into the tundra systems that expand towards the Arctic Ocean would be very signi- cant for the local population and the economy. I have studied Russian forests from remote sensing and modelling for about 11 years now and still find it a fascinating subject to investigate.

Anthropogenic transformation of the coastal zone continues at a steady pace, especially in the developing maritime countries, where coastal resources are often crucial to national economies. However, exploitation of these resources is often indiscriminate, ill planned, or carried out without adequate scientific knowledge. This leads to rapid resource depletion, and often irreversible environmental degradation. The 1992 Rio de Janeiro UN Conference on Environment and Development recognized the expediency of an integrated and sustainable use of all coastal resources, functions and services grounded on sound scientific data. The present volume is based on the 1994 international workshop Integrated Coastal Zone Management, and brings together contributions by leading specialists both on basic concepts and on applications of coastal management. The work is divided into six parts, dealing with the conceptual framework of ICZM; regional and global aspects of coastal management; environmental assessment in ICZM; capacity building and technology transfer; monitoring and environmental analysis; and case studies and status of ICZM plans. The book also incorporates an interactive ICZM planning module, COSMO, which can be of use in designing a management plan for a coast. Attention is also given to long-term environmental effects of present-day actions. It is hoped that COSMO will prove an additional learning tool for ICZM practitioners and enhance the value of the book. This work is intended to give a broad coverage of conceptual and technical aspects of ICZM, and will be of use to operational executives as well as students of ICZM, environmental economists, policy-makers and senior managers in the international development agencies and governmental and non-governmental organizations. It can be recommended as a textbook and as a reference work.

This chapter has shown a small sample of GIS applications in economic devel- ment. GIS is a powerful tool for data analysis and presentation, and the economic development rami cations are truly signi cant. The speed at which data and stra- gies can be coordinated is clearly changing the way economic developers approach their job. There are a number of important trends that are likely to result in GIS becoming more pervasive in the economic development community. These include declining costs of GIS software, increased computing power, and the growth of Web-based GIS applications. There also has been increase in GIS skills among economic development professionals. References Bastian, L. (2002). Getting the best from the web. Area Development Site and Facility Planning, March 1-7. Accessed 5 September 2008. Batheldt, H. (2005). Geographies of production: growth regimes in spatial perspective (II) - kno- edge creation and growth in clusters. Progress in Human Geography, 29(2), 204-216. Bathelt,H.,Malmberg,A.,Maskell,P.(2004). Clustersandknowledge: localbuzz,globalpipelines and the process of knowledge creation. Progress in Human Geography, 28(1), 31-56. Bernthal, M., Regan, T. (2004). The economic impact of a NASCAR racetrack on a rural com- nity and region. Sports Marketing Quarterly, 13(1), 26-34. Blackwell, M., Cobb, S. Weinbert, D. (2002). The economic impact of educational institutions: Issues and methodology. Economic Development Quarterly, 16(1), 88-95. Blair, J. (1995). Local Economic Development, Analysis and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Understanding Soils of Mountainous Landscapes: Sustainable Use of Soil Ecosystem Services and Management focuses on the patterns and processes of mountainous soils, including threats due to the fragile nature of mountain ecosystems, and the conservation and management of soil ecosystem services and restoration processes. The book covers a balanced approach to land and resource management, ensuring that environmentally and socio-culturally sound interventions are developed and applied in the complex geophysical, ecological, and social landscapes of the world's mountain systems. The book provides holistic understanding of mountain soils to help environmental and soil scientists gain insight and develop new problem-solving approaches. With obvious up- and downstream linkages (e.g., a large proportion of urban canters globally depend on water that originates in the mountains) as well as globalization (e.g., continental-scale impacts of air pollution and climate change on glaciers), the long-range success of conservation measures in mountain regions requires that the following discrete but interconnected interventions be pursued concurrently: (1) the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services, (2) empowerment of mountain communities (including family farming), and (3) elaboration of more thoughtful, context-specific policy environments for sustainable mountain development.

This book integrates the analyses of organic carbon and carbonate accumulation in soil and lake sediment in a typical arid region of China that has experienced significant climate and land-use changes. It demonstrates that carbonate accumulation greatly exceeds organic carbon in both soil and sediment. It also shows that intensive cropping with sound land management in the arid land not only increases soil organic carbon stock, but also enhances accumulation of soil carbonate, particularly in subsoils. Carbon accumulation in the lake sediment increased between 1950 and 2000, after which it declined, and the authors explore how human activity and climate change may have caused the changes in carbon burial in the lake sediment. This book is of interest to researchers in a number of fields such as soil science, limnology and global change, as well as to the policy-makers.

Arising initially from a conference, the papers published here have been integrated into book form to provide information on human activities and the tropical rainforest in the past and present, and on the possible future of the rainforest, in a unique way. Other books have considered some, but not all, of these themes; however, none has stressed the continuity of change over time and its possible outcome for the people of the forest as well as for the forest itself. Because of the approach taken, this book should appeal across traditional disciplinary boundaries. Indeed a prime aim has been to suggest that rainforest, because of its complexity and the complexity of people-rainforest relationships throughout time, deserves study from a broad perspective. This book poses more questions than answers about the rainforest and it is hoped that it will encourage readers to think about the rainforest in a wider way than hitherto. This book is aimed at geographers (physical and human), social anthropologists, archaeologists, pedologists, foresters and tropical botanists and will be of value to graduates of various disciplines setting out to research the rainforest.

Mountains, Climate and Biodiversity A comprehensive and up-to-date synthesis for students and researchers Mountains are topographically complex formations that play a fundamental role in regional and continental-scale climates. They are also cradles to all major river systems and home to unique, and often highly biodiverse and threatened, ecosystems. But how do all these processes tie together to form the patterns of diversity we see today? Written by leading researchers in the fields of geology, biology, climate, and geography, this book explores the relationship between mountain building and climate change, and how these processes shape biodiversity through time and space. In the first two sections, you will learn about the processes, theory, and methods connecting mountain building and biodiversity In the third section, you will read compelling examples from around the world exploring the links between mountains, climate and biodiversity Throughout the 31 peer-reviewed chapters, a non-technical style and synthetic illustrations make this book accessible to a wide audience A comprehensive glossary summarises the main concepts and terminology Readership: Mountains, Climate and Biodiversity is intended for students and researchers in geosciences, biology and geography. It is specifically compiled for those who are interested in historical biogeography, biodiversity and conservation.

The 1848 treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the Mexican-American War described a boundary between the two countries that was to be marked through a joint boundary commission effort. The section of the boundary along the Rio Grande from Presidio to the mouth of the Pecos River was arguably the most challenging, and it was surveyed by two American parties, one led by civilian surveyor M. T. W. Chandler in 1852, and the second led by Lieutenant Nathaniel Michler in 1853. Our understanding of these two surveys across the greater Big Bend has long been limited to the official reports and maps housed in the National Archives and never widely published. The discovery by Orville B. Shelburne of the journal kept by Dr. Charles C. Parry, surgeon-botanist-geologist for the 1852 party, has dramatically enriched the story by giving us a firsthand view of the Chandler boundary survey as it unfolded. Parry's journal forms the basis of From Presidio to the Pecos River, which documents the day-to-day working of the survey teams. The story Shelburne tells is one of scientific exploration under duress - surveyors stranded in towering canyons overnight without food or shelter; piloting inflatable rubber boats down wild rivers; rising to the challenges of a profoundly remote area, including the possibility of Indian attack. Shelburne's comparison of the original boundary maps with their modern counterparts reveals the limitations of terrain and equipment on the survey teams. Shelburne's book provides a window on the adventure, near disaster, and true accomplishment of the surveyors' work in documenting the course of the Rio Grande across the Big Bend region.

Part natural history, part poetry, Mountains of the Heart is full of hidden gems and less traveled parts of the Appalachian Mountains Stretching almost unbroken from Alabama to Belle Isle, Newfoundland, the Appalachians are one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. In Mountains of the Heart , renowned author and avid naturalist Scott Weidensaul shows how geology, ecology, climate, evolution, and 500 million years of history have shaped one of the continent's greatest landscapes into an ecosystem of unmatched beauty. This edition celebrates the book's 20th anniversary of publication and includes a new foreword from the author.

This publication collects the results of a practical experience of survey, through the direct control of satellite images from high to medium resolution, over areas subjected to desertification problems. The problems of the local population are closely tied to the equilibrium in the management of the territory, which is compromised by the difficulties of maintaining traditional methodologies of management. The new survey technologies, based on the Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System, allow analyzing the details of the present situation and point out the dynamism of the phenomena and the impacts with anthropogenic activities.

Training has been carried out in the Tozeur area, in central Tunisia, where participants had the chance to analyze on the field a series of different aspects. It has also been possible to discuss similar experiences in distant territories and the importance of the physical processes of desertification. During the development of the intensive training on the job, visits to entrepreneurial truths concerning the management of the territory have been carried out. The analyzed area finds in tourism an answer to the necessities of improving the living conditions of the population.

Specialists from twelve nations presented actions of management of the territory, with detailed attention on environmental security and the conditions of the territory. From the observations carried out the fragility of the landscape of the oases has emerged, which are subjected to total anthropogenic management and therefore closely linked to the availability of the specialized workers in the traditional methodologies. It is natural that the management of the lands changesaccording to modern technologies, but, with a too fast pace, this evolution risks to upset the management of the territory. The exchange of information, the ability to map the variations, the dialogue between the parts, will favor the maintenance of the political security in the Mediterranean region. This experience of cooperation and association constitutes a precedent for the development of a system of high education courses to be provided to the local communities for the common wellbeing.

Riparian forests along streams and rivers are diverse in species, structure, and regeneration processes, and have important ecological functions in maintaining landscape and biodiversity. This book discusses riparian forests from subpolar to warm-temperate zones, covering headwater streams, braided rivers on alluvial fans, and low-gradient meandering rivers. It presents the dynamics and mechanisms that govern the coexistence of riparian tree species, tree demography, the response to water stress of trees, and the conservation of endangered species, and focuses on natural disturbances, life-history strategies, and the ecophysiology of trees. Because many riparian landscapes have been degraded and are disappearing at an alarming rate, the regeneration of the remaining riparian ecosystems is urgent. With contributions by more than 20 experts in diverse fields, this book offers useful information for the conservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of riparian ecosystems that remain in world streams and rivers.

Over the past decade the significant advances in real-time ocean observing systems, ocean modelling, ocean data assimilation and super-computing has seen the development and implementation of operational ocean forecast systemsof the global ocean. At the conclusion of the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE) in 2008 ocean analysis andforecasting services were being supported by 12 international centres.

This book is about ocean forecasting - a maturing field which remains an active area of research, and includes such topics as ocean predictability, observing system design, high resolution ocean modelling and ocean data assimilation. It presents the introduction to ocean forecasting which provides a foundation for new opportunities in areas of coupled bio-geochemical forecasting and coupled atmosphere-wave-ocean forecasting. The book describesan updated account ofresearch and development to improve forecast systems, determining how best to service the marine user community with forecast information as well as demonstrating impact to their applications. It also discusses operational centresthat are now supporting a range of real-time ocean services including online graphical and data products for their user communities and their feedback on the quality of information.

The contents of this book are aimed at early career scientists and professionals with an interest in operational oceanography and related ocean science. There are excellent opportunities for exciting careers in the emerging field of operational oceanography in order to address current and future challenges as well as provide the supporting services to a rapidly growing user community.