![]() |
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
|
Your cart is empty |
||
|
Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Pollution & threats to the environment
In the U.S., approximately two-thirds of the coastal rivers and bays are moderately to severely degraded from nutrient pollution. The contributors to this book use long-term data sets to discuss the interactions among biological, ecological, chemical, and physical processes, and discuss what is known about nutrient inputs to the bay ecosystem, the impacts related to nutrient inputs, and how the ecosystem might respond to a sudden reduction in these inputs.
By exploring indigenous people's knowledge and use of sea ice, the SIKU project has demonstrated the power of multiple perspectives and introduced a new field of interdisciplinary research, the study of social (socio-cultural) aspects of the natural world, or what we call the social life of sea ice. It incorporates local terminologies and classifications, place names, personal stories, teachings, safety rules, historic narratives, and explanations of the empirical and spiritual connections that people create with the natural world. In opening the social life of sea ice and the value of indigenous perspectives we make a novel contribution to IPY, to science, and to the public
The alpine treeline ecotone (ATE) is an area of transition high on
mountains where closed canopy forests from lower elevations give
way to the open alpine tundra and rocky expanses above. Alpine
tundra is an island biome and its ecotone with forest is subject to
change, and like oceanic islands, alpine tundra is subject to
invasion or the upward advance of treeline. The invasion of tundra
by trees will have consequences for the tundra biome as invasion
does for other island flora and fauna. To examine the invasibility
of tundra we take a plant s-eye-view, wherein the local conditions
become extremely important. Among these local conditions, we find
geomorphology to be exceptionally important. We concentrate on
aspects of microtopography (and microgeomorphology) and
microclimate because these are the factors that matter: from the
plant s-eye-view, but we pay attention to multiple scales. At
coarse scales, snow avalanches and debris flows are widespread and
create disturbance treelines whose elevation is well below those
controlled by climate. At medium scales, turf-banked terraces
create tread-and-riser topography that is a difficult landscape for
a tree seedling to survive upon because of exposure to wind,
dryness, and impenetrable surfaces. At fine scales, turf
exfoliation of the fronts of turf-banked risers, and boulders,
offer microsites where tree seedlings may find shelter and are able
to gain a foothold in the alpine tundra; conversely, however,
surfaces of needle-ice pans and frost heaving associated with
miniature patterned ground production are associated with sites
inimical to seedling establishment or survival. We explicitly
consider how local scale processes propagate across scales into
landscape patterns.
Human exposure to toxic substances that cause cancer, reproductive abnormalities, and other adverse health effects is a topic of increasing interest to scientists, journalists, workers, business executives, advocacy groups, and the public at large. Citizen concern has prompted the government to establish an elaborate regulatory system designed to protect people from chemical exposures. Harnessing Science examines the role of science in toxic chemical regulation at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The book postulates that scientific knowledge and advice from experts outside of government is critical to the competence and credibility of regulations designed to protect public health. This unique volume takes a close look at the contributions of three specific organizations that were designed to improve regulatory science: the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology (CIIT), the Science Advisory Board of the EPA, and the Health Effects Institute. Early chapters trace the origins and histories of each of these three organizations. Then regulatory case studies of selected chemical substances (unleaded gasoline, perchloroethylene, formaldehyde, nitrates, and carbon monoxide) are used to assess the contributions of CIIT, SAB, and HEI. The final chapter makes specific recommendations designed to strengthen these organizations. Harnessing Science for Environmental Regulation is essential reading for anyone who is interested in how science influences regulatory decisions about human exposure to toxic chemicals. It will be of special interest to federal and state policy makers, practicing scientists, environmental advocates, risk assessors, corporate managers, and environmental journalists.
This book focuses on innovative treatment technologies for the elimination of emerging contaminants in wastewater and drinking water treatment processes. The book also discusses sources and occurrence of emerging contaminants in municipal and industrial waste, giving an overview of state-of-the-art analytical methods for their identification. Further important aspects covered include the acute and chronic effects and overall impact of emerging contaminants on the environment.
This work reviews the characterization of air quality as it
pertains to specific emission sources and their environmental
effect. Since emissions from multiple sources impact the same
location, a multidisciplinary approach is needed to relate
atmospheric processes to terrestrial vegetation. As global
industrial expansions continue, air quality is no longer governed
by isolated point sources (e.g., a single coal-fired power plant),
but by source clusters or complexes. To address these issues,
atmospheric receptor models have been developed and are continually
being improved. The benefits of any air quality control measures
based on receptor modeling must be verified by assessing changes or
bettering in environmental impacts. Until now, such an approach has
not been well integrated and practiced. This book provides the
needed concepts and methods in conducting the studies to establish
cause-and-effect relationships under ambient conditions, which is
valuable to policy makers both in industrialized and developing
nations.
Climate Terror engages with a highly differentiated geographical politics of global warming. It explores how fear-inducing climate change discourses could result in new forms of dependencies, domination and militarised 'climate security'.
This book provides a comprehensive overview on mechanochemistry including its history, high-energy ball milling process, equipment used and fundamentals behind the observed scientific phenomena. It also shows that mechanochemistry is highly applicable in the field of waste treatment. The text reviews 1017 studies utilizing mostly high-energy ball milling for the treatment of various types of consumer, technogenic and agricultural waste. The text is divided into chapters based on individual waste types. The book presents an Appendix compiling all studies arranged according to the application that the recycled waste is meant for. In this way, readers from both academia and companies interested either in the treatment of a particular waste, or particular application might easily locate sections of interest.
This book documents the advantages and limitations of various electricity generation methods. It illustrates how both electricity and motor fuel can be cost-effectively derived from coal, natural gas or other indigenous fuels, thereby eliminating our dependence on imported oil and the power of OPEC. It favours electricity generation systems powered exclusively by natural gas, coal, nuclear and renewables and motor vehicles powered by hydrogen (electricity from coal gasification with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and hydrogen as the fuel powering fuel-cell electric vehicles produced from natural gas or by gasifying coal With CCS.) The book also demonstrates that the US can meet the Climate Change goal of reducing all greenhouse gases by 80% below 1990 levels in both the transportation and electric utility sectors using hydrogen and coal.
Chemical additives are used to enhance the properties of many industrial products. Since their release into the environment is a potential risk for man and nature, their fate and behavior have been investigated in the framework of the European Union-funded project RISKCYCLE. The results are presented in two volumes, Global Risk-Based Management of Chemical Additives I: Production, Usage and Environmental Occurrence and Global Risk-Based Management of Chemical Additives II: Risk-Based Assessment and Management Strategies. This book is the second of the two volumes and features two main parts. In the first part, experts in the field discuss different models related to the assessment of the potential risks posed by chemical additives and analyze their benefits and drawbacks. In the second part, specific case studies in which the models have been applied are presented and the reliability of the models is evaluated. This volume is an invaluable source of information for scientists and governmental agencies dealing with the risk assessment of chemicals on a global scale.
Responding to a need for a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the consequences of climate change, this book brings experts in climate science, engineering, urban planning, and conservation biology into conversation with scholars in law, geography, anthropology and ethics. It provides insights into how climate change is conceptualized in different fields. The book also aims to contribute to developing successful and multifaceted strategies that promote global, intergenerational and environmental justice. Among the topics addressed are the effects of climate change on the likelihood and magnitude of natural hazards, an assessment of civil infrastructure vulnerabilities, resilience assessment for coastal communities, an ethical framework to evaluate behavior that contributes to climate change, as well as policies and cultural shifts that might help humanity to respond adequately to climate change.
Wind erosion occurs in many arid, semiarid and agricultural areas of the world. It is an environmental process in?uenced by geological and climatic variations as well as human activities. In general, wind erosion leads to land degradation in agricultural areas and has a negative impact on air quality. Dustemissiongeneratedbywinderosionisthelargestsourceofaerosolswhich directly or indirectly in?uence the atmospheric radiation balance and hence global climatic variations. Strong wind-erosion events, such as severe dust storms, may threaten human lives and cause substantial economic damage. The physics of wind erosion is complex, as it involves atmospheric, soil and land-surface processes. The research on wind erosion is multidisciplinary, covering meteorology, ?uid dynamics, soil physics, colloidal science, surface soil hydrology, ecology, etc. Several excellent books have already been written about the topic, for instance, by Bagnold (1941, The Physics of Blown Sand and Desert Dunes), Greeley and Iversen (1985, Wind as a Geological P- cess on Earth, Mars, Venus and Titan), Pye (1987, Aeolian Dust and Dust Deposits), Pye and Tsoar (1990, Aeolian Sand and Sand Dunes). However, considerable progress has been made in wind-erosion research in recent years and there is a need to systematically document this progress in a new book.
Global Change studies are increasingly being considered a vital source of information to understand the Earth Environment, in particular in the framework of human-induced climate change and land use transformation. Satellite Earth Observing systems provide a unique tool to monitor those changes. While the range of applications and innovative techniques is constantly increasing, this book provides a summary of key case studies where satellite data offer critical information to understand the causes and effects of those environmental changes, minimizing their negative impacts. This book will be of interest to researchers and practitioners in the field of remote sensing, geographical information, meteorology and environmental sciences. Also scientists and graduate up to post-graduate level students in environmental science will find valuable information in this book.
*Selected by Emma Watson for her Ultimate Book List* Fashion is political. From the red carpets of the Met Gala to online fast fashion, clothes tell a story of inequality, racism and climate crisis. In The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion, Tansy E. Hoskins unpicks the threads of capitalist industry to reveal the truth about our clothes. Fashion brands entice us to consume more by manipulating us to feel ugly, poor and worthless, sentiments that line the pockets of billionaires exploiting colonial supply chains. Garment workers on poverty pay risk their lives in dangerous factories, animals are tortured, fossil fuels extracted and toxic chemicals spread just to keep this season's collections fresh. We can do better than this. Moving between Karl Lagerfeld and Karl Marx, The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion goes beyond ethical fashion and consumer responsibility showing that if we want to feel comfortable in our clothes, we need to reshape the system and ensure this is not our last season.
A Guardian 'Top 10 Nature Memoirs' pick 'Poetic and heartful' Guardian Icelandic author and activist Andri Snaer Magnason's 'Letter to the Future', an extraordinary and moving eulogy for the lost Okjoekull glacier, made global news and was shared by millions. Now he attempts to come to terms with the issues we all face in his new book On Time and Water. Magnason writes of the melting glaciers, the rising seas and acidity changes that haven't been seen for 50 million years. These are changes that will affect all life on earth. Taking a path to climate science through ancient myths about sacred cows, stories of ancestors and relatives and interviews with the Dalai Lama, Magnason allows himself to be both personal and scientific. The result is an absorbing mixture of travel, history, science and philosophy.
The goal of the book is to examine scientific advances since 2000 that may have increased understanding and options in three general areas related to hypoxia: Characterization the Cause(s) of Hypoxia. The physical, biological and chemical processes that affect the development, persistence and extent of hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Characterization of Nutrient Fate, Transport and Sources. Nutrient loadings, fate, transport and sources in the Mississippi River that impact Gulf Hypoxia. Scientific Basis for Goals and Management Options. The scientific basis for, and recommended revisions to, the goals proposed in the Action Plan; and the scientific basis for the efficacy of recommended management actions to reduce nutrient flux from point and nonpoint sources. In addressing the state of the science, the book focuses on the strengths and limitations of the science in managing the Gulf hypoxia problem, including available data, models and model results and uncertainty. It includes work from the following authors: C. Kling, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA; J.L. Meyer, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; J. Sanders, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Savannah, GA, USA; H. Stallworth, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington D.C., USA; T. Armitage, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., USA; D. Wangsness, U.S. Geological Survey, Atlanta, GA, USA; T.S. Bianchi, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA; A. Blumberg, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, USA; W. Boynton, University of Maryland, MD, USA; D.J. Conley, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; W. Crumpton, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA; M.B. David, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA; D. Gilbert, Maurice-Lamontagne Institute, Mont-Joli, Quebec, Canada; R.W. Howarth, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; R. Lowrance, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Tifton, GA, USA; K. Mankin, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA; J. Opaluch, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA; H. Paerl, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Morehead City, NC, USA; K. Reckhow, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; A.N. Sharpley, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA; T.W. Simpson, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; C. Snyder, International Plant Nutrition Institute, USA; Conway, AR; D. Wright, College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, VA, USA.
This book reviews the latest research and developments concerning the biodiversity and biocontamination assessment of aquatic ecosystems in Poland. The authors present expert analyses of the current biological status of Polish surface waters, and examine a broad range of elements related to aquatic ecosystems, including macrophytes, phytoplankton, zooplankton and macroinvertebrates, microorganisms, fish, and selected invasive aquatic species. A set of conservation and restoration practices, and a review of protected sites within the Polish basins and catchment areas, are also provided. This book and the companion volume Polish River Basins and Lakes - Part I: Hydrology and Hydrochemistry offer valuable resources for students, environmental chemists, biologists, geologists, hydrologists and surface waters managers interested in the environmental conditions of Poland's surface waters.
As plants see it, humans are not the masters of the Earth but only one of its most unpleasant and irksome residents. They have been on the planet for only about 300,000 years ago (nothing compared to the three billon years of plant evolution), yet have changed the conditions of the planet so drastically as to make it a dangerous place for their own survival. It's time for the plants to offer advice. In this playful, philosophical manifesto, Stefano Mancuso, expert on plant intelligence, presents a new constitution on which to build our future as beings respectful of the Earth and its inhabitants. These eight articles - the fundamental pillars on which plant life is based - must henceforth regulate all living beings.
The book provides a review of experimental methods and presents the worldwide newest literature regarding chemical substances fluxes via submarine groundwater discharge (SGD). Thus, the book characterizes both the distribution of chemicals in groundwater impacted areas in the Baltic Sea and their fluxes via SGD to the Baltic Sea. This book presents the state of art regarding the SGD and detailed studies on SGD characterization in the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is an example of a region highly influenced by a variety of human activities that affect the ecosystem. It is shown that SGD has been proven to be one of the important sources introducing dissolved substances into the Baltic Sea. The loads of chemical substances delivered to the Baltic sea with SGD have not been quantified so far.
Presenting a new way to examine water quality criteria, this volume provides concise, critical reviews of timely advances in the field of xenobiotics. The text explores the research findings and procedures of The University of California-Davis Methodology for Deriving Aquatic Life Pesticide Water Quality Criteria.
The siting of locally obnoxious but nationally relevant and necessary facilities such as sewage treatment plants, landfills, dams and nuclear power stations is an important issue in public policy planning. In view of the negative externalities such as declining property prices, health threats, and air, water and noise pollution imposed on the local communities that house them, the location of these facilities generates a consensus among the general public aptly termed 'not-in-my-backyard' or NIMBY syndrome. Drawing on the experiences of North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia, this book offers a comprehensive review of existing conflict-resolution instruments used in the siting of these facilities. The authors highlight in particular legal and command instruments such as zoning and compulsory acquisition of land, and economic incentives such as compensation and mitigation. Using elements from areas such as game theory and risk analysis and the use of compensation auction mechanisms, the authors present a series of decision steps to provide a credible alternative methodology designed to minimise such conflicts. This innovative study will be welcomed by all those with an interest in environmental and public policy planning.
The interaction between smoke and air pollution creates a public
health challenge. Fuels treatments proposed for National Forests
are intended to reduce fuel accumulations and wildfire frequency
and severity, as well as to protect property located in the wild
land-urban interface. However, prescribed fires produce gases and
aerosols that have instantaneous and long-term effects on air
quality. If fuels treatment are not conducted, however, then wild
land fires become more severe and frequent causing worse public
health and wellfare effects. A better understanding of air
pollution and smoke interactions is needed in order to protect the
public health and allow for socially and ecologically acceptable
use of fire as a management tool. This text offers such an
understanding and examines innovative wide-scale monitoring efforts
(field and remotely sensed), and development of models predicting
spatial and temporal distribution of air pollution and smoke
resulting from forests fires and other sources.
Featuring the theme, From Sources to Solution, this book is based on the research papers presented during the International Conference on Environmental Forensics 2013. It covers multi-disciplinary areas of environmental forensics featuring major themes: characterization, assessment, and monitoring; new approach, rapid assessment, and analytical techniques; pollution control technology; environmental health risk assessment; and policy, governance and management. It present information for researchers from the science and social sciences disciplines and contribute to the advancement of Environmental Forensics. It also aims at evaluating the environmental damages as the result of indiscriminating discharge of toxic environmental pollutants.
Chemical additives are used to enhance the properties of many industrial products. Since their release into the environment is a potential risk for man and nature, their fate and behavior were investigated in the framework of the European Union-funded project RISKCYCLE. The results are presented in two volumes, "Global Risk-Based Management of Chemical Additives I: Production, Usage and Environmental Occurrence" and "Global Risk-Based Management of Chemical Additives II: Risk-Based Assessment and Management Strategies." This book is the first of the two volumes and contains two main parts. The chapters of the first part provide a thorough review of the chemical additives used in the textile, plastics, lubricants, paper, leather and electronics industries, and describe the effect of each additive on the properties of the product. In the second part international case studies on the global trade of these chemicals and their impact on human health and the environment are presented. This volume is an invaluable source of information for scientists and governmental agencies dealing with the risk assessment of chemicals on a global scale. |
You may like...
Intelligent Systems and Learning Data…
Santi Caballe, Stavros N. Demetriadis, …
Paperback
R2,653
Discovery Miles 26 530
Fundamentals of Femtosecond Optics
S. A. Kozlov, V.V. Samartsev
Hardcover
R3,072
Discovery Miles 30 720
Machine Learning, Big Data, and IoT for…
Pardeep Kumar, Yugal Kumar, …
Paperback
R2,657
Discovery Miles 26 570
United States Circuit Court of Appeals…
United States Court of Appeals
Paperback
R919
Discovery Miles 9 190
Quality Function Deployment for…
Singhaputtangkul Natee, Sui Pheng Low, …
Hardcover
Activity-Based Intelligence: Principles…
Patrick Biltgen, Stephen Ryan
Hardcover
R4,269
Discovery Miles 42 690
|