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Books > Earth & environment > Earth sciences > Geology & the lithosphere > Soil science, sedimentology
Emerging Development of Agriculture in East Africa offers case studies that find promise in many new innovations. Farmers in Uganda have quickly learned the management of NERICA rice (a new upland rice variety), which is being disseminated in a limited way in the region. Also in Uganda, farmers living in more remote areas have improved access to markets due to the expansion of mobile phones. In Kenya, improved milk marketing systems have increased efficiency and led to tangible increases in the adoption of dairy production technologies. And the adoption of intensive dairy production systems in Kenya and Uganda are providing significant amounts of manure and positively impacting yields of maize and banana.
Based on Cretaceous-Tertiary accretionary sequences of the Shimanto Belt in Japan, the complex history of these exceptionally exposed rocks is summarized through a series of outcrop- to microscopic scale photographs, sketches, and geological maps, most of which are in full colour. This atlas broadens the base of general knowledge of the growth of continental margins, and provides both a general introduction to research in accretionary prisms as well as an education aid for students in sedimentology, structural geology and tectonics.
Allelopathy is a fascinating and perplexing topic that concerns the chemical interactions of plants. It has profound implications in agriculture and forestry where species are grown artificially in mixture, with no evolutionary history of co-existence. The topic of allelopathy is widely credited as commencing in 1937, when the term 'allelopathy' was coined by Molisch. However, the concept of allelopathy has been recorded since Greek and Roman times, became extremely controversial in the first half of the 19th century, and remains so today. This book concerns a virtually unknown treatise by Justus Ludewig von Uslar, published in 1844, which emerges as the first book entirely devoted to the concept of allelopathy. The book provides the historical background to allelopathic knowledge, from antiquity to c. 1840. It also provides for the first time a biography of Justus Ludewig von Uslar, who is best known as the first Consul-General for Hannover in Mexico, and Director of the Mexican Company, a British venture mining company. In many ways von Uslar epitomises the tradition of the gentleman scientist of the 19th century. The book then offers a full translation into English of von Uslar's rare treatise, which foreshadows many ideas current in allelopathic research.
Thisbookisconcernedwiththewaysinwhichcropsmightbedevelopedfor soilsthatare,atthepresent,agriculturallyunproductivebecauseofexcesses and/ordeficienciesofcertainminerals. Wehaveconcentratedonsoils,rather thanonenvironmentalconditionsthatlimitproductivity,sincetherehavebeen anumberofrecenttextsdealingwithtopicssuchasdroughtandtemperature. Theaimisthatthoseworkingtoderivecropsforgrowthonthese"problem" soilsshouldbeawareofthemanydiverseavenuesthatareavailable. These comefromthedisciplinesofplantbreeding,geneticsandphysiology,andthe interfacesthataredevelopingbetweenthem. Thebackground,therequirementstofeedtheprojectedincreaseinhuman population,issetoutintheintroductorychapter. Thenextfivechaptersthen dealwiththeapproachestocropimprovement:themeritsofaconventional breedingprogramme,theimportanceofphysiologicalcharactersinmaking selections,theuseofinvitrotechniques,ofcytogenetics,andthevalueof developingnativeplantsintocropsintheirownright. Althoughsalinityisoften usedasanexample,reflectingtheresearchinterestsofmanyoftheauthors,the methodsandapproachesdescribedhavemuchwiderapplicability. Twochap- tersarethenconcernedmorespecificallywithbreedingfortolerancetoother metaltoxicitiesandwithdeficienciesandtoxicitiesofmicronutrients. Finally,in theconcludingchapter,wesummariseandfindcommongroundbetweenthe differentapproachesandpointsofview. Brighton,April1994 ANTHONYR. YEO TIMOTHY J. FLOWERS Contents Chapter1 Introduction:WorldPopulationandAgriculturalProductivity T. 1. Flowers 1. 1 HowManyPeopleAreThere? . 1 1. 2 AgriculturalRequirements. . 2 1. 2. 1 FoodRequirements...2 1. 2. 2 FoodSupply...4 1. 3 Population-CarryingCapacity...5 1. 4 HowMuchLandIsThere? . 6 1. 5 IncreasingFoodProduction . 7 References...9 Chapter2 ConventionalPlantBreedingforTolerancetoProblemSoils C. N. ChaubeyandD. Senadhira 2. 1 ScreeningTechniques . 11 2. 2 VariabilityinToleranceforSoilStresses . 14 Rice . 15 2. 2. 1 2. 3 GeneticsofToleranceforSoilStresses...16 19 2. 3. 1 GeneLocationandLinkages...CorrelatedChanges...20 2. 3. 2 2. 4 Crop-Improvement . 21 2. 4. 1 Introduction...21 2. 4. 2 PureLineandMassSelection...21 2. 4. 3 HybridisationandSelection. 23 2. 4. 3. 1 PedigreeMethod...23 2. 4. 3. 2 BulkMethod...23 BackcrossBreeding...2. 4. 3. 3 26 2. 4. 3. 4 RecurrentSelection...26 2. 4. 3. 5 RapidGenerationAdvanceProcedures...27 2. 4. 4 MutationBreeding...28 2. 4. 5 PolyploidBreeding. 28 2. 4. 6 HeterosisBreeding. 29 2. 5 Summary...29 References...29 VIII Contents Chapter3 PhysiologicalCriteriainScreeningandBreeding A. R. Yeo 3. 1 Introduction...37 3. 2 ReasonsfortheUseofPhysiologicalSelection . 38 3. 2. 1 TheComplexityofTolerance...38 3. 2. 2 ImportingTolerancefromWildRelatives . 39 3. 2. 3 MeasuringStressTolerance . 40 3. 2. 4 InteractionBetweenEnvironmentalStresses...42 3. 2. 5 LimitationstotheUseofYieldasaSelectionCriterion...42 3. 3 Salinity . 43 3. 3. 1 BasicProblems...43 SaltExclusion...44 3. 3. 2 3. 3. 3 ConditionsRequiringOsmoticAdjustment. . 45 3. 3. 4 CharacteristicsNeededinSalt-TolerantPlants . 46 3. 3. 4. 1 ControlofSaltUptake...
In the Spring of 2000 the idea of a consortium of Mediterranean countries support- ing the Italian bid to host the 32nd International Geological Congress took off during ageological fieldtrip on the slopes ofMountVesuviushosted byProf. Bruno D'Argenio (University of Naples) with the sponsorship of SMED(the UNESCO-CNR Office for Scientific and Technological Cooperation with Mediterranean Countries). On that st occasion, the head of the Italian delegation to the coming 31 IGCProf. Gian Battista Vaichampionedthe notionthat - had the bid been accepted - such cooperationshould have not only translated into the participation of the Mediterranean countries in the organization of the future congress, but also should have been a springboard for launching a scientific project focused on the Mediterranean region and whose re- sults had to be presented at the congress. st During the 31 IGCin Riode Janeiro,after the designation of Florence bythe lUGS nd Council as the venue for the 32 IGC,the Mediterranean Consortium was set up. In its full configuration, the Consortium was an association of thirty-one Mediterra- nean and nearbycountries. Alongwith Italy,they are:Albania,Algeria,Austria, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya,Macedonia, Malta,Morocco,Palestine, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia,Slovenia,Spain, Switzerland, Syria,Tunisia, and Turkey. Each member country nominated a National Representative who served as a liai- son between his/her national geological community and the IGCOrganizing Commit- tee.
This third edition of the book has been completely re-written, providing a wider scope and enhanced coverage. It covers the general principles of the natural occurrence, pollution sources, chemical analysis, soil chemical behaviour and soil-plant-animal relationships of heavy metals and metalloids, followed by a detailed coverage of 21 individual elements, including: antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gold, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, silver, thallium, tin, tungsten, uranium, vanadium and zinc. The book is highly relevant for those involved in environmental science, soil science, geochemistry, agronomy, environmental health, and environmental engineering, including specialists responsible for the management and clean-up of contaminated land.
These volumes contain the contributions to the Second European Conference on Unsaturated Soils, E-UNSAT 2012, held in Napoli, Italy, in June 2012. The event is the second of a series of European conferences, and follows the first successful one, organised in Durham, UK, in 2008. The conference series is supported by Technical Committee 106 of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering on Unsaturated Soils. The published contributions were selected after a careful peer-review process. A collection of more than one hundred papers is included, addressing the three thematic areas experimental, including advances in testing techniques and soil behaviour, modelling, covering theoretical and constitutive issues together with numerical and physical modelling, and engineering, focusing on approaches, case histories and geo-environmental themes. The areas of application of the papers embrace most of the geotechnical problems related to unsaturated soils. Increasing interest in geo-environmental problems, including chemical coupling, marks new perspectives in unsaturated soil mechanics. This book will provide a valuable up-to-date reference across the subject for both researchers and practitioners.
Deserts are parts of the Earth that receive little or no rain; 25 cm or less per year. The physical processes that act upon these parched lands are vastly different from those that shape the more humid parts of the terrestrial landmasses. In the desert, wind is a major agent of erosion and transportation. As the results of recent space missions have indicated, this is also true in the case of the planet Mars. Thus, our understanding of desert processes sheds light on fundamental planetary processes that may apply on any planetary body that is enveloped by a windy atmosphere. An understanding of the physical layout of arid lands, and the nature of processes that initiate changes therein is also fundamental to thoughtful utilization of these lands for the benefit of mankind. It is with this in mind that we prepared this book for publication. We believe that the collection of articles in this book will be useful to scientists who are interested in desert landforms and processes, and to planners of economic develop ment of arid lands. The book also serves as a guide for students as to the state of our knowledge in this field as well as to the topics that require additional research.
A multidisciplinary study of the Bera Lake is presented here, focusing on natural resources throughout the lake s catchment area and assessing environmental impact. This applied limnology study examines issues relating to land development including soil erosion and nutrient loss in the catchment area, severe pollution of water, sediment resources in open waters and wetlands, and reduction of aquatic and bird populations. The chapters provide a comprehensive view of problems, risks and possible mitigation measures associated withthis great natural habitat in Malaysia. The book highlights the technology and methods used to estimate both soil erosion rate and nutrient loss from the lake catchment, including an explanation of the measurement of sedimentation rate in Bera Lake, using 137Cs and 210Pb radioisotopes. The author examines the current and historic situation of contamination in sediments, presents an ecological risk assessment and finally describes a master management plan, proposing practices to mitigate the environmental impacts of existing agricultural projects and practices to control future projects. Readers will learn of a decrease in the watershed supply of water to the Bera Lake, of shoaling, degradation of water and sediment quality and the extinction of several kinds of flora and fauna. This volume also offers an approach to sustainable land use, with regard to natural resources conservation."
Permafrost Hydrology systematically elucidates the roles of seasonally and perennially frozen ground on the distribution, storage and flow of water. Cold regions of the World are subject to mounting development which significantly affects the physical environment. Climate change, natural or human-induced, reinforces the impacts. Knowledge of surface and ground water processes operating in permafrost terrain is fundamental to planning, management and conservation. This book is an indispensable reference for libraries and researchers, an information source for practitioners, and a valuable text for training the next generations of cold region scientists and engineers.
Biological remediation methods have been successfully used to treat polluted soils. While bacteria have produced good results in bioremediation for quite some time now, the use of fungi to decontaminate soils has only recently been established. This volume of Soil Biology discusses the potentials of filamentous fungi in bioremediation. Fungi suitable for degradation, as well as genetically modified organisms, their biochemistry, enzymology, and practical applications are described. Chapters include topics such as pesticide removal, fungal wood decay processes, remediation of soils contaminated with heavy and radioactive metals, of paper and cardboard industrial wastes, and of petroleum pollutants.
Soil quality is threatened by many human-induced activities, but can also be improved by good land management. In the relatively short history of mankind on earth, the landscape and soils of the world have been drastically modified from their "natural " state. Landscapes altered by man's activities are termed "Anthroscapes" which are inextricably linked to culture and history. The challenges for today's scientists are to devise and implement sustainable land management strategies in order to preserve the land for the benefit of future generations. This book is a valuable compendium of the research experiences so far gained in studies of the context and concept of the "Anthroscape" and highlights the potential future contributions of such research to sustainable development.
In the heart of Africa, a unique lake attracts the attention of scientists since the beginning of the 20th century. At the foot of the Virunga volcano chain, Lake Kivu harbors a vast amount of dissolved carbon dioxide and methane, making this lake the most dangerous lake on Earth. But the lake furnishes also many goods and services for surrounding populations and may soon become the most important energy supplier in the area. At the beginning of gas exploitation, the time has come for gathering the large amount of scientific information acquired during past and present research on Lake Kivu. The eleven chapters cover many aspects of the physics, geochemistry and biology of the lake, with a particular focus on the unique physical and geochemical features of the water column and on the ecological functioning of the surface waters. The impacts of the introduced fish species and the potential impacts of methane exploitation are also summarized. This multi-disciplinary book may also be used as an introduction to the limnology and biogeochemistry of large tropical lakes, as it covers various aspects of the physics, geochemistry, biology and ecology of the African Great Rift lakes.
Ladies a n d g e n t 1 e m e n, I have the pleasure to welcome you here in Prague in the name of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and to open the Fifth Inter national Colloquium on Soil Zoology. We are very glad that Czecho slovakia was chosen for this important meeting. It is clear to all of us that the soil plays and will play a de cisive part in providing food for the explosive increase of human pop ulation. For this reason we watch with great anxiety the negative influence of human activities on the environment accompanied also by the other destructive intervention into the soil ecosystem, its devas tation by inefficient management, application of herbicides and pesti cides pollution by the waste products of industry and human settlements. The basis for solving these accumulating and now sometimes latent prob lems is among others a good knowledge of the role of soil organisms in the cycles of materials and in the energy flow. Soil zoology as a part of soil biology is still at the beginning of this trend The lack of in formation about life in soil is obvious when compared with the results of a related biological science dealing with the water ecosystem."
This monograph on chemical treatment is one of a series of eight on innovative site and waste remediation technologies that are the culmination of a multi organization effort involving more than 100 experts over a two year period. It provides the experienced, practicing professional guidance on the application of innovative processes considered ready for full-scale application. Other monographs in this series address bioremediation, soil washing/soil flushing, solvent chemical extraction, stabilization/ solidifica tion, thermal desorption, thermal destruction, and vacuum vapor extraction. 7. 7 Chemical Treatment The term chemical treatment, as used in this monograph, refers to the use of reagents to destroy or chemically modify target contaminants by means other than pyrolysis or combustion. The monograph addresses processes that chemically treat contaminated soils, groundwaters, surface waters, and, to a limited extent, concentrated contaminants. Chemical treatment is a means of converting hazardous constituents into less environmentally ob jectionable forms in order to meet treatment objectives. This monograph addresses substitution, oxidation, and chemical precipi tation processes. It addresses processes within these classes that are suffi ciently advanced for full-scale application. There are a number of emerging technologies within these classes that are in the research or an early devel opment stage, not yet ready for full-scale application, that appear to be very promising technologically. Six such technologies are briefly addressed in Appendix A."
This book combines soil science, earth science, and environmental geochemistry, providing comprehensive background information for specialists interested in chemical-induced changes in the soil-subsurface system. Readers are introduced to the chemistry of contaminants that often disturb the natural soil-subsurface equilibrium as a result of human activity. While the soil-subsurface system has in many cases been affected by human impact, the effects of chemical contaminants on the actual matrix and properties have been largely neglected. The major focus of the book is on changes to the soil-subsurface matrix and properties caused by chemical pollution. By integrating results available in the literature, we observe that chemical pollutants may lead to the irreversible formation of a new soil-subsurface regime characterized by a matrix and properties different than those of the natural regime. In contrast to the geological time scales dictating natural changes to the matrix and properties of the soil-subsurface system, the time scale associated with chemical pollutant-induced changes is far shorter and extends over a "human lifetime scale." The numerous examples presented in the book confirm that chemical contamination should be considered as an additional factor in the formation of a contemporary soil-subsurface regime that is different than that of the pristine system.
The book gives a detailed description of the application of DSSAT in simulating crop and soil processes within various Agro-ecological zones in Africa. The book, an output of a series of 3 workshops, provides examples of the application of DSSAT models to simulate nitrogen applications, soil and water conservation practices including effects of zai technology, phosphorus and maize productivity, generation of genetic coefficients, long-term soil fertility management technologies in the drylands, microdosing, optimization of nitrogen x germplasms x water, spatial analysis of water and nutrient use efficiencies and, tradeoff analysis. The minimum dataset requirements for DSSAT is discussed. This book arises from attempts to address the limited use of models in decision support by African agricultural (both soil scientist and agronomists) scientists.
Aimed at taking the mystery out of soil science, Soils: Principles, Properties and Management is a text for undergraduate/graduate students who study soil as a natural resource. Written in a reader-friendly style, with a host of examples, figures and tables, the book leads the reader from the basics of soil science through to complex situations, covering such topics as: the origin, development and classification of soil physical, chemical and biological properties of soil water and nutrient management management of problem soils, wetland soils and forest soils soil degradation Further, the ecological and agrological functions of soil are emphasized in the context of food security, biodiversity and climate change. The interactions between the environment and soil management are highlighted. Soil is viewed as an ecosystem itself and as a part of larger terrestrial ecosystems.
In arid and semi-arid areas, the main contributions to land surface processes are precipitation, surface evaporation and surface energy balancing. In the close-to-surface layer and root-zone layer, vapor flux is the dominant flux controlling these processes - process which, in turn, influence the local climate pattern and the local ecosystem. The work reported in this thesis attempts to understand how the soil airflow affects the vapor transport during evaporation processes, by using a two-phase heat and mass transfer model. The necessity of including the airflow mechanism in land surface process studies is discussed and highlighted.
This book provides a comprehensive overview of remediation and rehabilitation techniques and strategies for contaminated and anthropogenically disturbed land. Rehabilitation approaches in the urban environment, such as brownfield redevelopment and urban mining, are discussed. In relation to contaminated land, techniques for soil containment and decontamination of soil, soil vapour and groundwater are comprehensively and systematically presented. Complicated treatment techniques are schematically depicted and can be readily understood. Agricultural, silvicultural and environmentally sustainable rehabilitation strategies for reclaiming disturbed land/terrain in former mining or natural-resource extraction areas, such as open-cast mines, quarries, harvested peatlands, and subsided mining terrain (sinkholes), are introduced. This book will be a useful tool for students, researchers, private consultants and public authorities engaged in the treatment of contaminated or disturbed land.
The contributions to this volume provide new experiences in hydrocarbon exploration, especially to basin analysis methods and risk assessment by computer modelling. Covering mainly the North Sea and adjacent areas also examples from Paris basin, off-Southern Italy, Pannonian basin, Bulgaria, Turkey, Russian platform and Baltic Sea are presented. New approaches in risk-weighting are performed by Monte Carlo simulations, by application of expert-system technology but also by taking into account the importance of man-made mechanical effects, resulting from stress-sensitivity measurements from log and core data.
Over the last several years, there has been much discussion on the interrelation of CO2 emissions with the global warming phenomenon. This in turn has increased pressure to develop and produce more fuel efficient engines and vehicles. This is the central topic of this book. It covers the underlying processes which cause pollutant emissions and the possibilities of reducing them, as well as the fuel consumption of gasoline and diesel engines, including direct injection diesel engines. As well as the engine-related causes of pollution, which is found in the raw exhaust, there is also a description of systems and methods for exhaust post treatment. The significant influence of fuels and lubricants (both conventional and alternative fuels) on emission behavior is also covered. In addition to the conventional gasoline and diesel engines, lean-burn and direct injection gasoline engines and two-stroke gasoline and diesel engines are included. The potential for reducing fuel consumption and pollution is described as well as the related reduction of CO2 emissions. Finally, a detailed summary of the most important laws and regulations pertaining to pollutant emissions and consumption limits is presented. This book is intended for practising engineers involved in research and applied sciences as well as for interested engineering students.
This book is part of a series of eight providing profession-wide, consensus-based assessment of innovative site remediation and hazardous waste treatment technologies.
Metal contamination is an increasing ecological and eco-toxicological risk. Understanding the processes involved in metal mobilization, sorption and mineralization in soils are key features for soil bioremediation. Following an introduction to the physical, chemical and biological components of contaminated soils, various chapters address the interactions of soil, microorganisms, plants and the water phase necessary to transfer metals into biological systems. These include topics such as potential hazards at mining sites; rare earth elements in biotic and abiotic acidic systems; manganese redox reactions; biomineralisation, uranium in seepage water; metal-resistant streptomycetes; mycorrhiza in re-forestation; metal (hyper)accummulation in plants; microbial metal uptake; and their potential for bioremediation. This book will be of interest to soil biologists, geologists and chemists, researchers and graduate students, as well as consulting companies and small enterprises involved in bioremediation.
Due to the threat of a possible global climate change and the greenhouse effect caused by constituents of anthropogenic origin in the atmosphere, air quality has become a major environmental issue. As a consequence, emissions into the atmosphere need to be monitored and controlled. Measurement of Atmospheric Emissions presents technologies for emission control and analysis from industrial and energy plants. The author explains the physical and chemical basis before proceeding to the practical performance. This publication provides the reader with the knowledge necessary to critically analyze and investigate emission measurement techniques. It will be of great interest to researchers and engineers in the fields of environmental technology and air pollution control. It will assist in the choice of the most appropriate instruments for various purposes and circumstances. |
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