This text, written by a leading researcher in the field, describes the origin and formation of lakes in order to give context to the question of how lacustrine deposits form. It explains the process of sedimentation in lakes and the chemistry of those deposits and describes how the age of lake deposits is determined. Additionally, this book shows how different groups of fossils are used in interpreting the paleontological record of lakes. In order to illustrate the more synthetic approaches to interpreting the history of lakes, the author also discusses such special topics as lake-level history, lake evolution, and the impact of environmental change on lakes.

Submarine mass movements are a hidden geohazard with large destructive potential for submarine installations and coastal areas. This hazard and associated risk is growing in proportion with increasing population of coastal urban agglomerations, industrial infrastructure, and coastal tourism. Also, the intensified use of the seafloor for natural resource production, and deep sea cables constitutes an increasing risk. Submarine slides may alter the coastline and bear a high tsunamogenic potential. There is a potential link of submarine mass wasting with climate change, as submarine landslides can uncover and release large amounts greenhouse gases, mainly methane, that are now stored in marine sediments. The factors that govern the stability of submarine slopes against failure, the processes that lead to slope collapses and the collapse processes by themselves need to be better understood in order to foresee and prepare society for potentially hazardous events. This book volume consists of a collection of cutting edge scientific research by international experts in the field, covering geological, geophysical, engineering and environmental aspects of submarine slope failures. The focus is on understanding the full spectrum of challenges presented by this major coastal and offshore geohazard.

This book provides practical morphological information, together with detailed illustrations and concise texts explaining each entry. The book details the morphological characters of each organism, providing fundamental information for palaeontologists and palaeobiologists alike. Each chapter starts with a brief introduction and goes on to describe the organism's morphology in detail, followed by a brief note on classification and lastly illustrated examples of stratigraphically important organisms through time along with their major distinguishing characters. The book includes over 3000 clearly labelled, hand-drawn and classroom-friendly illustrations of over 1200 species.

Based on the "International Symposium of Molecular Environmental Soil Science at the Interfaces in the Earth's Critical Zone," this book focuses on the Critical Zone supporting life at the Earth's surface with emphasis on the new and emerging subject area of molecular environmental soil science. Advances in research methodology, the use of synchrotron radiation in particular, are extensively reviewed. Roles of microbes, biomolecules, and environmental nanoparticles in mineral transformations, metal cycling, degradation of natural and anthropogenic organic compounds are also extensively reviewed. It is unique in terms of facilitating the integration of contributions from traditionally separate disciplines and adding a molecular and nanoparticle (therefore chemical) dimension to a field of endeavour that has traditionally been viewed on a different scale (dimension). It will also contribute to identifying knowledge gaps, providing future research directions and promoting research and education at the molecular level in this extremely important and challenging area of science for years to come. The IUPAC Project Committee noted that the Conference identifies, and builds on, the need to view and understand the Critical Zone at the molecular level. The book will be an invaluable reference for research and education.

In any ecosystem, plant and microbe interaction is inevitable. They not only co-exist but also support each other's survival and also provide for sustenance in stressful environment. Agro-ecosystems of many regions around the globe are affected by multi-stress. Major limiting factors affecting the agricultural productivity worldwide are environmental stresses. Apart from decreasing yield they introduce devastating impact on plant growth as well. Plants battle with various kind of stresses with the help of symbiotic association with the microbes in the rhizosphere. Naturally existing plant-microbe interaction facilitates survival of plants under these stressful conditions. Rhizosphere consists of many groups of microbes, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) is one such group of microbes which assist plants in coping with multiple stresses and in plant growth as well. These microbes help in stress physiology of the plants and can be extremely useful in solving agricultural as well food security problems. The proposed book is split into two parts, with an aim to provide comprehensive description and highlight a holistic approach. It elucidates various mechanisms in rhizosphere of nutrient management, stress tolerance and enhanced crop productivity. The book discusses rhizospheric flora and its importance in enhancement of plant growth, nutrient content, yield of various crops and vegetables as well as soil fertility and health. Both volumes of the book addresses fundamentals, applications as well as research trends and new prospects of agricultural sustainability. Volume 2: Nutrient Management and Crop Improvement, contains chapters which cover a broad overview of plant growth promoting activities of microbes. This proposed book also highlights the contribution of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron and zinc-solubilizing microbes from rhizospheric soil to develop efficient indigenous microbial consortia to enhance the food and nutritional security. With the given content and layout the proposed book will be an all-inclusive collection of information, which will be useful for students, academicians, researchers working in the field of rhizospheric mechanisms, agricultural microbiology, soil microbiology, biotechnology, agronomy and sustainable agriculture and also for policy makers in the area of food security and sustainable agriculture. It will be of special interest to both academics and professionals working in the fields of microbiology, soil microbiology, biotechnology and agronomy, as well as the plant protection sciences. Timely, this edited and research book provides an essential and comprehensive source of material from basic to advance findings on microbes and their role in agricultural and soil sustainability.

The current scenario of increasing sensitivity towards the sustainable agriculture has given a large space to extensively utilize natural resources that are environmental friendly and are a good replacement of chemicals in agriculture. Application of organic additives in the sustainable disease management can provide new insight in sustenance of plant productivity along with improved host stress tolerance. In the present book we have focussed upon a range of organic strategies to control plant pathogens of wide spectrum in addition to maintaining robust plant health. A detailed account on the application of organic additives has been discussed, irrespective of their origin and nature. In addition, the methods of utilising these organic supplements in the management of plant diseases and promotion of plant yield in more economic way have also been presented with reference to developing, underdeveloped and developed countries. The book has included the works of eminent scholars from across the world thus flashing light on the key literature related to application of organic matters including phytoextracts, chopped leaves, composted organic manures and liquid manures in eco-friendly agriculture. The mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of these organic amendments in promoting plant health has also been presented and discussed in understandable ways.

The disturbance of soils, like other phenomena of environmental pollution, encountered in so many areas all over the world, has become a subject of extensive concern and has led to a vast amount of literature in the field of enzymology, too.
The book is the first comprehensive and updated review of the enzymological literature on three great categories of disturbed soils, including their remediation. The volume consists of three sections: I. Enzymology of oil-contaminated soils; II. Enzymology of soils affected by industrial emissions; and III, enzymology of technogenic soils. Within each section the reviewed studies are grouped by country.
The volume will be of great value to soil scientists, environmental scientists, conservationists, and many other scientists in these and related fields.

This book discusses how sediments compact with depth and applications of the compaction trends. Porosity reduction in sediment conveniently indicates the degree of sediments compacted after deposition. Published empirical curves- the compaction curves- are depth-wise porosity variation through which change in pore spaces from sediment surface to deeper depths e.g. up to 6 km can be delineated. Porosity is derived from well logs. Compaction curves, referred to as the Normal Porosity Profile of shales, sandstones and shale bearing sandstones of different models are reviewed along with the different mechanical and chemical compaction processes. These compaction models reveals how porosity reduces depth-wise and the probable reason for anomalous zones. Deviation from these normal compaction trends may indicate abnormal pressure scenarios: either over- or under pressure. We highlight global examples of abnormal pressure scenarios along with the different primary- and secondary mechanisms. Well logs and cores being the direct measurements of porosity, well log is the only cost-effective way to determine porosity of subsurface rocks. Certain well logs can detect overpressure and the preference of one log above the other helps reduce the uncertainty. Apart from delineation of under-compacted zones by comparing the modeled- with the actual compaction, porosity data can also estimate erosion.

The establishment of relationships between sediment composition and climatic - vironment in the sediment basin and subsequent evolution of climate relates to the classical problems of fundamental sedimentology. The widely known publications by the Russian academicians N. M. Strakhov, A. B. Ronov, and A. P. Lisitsin are dedicated to different aspects of this problem. In particular, the monograph p- lished by A. P. Lisitsin "Sea-ice and iceberg sedimentation in the Ocean: recent and past" (Lisitsin, 2002) closely corresponds to the issues examined in this book. This monograph discusses in detail the environments and means of accumulations of recent marine and oceanic sediments in the ice zone of sedimentation of the Ocean, however, much less attention is given to the history of ice sedimentation, especially to high-resolution paleoceanography. In the present work the authors accepted the following basic principles: 1. StudynotonlyoftheArctic, butalsooftheSubarctic, especiallyofthoseregions, where there were conducted the original studies by the authors. 2. Study of climatic history in uence ( rst of all, - the glaciation evolution of NorthernHemisphere)on sedimentationforthe last 130ka (MIS5e - MIS1)not only in the marine periglacial environment (term of G. G. Matishov), but also in the deep water areas and on the adjacent continental blocks. 3. Imperative description of recent sedimentation environment for subsequent - plication of the comparative-lithologicalmethod. 4. Detailed consideration of accessible stratigraphic and geo-chronometricdata for partition and correlation of various sedimentary facies. Some of the above-mentionedprinciples require further explanation.

In an effort to implement conservation measures farmers have used a variety of production methods, including the use of reduced or zero tillage and cover crops. One benefit of these production methods has been early season weed control. The literature suggests that a variety of mechanisms may be involved, among them the allelopathic effects of phenolic acids. This retrospective analysis addresses the following: How likely are phenolic acid concentrations and environmental conditions in wheat no-till cropping systems for the inhibition of annual broadleaf weed emergence? and Do phenolic acids have a dominant role or are they just one component of a larger promoter/modifier/inhibitor complex? The book covers allelopathic plant-plant interactions, laboratory and field experiments, and future research. It uses a journal format, provides justifications for procedures used, if-then hypotheses, and cons and pros so that readers can reach their own conclusions.

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 unique book provides a concise account of Indian Paleogene and presents a unified view of the Paleogene sequences of India. The Paleogene, comprising the early part of the Cenozoic Era, was the most dynamic period in the Earth's history with profound changes in the biosphere and geosphere. The period spans ~42 million years, beginning from post- K/T mass extinction event at ~65 Ma and ending at ~23 Ma, when the first Antarctic ice sheet appeared in the Southern Hemisphere. The early Paleogene (Paleocene-Eocene) has been considered a globally warm period, superimposed on which were several transient hyperthermal events of extreme warmth. Of these, the Palaeocene Eocene Thermal Maxima (PETM) boundary interval is the most prominent extreme warming episode, lasting 200 Ka. PETM is characterized by 2-60/00 global negative carbon isotope excursion. The event coincided with the Benthic Extinction Event (BEE) in deep sea and Larger Foraminifera Turnover (LFT) in shallow seas. Rapid ~60-80 warming of high latitudinal regions led to major faunal and floral turnovers in continental, shallow-marine and deep-marine areas. The emergence and dispersal of mammals with modern characteristics, including Artiodactyls, Perissodactyls and Primates (APP), and the evolution and expansion of tropical vegetation are some of the significant features of the Paleogene warm world. In the Indian subcontinent, the beginning and end of the Paleogene was marked by various events that shaped the various physiographic features of the Indian subcontinent. The subcontinent lay within the equatorial zone during the earliest part of the Paleogene. Carbonaceous shale, coal and lignite deposits of early Eocene age (~55.5-52 Ma) on the western and north-eastern margins of the Indian subcontinent are rich in fossils and provide information on climate as well as the evolution and paleobiogeography of tropical biota. Indian Paleogene deposits in the India-Asia collision zone also provide information pertaining to the paleogeography and timing of collision. Indian Paleogene rocks are exposed in the Himalayan and Arakan mountains; Assam and the shelf basins of Kutch-Saurashtra, Western Rajasthan; Tiruchirappalli-Pondicherry and Andaman and, though aerially limited, these rocks bear geological evidence of immense importance.

The interactions between the plant, soil and microbes are complex in nature. Events may be antagonistic, mutualistic or synergistic, depending upon the types of microorganisms and their association with the plant and soil in question. Multi-trophic tactics can therefore be employed to nourish plants in various habitats and growth conditions. Understanding the mechanisms of these interactions is thus highly desired in order to utilize the knowledge in an ecofriendly and sustainable way. This holistic approach to crop improvement may not only resolve the upcoming food security issues, but also make the environment greener by reducing the chemical inputs. Plant, soil and microbe, Volume 1: Implications in Crop Science, along with the forthcoming Volume 2: Mechanisms and Molecular Interactions, provide detailed accounts of the exquisite and delicate balance between the three critical components of agronomy. Specifically, these two titles focus on the basis of nutrient exchange between the microorganisms and the host plants, the mechanism of disease protection and the recent molecular details emerged from studying this multi-tropic interaction. Together they aim to provide a solid foundation for the students, teachers, and researchers interested in soil microbiology, plant pathology, ecology and agronomy.

Playing a critical role in both influencing climate change and mitigating its impacts, the world's diverse wetlands have become one of the world's most threatened ecosystems as unsustainable land-use practices coupled with irrational use of water have already resulted in large-scale wetlands loss and degradation. To develop sound management and conservation schemes to assure wetlands sustainability in the long term requires long-term understanding of wetlands ecology. Yet until now, long-term interdisciplinary research into these systems has been limited to only a few systems from tropical or temperate climates (such as the Florida Everglades, and Czech biosphere reserve). This new book adds to the existing wetlands literature, providing a unique reference in basic and applied Mediterranean wetland ecology, based on results from long-term interdisciplinary research at the RAMSAR and UNESCO Biosphere site, of Las Tablas de Daimiel, Spain. Dating back to the early 1990s the research highlights changes in the biotic and abiotic environment in response to cumulative anthropogenic stressors, and provide guidance on applying this understand to sound management and conservation. With particular relevance to researchers dealing with semi-arid wetlands in the Mediterranean and elsewhere, as well as to resource managers, the book discusses the complexity of the interacting abiotic and biotic environment across different spatial and temporal scales and across various levels of biological hierarchy is highlighted, and reveals how management based on poor knowledge causes more damage than repair. The book will be of interest to researchers interested in freshwater ecology, hydrobotany, hydrology, geology, biogeochemistry, landscape ecology and environmental management.

The book illustrates the use of putative microbial agents which provide good protection to the plant from biotic pathogens attack. An up to date knowledge on plant-microbiome interaction strategies in terms of improved sustainability has been discussed. Information from experts across the globe on the application of microbes for providing amicable solution in sustainable agriculture has been gathered. In addition, information related to microbes mediated resistance levels leading to enhanced plant health has been well presented. The chapters have emphasised the use of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) and other potential biocontrol agents/antagonists in the management of plant diseases which provide extensive information to the readers. Literature on microbial root colonization, plant growth promotions, and also on the protection of plants from attack of various soil borne pathogens have been presented in a coherent way. Information on the application of potential strain of the bio-control fungi, endophytes, actinomycetes strengthening the plants ability which rescue the plant from pathogens attack leading to improved plant health has also been underpinned.

This book presents a detailed analysis and synthesis of the processes affecting sediments fluxes from watershed to worldwide coastal systems. The volume provides a comprehensive overview and constitutes a systematic description of the response of coastal systems to global and local changes, like climate change, sea level, land use and land cover change. The case studies cover a sequence of coastal environments such as lagoons, bays, estuaries, deltas and beaches. Sediment Fluxes in Coastal Areas is designed for researchers, professionals and for course-use in hydrology, oceanography, geography, geology, geomorphology and environmental science.

Soils into which crop plants root and from which they obtain essential minerals and water contain huge arrays of microbes. Many have highly beneficial effects on crop growth and productivity, others are pathogens causing diseases and losses to yield and quality, a few microbes offer protection from these pathogenic forms and others have little or no effect. These intimate and often complex inter-relationships are being explored with increasing success providing exciting opportunities for increasing crop yields and quality in sustainable harmony with the populations of beneficial soil microbes and to the detriment of pathogens. This book explores current knowledge for each of these aspects of soil microbiology and indicates where future progress is most likely to aid in increasing crop productivity by means which are environmentally benign and beneficial.

The agricultural world has changed significantly during the last years. The excessive use of heavy machinery, waste disposal, the use of agrochemicals and new soil cultivation means led to severe problems, which agricultural engineers have to cope with in order to prevent soil from permanent irreversible damage.

This Soil Biology volume will update readers on several cutting-edge aspects of sustainable soil engineering including topics such as: soil compaction, soil density increases, soil disturbance and soil fragmentation; soil tillage machineries and optimization of tillage tools; soil traffic and traction, effects of heavy agricultural machines, the use of robotics in agriculture and controlled traffic farming; mechanical weed control, the characterization of soil variability and the recycling of compost and biosolids in agricultural soils.

This 32-chapter volume represents the core of several oral and poster presentations made at the conference. In addition to Introduction and Conclusion sections, the book is thematically divided into 7 sections, namely, 1) Land Use and Farming Systems, 2) Effects of Climate Change on Crop Yield, 3) Soil Nutrient and Water Management for Carbon Sequestration, 4) Rehabilitation of Degraded Lands through Forestry and Agroforestry, 5) Management of Animal Production for Greenhouse Gas Emissions, 6) Smallholder Adaptation to Climate Change, and 7) Economic, Social and Policy Issues. It addresses these themes in the context of sustainable intensification (SI). It implies increasing agronomic production from the existing land while improving/restoring its quality and decreasing the C or environmental footprint. Simply put, SI means producing more from less.

The global environment is constantly changing and our planet is getting warmer at an unprecedented rate. The study of the carbon cycle, and soil respiration, is a very active area of research internationally because of its relationship to climate change. It is crucial for our understanding of ecosystem functions from plot levels to global scales. Although a great deal of literature on soil respiration has been accumulated in the past several years, the material has not yet been synthesized into one place until now. This book synthesizes the already published research findings and presents the fundamentals of this subject. Including information on global carbon cycling, climate changes, ecosystem productivity, crop production, and soil fertility, this book will be of interest to scientists, researchers, and students across many disciplines.
* A key reference for the scientific community on global climate change, ecosystem studies, and soil ecology
* Describes the myriad ways that soils respire and how
this activity influences the environment
* Covers a breadth of topics ranging from methodology
to comparative analyses of different ecosystem types
* The first existing "treatise" on the subject

Hakan Wallander is a professor in Soil Biology and the reader is guided through the fascinating world below ground. The book has a free form and the author mixes scientific facts with personal stories from active research experiences and everyday life.The main focus is to make the reader aware of the vast biodiversity that exists in the soil, and to describe the important processes provided by the soil organisms. Reflections are made on how dependent we are on living soils, and how vulnerable the soil is if managed in a wrong way. The importance of soils as carbon sinks and reflections about the possible influence of soils for taste and quality of food and wine is also covered. The book is illustrated with photographs and every picture has a legend that stands on its own. In this way the reader will have an easy way into the book, and the main aim is to gain new readers to a subject that is immensely important, but not very attractive to laypersons."