Principles, methods, and calculations for evaluating, designing and operating anaerobic systems

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) have been shown to produce changes in the endocrine system of organisms, leading to increases in cancers and abnormalities in reproductive structure and function. This book presents research on the endocrine-disrupting effects of sewage and industrial effluents, covering the sources, fate, and transport of EDCs, and sludge treatment and disposal options considered in regard to their implications for receiving environments. It also addresses the potential sources and analysis of these substances in waters, sediments, and sludges. In addition, the authors review current legislation and potential management strategies for endocrine disrupters in the environment.

Qanat is a gently sloping subterranean canal, which taps a water-bearing zone at a higher elevation than cultivated lands. A qanat consist of a series of vertical shafts in sloping ground, interconnected at the bottom by a tunnel with a gradient flatter than that of the ground. From the air, this system looks like a line of anthills leading from the foothills across the desert to the greenery of an irrigated settlement. Qanat engages a variety of knowledge and its studying entails an interdisciplinary approach. In a traditional realm, qanats are embraced by a socio-economic system which guarantees their sustainability. The facets of this socio-economic system operate closely together and make it possible for the qanats to remain into future. Veins of the Desert shows that digging a qanat requires a variety of sciences and technologies, though at a glance qanat is just a horizontal tunnel which drains out groundwater. Qanat is a feat of technology left from our ancestors; hidden underground, but its technical importance is apparent, not less valuable than such surface structures as bridges, castles, towers, etc. Qanat enjoys extended structures and sometimes its length reaches tens of kilometers. It passes through geological formations and faces different conditions and obstacles, so the qanat masters' efforts to solve these problems led to the accumulation of knowledge in terms of qanat construction over time, which has been handed down from generation to generation. Qanat is one of the most complicated traditional technologies, which require knowledge on nature ranging from groundwater to management. This indigenous technology used to bring water efficiently from tens of kilometers away to the thirsty lands. This book also gives insight into cultural and social heritages, which have crystalized around this technique. This cultural heritage still influences social life of the people living in such regions as central plateau of Iran where qanat has been the only means of supplying water. This technology is the focal point of the genesis of a particular civilization in the arid and semi-arid regions of Iran. The harsh environment drove those people to invent the technology of qanat and the know-how revolving around it. Qanat carries a tradition of science and technology which used to be practiced in order to overcome the technical obstacles in qanat construction. Thus, qanat is not only an irrigational means, but it should be seen as a technical and cultural legacy which deserves more attention. This book is a small encyclopedia on qanat system, providing the readers with easy answers to their questions about different aspects of this ancient technology.

Human experience has shown how great cities, nations, and empires have either collapsed or retired from their predominant stature when natural resources are depleted to an extent that exceeds the ability of the environment to restore or replenish their supply. This book explores the challenges facing coastal areas during the next few decades and the difficult decisions needed to prevent a repeat of the past. Establishing, maintaining or enhancing a sense of environmental security in different coastal regions and improving the management of critical infrastructure will require (i) matching human demands with available environmental resources; (ii) recognition of environmental security threats and infrastructure vulnerabilities; and, (iii) identification of the range of available options for preventing and/or minimizing natural disasters, technological failures, and/or terror actions.

Originally published in 1975, this extensive bibliography has been drawn from archaeological, botanical, geological, meteorological and zoological sources. It covers those studies which deal with periods of time for which modern observational data are not available. Included sources range from those which make minor contributions to our understanding of North American paleoclimates to those whose impacts upon this understanding have been considerable.

An invaluable reference for graduate students and academic researchers, this book introduces the basic terminology, methods and theory of the physics of flow in porous media. Geometric concepts, such as percolation and fractals, are explained and simple simulations are created, providing readers with both the knowledge and the analytical tools to deal with real experiments. It covers the basic hydrodynamics of porous media and how complexity emerges from it, as well as establishing key connections between hydrodynamics and statistical physics. Covering current concepts and their uses, this book is of interest to applied physicists and computational/theoretical Earth scientists and engineers seeking a rigorous theoretical treatment of this topic. Physics of Flow in Porous Media fills a gap in the literature by providing a physics-based approach to a field that is mostly dominated by engineering approaches.

Arising out of The Third International Symposium held in New Jersey, this book represents the state-of-the-art in ocean management. From the Baltic to the Caribbean, from the Adriatic to the Atlantic, the problems of ocean management are fully discussed, and proposals made to meet the challenges of the next decade. This book will be of immense interest and use to anyone working in coastal and ocean management and is an invaluable work reference.

This collection addresses the complexities of water management and the impact of environmental developments such as dams, reservoirs and irrigation schemes on public health. The main focus of the book is on vector-borne diseases such as malaria, arboviruses (dengue and encephalitides) and snail- borne schistosomiasis. These are examined from a wide range of intersectoral perspectives which encompass disciplines with often conflicting interests, for instance agriculture, aquaculture, urban development, social development, water management and recreation. The book explains developmental processes, such as the construction of man-made lakes, and addresses broad practical and policy-making issues. Most importantly, the book offers many innovative solutions to assist readers who work in the water industry, whether through administration or science and engineering disciplines. Contributions from an international team of experts provide numerous case studies from around the world (Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, USA), which illustrate both poor and successful water management. The contributors provide historical and current coverage of the environmental and health issues prevalent in the field, but also gaze prospectively on the future development of constructed wetlands, aquaculture, urban development and funding agency policies, with the view to managing water resources more effectively and safely. This authoritative and comprehensive book is written in an accessible, non-technical manner and will be of interest to those involved in various aspects of water management and delivery, whether biologically skilled or not.

Effective urban drainage to manage stormwater and control flooding depends on good engineering, especially when an environmentally sustainable approach is being applied. This new text focuses on green methods and modelling techniques. It covers the principles of hydrology and drainage, low-impact-development (LID) designs, computer modelling techniques, the evaluation of existing systems, and planning for both new development and urban renewal. It outlines design procedures using examples, spreadsheet models, photos, and real-world design examples. Unlike other books, which focus on extreme events, this book covers hydrologic designs for both extreme and frequent events, and reflects the latest revolution in stormwater LID management, and takes a quantitative as well as a qualitative approach. PowerPoint (R) presentations and Excel (R) computer models are provided to follow and build on the exercises in the book. It is written especially for students on urban watershed courses, and also for those studying urban planning, landscaping, water resources, hydrology and hydraulics.

This book is written in a simple, straightforward manner without complicated mathematical derivatives. Compiled by experienced practitioners, this guide covers topics such as basic principles of vadose zone hydrology and prevalent monitoring techniques. Case studies present actual field experiences for the benefit of the reader. The Handbook provides practitioners with the information they need to fully understand the principles, advantages, and limitations of the monitoring techniques that are available. The Handbook of Vadose Zone Characterization & Monitoring expands and consolidates the useful and succint information contained in various ASTM documents, EPA manuals, and other similar texts on the subject, making it an invaluable aid to new practioners and a useful reference for seasoned veterans in the field.

Creating Freshwater Wetlands, Second Edition clearly demonstrates the step-by-step processes required to restore or create freshwater wetlands. It presents practical advice on choosing sites, getting help, attracting and stocking wildlife, selecting plants, and wetland operation and maintenance. This is an excellent book on one of the most fascinating ecosystems on the planet.

Since ancient times the sea has been man's playground, and his pathway to new lands and new continents - but also his savage enemy. Linked to an ITV series of the same name, this exploration of the violence of the ocean combines science and human stories, dealing with topics which range from ice-caps to the tidal bores of China, and with man's dramatic relationship with the sea.;Waves and tides, tidal waves, freak tides, rip-tides and whirlpools - what are they and why do they occur? How do humans interact with these phenomena? What is the lure of the sea? These are among the questions addressed, as well as mysteries of the deep: submarines, deep-sea exploration, ocean resources, deep-water life, diving, volcanic hazards, the Bermuda triangle, cyclones and hurricanes, icebergs and ice-breakers.

Geomorphology and Groundwater is an up--to--the--minute collection dealing with the overlap between geomorphology and hydrogeology. These two disciplines have much to offer each other in several fields such as river groundwater interactions, the location and evolution of aquifers, karst and landform evolution. There is increasing realisation that groundwater plays an important role in many geomorphological processes and of the utility of geomorphological techniques and ideas in the analysis of groundwater systems. The authors contributing to this volume are drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds and include research geomorphologists, engineers and consulting hydrogeologists. Much of the work reported here applies to or has immediate applications to such environmental problems as arid--zone water supply, groundwater pollution, wetland conservation, fisheries management and landscape protection. As such this book will be of value not only to researchers in the respective fields, but to all those interested in groundwater--related environmental issues.

Originally published in 1984, Themes in Biogeography presents a broad examination of biogeographical themes, extending across the field of plant and animal ecology and geography. The book provides a detailed and unique investigation into life and its environment and delves into not just geography, and ecology, but provides an interdisciplinary look at these areas across both biological and environmental sciences. The book examines biogeographical themes applying them to areas of research in soils and climate change, as well as in depth studies of plant communities and their animal associates. The book also discusses plants and animals through their taxonomic distribution, and deals with factors of plant geography, using both global and regional examples. This book will be of interest to biologists, ecologists and geographers alike.

Originally published in 1981 Historical Plant Geography is an introductory treatment of historical plant geography and stresses the basic theoretical frame of the subject. The book is about neither the study of vegetation nor the concept of the ecosystem, instead focusing on the much older tradition concerned with analysing the geographical distribution of individual species and natural plant groups. Important areas are discussed, such as global plate tectonics and sea-floor spreading, plant maps are introduced and there is a basic treatment of recent advances in plant taxonomy. The book will appeal to students and academics of geography, botany, ecology and environmental sciences.

Originally published in 1990, The Biogeography of the British Isles is devoted to the biogeography of the British Isles and surrounding shelf seas. Bringing together a wealth of diverse information, it is thoroughly referenced and well illustrated, and will be invaluable to students of geography, environmental science, ecology, botany, and zoology. The book traces the development of British biogeography over the last two centuries, examining key topics such as ecosystems, habitats, and niches in the context of plant and animal distribution. The book gives a detailed account of the development of biogeographical mapping and recording systems, and describes modern-day distributions, both in the countryside and in urban areas against the backcloth of human activities.

>The rich fossil record of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains of the United States is a gold mine for interested scientists. The last thirty million years of Earth history are superbly chronicled by a succession of fossil assemblages extending from the St. Lawrence River to Florida. Marine scientists, paleontologists, and systematic biologists alike need a thorough guide to interpret this history. Cenozoic Seas: The View from Eastern North America analyzes the changing geography, the arrival and departures of ecosystems and species, and the affect of climate on living things. The author classifies all of the region's fossil-bearing formations and their contents within a logical, descriptive framework of space and time, providing a clear path for those studying evolution and extinction within specific communities of organisms. The book is also an excellent field guide for fossil collectors, providing detailed information for all species illustrated. Many organisms have never before been illustrated in a book on fossil shells.

Thermodynamics is used increasingly in ecology to understand the system properties of ecosystems because it is a basic science that describes energy transformation from a holistic view. In the last decade, many contributions to ecosystem theory based on thermodynamics have been published, therefore an important step toward integrating these theories and encouraging a more wide spread use of them is to present them in one volume. An ecosystem consists of interdependent living organisms that are also interdependent with their environment, all of which are involved in a constant transfer of energy and mass within a general state of equilibrium or dis-equilibrium. Thermodynamics can quantify exactly how "organized" or "disorganized" a system is - an extremely useful to know when trying to understand how a dynamic ecosystem is behaving. A part of the Environmental and Ecological (Math) Modeling series, Thermodynamics and Ecology is a book-length study - the first of its kind - of the current thinking on how an ecosystem can be explained and predicted in terms of its thermodynamical behavior. After the introductory chapters on the fundamentals of thermodynamics, the book explains how thermodynamic theory can be specifically applied to the "measurement" of an ecosystem, including the assessment of its state of entropy and enthalpy. Additionally, it will show economists how to put these theories to use when trying to quantify the movement of goods and services through another type of complex living system - a human society.

Deep-water coral reefs are found along large sections of the outer continental shelves and slopes of Europe, from North Cape to the Gulf of Cadiz, and because they also occur along the Atlantic seaboard of USA, the Gulf of Mexico, off Brazil, in the Mediterranean, and off New Zealand, they are currently being targeted by international groups of marine scientists. They have become popular and opportune deep-water research targets because they offer exciting frontier exploration, combined with a whole plethora of modern scientific methods, such as deep-sea drilling, sampling, remote control surveying and documentation. Furthermore they represent timely opportunities for further developments within the application of geochemistry, stable isotope research, bacterial sciences, including DNA-sequestering, and medical research (search for bioactive compounds).

The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) has arranged a deep-sea scientific drilling campaign on giant carbonate banks off Ireland. Because the reefs currently defy traditional marine-ecological theories, they represent future research opportunities and will enjoy scientific scrutiny for many years to come.

Hydrometry is concerned with the measurements of all the variables in the hydrological (water) cycle and hydrological information is therefore necessary for the practice of efficient water management. Water will be a major issue as the world enters the third millennium where more than one quarter of its population still do not have safe drinking water. An increasing demand is therefore placed on hydrometry to provide the essential hydrometric information in order that the world's water resources may be managed more efficiently. The aim of this second edition is to continue the success of the first edition by including new chapters on weather radar, remote sensing, groundwater and tree ring analysis, important in extending hydrometric records. Chapters of the first edition have been brought up to date as necessary in accordance with new technology and care has been taken to bridge the gap between past methods in hydrometry. The book therefore provides an invaluable guide to managers as well as field personnel who have operation and decision making roles in water management. Contents: Flow measurement; Instrumentation; Long river records; Precipitation measuring radar; Satellite remote sensing; Groundwater; Tree ring analysis; Transmission of hydrometric data by satellite; Maximizing the utility of river flow data; Hydrometric data processing; Uncertainties and Measuring up to water resources assessment.

The 48th volume of this series contains five reviews written by an international array of authors.

Rural-Urban Water Struggles compiles diverse analyses of rural-urban water connections, discourses, identities and struggles evolving in the context of urbanization around the world. Departing from an understanding of urbanization as a process of constant making and remaking of multi-scalar territorial interactions that extend beyond traditional city boundaries and that deeply reconfigure rural-urban hydrosocial territories and interlinkages, the chapters demonstrate the need to reconsider and trouble the rural-urban dichotomy. The contributors scrutinize how existing approaches for securing urban water supply - ranging from water transfers to payments for ecosystem services - all rely on a myriad of techniques: they are produced by, and embedded in, specific institutional and legal arrangements, actor alliances, discourses, interests and technologies entwining local, regional and global scales. The different chapters show the need to better understand on-the-ground realities, taking account of inequalities in water access and control, as well as representation and cultural-political recognition among rural and urban subjects. Rural-Urban Water Struggles will be of great use to scholars of water governance and justice, environmental justice and political ecology. This book was originally published as a special issue of Water International.

This complete reference to marine renewable energy covers aspects of resource characterization and physical effects of harvesting the ocean's vast and powerful resources-from wave and tidal stream to ocean current energy. Experts in each of these areas contribute their insights to provide a cohesive overview of the marine renewable energy spectrum based on theoretical, numerical modeling, and field-measurement approaches. They provide clear explanations of the underlying physics and mechanics, and give close consideration to practical implementation aspects, including impacts on the physical system. Engineers, researchers, and students alike will find invaluable tools and studies that will aid them in realizing significant sustainable energy production from near-shore and ocean environments.

Beneath the coastal waters of the world lie thousands of artificial reefs. Some are old and retired freighters and ships that once plied the oceans of the world but now serve as habitats for marine life. Others are newer reefs that have been designed and built for specific applications. With the field of aquatic habitat technology continually growing, this book responds to the global need for a compendium of consistent and reliable practices with which to evaluate how well artificial reefs meet their objectives. Artificial Reef Evaluation With Application to Natural Marine Habitats is a comprehensive guide to the methods used to document the performance of artificial reefs in coastal and oceanic waters. It is the first volume to combine the essential disciplines required for proper evaluation, including engineering, economics, biology, and statistics. This work covers the design of reef studies, multi-disciplinary methods of investigation, data analysis, and examples of applying the methods to reefs built for different purposes. Further, the methods examined in this book apply to other benthic marine habitats, such as coral reefs or "live bottoms", thus expanding the book's relevance to a wider audience and enhancing research efforts in the field of artificial habitat technology.

Constructed wetlands are proving to be the best natural treatment system for landfill leachates. Most of the contaminants in landfill leachates are degraded in treatment wetlands. Potential for long-term sustainability and significant cost savings are attractive features of this eco-technology. Documentation of the experience in this use of constructed wetlands has been limited. Constructed Wetlands for the Treatment of Landfill Leachates is the first compilation of the results of research from North America and Europe. Originally presented at an international symposium, this collection of papers offers the most recent research findings from the leading researchers in this new and innovative natural treatment system. Specific issues addressed in the text include: leachate characteristics, and the potential for treatability by constructed wetlands wetland treatment, processes and transformation use of constructed wetlands in cold climatic conditions assessment of the tolerance of wetland plants to the toxicity of leachates role of plants in the treatments of leachates integrated wetland systems performance of different wetland treatment systems cost comparisons of wetland technology vs. traditional treatment technologies The potential for environmental contamination due to leachates from landfills is increasing, and there is an urgent need to find ways and means to treat leachates in a sustainable way Constructed Wetlands for the Treatment of Landfill Leachates will provide an invaluable source of information on the subject for scientists, engineers, practitioners, policy makers, and regulatory officials.