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Books > Earth & environment > Earth sciences > The hydrosphere
In recent years there have been a number of catastrophic floods that have resulted in a tragic loss of life. These natural disasters highlight the need to further understand the occurrence phenomena, to improve forecasting techniques, and to develop procedures and contingency plans to minimise the flood impact. This volume contains contributions from the 3rd International Conference on Floods and Flood Management held in Florence in November 1992. The volume is timely and provides an important overview for engineers, scientists, managers and researchers of the latest developments in technology, analysis and management.
The aim of this book is to offer a river-basin management plan which is directly implementable and consistent with the European Union -Water Framework Directive (EU WFD).The contributors, who are leading world experts in their respective fields, develop an integrated water resources management plan for the Asopos river basin in Greece which is economically efficient, socially equitable and environmentally sustainable. The program offers explicit technical and investment solutions, socioeconomic and legal instruments and recommendations for institutional restructuring. The introductory chapter describes the water situation in Greece and assesses the potential of timely implementation of the EU WFD. Special emphasis is given to the cost-recovery principle. Chapter 2 introduces the case study area highlighting the particular pressures and impacts as well as the environmental functions and values of Asopos River and Oropos Lagoon. Chapters 3 and 4 focus on the economic characterisation of Asopos River Basin in order to identify the economic sectors and social groups that will bear the cost and benefits of the implementation of the EU WFD. In particular, Chapter 3 presents the main water uses and pricing for water supply in the industrial and the agricultural sectors. Chapter 4 completes the baseline appraisal, presenting the details of water use by the residential and touristic sectors. The following chapters assess valuation and decision-making tools from a range of perspectives, including agricultural needs, valuing the impacts of industrial activity, the costs and benefits of environmental preservation and management. The water resources management plan is presented in Chapter 9; the concluding chapter offers recommendations on institutional changes and presents the lessons learned as resources applicable to other river basins in Greece and elsewhere. The book applies state-of-the art market and non-market valuation methods to estimate water demands in the residential, industrial, agricultural, tourism, environmental and health sectors and to balance these, over time and space, with water supply. Given the well-known challenge of managing natural resources in a way that maximizes and sustains social welfare, this book will provide an invaluable point of reference for applied researchers and policy makers working in water resources management.
The proposed book deals with the role of changing groundwater base level on the adjacent hydrological systems. It summarizes, compiles and compares results of current and paleo base levels, using examples from all over the world. A classification is given for marine or continental groundwater base levels with special attention to those below sea level. The factors controlling base level changes and the methods for their determination are elaborated. Holocene and future changes are discussed with their effect on salinization and flushing mechanisms of groundwater. All topics described in the book are accompanied by examples and references from all over the world.
Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop, Palisades, New York, U.S.A., November 30-December 4, 1982
Remote Sensing of the Changing Oceans is a comprehensive account of the basic concepts, theories, methods and applications used in ocean satellite remote sensing. The book provides a synthesis of various new ideas and theories and discusses a series of key research topics in oceanic manifestation of global changes as viewed from space. A variety of research methods used in the analysis and modeling of global changes are introduced in detail along with numerous examples from around the world s oceans. The authors review the changing oceans at different levels, including Global and Regional Observations, Natural Hazards, Coastal Environment and related scientific issues, all from the unique perspective of Satellite Observation Systems. Thus, the book not only introduces the basics of the changing oceans, but also new developments in satellite remote sensing technology and international cooperation in this emerging field. Danling Tang (Lingzis) received her Ph.D from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She conducted research and teaching in Hong Kong, USA, Japan, and South Korea for more than 10 years; in 2004, she received 100 Talents Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences and returned to China. She was a professor of Fudan University, and now is a Leading Professor of Remote Sensing of Marine Ecology and Environment at the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Dr. Tang has been working on satellite remote sensing of marine ecology and environment; her major research interests include ocean dynamics of phytoplankton bloom, global environmental changes, and natural hazards. Dr. Tang has organized several international conferences, workshops, and training, she also services as member of organizing committee for several international scientific organizations; she was the Chairman of the 9th Pan Ocean Remote Sensing Conference (PORSEC 2008), and currently is the President-elect of PORSEC Association.
The book is a thorough presentation of theoretical and applied aspects of the evaporation and evapotranspiration process supported by data from experimental studies. It is written in a way that the theoretical background of evaporation and evapotranspiration estimation is presented in a simplified manner, comprehensive to most technical readers. The book deals with details of meteorological parameters and monitoring sensors which are needed for estimating evaporation and evapotranspiration. Errors in meteorological parameter measurements are also presented. Estimation errors, strengths, weaknesses and applicability of a wide range of evaporation and evapotranspiration estimation methods are presented along with samples of application to a certain region. Application of newer simpler methods is presented. A new technology, remote sensing application to evaporation and evapotranspiration estimation, is presented. The latest interest in the subject, climate change and evapotranspiration is presented in the last chapter. This book will be beneficial to students, hydrologists, engineers, meteorologists, water managers and others.
"Climatic Change and Water Resources in the Middle East and North Africa" is dedicated to high-priority topics related to the impact of climate change on water resources in a water scarce region. The subject is described and discussed in three main chapters and different case studies. The three main chapters are (1) Climatic changes - sources and effects on the water cycle, (2) Impact of climate change on water resources, (3) Water resources and water management. These chapters are split up into further 26 sections. A total of 64 individuals from many countries have made contributions to this book. All topics in this book are complimentary and contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between global climate change, world water cycle and water resources. A valuable and meaningful interdisciplinary mixture of topics is combined in this book which will be of great interest to many scientists.
Lakes Ladoga and Onego are the greatest lakes in Europe. With a surface area of 17891 km2 and a volume of 902 km3, the former is one of the top fifteen world s freshwater lakes and is only slightly smaller than Lake Ontario. Lake Onego s surface area is 9600 km2 and it has a volume of 292 km3. The watershed of Lake Ladoga (258000 km2) extends through Northwestern European Russia and the eastern part of Finland, including the large Lakes Ilmen and Saimaa, and together these Great European Lakes are an important link in the Caspian-Baltic-White Sea waterway system. Their ecological state affects the water quality of the Neva River, the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea. Thus any changes affect the operational use, environmental protection and management of water resources of a wide area and concern such issues as drinking, recreation, transport and energy. The anthropogenic impact on the Lake Onego ecosystem is mostly determined by the sewage waters of the Petrozavodsk and Kondopoga industrial centres, while the river inflow makes the most impact on Lake Ladoga. Although the anthropogenic stress on the water ecosystems of the Great European Lakes has decreased over the last 15 years, there has been some simultaneous evidence of global warming. There is not enough current data to identify the climate-induced changes in lake ecosystems, but there is proof that the main cause of lacustrine ecosystem changes is determined by anthropogenic factors. Coupled thermohydrodynamic and ecosystem models for Lakes Ladoga and Onego have been developed to study the contemporary situation, to understand the main mechanisms of the ecosystem transformation, and to learn what may happen in future under the varying antropogenic impact and climate changes. Lake Ladoga preserves its weak mesotrophic status while Lake Onego can be characterized as oligotrophic. Economic growth during the last seven years has led to the increasing anthropogenic impact on both their ecosystems. The Great European Lakes are attracting the increasing attention of both researchers and end-users. This book is a synthesis of multifaceted interdisciplinary studies conducted by a team of experts in limnology, geography, biology, mathematical modeling and economy. The editors, Professors Rukhovets and Filatov, are the authors of numerous articles and books and are recognized as the foremost experts in their fields. Professor Rukhovets has been Director of the Institute of Economy and Mathematics in Saint-Petersburg and head of the laboratory of mathematical modeling since 1998 while Professor Filatov is currently Director of the Northern Water Problems Institute in Petrozavodsk, Russia."
Marine Structures Engineering is designed to help engineers meet the growing worldwide demand for construction of new ports and the modernization of existing ports and terminals. It provides an authoritative guide to the design, construction, rehabilitation, repair, and maintenance of port and harbor structures. Each chapter is self-contained, allowing readers to access specific information. The Author draws on his extensive experience in offshore structure and port engineering to demonstrate evaluation, rehabilitation, repair, and maintenance of in-service marine structures. Also covered in detail are state-of-the-art approaches to: *marine structures in cold regions, with special attention to the role of ice loads, permafrost, and other ice effects *shiplifts, marine railways, shipways, and dry docks *offshore moorings *floating breakwaters *marinas *structures that protect bridge piers from ship impact. Offering practical information on all aspects of marine structures, this book serves as an indispensable resource to all engineers and professionals involved in design, construction, maintenance, and modernization of ports and harbors.
Subject of the book is Uranium and its migration in aquatic environments. The following subjects are emphasised: Uranium mining, Phosphate mining, mine closure and remediation, Uranium in groundwater and in bedrock, biogeochemistry of Uranium, environmental behavior, and modeling. Particular results from the leading edge of international research are presented.
This book discusses in detail the planning, design, construction and management of hydraulic structures, covering dams, spillways, tunnels, cut slopes, sluices, water intake and measuring works, ship locks and lifts, as well as fish ways. Particular attention is paid to considerations concerning the environment, hydrology, geology and materials etc. in the planning and design of hydraulic projects. It also considers the type selection, profile configuration, stress/stability calibration and engineering countermeasures, flood releasing arrangements and scouring protection, operation and maintenance etc. for a variety of specific hydraulic structures. The book is primarily intended for engineers, undergraduate and graduate students in the field of civil and hydraulic engineering who are faced with the challenges of extending our understanding of hydraulic structures ranging from traditional to groundbreaking, as well as designing, constructing and managing safe, durable hydraulic structures that are economical and environmentally friendly.
The book describes what these models are, what they are based on, how they function, and then, most innovatively, how they can be used to generate new useful knowledge about the environmental system. Discusses this generation of knowledge by computer models from an epistemological perspective and illustrates it by numerous examples from applied and fundamental research. Includes ample technical appendices and is a valuable source of information for graduate students and scientists alike working in the field of environmental sciences.
Water is vital for life. Since the dawn of civilization, much effort has been made to harness sources of fresh water. Recent years have raised global awareness of the need for increasing demand of water worldwide, largely because of growing population, rising standard of living, higher demand for energy, and greater appreciation for environmental quality. As an example, the world population has increased threefold in the past five decades. In order to meet the rising water demand, water resources are being developed by building large dams, reservoirs, barrages and weirs across rivers worldwide. The guiding principle for water resources development has been to ensure adequate supply of water for agriculture, domestic use (including fine drinking water), waste disposal, industries, and energy production, with due attention to maintain the ecosystem functions. This development, however, depends on a holistic, cooperative and scientific approach. The basic inputs in the assessment of water resources for a given region are from hydrological data and the subject of hydrology forms the core in achieving sustainable development of water resources. Barring a few exceptions, hydrological data for most river basins are sparse and therefore it is difficult to comprehensively assess their water resources. The major source of water is rainfall which occurs as a result of condensation of atmospheric moisture governed by the science of meteorology.
Internal wave dynamics in lakes (and oceans) is an important physical component of geophysical fluid mechanics of 'quiescent' water bodies of the Globe. The formation of internal waves requires seasonal stratification of the water bodies and generation by (primarily) wind forces. Because they propagate in basins of variable depth, a generated wave field often experiences transformation from large basin-wide scales to smaller scales. As long as this fission is hydrodynamically stable, nothing dramatic will happen. However, if vertical density gradients and shearing of the horizontal currents in the metalimnion combine to a Richardson number sufficiently small (< 1/4), the light epilimnion water mixes with the water of the hypolimnion, giving rise to vertical diffusion of substances into lower depths. This meromixis is chiefly responsible for the ventilation of the deeper waters and the homogenization of the water through the lake depth. These processes are mainly formed as a result of the physical conditions, but they play biologically an important role in the trophicational state of the lake.
An Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) sponsored by NATO and the California Space Institute was held in Corsica (France) October 3 to 7, 1983 to discuss the role of satellite observations in the large-scal.eoceanographic experiments, especially those under discussion (e.g., the World Ocean Circulation Experiment, WOCE, and the Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere, TOGA). This volume is based on papers presented during that meeting, summaries of the discussions of the working groups and recommended necessary tasks to be accompl ished in preparation for WOCE and TOGA. The participants of the meeting decided that, although the collection of issues discussed in the meeting was undoubtedly incomplete, the summaries of the discussions and recommended tasks warranted being conveyed to the organizers and sponsors of WOCE and TOGA. Although not discussed at the workshop, it was recognized that an important role of satellites is as data collection and location systems. Some of the common conclusions of the different working groups discussions are that: 1) Studies are needed of the sensitivity of the ocean response to errors in surface parameters (wind stress, heat flux, SST etc.) in a variety of physical models. These should be one of the basis for determining the accuracy requirements in WOCE and TOGA."
To place this book in perspective it is useful for the reader to be aware of the recent history of the topic of underwater sound generation at the ocean surface by natural mechanisms. A meeting in Lerici, Italy in 1987 was convened within the NATO Advanced Research Workshop series, to bring together underwater acousticians and ocean hydrodynamicists to examine various mechanisms which generate sound naturally at the ocean surface. A record of that meeting was published in the NATO scientific publication series in 1988 under the title 'Sea Surface Sound'. That meeting was successful in inspiring and co ordinating both participants and non-attending colleagues to examine some key issues which were raised during the course of presentations and discussions. The understanding among those present was that another meeting should be convened 3 years hence to report and review progress in the subject. Accordingly the second conference was convened in Cambridge in 1990, whose proceedings are presented here. This volume represents a very gratifying increase in only a 3 year interval in our understanding of a number of physical processes which generate sound at the peripheries of oceans. In fact it represents both the acceleration of singular effort as well as the development of interdisciplinary sophistication and co-operation. The enthusiasm, goodwill, and intense scientific curiosity which characterized the Lerici meeting carried through to Cambridge. The collegial atmosphere established by the participants was perfectly timed to foster another major advance in studies of ocean surface sound.
Climate can be defined as an ensemble of many weather phenomena. Clima tologists often use the mean (conventionally the monthly and annual mean) of weather-related parameters to describe climate. The mean value, however, is not all the climate. Climatic changes might occur if certain aspects of the distribution of extreme values change, while the mean does not. Katz and Brown (1992), for example, show from a theoretical viewpoint that in a changing climate, extreme values are determined more by changes in variability than changes in the mean. Possible changes in extreme event frequency receive considerable attention along with the global warming, because extremes directly impact human society and the economy. For most societally sensitive extremes and related changes in their vari ability, an analysis based on daily data becomes necessary. This paper considers two aspects (relative and absolute values) of extreme temperatures on a daily basis. We do not consider spells of extreme days, periods which will likely have greater socio-economic and health impacts (Kalkstein et al., 1996; Wagner, 1999), than individual extreme days.
1.1 General Framework In most arid and semi-arid countries, water resource management is an issue that is both important and controversial. Most water resources experts now acknowledge that water conflicts are not caused by physical scarcity but are mainly due to poor water management (Rosegrant et al. 2002; Benoit and Comeau 2005; Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture 2007; Garrido and Dinar 2010, among others). The scientific and technological advances of the past 50 years have led to new ways to solve many water-related conflicts, often with tools that seemed unthinkable a few decades ago (Llamas 2005; Lopez-Gunn and Llamas 2008). This study deals with the estimation and analysis of Spain's water footprint, both from a hydrological and economic perspective. Its ultimate objective is to report on the allocative efficiency of water and economic resources. This analysis can provide a transparent and multidisciplinary framework for informing and optimising water policy decisions, contributing at the same time to the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/60/EC). It also responds to the current mandate of the Spanish Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, which recently issued instructions for drafting river basin management plans in compliance with the EU Water Framework Directive, with a deadline of end of year 2009 and then every 6 years (BOE 2008).
This volume is a collection of a selected number of articles based on presentations at the 2005 L'Aquila (Italy) Summer School on the topic of "Hydrologic Modeling and Water Cycle: Coupling of the Atmosphere and Hydrological Models". The p- mary focus of this volume is on hydrologic modeling and their data requirements, especially precipitation. As the eld of hydrologic modeling is experiencing rapid development and transition to application of distributed models, many challenges including overcoming the requirements of compatible observations of inputs and outputs must be addressed. A number of papers address the recent advances in the State-of-the-art distributed precipitation estimation from satellites. A number of articles address the issues related to the data merging and use of geo-statistical techniques for addressing data limitations at spatial resolutions to capture the h- erogeneity of physical processes. The participants at the School came from diverse backgrounds and the level of - terest and active involvement in the discussions clearly demonstrated the importance the scienti c community places on challenges related to the coupling of atmospheric and hydrologic models. Along with my colleagues Dr. Erika Coppola and Dr. Kuolin Hsu, co-directors of the School, we greatly appreciate the invited lectures and all the participants. The members of the local organizing committee, Drs Barbara Tomassetti; Marco Verdecchia and Guido Visconti were instrumental in the success of the school and their contributions, both scienti cally and organizationally are much appreciated.
The NATO Advanced Study Institute on Adaptive Methods in Underwater Acoustics was held on 30 July - 10 August 1984 in LLineburg, Germany. The Institute was primarily concerned with signal processing for underwater appl ica tions. The majority of the presentations, when taken together, yield a definite picture of the present status of understanding of adaptive and high resolution processing, setting out the progress achieved over the past four years together with the major problem areas remaining. Major effort was made to obtain a commensurate contribution of tutorial and advanced research papers. It is my hope that the material in this volume may be equally well suited for students getting an introduction to some of the basic problems in underwater signal processing and for the professionals who may obtain an up-to-date overview of the present state of the art. This might be especially useful in view of the controversy and lack of adequate interrelationships which have marked this rapidly expanding field in the past. Practical reinforcement of this picture is provided by the material concerning digital and optical processing technology, giving some guidance to achievable adaptive and high resolution techniques with current processing devices. The formal programme was extended and detailed by a series of six evening work shops on specific topics, during which informal discussions took place among the participants. Summaries of these workshops are also included in these Proceedings."
Emerging Aquatic Contaminants: One Health Framework for Risk Assessment and Remediation in the Post COVID-19 Anthropocene highlights various sources and pathways of emerging contamination, including their distribution, occurrence, and fate in the aquatic environment. The book provides detailed insight into emerging contaminants' mass flow and behavior in various spheres of the subsurface environment. Possible treatment strategies, including bioremediation and natural attenuation, are discussed. Ecotoxicity, relative environmental risk, human health risk, and current policies, guidelines, and regulations on emerging contaminants are analyzed. This book serves as a pillar for future studies, with the aim of bio-physical remediation and natural attenuation of biotic and abiotic pollution.
The book deals with the processes in marine environment with particular emphasis on the interface processes (sediments- water and atmosphere-water) regarding organic matter and energy fluxes, carbon dioxide intake and transformation. Particular analytical methodologies concerning biosensors for analysis in situ are discussed.
Increasingly, neural networks are used and implemented in a wide range of fields and have become useful tools in probabilistic analysis and prediction theory. This booka "unique in the literaturea "studies the application of neural networks to the analysis of time series of sea data, namely significant wave heights and sea levels. The particular problem examined as a starting point is the reconstruction of missing data, a general problem that appears in many cases of data analysis. Specific topics covered include: * Presentation of general information on the phenomenology of waves and tides, as well as related technical details of various measuring processes used in the study * Description of the model of wind waves (WAM) used to determine the spectral function of waves and predict the behavior of SWH (significant wave heights); a comparison is made of the reconstruction of SWH time series obtained by means of neural network algorithms versus SWH computed by WAM * Principles of artificial neural networks, approximation theory, and extreme-value theory necessary to understand the main applications of the book. * Application of artificial neural networks (ANN) to reconstruct SWH and sea levels (SL) * Comparison of the ANN approach and the approximation operator approach, displaying the advantages of ANN * Examination of extreme-event analysis applied to the time series of sea data in specific locations * Generalizations of ANN to treat analogous problems for other types of phenomena and data This book, a careful blend of theory and applications, is an excellent introduction to the use of ANN, which may encourage readers to try analogous approachesin other important application areas. Researchers, practitioners, and advanced graduate students in neural networks, hydraulic and marine engineering, prediction theory, and data analysis will benefit from the results and novel ideas presented in this useful resource. |
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