Environmental politics has traditionally been a peripheral concern for international relations theory, but increasing alarm over global environmental challenges has elevated international society's relationship with the natural world into the theoretical limelight. IR theory's engagement with environmental politics, however, has largely focused on interstate cooperation in the late twentieth century, with less attention paid to how the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century quest to tame nature came to shape the modern international order. The ideal river examines nineteenth-century efforts to establish international commissions on three transboundary rivers - the Rhine, the Danube, and the Congo. It charts how the Enlightenment ambition to tame the natural world, and human nature itself, became an international standard for rational and civilized authority and informed our geographical imagination of the international. This relationship of domination over nature shaped three core IR concepts central to the emergence of early international order: the territorial sovereign state; imperial hierarchies; and international organizations. The book contributes to environmental politics and international relations by highlighting how the relationship between society and nature is not a peripheral concern, but one at the heart of international politics. -- .

Experts in the field offer the first comprehensive review of the tectonics and magmatism of backarc basins, covering their initial rift stage to mature spreading. Complete with numerous illustrations, each of the twelve chapters focuses on a young, active backarc basin of the circum-Pacific-where volcano-tectonic processes are best studied because of their activity. Key themes in this volume include volcano-tectonics setting; cause and location; rift magmas; and hydrothermal activity. Researchers also present models of the dynamic processes occurring in backarc basins.

The inspiration for "Lessons From The Ocean" came as a result of many walks on the beach at sunset. It was during these "quiet times" with God that much was revealed to Donalyn about the similarities that exist between the ocean and beach, and what happens in everyday life. After a dear friend encouraged her to write these down, Donalyn realized that this could be something that would uplift, encourage and inspire others. Her wish is that you would enjoy reading it and contemplating it as much as she did actually accruing this over several years. Donalyn Knight is the Founder and President of The Spirited Athlete, Inc. She taught for 38 years at Seminole High School in Sanford, Fl and has over 16 years of extensive athletic coaching experience. While at Seminole High School, she has been awarded over 12 Coach of the Year Awards, Teacher of the Year for Seminole High School and Seminole County and was inducted into the SHS Coaches' Hall of Fame there, being presented with The Doc Terwilleger Award. This past year the school named the Outstanding Female Athlete Award after Donalyn. She has worked with Olympic and Professional athletes and served as Fellowship of Christian Athletes Liaison to the WNBA Orlando Miracle. She also worked for USAirways in the evenings for 20 years. Her love of flying, working with people and helping them with their travel needs was something she really enjoyed. Now retired from teaching and the airline, Donalyn is growing The Spirited Athlete which is in it's 8th year. The company has a motivational and inspirational product line as well as presenting college-bound athlete seminars, coaches' seminars, etc. It is obvious by her endeavors that she has a real zest for life and that is directly related to her relationship with her Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. "To serve Him above all through whatever it is that I'm doing is the highest privilege of all To God Be the Glory "

This wide-ranging selection of original papers covers many aspects of desertification including environmental and weather factors, land management policy, groundwater resources, understanding biodiversity in fragile ecosystems, technological approaches to the study and remedy of desertification.

Oceans and the Atmospheric Carbon Content, presents an interdisciplinary overview of the role of the oceans as a carbon sink and its relation with pH increasing trends and climate change. This volume discusses topics such as: climate variability during the last deglaciation, based on a high-resolution pollen analysis; the potential impact of CO2 from large metropolitan areas over the adjacent coastal zones and the importance of having high resolution atmospheric CO2 data to estimate accurately air-sea CO2 exchanges; present- day CO2 fluxes in the coastal ocean and their potential feedbacks under global climate change; phytoplankton community responses to climate change with emphasis on decreasing pH trends in sea water and its ecological effects; pH decrease and its effects on sea-water chemistry from a ten year time-series; the effect of acidification on metal bioaccumulation; the effects of increasing temperatures and acidification on contaminant dynamics and availability to biota; the prevention of potential environmental impacts related to the geological sequestration of CO2. The book provides an updated synthesis of current concerns related to global change trends in the oceans with a strong emphasis on acidification. The content draws attention to the importance of dealing with observed global change trends and their effects upon the oceans using an interdisciplinary approach due to their complexity and interlinks between different areas of knowledge.

This updated and expanded edition provides a thorough understanding of the measurable properties of groundwater systems and the knowledge to apply hydrochemical, geological, isotopic, and dating approaches to their work. This volume includes question and answer discussions for key concepts presented in the text and the basic hydrological, geological, and physical parameters to be observed and measured. Chemical and Isotopic Groundwater Hydrology, Third Edition covers the chemical tools of groundwater hydrology, the isotopic composition of water and groundwater dating by tritum, carbon-14, Cl-36, and He-4, as well as the application of fossil groundwater as a paleoclimatic indicator.

This book contains the lectures given in the International Course "Improving efficiency and reliability in water supply systems," hosted and sponsored by the Menendez Pelayo International University (U.I.M.P.) and co-sponsored by Aguas de Valencia, the British Council and the EC Cornett and Erasmus programmes. The short course took place in Valencia (Spain) in November 1994, with an attendance of more than one hundred delegates. We must not only acknowedge and thank Dr. Joaquin Azagra, as UIMP Director, but also his collaborators D. Luis Moreno and Lidia Lopez for their support in the preparation of the Course and during the course taking place. UIMP sponsorship allowed us to assemble in Valencia an eminent cadre of lecturers coming from all over the world, that covered in an ordered and precise fashion some of the more relevant aspects on efficiency and reliability in water supply systems. We are very thankful to all these leading lecturers for their invaluable cooperation. The publication of this book and the Spanish edition as well, have been made possible thanks to the sponsorship of both Polytechnic University of Valencia througout its Chancellor, Justo Nieto, and Aguas de Valencia throughout its General Director Alvaro Aguirre. We must also thank Kluwer Academic Publishers and especially their Publisher Petra van Steenbergen for her assistance, careful presentation and production of the book.

A timely review of state-of-the-art tsunami research, covering case studies and recent developments from various approaches. Provides a practical guide to improving operational tsunami warning systems and mitigating coastal hazard from tsunamis.

Computational hydraulics and hydrologic modeling are rapidly developing fields with a wide range of applications in areas ranging from wastewater disposal and stormwater management to civil and environmental engineering. The fields are full of promise, but while an abundance of literature now exists, it contains a plethora of new terms that are not always defined.

Computational Hydraulics and Hydrology: An Illustrated Dictionary defines more that 4000 basic terms and phrases related to water conveyance with emphasis on computational hydraulics and hydrologic modeling. Compiled by Nicolas G. Adrien, a noted consulting engineer with three decades of experience, this dictionary includes detailed references to actual modeling studies, nearly 100 illustrations, 150 equations and formulas, and many notations. It also includes a chapter of application examples and another containing more than 6000 other related terms with a list of resources where interested readers can find further definitions.

Other dictionaries and glossaries related to these areas tend to be either dated or much narrower in scope. This dictionary offers broad, practice-based coverage of terms culled directly from the latest texts, references, and actual engineering reports. Computational Hydraulics and Hydrology: An Illustrated Dictionary stands alone in providing ready access to the vocabulary of these subjects.

Coastal Informatics: Web Atlas Design and Implementation reviews and presents the latest developments in the emerging field of coastal web atlases through a series of case studies giving practical guidance on geographic data management and documentation through standards-based metadata, as well as making underlying geographic databases interoperable. Readers will find this book of practical use in Web atlas design, development and implementation, improving spatial thinking in the coastal context.

Contents:
Introduction. Acoustical Oceanography. Propagation I. Observations and Physical Models. Propagation II. Mathematical Models (Part One). Propagation II. Mathematical Models (Part Two). Noise I. Observations and Physical Models. Noise II. Mathematical Models. Reverberation I. Observations and Physical Models. Reverberation II. Observations and Physical Models. Sonar Performance Models. Model Evaluation. Simulation.

In order to provide water security in the twenty-first century, there is universal agreement that a continuation of current policies and extrapolation of trends is not an option. Also clear is that from both water supply and development perspectives, the world's arid and semi-arid regions are those currently and potentially experiencing the highest water stresses. One third of the world's land surface is classified as arid or semi-arid, and about half of all countries are directly affected in some way by problems of aridity. The hydrology of arid and semi-arid areas is also known to be substantially different from that in more humid regions. It is therefore essential that investigation methods appropriate to the former are developed and applied, and that strategies for arid and semi-arid region water resources development recognise the principal characteristics of in-situ hydrological processes.

The text covers the problems concerning optical properties and remote sensing of turbid and surface-polluted oceans and lakes. In four chapters Helgi Arst compares remote sensing data with data collected from similar examination of clean waters. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the main radiative and remote sensing characteristics and provides discussion on the properties of optically active substances (OAS) in the water and their variability and concentration, drawing on original data obtained in the Baltic Sea region. Chapter 2 focuses on the investigation of the influence of surface oil slicks on the reflection and absorption of solar radiation for both calm and ruffled sea surfaces. A model is provided for determining the temperature and the reflected component in upwelling rough seas. Chapter 3 provides remote sensing results obtained mainly for the Baltic Sea region, including some lakes. Correlations between the concentrations of OAS, water transparency and total remote sensing reflectance are investigated. Chapter 4 deals with subsurface irradiance and optical classification of turbid waters. This chapter analyses the different criteria of the euphotic depth, drawing on a semi-empirical model for the estimation of underwater light scattering. The conclusion provides discussion on the results obtained.

Egypt is a country of tremendous land resources but limited water resources The area of cultivated land is only 3.2% of the gross area. The river Nile is the main sources of water. In the recent years the Governement established large-scale agricultural projects in light of food security related to the population growth. Expansion of irrigated agriculture has to be predomantly relalized bt increasing the water use efficiency. In Egypt, the dominant irrigation method is surface irrigation, which covers approximately 83% of the irrigated areas. Surface irrigation or gravity methods are generally characterized by a low efficiency. One opportunity to increase the efficiency is to convert surface irrigation to modern irrigation systems, which are generaly highly expensive for a country like Egypt. Another option to increase the efficiency of surface irrigation systems is to convert the traditional irrigation method based on continuous flow to surge flow irrigation. Surge flow irrigation is the intermittent application of water to furrows in a series of relatively short on and off time periods. This study has been carried out to demonstrate the applicability of surge flow irrigation for water saving under the short field conditions that prevail in Egypt. The results indicate that surge flow irrigation is an effective irrigation method to save water and to increase crop production.

An entertaining, instructive, diverse, and unusual book, Light and Dark: An Exploration in Science, Nature, Art and Technology encompasses a wide range of topics not normally found in one book.
With more than 100 diagrams, graphs, and figures, the subjects discussed include the history of artificial lighting, eclipse cycles, light-sensitive eyeglasses, rainbows, art, bioluminescence, the clock setting at the South Pole, zebra stripe patterns, lighthouses, color perception, the harvest moon, and how information and speech can be conveyed by light from the sun or a laser.
The book encourages readers to take a more careful look at many familiar phenomena, such as the variations in the duration of twilight through the year and the ability of human vision to misinterpret patterns of lines under certain conditions. It describes the anatomical peculiarities of four-eyed fish and explains how the Jewish calendar contrives to follow both solar and lunar cycles. It also presents the reasons why tortoise shell cats are almost always female. Readers are informed where they can see 19th century military equipment that could convey messages rapidly over vast differences.

To date, a vast amount of the world's oceans remains uncharted. With water covering more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface, maritime and oceanographic exploration and research is vital. Oceanography and Coastal Informatics: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice is a critical source of academic knowledge centered on technologies, methodologies, and practices related to the biological and physical aspects of the ocean and coastal environments. This publication is divided into four sections: climate change and environmental concerns; data analysis and management; fisheries management and ecology; and GIS, geospatial analysis, and localization. This publication is an ideal reference source for oceanographers, marine and maritime professionals, researchers, and scholars interested in current research on various aspects of oceanography and coastal informatics.

Arid and semi-arid regions can be defined as environments in which water is the limit ing factor for bio-systems. This means that survival of life in these regions involves a constant struggle to obtain this limited commodity and draw the maximum benefit out of it. However, despite the difficulties for plants, animals, and man to live in, these regions, they are being utilized more and more because of the pressure of world population growth. This is expressed in the expansion of agricultural activities in desert lands as well as by the formation and rapid growth of urban and industrial centers. These trends result in a growing demand for water on the one hand, and the disposal of vast amounts of waste water, as well as other types of refuse, on the other. Meeting the first demand, namely, supplying water to the agricultural communities and urban centers, involves, in many instances, the over-exploitation and misuse of nat ural water resources. The surplus of waste water, sometimes highly loaded with toxic compounds, is likely to cause irreversible damage to the environment. The geoscientists and engineers face a challenge on two conflicting fronts. Success on one front, namely, in answering the full demand for water, may lead to an increase in the pollution of the environment by waste water."

This text is written by a number of authors from different countries and disciplines, affording the reader an invaluable and unbiased perspective on the subject of intensive groundwater development. Based on information gathered from the experience of many countries over the last decades, the text aims to present a clear discussion on the conventional hydrogeological aspects of intensive groundwater use, along with the ecological, legal, institutional, economic and social challenges. Divided into two main sections, the first group of authors put forward the positive and negative aspects of intensive groundwater use, whilst a second group provide an overview of the situation specific countries face as a consequence of this phenomenon. Fully revised and up-to-date, Groundwater Intensive Use makes a significant number of discoveries in a subject area that is topical in today's climate.

An exploration of the relationship between river behaviour and environmental change. The research involves a wide range of disciplines including geomorphology, geophysics, archaeology, palaeoecology, engineering and planning.

A stand-alone working document, Stormwater Effects Handbook: A Toolbox for Watershed Managers, Scientists, and Engineers assists scientists and regulators in determining when stormwater runoff causes adverse effects in receiving waters. This complicated task requires an integrated assessment approach that focuses on sampling before, during, and after storms. The Handbook supplies assessment strategies, sample testing and collection methods, and includes illustrative figures and tables.

The authors introduce an innovative design that can be tailored to address a wide range of environmental concerns, such as: ecological and human health risk assessments, water quality or biological criteria exceedences, use impairment, source identification, trend analysis, determination of best management practices, stormwater quality monitoring for NPDES Phase I and II permits and applications, and total maximum daily load assessments. They provide case studies to illustrate the effectiveness of this approach and the data that can be compiled.

Containing reviews of emerging technologies that hold promise for more effective receiving water evaluations, this book gives you detailed information on selecting methods and carrying out comprehensive evaluations. It includes guidance for the experimental design measurements, as well as standard and advanced statistical methods for data evaluations. Despite the complexity of stormwater management, successful and accurate assessments of their impact are possible by following the integrated approaches described in Stormwater Effects Handbook: A Toolbox for Watershed Managers, Scientists, and Engineers.

" ... as soon as one has traversed the greater part of the wild sea, one comes upon such a huge quantity of ice that nowhere in the whole world has the like been known." "This ice is of a wonderful nature. It lies at times quite still, as one would expect, with openings or large fjords in it; but sometimes its movement is so strong and rapid as to equal that of a ship running before the wind, and it drifts against the wind as often as with it." Kongespeilet - 1250 A.D. ("The Mirror of Kings") Modern societies require increasing amounts influence on the water mass and on the resulting of scientific information about the environment total environment of the region; therefore, cer tain of its characteristics will necessarily be in whieh they live and work. For the seas this information must describe the air above the sea, included."

Addressing the techno-socio-economic challenges involved in the protection, conservation, recycling and equitable utilization of water as an economic good, this text explores the linkages and dynamics of interactions involving water, and includes the following key topic areas: dynamics of interactions involving water; water quality; augmentation and conservation of water resources; wastewater reuse systems; use of water in agriculture; industrial and municipal uses of water; water pollution; economics and management of water supplies; etiology of water-related diseases; climate change impacts on water resources and paradigms of water resource management.

Understanding the Oceans brings together an internationally distinguished group of authors to consider the enormous advances in marine science that have been achieved since the voyages of HMS Challenger a century ago. The whole book draws inspiration from the seminal contribution made by the research conducted on those voyages, and each contributor considers the significance of the findings, relating them to the exciting developments of today and tomorrow.
Covering the whole spectrum of the marine sciences, the book has been written and edited very much with the non-specialist reader in mind. Marine scientists, whether students or researchers, will welcome this authoritative sweep through the history of their subject through to the present day; other scientists will find the book to be an accessible and informative introduction to marine science and its historical roots.

ICe in the Ocean examines sea ice and icebergs and their role in the global climate system. It is comprehensive textbook suitablefor students, pure and applied researchers, and anyone interested in the polar oceans; the distribution of sea ice; the mechanisms of growth, development and decay; the thermodynamics and dynamics of sea ice; sea ice deformation and ridge-building; the role of marginal ice zones; the characteristics of icebergs; and the part played by sea ice in the climate system and in the transport of pollutants. An extensive reference list and recommendations for further reading and numerous illustrations, and add to the usefulness of the text.