Earth sciences Books

Book SynopsisWe are not free from environmental risks that accompany the development of human societies. Modern economic development has accelerated environmental pollution, caused loss of natural habitats, and modified landscapes. These environmental changes have impacted natural systems: water and heat circulation, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity. These changes in natural systems degrade ecosystem services and subsequently increase environmental risks for humans. Environmental risks, therefore, are not only human health risks by pollution, climatic anomalies and natural disasters, but also degradation of ecosystem services on which most people are relying for their lives. We cannot entirely eliminate the risks, because it is not possible to attain zero impact on the environment, but we need to find a mechanism that minimizes environmental risks for human sustainably. This is the idea of the interdisciplinary framework of “environmental risk management” theory, which advocates harmony between economic development and environmental conservation. Based on this theory, the Sustainable Living with Environmental Risk (SLER) programme, adopted by the Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT) as one of its strategic programmes, has been training graduate students at the Yokohama National University, Japan, from 2009 to 2013 to become future environmental leaders who will take the initiative in reducing the level of environmental risks and in protecting natural resources in the developing nations of Asia and Africa. This book provides students and teachers of this new academic field with a comprehensive coverage of case studies of environmental risks and their practical management technologies not only in Japan but also in developing nations in Asia and Africa.Table of ContentsIntroduction.- Development Programme for Sustainable Living with Environmental Risks.- Overviews of Environmental Risk Management and Sustainability.- Land, agriculture, forestry and mangrove.- Biodiversity agriculture supports human populations.- Sustainable Management of Mangrove Forest.- Conservation and sustainable management of soil biodiversity for agricultural.- Conservation Tillage Assessment for Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emission in Rainfed Agroecosystem.- Improvement biodiversity in Paddy Fields to Promote Land Sustainability.- Agroforestry models for promoting effective risk management and building sustainable communities.- Managing environmental risks and promoting sustainability: the case of Forest resources in Madagascar.- Sustainable forest management - achievements and challenges based on the case study in Thailand.- Chemical, waste, urban environment.- Risk management of Chemical Pollutants.- Evaluation of variable stiffness of wind turbine tower with consideration of flange - joint separation.- A research on phase separation and effect of phase separation inhibitors in Gasohol.- Research the correlation between chlorophyll-A and organic matter BOD, COD, phosphate and total nitrogen in the stagnant.- Sustainable Management of Urban Green Environments: Opportunities and Challenges.- Managing Construction Development Risks to the Environment.- Role of Communities in waste management to address environmental risks.- Ecosystems, food security, disaster and livelihood.- Necessity of adaptive risk management in fisheries and wildlife.- Ecological Impacts of Land Use Changes on Food and Health Security in Southeast Asia.- Community-Based Lake Sanctuary for Native Fish Restoration and Livelihood.- Peatland Resources: Fire Prevention and Sustainable Biodiversity Management.- Strengthening Capacity of Flood Affected Rural Communities in Padang Terap, State of Kedah, Malaysia.- Ecosystem Restoration with Near-natural Method in Shanghai.- Coastal Erosion Mitigation in Fort Dauphin, Madagascar.- Policy and institutional development, education and capacity development.- Environment and social capacity assessment for sustainability promotion and risk management.- Enhancing students' ecological thinking to improve understanding of environmental risk.- Interactive Multimedia Education System (IMES) as a International Education Platform.

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This book aims to assist in choosing ecotechnological solutions for slopes that are prone to a variety of mass movements e.g. shallow failure or erosion. The book reviews the types of problematic slopes that may occur and describes briefly the nature of mass movements and the causes of these movements. There is focus on the use of vegetation to stabilize soil on slopes prone to mass movements. The book also introduces new ecotechnological methods, and case studies are discussed.

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Book SynopsisIntroduction.- The Multiphysics Coupling Model of Unsaturated Soil Based on the Thermodynamic Theory of Particulate Matter.- Analysis of Hydro-thermal Coupling Characteristics of Unsaturated Soil and Model Validation.- Thermal water coupling model of saturated clay.- Model Description of the Mechanical Properties and Temperature Effects of Gas-bearing Fine-grained Soils.- Model description of mechanical properties and temperature effects in air-bearing sandy soils.- Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisTwo ways of defining and evaluating oil-prone source rocks.- Thoughts and methods of theoretical research on hydrocarbon generation of lacustrine source rocks in China.- Approaches and strategies for investigating primary migration and accumulation from nonmarine source rocks.- Tectonic framework of China.

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsPART 1. GEOLOGY Exercise 1. The Study of Minerals Exercise 2. Rocks and the Rock Cycle Exercise 3. Plate Tectonics Exercise 4. Earthquakes and Earth's Interior Exercise 5. Volcanism and Volcanic Hazards Exercise 6. Geologic Maps, Block Diagrams, and Rock Structures Exercise 7. Aerial Photographs, Satellite Images, and Topographic Maps Exercise 8. Shaping Earth's Surface: Running Water and Groundwater Exercise 9. Shaping Earth's Surface: Arid and Glacial Landscapes Exercise 10. Geologic Time PART 2. OCEANOGRAPHY Exercise 11. Introduction to Oceanography Exercise 12. Waves, Currents, and Tides PART 3. METEOROLOGY Exercise 13. Earth-Sun Relationships Exercise 14. Heating the Atmosphere Exercise 15. Atmospheric Moisture, Pressure, and Wind Exercise 16. Air Masses, Midlatitude Cyclones, and Weather Maps Exercise 17. Global Climates PART 4. ASTRONOMY Exercise 18. Astronomical Observations Exercise 19. Patterns in the Solar System Exercise 20. Locating the Planets Exercise 21. Exercise A mining the Terrestrial Planets Exercise 22. Motions of the Earth-Moon System PART 5. EARTH SCIENCE SKILLS Exercise 23. Location and Distance on Earth Exercise 24. The Metric System, Measurements, and Scientific Inquiry

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Book SynopsisIntensive use of groundwater has resolved the demand for drinking water and, through irrigation, has contributed to the eradication of malnourishment in many developing countries. The spectacular worldwide increase in groundwater use in the last decades, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, has been a silent revolution carried out by millions of small farmers. In some instances, groundwater abstraction has caused problems of quality degradation, excessive drawdown of groundwater levels, land subsidence, reduction of spring and baseflows or degradation of groundwater-dependent ecosystems. Most of these problems could be anticipated, mitigated, or even avoided with more active water agencies, adequate regulations and usersâ participation in management. Groundwater Intensive Use contains a selection of papers presented at a symposium held in December 2002 in Valencia, Spain. It constitutes a step forward in creating a greater worldwide awareness of the relevance of groundwater in Table of ContentsForeword, M. R. LlamasETHICAL, ECONOMICAL, AND LEGAL ASPECTSCASE HISTORIESIMPACTSMANAGEMENTVALENCIA DECLARATION Subject Index

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Book SynopsisMathematics is a universal language. Differential equations, mathematical modeling, numerical methods and computation form the underlying infrastructure of engineering and the sciences. In this context mathematical modeling is a very powerful tool for studying engineering problems, natural systems and human society. This interdisciplinary book contains a comprehensive overview, including practical examples, of the progress achieved to date in the modeling of coupled phenomena, computational mathematics and mechanics, heat transfer, fluid-structure interactions, biomechanics, and the flow of mass and energy in porous media. Numerical subjects such as grid generation, optimization, finite elements, finite differences, spectral methods, boundary elements, finite volumes and meshless methods are also discussed in detail using real examples.The book provides a thorough presentation of the existing numerical techniques with specific applications to concrete, practical topics. The mTable of ContentsPREFACE - General Introduction to Coupled Phenomena. Karsten PruessPART 1. COMPUTATIONAL MATHEMATICS, MODELING AND NUMERICAL METHODS PART 2. COUPLED PROBLEMS IN FLUID-STRUCTURE INTERACTIONS AND IN HEAT TRANSFER PART 3. COMPUTATIONAL MECHANICS OF FLUIDS AND SOLIDS, MULTIPHYSICS, BIOMECHANICS PART 4. FLOW OF MASS AND ENERGY IN POROUS MEDIA PART 5. BOUNDARY ELEMENTS, SPECTRAL AND MESHLESS METHODS. NUMERICAL OPTIMIZATION.

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Book SynopsisProviding an introduction, the scientific background, case studies and future perspectives of in-situ arsenic remediation technologies for soils, soil water and groundwater at geogenic and anthropogenic contaminated sites. The case studies present in-situ technologies about natural arsenic, specifically arsenate and arsenite, but also about organic arsenic compounds. This work covers geochemical, microbiological and plant ecological solutions for arsenic remediation.It will serve as a standard textbook for (post-)graduate students and researchers in the field of Environmental Sciences and Hydrogeochemistry as well as researchers, engineers, environmental scientists and chemists, toxicologists, medical scientists and even for general public seeking an in-depth view of arsenic which had been classed as a carcinogen. This book aims to stimulate awareness among administrators, policy makers and company executives of in-situ remediation technologies at sites contamined by arsenic Table of Contents1) Introduction to in-situ remediation SECTION I: FUNDAMENTALS AND BACKGROUND2) Background of in-situ remediation a. Geochemical background of in-situ remediation b. Microbial background of in-situ remediationc. Phytoremediation backgroundd. Engineering and technical background (e.g. monitoring & reactive zones/barriers)e. Numerical modelling3) Remediation technologiesa. Subterrean in-situ remediation (aquifer)b. Phytoremediation (soils)c. Electrokinetic remediation (soils)d. Reactive barriers SECTION II: CASE STUDIES4) Soils (unsaturated zone) a. Electrokinetic remediation of arsenic-contaminated soilsb. One more case study - phytoremediation5) Geogenic contaminated sitesa. Subsurface removal of iron and arsenic in Bangla Desh b. One more case study 6) Mining-related contaminated sites7) Anthropogenic contaminated sitesa. In situ remediation of arsenic at a highly contaminated siteb. One more case study (NN) / e.g. case study reactive barrierc. (Monitoring of) natural attenuation 8) Technical sustainability of in-situ remediation9) Ecological sustainability of in-situ remediation10) Economical sustainability of in-situ remediation 11) Modeling of in-situ remediation methods and prediction

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Book SynopsisResidual soils are found in many parts of the world and are used extensively as construction materials for roads, embankments and dams, and to support the foundations of buildings, bridges and load-bearing pavements. The characteristics and engineering properties of residual soils can differ significantly from those of the more familiar transported soils. The fact that residual soils occur often in areas with tropical and sub-tropical climates and (extensively) in semi-arid climates, adds another dimension to their engineering performance, that of unsaturation.Although there are many books that deal with the mechanics of soils, these are based mainly on the characteristics and behaviour of saturated transported soils. The first edition of this book was the first book to be written specifically about the mechanics of residual soils. The book was prepared by a panel of authors drawn from the Technical Committee on Tropical and Residual Soils of the International Society for SoiTable of Contents1. Origin and formation of residual soils 2. Microstructure, mineralogy and classification of residual soils 3. Describing the engineering properties of residual soils as observed in situ 4. The mechanics of compaction and compacted residual soil 5. Steady and unsteady flow of water and air through soils – permeability of saturated and unsaturated soils 6. Compressibility, settlement and heave of residual soils 7. Shear strength behaviour and the measurement of shear strength in residual soils 8. Case histories involving volume change and shear strength of residual soils

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive and critical assessment of selenium levels in both natural and man-made materials and systems is presented in this publication. The book begins with a treatment of the chemistry and analytical chemistry of the element and an important discussion of the status and reliability of analytical data together with the approach to be followed in extracting, managing and presenting the information. An in-depth treatment of selenium is arranged according to groupings of the different materials and systems. Each chapter discusses the occurrence of selenium in and distribution among components of the specified system. Additionally, easy reference compilations of concentration data based on critical assessment of the selenium literature are provided, along with a comprehensive listing of the pertinent literature. The book concludes with chapters on the biogeochemistry of selenium in natural systems. Throughout, consideration is given to both total selenium and its compounds.Table of ContentsIntroduction. Inorganic Analytical Chemistry of Selenium. Analytical Chemistry of Organic and Biochemical Selenium. The Literature of Selenium and the Status and Treatment of Analytical Data. Plants and Agricultural Materials. Foods. Animal Tissues. Human Tissues. Geological Materials and Soils. Fresh Water Systems. The Marine Environment. The Atmosphere. Global Cycling of Selenium. Appendix. Index.

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Book SynopsisProceedings of the February 19-22, 1990, conference held at Newport Beach, California. ConferenceDirectors: PAUL T. KOSTECKI, EDWARD J. CALABRESE, and CHARLES E. BELL.Advisory Committee: RICHARD BOZEK, EEI; TERRY BRAZEL, SWRCB; MARK COUSINEAU, AG; SETH DAUGHERTY, Orange County; RALPH De La PARRA, SCE; JERRY HAGGY, Shell; JOHN HANBY, HAL; JOHN HILL, ICF; JOHN HILLS, City of Anaheim; DOROTHY KEECH, Chevron; BILL KUCHARSKI, WC; DAVID LEU, Mittel Hauser; MARY McLEARN, EPRI; PHIL OLWIN, Texaco; DENNIS PAUSTENBACH, MC; ART POPE, ARCO; LYNNE PRESLO, Weston; DON ROTHENBAUM, KA; KIM SAVAGE, EPA/OUST; CARL SHUBERT, IT; WENDELL SUYAMA, Lockheed; MICHAEL WANG, WSPA; JOHN WILLIAMS, TT; and WILLIAM WINTERS, AEM.Table of ContentsVOLUME I PERSPECTIVES AND EMERGING ISSUES. Underground Storage Tanks. Coal Gasification. Air Quality and Site Remediation. Petroleum Industry-Clean Fuels. Electric Utilities-Aboveground Storage Tanks. Banking. Real Estate. Insurance. Fire Departments. Council for Health and Environmental Safety of Soils-CHESS. State Approaches-A National Perspective. Round-Table Discussion. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES AND SITE ASSESSMENT. Overview of Screening and Analytical Techniques for Hydrocarbon Contaminated Soils and Groundwater. Rapid Analytical Field Screening Techniques. Olfaction as a Field Screening Technique. Site Assessment Methodologies. Chemical Composition of Hydrocarbon Products. Round-Table Discussion. ENVIRONMENTAL FATE AND MODELING. Environmental Fate of Hydrocarbons in Soil and Groundwater. Utility of Environmental Modeling for Regulatory Agencies: A Case Study of SESOIL. REMEDIAL TECHNOLOGIES. Overview of Remedial Technologies for Hydrocarbon Contaminated Soils. Overview of Remedial Technologies for Hydrocarbon Contaminated Water. Vacuum Extraction. Bioremediation. Hot Asphalt Batching. Solidification. Land Treatment. Chemical Treatment. Low Temperature Thermal Destruction. In Situ Passive Remediation. Round-Table Discussion. RISK ASSESSMENT AND RISK MANAGEMENT. Determining Risks Associated with Hydrocarbon Contamination. Risk Assessment Models. Health-Based Indicator Compounds. Health Hazards. Exposure Assessments. Decision Tree Models for Risk Assessment. Round-Table Discussion.

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Book SynopsisIn May 12, 2008, the Wenchuan County earthquake caused devastating loss of human life and property. Applying all the remote sensing technology available, the Chinese Academy of Sciences immediately launched into action, making full use of its state-of-the-art facilities, remote sensing planes, and satellites to amass invaluable optical and radar data. This unprecedented use of comprehensive remote sensing techniques provided accurate, up to the minute information for disaster management and has left us with a visually stunning and beautiful record that is as much a scientific achievement as it is an artistic one.Based on the accumulated data and images collected by the Project Team of Remote Sensing Monitoring and Assessment of the Wenchuan Earthquake, Atlas of Remote Sensing of the Wenchuan Earthquake documents the events as they happened in real time. The book covers the disaster from six aspects: geological, barrier lakes, collapsed buildings, damagTable of ContentsRemote Sensing Data. Geological Disasters. Barrier Lakes. Collapsed Buildings and Houses. Damaged Roads. Destroyed Farmlands and Forests. Demolished Infrastructure. Continuing Civilization.

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Book SynopsisA 360-degree view of the response to flood riskAs major flooding events around the world show, the impact of flooding on the built environment can cause widespread chaos. These flood events form part of a wider pattern of increasing flood frequency coupled with increased vulnerability of the built environment to flood hazard. Flood risk can unite or divide communities and the responses to potential risk can range from denial to perfect adaptation. Drawing on the experience of communities and experts, Flood Hazards: Impacts and Responses for the Built Environment offers guidance on managing urban flooding and flood risk. It brings together a diversity of viewpoints and experiences on flood impacts and responses from leading academics, flood restoration specialists, emergency responders, architects, planning consultants, insurers, policymakers, and community representatives. By including the perspective of the community and the vieTrade Review"... a very valuable contribution to knowledge on the impact of floods, covering both practical and policy issues. With climate change leading to the possible threat of more extreme flood events, this work is opportune and matches the government’s aim of encouraging communities and individuals to take more responsibility for adapting to the risks that they face. The research group at the University of Wolverhampton are to be congratulated on a timely and important volume."—Edmund Penning-Rowsell, Middlesex and Oxford Universities"This volume will provide a comprehensive context of flooding with important emergency and other management issues related to flooding. This volume will be useful to emergency managers, planners, both private and public agencies involved in emergency response, preparation, and mitigation, researchers, and students."—Bimal Kanti Paul, Professor, Department of Geography, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA"... a very valuable contribution to knowledge on the impact of floods, covering both practical and policy issues. With climate change leading to the possible threat of more extreme flood events, this work is opportune and matches the government’s aim of encouraging communities and individuals to take more responsibility for adapting to the risks that they face. The research group at the University of Wolverhampton are to be congratulated on a timely and important volume."—Edmund Penning-Rowsell, Middlesex and Oxford Universities"This volume will provide a comprehensive context of flooding with important emergency and other management issues related to flooding. This volume will be useful to emergency managers, planners, both private and public agencies involved in emergency response, preparation, and mitigation, researchers, and students."—Bimal Kanti Paul, Professor, Department of Geography, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USATable of ContentsImpacts, Preparedness, and Emergency Response. Recovery, Repair, and Reconstruction. Mitigation and Adaptation to Flood Risk. The Community Perspective.

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Book SynopsisEdited by experts at the leading edge of the development of causal assessment methods for more than two decades, Ecological Causal Assessment gives insight and expert guidance on how to identify cause-effect relationships in environmental systems. The book discusses the importance of asking the fundamental question Why did this effect happen? before moving on to How can we fix it? The book provides a deeper understanding of different philosophical and analytical approaches, and of cognitive tendencies that can lead to errors. It describes formal processes for causal assessment that are particularly helpful when the situation is complex or contentious. It also describes how to approach the analysis of available data and to optimize collection efforts. The text then details a transparent process that helps others replicate results and can be used to convince skeptics that the true cause has been identified. Several detailed case studies show how to apply the proceTrade Review"… it is more than a reference book, it is also a handbook of how to establish causality. The range and depth of topics covered is astonishing and indicates that the authors have probably spent their careers putting this topic together. This book is now the bible for establishing causality."—Science of the Total Environment, 2015"Although originally developed primarily to support agencies charged with implementing the Clean Water Act’s mandate to identify and restore aquatic ecosystems impaired by pollutant discharges, the concepts and methods described in this book have much wider applicability. As evidenced by the kit fox case study, they are applicable to terrestrial as well as aquatic systems, and to impaired or threatened populations as well as to communities and ecosystems. This is an important book and I recommend it to anyone interested in the problem of diagnosing causes of ecological impairment."—Larry Barnthouse, LWB Environmental Sciences, in Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management"As a well-seasoned ecological risk assessor and ecotoxicologist concerned with ecosystem diagnosis and eco-epidemiology, it is my experience that it is generally not easy and straight forward to firstly detect and describe the exact ecological impact at a particular location, and secondly to attribute this impact to the underlying causation. This is mainly due to natural variability and the enormous diversity in potential stress factors that may all act in concert. In this respect, ecological causal assessment clearly resembles forensic science. This book, compiled and edited by my valued US EPA friends, covers both theory and practical application of causal assessment in cases of observed ecosystem deterioration or alteration. Although it is virtually impossible to compile universally applicable cookbook-style recipes, the multiple lines of thought and evidence that have to be followed are clearly sketched. The book is concisely written and provides the reader with lots of illustrative examples and real-life case study descriptions."—Dr. Dick de Zwart, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands"The Editors have drawn together colleagues from the U.S. and Canada to collaborate on a seminal work that provides guidance on causal assessment using available information from chemical, physical, and biological traits and indicators. No other book has reached to this level of using ecological evidence in a systematic process to sort out environmental problems. … a thorough treatise on causal assessment and should be a resource for higher academic studies in this subject matter."—Michael T. Barbour, Adjunct Scientist, Mote Marine Laboratory, Retired Director, Center for Ecological Sciences, Tetra Tech"This well-written and well-organized book will allow the next generation of water stewards to identify the causes of water quality degradation and lead to necessary action to restore rivers to a healthy state. … will train the next generation of water stewards to identify the causes of water quality degradation and what actions are needed to restore rivers to a healthy state. Although framed around fresh waters, Ecological Causal Assessment has lessons that apply to any ecosystem."—David Allan, University of Michigan, co-author of "Stream Ecology, Structure and Function of Running waters""… will be useful for students looking to enter this important field as well as to seasoned practitioners. I view this book as setting a foundation upon which the field can continue to develop and highly recommend cover to cover reading to any individual who aspires to be a causal analyst of environmental impairments and possible future outcomes."—Charlie Menzie, Exponent"At last! Norton, Cormier, and Suter provide a clear, sensible and comprehensive description of causal assessment, replete with real-world examples and a strong suite of authentic supporting case studies by highly qualified investigators. Well-organized and easy to read, this is an important how-to book in the area of environmental management. … It should be required reading by every corporate, municipal, state or federal employee who has any environmental management responsibilities."—Arthur J. Stewart, Ph.D., Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, Tennessee"From the first sentence, ‘It was a mystery’, this book provides an engaging but thorough treatment of the otherwise dry discipline of ecological causal assessment. Drs. Norton, Cormier and Suter have been at the leading edge of the development and application of ecological causal assessment methods for almost two decades, and their experience, learnings, and solutions are neatly presented in this book. The clear writing, use of defined terms, well-structured chapters, and pertinent illustrative case studies all serve to greatly simplify explanation and understanding of the field for both new and experienced users. This book will become required reading for anybody attempting to identify cause-effect relationships in environmental systems, and beyond to any system where we cannot perform neat experiments, but still need to ask the fundamental question: Why did this happen?"—Angus Webb, The University of Melbourne"… it is more than a reference book, it is also a handbook of how to establish causality. The range and depth of topics covered is astonishing and indicates that the authors have probably spent their careers putting this topic together. This book is now the bible for establishing causality."—Science of the Total Environment, 2015"Although originally developed primarily to support agencies charged with implementing the Clean Water Act’s mandate to identify and restore aquatic ecosystems impaired by pollutant discharges, the concepts and methods described in this book have much wider applicability. As evidenced by the kit fox case study, they are applicable to terrestrial as well as aquatic systems, and to impaired or threatened populations as well as to communities and ecosystems. This is an important book and I recommend it to anyone interested in the problem of diagnosing causes of ecological impairment."—Larry Barnthouse, LWB Environmental Sciences, in Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management"As a well-seasoned ecological risk assessor and ecotoxicologist concerned with ecosystem diagnosis and eco-epidemiology, it is my experience that it is generally not easy and straight forward to firstly detect and describe the exact ecological impact at a particular location, and secondly to attribute this impact to the underlying causation. This is mainly due to natural variability and the enormous diversity in potential stress factors that may all act in concert. In this respect, ecological causal assessment clearly resembles forensic science. This book, compiled and edited by my valued US EPA friends, covers both theory and practical application of causal assessment in cases of observed ecosystem deterioration or alteration. Although it is virtually impossible to compile universally applicable cookbook-style recipes, the multiple lines of thought and evidence that have to be followed are clearly sketched. The book is concisely written and provides the reader with lots of illustrative examples and real-life case study descriptions."—Dr. Dick de Zwart, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands"The Editors have drawn together colleagues from the U.S. and Canada to collaborate on a seminal work that provides guidance on causal assessment using available information from chemical, physical, and biological traits and indicators. No other book has reached to this level of using ecological evidence in a systematic process to sort out environmental problems. … a thorough treatise on causal assessment and should be a resource for higher academic studies in this subject matter."—Michael T. Barbour, Adjunct Scientist, Mote Marine Laboratory, Retired Director, Center for Ecological Sciences, Tetra Tech"This well-written and well-organized book will allow the next generation of water stewards to identify the causes of water quality degradation and lead to necessary action to restore rivers to a healthy state. … will train the next generation of water stewards to identify the causes of water quality degradation and what actions are needed to restore rivers to a healthy state. Although framed around fresh waters, Ecological Causal Assessment has lessons that apply to any ecosystem."—David Allan, University of Michigan, co-author of "Stream Ecology, Structure and Function of Running waters""… will be useful for students looking to enter this important field as well as to seasoned practitioners. I view this book as setting a foundation upon which the field can continue to develop and highly recommend cover to cover reading to any individual who aspires to be a causal analyst of environmental impairments and possible future outcomes."—Charlie Menzie, Exponent"At last! Norton, Cormier, and Suter provide a clear, sensible and comprehensive description of causal assessment, replete with real-world examples and a strong suite of authentic supporting case studies by highly qualified investigators. Well-organized and easy to read, this is an important how-to book in the area of environmental management. … It should be required reading by every corporate, municipal, state or federal employee who has any environmental management responsibilities."—Arthur J. Stewart, Ph.D., Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, Tennessee"From the first sentence, ‘It was a mystery’, this book provides an engaging but thorough treatment of the otherwise dry discipline of ecological causal assessment. Drs. Norton, Cormier and Suter have been at the leading edge of the development and application of ecological causal assessment methods for almost two decades, and their experience, learnings, and solutions are neatly presented in this book. The clear writing, use of defined terms, well-structured chapters, and pertinent illustrative case studies all serve to greatly simplify explanation and understanding of the field for both new and experienced users. This book will become required reading for anybody attempting to identify cause-effect relationships in environmental systems, and beyond to any system where we cannot perform neat experiments, but still need to ask the fundamental question: Why did this happen?"—Angus Webb, The University of MelbourneTable of ContentsPart 1: Introduction. Introduction. History of Causation and Causal Concepts. Causal Analysis and Human Cognition. Part 2: Conducting Causal Assessments. Framing Assessments. Conceptual Model Diagrams As a Structure for Information Organization and Analysis. Covariance and Confounding. Multiple Cases. Causal Arguments and Evidence. Sources of Evidence: Case-specific Observations. Sources of Evidence: Experiments and Manipulations. Source of Evidence: Observational Studies. Other Sources of Evidence. Forming Causal Conclusions. Presenting the Causal Case. Evaluating and Using the Results of Causal Assessments. Part 3: Case Studies. Stressor Identification/Aquatic (Long Creek). Stressor Identification/Terrestrial (Kit Fox). Stressor Identification/Aquatic (Northern Rivers). Case Vignettes.

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Book SynopsisFor long-term studies, the holological approach has special advantages, since the general patterns and tentative hypotheses that are first worked out help direct attention to the components of the system which need to be studied in greater detail.Table of ContentsEcosystem Structure and function.- 1. Ecology of Salt Marshes: An Introduction.- 1.1. Salt Marsh Ecology on Sapelo Island.- 1.2. Development of Salt Marshes.- 1.3. Ecological Processes in the Marsh.- 1.4. Carbon Mass Balance and Modeling.- 2. The Physical and Chemical Environment.- 2.1. Geomorphology.- 2.2. Physical Conditions.- 2.3. Water Chemistry.- 2.4. Hydrology and the Flux of Materials.- Salt Marsh Populations.- 3. Primary Production.- 3.1. The Community of Higher Plants.- 3.2. The Epibenthic Algal Community.- 3.3. Phytoplankton.- 3.4. Total Plant Production.- 4. Aquatic Macroconsumers.- 4.1. Foods and Feeding Categories.- 4.2. Impact of Macroconsumers on Salt Marsh Metabolism.- 4.3. Regulation of Salt Marsh Macroconsumers.- 5. Grazers on Spartina and Their Predators.- 5.1. Vertebrate Herbivory.- 5.2. Primary Production and Herbivory in Grasslands.- 5.3. Effects of Herbivory.- 5.4. Arthropod Primary Consumers.- 5.5. Vertebrate Predators.- 5.6. Arthropod Predators.- 5.7. Tidal Influences.- 5.8. Spatial and Seasonal Influences.- 6. Aerobic Microbes and Meiofauna.- 6.1. Microbial Standing Stocks.- 6.2. Aerobic Utilization of Organic Matter.- 6.3. Regulation of Microbial Communities.- 7. Anaerobic Respiration and Fermentation.- 7.1. Processes.- 7.2. Controls and Interactions.- The Salt Marsh Ecosystem.- 8. The Cycles of Nitrogen and Phosphorus.- 8.1. Phosphorus.- 8.2. Nitrogen.- 8.3. Net Flux of Phosphorus and Nitrogen.- 9. A Model View of the Marsh.- 9.1. What is a Model?.- 9.2. The Salt Marsh Model.- 9.3. First Generation Models.- 9.4. A Man-Environment Model.- 9.5. A Successional Model.- 9.6. Future Directions.- 10. The Salt-Marsh Ecosystem: A Synthesis.- 10.1. Diversity and Stability.- 10.2. Transport of Materials.- 10.3. Assimilation of Wastes.- 10.4. Aesthetics.- References.

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Book SynopsisMany wetlands around the world act as sinks for pollutants, in particular for trace elements. In comparison to terrestrial environments, wetlands are still far less studied. A collaborative effort among world experts, this book brings the current knowledge concerning trace elements in temporary waterlogged soils and sediments together. It discusses factors controlling the dynamics and release kinetics of trace elements and their underlying biogeochemical processes. It also discusses current technologies for remediating sites contaminated with trace metals, and the role of bioavailability in risk assessment and regulatory decision making. This book is intended for professionals around the world in disciplines related to contaminant bioavailability in aquatic organisms, contaminant fate and transport, remediation technologies, and risk assessment of aquatic and wetland ecosystems.Trade Review"This book not only fills an important gap in advancing our understanding of the environmental behavior of trace elements in waterlogged soils and sediments, but also gives valuable advice for those applying this knowledge in risk assessment, remediation and management of contaminated wetlands and aquatic environments."— Rainer Schulin, ETH Zürich, Switzerland"In Trace Elements in Waterlogged Soils and Sediments, a recent offering from CRC Press, editors Rinklebe, Knox and Paller have assembled contributions from an impressive list of accomplished researchers actively working in the field of trace element biogeochemistry as it pertains to waterlogged environmental systems. The book is composed of eighteen chapters roughly divided into three sections focused on fundamental processes, bioavailability, and remediation options. While providing some specific case studies related to a diverse range of contaminated systems, the chapters also contain significant fundamental material that make it equally beneficial to students and more experienced practitioners with interest in this field of study."— John C. Seaman, University of Georgia, USAWetland and other water-logged soils are of special importance in providing particular ecosystem services such as hydrological buffering, organic carbon storage, habitat and biodiversity source. Sediments play a role of similar importance as components of the aquatic environment at the bottom of water bodies. Both have in common that they also act as sinks for recalcitrant chemicals and as such are increasingly loaded with trace elements of anthropogenic origin. Due to the dominance of anaerobic conditions, the fate of trace elements in water-logged soils and sediments is governed by very different processes and mechanisms in these environments as compared to well-aerated soils. Against this backdrop, it is all the more remarkable how little we still know about these processes and the factors driving them. This book thus is very timely. It is also very comprehensive. In eighteen chapters written by experts in the respective fields, it gives the latest findings and insights into physicochemical factors and reactions controlling the speciation and binding of heavy metals and metalloids in water-logged soils and sediments, their bioavailability and the assessment of associated risks for humans and other recipients, and also on established remediation technology. Several chapters have a focus on redox-sensitive metals and metalloids such as arsenic, selenium, chromium and uranium. Some deal with new contaminants such as rare earth elements, others with ‘usual suspects’ such as cadmium and zinc. While various contributions are devoted to more fundamental aspects such as the kinetics of sorption and desorption processes or the mechanisms governing the retention and mobility of nanoparticles in aquatic environments, others provide insight into the role of particular environments such as paddies and other temporary flooded soils for trace element behavior or present specific case studies, e.g. on the fate of subsurface chromium on the Hanford site. In summary, this book not only fills an important gap in advancing our understanding of the environmental behavior of trace elements in waterlogged soils and sediments, but also gives valuable advice for those applying this knowledge in risk assessment, remediation and management of contaminated wetlands and aquatic environments.--- Rainer Schulin, Professor for Soil Protection, ETH Zürich, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, SwitzerlandIn Trace Elements in Waterlogged Soils and Sediment, editors Rinklebe, Knox and Paller have assembled contributions from an impressive list of accomplished researchers actively working in the field of trace element biogeochemistry as it pertains to waterlogged environmental systems. The book is composed of eighteen chapters roughly divided into three sections focused on fundamental processes, bioavailability, and remediation options. While providing some specific case studies related to a diverse range of contaminated systems, the chapters also contain significant fundamental material that make it equally beneficial to students and more experienced practitioners with interest in this field of study.---- John C. Seaman - Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, The University of Georgia.Table of ContentsUnderstanding and Processes. Release Kinetics of Metals in Floodplain Soils. Physicochemical Factors Controlling Stability of Heavy Metal and Metalloids in Wetland Soils and Sediments. Adsorption-Desorption Of Metals in Waterlogged Soils and Sediments. Nanomaterials in Estuarine and Riverine Floodplain Soils and Sediments. Fate of Mercury in Sediments after In Situ Treatment or Capping. Rare Earth Elements in Waterlogged Soils and Sediments. Concomitant Reduction and Immobilization of Chromium In Relation To Its Bioavailability in Soils. Geochemical Controls of Uranium in Sediments. Examination of U Interactions with Co-Contaminants in Subsurface Sediments from Rifle, CO. Bioavailability & Remediation. Bioavailability of Metals in Dredge Sediments. Understanding the Relationship Between Metal Bioavailability In Contaminated Sediments And Biological Receptors. The Application Of Passive Sampler (DGT) Technology For Improved Understanding Of Metal Behavior And Contaminant Management At Marine Disposal Sites In The UK. Soil-Plant-Interactions Of Metals In Temporary Waterlogged Soils. Phytoremediation Of Trace Elements Of Waterlogged Soils And Sediments. Active Media For In-Situ Remediation Of Contaminated Sediments. Remediation And Management Of Contaminated Sediments.

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