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Advances in Agronomy continues to be recognized as a leading reference and a first-rate source for the latest research in agronomy. As always, the subjects covered are varied and exemplary of the myriad of subject matter dealt with by this long-running serial. Maintains the highest impact factor among serial publications in agriculture Presents timely reviews on important agronomy issues Enjoys a long-standing reputation for excellence in the field
This book invites the reader to look differently at two seemingly mundane resources: soil and water. Water possesses extraordinary properties which form the foundations of life itself. Without water, there would be no life, and without soils, no terrestrial life. The interaction between soils and water is therefore fundamental to the habitability of Earth’s land surface. Through in-depth analyses and experimentation, Soils as a Key Component of the Critical Zone 3 explores the circulation of water in soils. Through its properties, soil directs the path of water, leading it to wet soils or not, be absorbed by plants, infiltrate or runoff, concentrate in certain areas or flood. The potentially catastrophic consequences of such floods are often due to the absence or insufficiency of prevention measures. This book thus shows the ways in which the relationship between water, life and soils is much more than a simple series of interactions or phenomena at interfaces and in fact constitutes a system with definite properties.
The wild beauty of deserts has always been a source of fascination the world over. Mankind and Deserts 3 the third and final volume focuses on wind, frequently present in all deserts, either hot or cold. Wind plays a major role in aridity and landscapes bear numerous forms due to its action, erosion, transportation and surface formations, some discreet and others spectacular, such as vast expanses of towering yardangs. Aeolian dynamics lead to dune formation, simple or associated with sand ridges or ergs, as in the Sahara. Mankind has attempted, to varying degrees of success, to cope with sand accumulation; ignoring aeolian dynamics has led many development projects to failure. This is devel...
Clay is an abundant raw material which has a variety of uses and properties depending on their structure and composition. Clay minerals are inexpensive and environmentally friendly naturally occurring nanomaterials, thanks to their 1 nm thick silicate layers, in all types of sediments and sedimentary rocks. The book chapters have been classified according to their characteristics in topics and applications. Therefore, in the first section five chapters is dedicated to the characterization and utilization of clay minerals in deposits. The second section includes four chapters about the significance of clay minerals in soils. Third section is devoted to different aspects of clay minerals research, especially to the characterization of structure and modifications for their application.
One of the challenges of our modern society is to successfully reconcile growing energy demand, demographic and food pressure and ecological and environmental urgency. This book offers an update on a rapidly evolving subject, that of modern photovoltaic systems capable of combining the needs of energy and ecological transition. Although photovoltaic solar energy is a well-proven technical solution in terms of energy, its development can compete with agricultural land or natural sites. New solutions are emerging: the installation of photovoltaic parks on industrial wasteland; agrivoltaics, which reconcile agricultural activity and energy production on the same surface; and ecovoltaics, which make it possible to make use of the unused surfaces under solar panels by developing ecological solutions capable of providing services to nature. These innovations are part of the response to the need to preserve terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, halt the decline in animal and plant biodiversity and participate in the development of a new mode of sustainable development and green economy.
The marine environment, in addition to a not insignificant background of "natural" radioactivity, has continued to receive inputs of radionuclides directly or indirectly through atomic fallout, discharges from the nuclear industry or from nuclear accidents. After their introduction, the fate of these radionuclides is complex with modifications of physicochemical forms, dispersion in marine water masses and adsorption onto sedimentary particles. Marine organisms then bioaccumulate these radionuclides to a greater or lesser extent, dispersing them via their burrowing activities, horizontal and vertical migrations or through food webs. All of these phenomena lead to very variable radioactive co...
Developed over several decades, the concept of aquatic biotechnology refers to aquatic organisms, be they of animal or plant origin. It involves transforming biological resources into products for human and animal consumption. The emergence of transgenic fish (such as AquAdvantage salmon) and their use as foodstuffs has reopened the societal debate on the place of genetically modified organisms in our diet. This new aquaculture based on genetic engineering is known as the "blue revolution." However, "blue" biotechnology is not limited to the production of genetically modified organisms; it also involves the use of biotechnological processes, such as enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation, on aquatic resources. Aquatic Biotechnologies presents an overview of these biotechnological processes (genetic, enzymatic and fermentative engineering) as applied to aquatic organisms and their production methods (traditional aquaculture and aquaculture producing genetically modified organisms).
At the heart of the globalization of trade and of economies, estuarine cities are at the forefront of accelerating global change. They must confront the tensions generated by their demographic and socio-economic attractions and their ecological vulnerability linked to their location in trade flows, downstream of rivers and at the interface between land and sea. Using the examples of the estuarine cities of the Gironde, the Loire and the Seine and their specific challenges, such as climate change, flood risk, biodiversity, port flows and urban planning, this book analyzes their emerging trajectories guided by proactive governance of global change.
This introductory book to the six volume series includes an introduction defining the critical zone for mankind that extends from tree canopy and the lower atmosphere to water table and unweathered rock. Soils play a crucial role through the functions and the services that they provide to mankind. The spatial and temporal variability of soils is represented by information systems whose importance, recent evolutions and increasingly performing applications in France and in the world must be underlined. The soil functions, discussed in this book, focus on the regulation of the water cycle, biophysicochemical cycles and the habitat role of biodiversity. The main services presented are those related to the provision of agricultural, fodder and forest products, energy, as well as materials and the role of soil as infrastructure support. They also include the different cultural dimensions of soils, their representations being often linked to myths and rites, as well as their values of environmental and archaeological records. Finally, the issue is raised of an off-ground world.
This book provides the most up-to-date knowledge on water in soils and applications for the best use of our water resources. It first addresses the influence of soils on water quality, which is linked to rock weathering, soil formation, acidity and waterlogging. Here, the constituents of soils – such as clay minerals and iron oxides – play a major role. These modifications also have an impact on biogeochemical processes at the global scale, including the carbon cycle and the composition of the atmosphere. Secondly, this book discusses soil salinity, alkalinity and sodification in climates spanning from Mediterranean to arid. Here, water quality results from the concentration of solutes b...