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Ecosystem research has emerged in recent decades as a vital, successful, and sometimes controversial approach to environmental science. This book emphasizes the idea that much of the progress in ecosystem research has been driven by the emergence of new environmental problems that could not be addressed by existing approaches. By focusing on successes and limitations of ecosystems studies, the book explores avenues for future ecosystem-level research.
Written for anyone who works with chemicals or has a general interest in ecology, this book examines the interrelationship of life forms in our environment and provides straightforward explanations about the complicated interactions among nature and humans. Emphasizing basic concepts, definitions, and descriptions, the author presents illustrative problems in terms of commonly used ecological parameters to provide readers with enough information to make technical and personal decisions about ecology. Funneling the broad, multidisciplinary field of ecology, which incorporates aspects of biology, chemistry, physics, geology, meteorology, agriculture, forestry, and more into a single stream, th...
How are greenways designed? What situations lead to their genesis, and what examples best illustrate their potential for enhancing communities and the environment? Designing greenways is a key to protecting landscapes, allowing wildlife to move freely, and finding appropriate ways to bring people into nature. This book brings together examples from ecology, conservation biology, aquatic ecology, and recreation design to illustrate how greenways function and add value to ecosystems and human communities alike. Encompassing everything from urban trail corridors to river floodplains to wilderness-like linkages, greenways preserve or improve the integrity of the landscape, not only by stemming the loss of natural features, but also by engendering new natural and social functions. From 19th-century parks and parkways to projects still on the drawing boards, Designing Greenways is a fascinating introduction to the possibilities-and pitfalls-involved in these ambitious projects. As towns and cities look to greenways as a new way of reconciling man and nature, designers and planners will look to Designing Greenways as an invaluable compendium of best practices.
Nitrogen constitutes 78% of the Earth’s atmosphere and inevitably occupies a predominant role in marine and terrestrial nutrient biogeochemistry and the global climate. Callous human activities, like the excessive industrial nitrogen fixation and the incessant burning of fossil fuels, have caused a massive acceleration of the nitrogen cycle, which has, in turn, led to an increasing trend in eutrophication, smog formation, acid rain, and emission of nitrous oxide, which is a potent greenhouse gas, 300 times more powerful in warming the Earth’s atmosphere than carbon dioxide. This book comprehensively reviews the biotransformation of nitrogen, its ecological significance and the consequences of human interference. It will appeal to environmentalists, ecologists, marine biologists, and microbiologists worldwide, and will serve as a valuable guide to graduates, post-graduates, research scholars, scientists, and professors.
Geography is a multidisciplinary field which looks at both physical and social aspects of the world. The broad scope of the field makes it a daunting area for those who do not have a specific background in it. Geography for Non-Geographers thus introduces readers to the most important aspects of geography and how they affect us. It covers all areas of geography, from physical geography to climate and weather to human and cultural geography. Geography for Non-Geographers is presented in an accessible and straightforward manner, explaining scientific concepts in the most basic way possible. Along with basic geographical principles, the text provides a clear, concise presentation of the consequences of the physical interactions with the environment we inhabit. Each chapter ends with a chapter review test to help evaluate mastery of the concepts presented. Readers acquire an understanding of and skill in geographical principles, adding a critical component to their professional knowledge.
Presents recently developed algorithms for searching for simple, multiple and extended strings, regular expressions, exact and approximate matches.
Crop, livestock, and forestry productions systems are important sources and sinks of greenhouses gases, but estimates of the magnitude of gas fluxes are more uncertain than those for other economic sectors such as transportation and electricity generation. Recent improvements in process-level un-derstanding, modeling software, and observational data used for model testing have increased the accuracy of model predictions, but substantial uncertainty remains, particularly regarding the potential for different management practices to mitigate emissions. The chapters in this volume demonstrate that both simple methods and complex models have strengths and limitations depending on stake-holder interest, scale of application, and other factors. Future improvement can be facilitated by or-ganizing model input and testing data into web-accessible databases and by making model algorithms more available and transparent.
This completely updated edition of TheHandbook of Nature provides scientific answers to questions that arise when looking at the world around us. This book examines the relationship between humans and nature, specifically, it explains how natural phenomena/disasters influence the way we live and how human activity influences environmental changes and the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. Furthermore, the second edition of The Handbook of Nature discusses the relationship that humans should have with nature in the future. Should we intentionally minimize our impact on nature or should we find technical solutions to repair the damage that we have made? This edition also addresses how we can use lessons from the past to avoid irreparable damage in the future. The Handbook of Nature includes numerous illustrations and real-world case studies.