› › Biological And Physical Processes On Land

Landscapes on the Edge

Author : National Research Council

Publisher : National Academies Press

Page : 180 pages

File Size : 14,48 MB

Release : 2010-04-25

Category : Science

ISBN : 0309140242

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Book Description

During geologic spans of time, Earth's shifting tectonic plates, atmosphere, freezing water, thawing ice, flowing rivers, and evolving life have shaped Earth's surface features. The resulting hills, mountains, valleys, and plains shelter ecosystems that interact with all life and provide a record of Earth surface processes that extend back through Earth's history. Despite rapidly growing scientific knowledge of Earth surface interactions, and the increasing availability of new monitoring technologies, there is still little understanding of how these processes generate and degrade landscapes. Landscapes on the Edge identifies nine grand challenges in this emerging field of study and proposes four high-priority research initiatives. The book poses questions about how our planet's past can tell us about its future, how landscapes record climate and tectonics, and how Earth surface science can contribute to developing a sustainable living surface for future generations.



Understanding the Changing Planet

Author : National Research Council

Publisher : National Academies Press

Page : 172 pages

File Size : 24,83 MB

Release : 2010-07-23

Category : Science

ISBN : 0309150752

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Book Description

From the oceans to continental heartlands, human activities have altered the physical characteristics of Earth's surface. With Earth's population projected to peak at 8 to 12 billion people by 2050 and the additional stress of climate change, it is more important than ever to understand how and where these changes are happening. Innovation in the geographical sciences has the potential to advance knowledge of place-based environmental change, sustainability, and the impacts of a rapidly changing economy and society. Understanding the Changing Planet outlines eleven strategic directions to focus research and leverage new technologies to harness the potential that the geographical sciences offer.



The Earth′s Land Surface

Author : Kenneth J Gregory

Publisher : SAGE

Page : 362 pages

File Size : 44,33 MB

Release : 2010-03-23

Category : Science

ISBN : 144620376X

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Book Description

"Given the sheer scale of the topic under consideration here, Professor Gregory does well to condense it into bite-size pieces for the reader. I recommend this text to all undergraduate students of physical geography and earth sciences, particularly to those in their first and second years... This book is a comprehensive and (crucially) inexpensive text that will provide students with a useful source on geomorphology." - Lynda York, The Geographical Journal "I would highly recommend this to anyone doing geology or geography at university as a ′go to′ book for geomorphology and landform." - Sara Falcone, Teaching Earth Science "An excellent source of information for anyone who needs a well-informed, easy to use reference volume to introduce them to the fascinating complexities of the earth’s land surface, past, present and future." - Angela Gurnell, Queen Mary, University of London This introductory text details the land surface of the earth in a readable style covering the major issues, key themes and sensitivities of the environments/landscape. Emphasising the major ideas and their development, each chapter includes case studies and details of influential scientists (not necessarily geomorphologists) who have contributed to the progress of understanding. Providing a very clear explanation of the understanding achieved and of the debates that have arisen, the book is comprised of 12 chapters in four sections: Visualising the land surface explains and explores the composition of the land surface and outlines how it has been studied. Dynamics of the land surface considers the dynamics affecting the earth′s land surface including its influences, processes and the changes that have occurred. Environments of the land surface looks to understand the land surface in major world regions highlighting differences between the areas. Management of the land surface is an examination of the current and future prospects of the management of the earth′s land surface. With pedagogical features including further reading, questions for discussion and a glossary, this original, lively text is authored by one of the leading experts in the field and will be core reading for first and second year undergraduates on all physical geography courses.



Biogeochemical Processes at the Land-Sea Boundary

Author : P. Lasserre

Publisher : Elsevier

Page : 225 pages

File Size : 49,27 MB

Release : 1986-09-01

Category : Science

ISBN : 0080870813

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Book Description

There is an intuitive belief among scientists that each estuary or lagoon is unique and different. Similarities do exist, however, and this book attempts to highlight some common properties and perhaps some innovative views on biogeochemical processes, and biological fluxes which are of central concern in the understanding of the land-sea boundary. The contents are based upon lectures given at a Seminar organised as the scientific component of the 17th General Meeting of SCOR, held at the Station Biologique de Roscoff, France, on 22-24 October 1984. The original lectures have been substantially extended and revised in order to give a fuller treatment of the subject. The contributions identify important processes influencing (I) Behaviour of chemical species, (II) Nutrient cycling and mechanisms of organic transformations and (III) Uptake of trace elements by living systems. The connection between terrestrial and oceanic systems is a functional one and the consequences of this linkage on the very large variety of coastal systems are profound. It is widely recognized that many of the major processes which influence the biological properties and chemical forms of elements, and their biogeochemical cycles in the ocean occur at the land-sea boundary, especially in estuaries, coastal lagoons, the coastline and the shelf. Over 80% of living systems and their fisheries take place in near shore waters and the consequential production of organic matter produced triggers off the high level of activity. Over the last fifteen years, there has been considerable stimulus to provide framework to evaluate the interactions and effects of human activities. The rich assemblage of tables and figures and of literature citations contained in the chapters provides an excellent basis for in-depth investigations.Oceanographers, limnologists, aquatic chemists, marine biologists, and environmental specialists will find this book highly valuable reading for advanced research and training purposes.



Fundamentals of Geobiology

Author : Andrew H. Knoll

Publisher : John Wiley & Sons

Page : 876 pages

File Size : 47,28 MB

Release : 2012-03-30

Category : Science

ISBN : 1118280881

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Book Description

2012 PROSE Award, Earth Science: Honorable Mention For more than fifty years scientists have been concerned with the interrelationships of Earth and life. Over the past decade, however, geobiology, the name given to this interdisciplinary endeavour, has emerged as an exciting and rapidly expanding field, fuelled by advances in molecular phylogeny, a new microbial ecology made possible by the molecular revolution, increasingly sophisticated new techniques for imaging and determining chemical compositions of solids on nanometer scales, the development of non-traditional stable isotope analyses, Earth systems science and Earth system history, and accelerating exploration of other planets within and beyond our solar system. Geobiology has many faces: there is the microbial weathering of minerals, bacterial and skeletal biomineralization, the roles of autotrophic and heterotrophic metabolisms in elemental cycling, the redox history in the oceans and its relationship to evolution and the origin of life itself.. This book is the first to set out a coherent set of principles that underpin geobiology, and will act as a foundational text that will speed the dissemination of those principles. The chapters have been carefully chosen to provide intellectually rich but concise summaries of key topics, and each has been written by one or more of the leading scientists in that field.. Fundamentals of Geobiology is aimed at advanced undergraduates and graduates in the Earth and biological sciences, and to the growing number of scientists worldwide who have an interest in this burgeoning new discipline. Additional resources for this book can be found at: http://www.wiley.com/go/knoll/geobiology.





Soils

Author : Khan Towhid Osman

Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media

Page : 286 pages

File Size : 30,14 MB

Release : 2012-12-04

Category : Nature

ISBN : 9400756631

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Book Description

Aimed at taking the mystery out of soil science, Soils: Principles, Properties and Management is a text for undergraduate/graduate students who study soil as a natural resource. Written in a reader-friendly style, with a host of examples, figures and tables, the book leads the reader from the basics of soil science through to complex situations, covering such topics as: the origin, development and classification of soil physical, chemical and biological properties of soil water and nutrient management management of problem soils, wetland soils and forest soils soil degradation Further, the ecological and agrological functions of soil are emphasized in the context of food security, biodiversity and climate change. The interactions between the environment and soil management are highlighted. Soil is viewed as an ecosystem itself and as a part of larger terrestrial ecosystems.





Encyclopedia of Agrophysics

Author : Jan Gliński

Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media

Page : 1075 pages

File Size : 47,74 MB

Release : 2011-06-07

Category : Technology & Engineering

ISBN : 9048135842

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Book Description

This Encyclopedia of Agrophysics will provide up-to-date information on the physical properties and processes affecting the quality of the environment and plant production. It will be a "first-up" volume which will nicely complement the recently published Encyclopedia of Soil Science, (November 2007) which was published in the same series. In a single authoritative volume a collection of about 250 informative articles and ca 400 glossary terms covering all aspects of agrophysics will be presented. The authors will be renowned specialists in various aspects in agrophysics from a wide variety of countries. Agrophysics is important both for research and practical use not only in agriculture, but also in areas like environmental science, land reclamation, food processing etc. Agrophysics is a relatively new interdisciplinary field closely related to Agrochemistry, Agrobiology, Agroclimatology and Agroecology. Nowadays it has been fully accepted as an agricultural and environmental discipline. As such this Encyclopedia volume will be an indispensable working tool for scientists and practitioners from different disciplines, like agriculture, soil science, geosciences, environmental science, geography, and engineering.



Hydrological and Biological Responses to Forest Practices

Author : John D. Stednick

Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media

Page : 321 pages

File Size : 28,50 MB

Release : 2007-12-03

Category : Technology & Engineering

ISBN : 0387690360

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Book Description

The Alsea Logging and Aquatic Resources Study, commissioned by the Oregon Legislature in 1959, marked the beginning of four decades of research in the Pacific Northwest devoted to understanding the impacts of forest practices on water quality, water quantity, aquatic habitat, and aquatic organism popu- tions. While earlier watershed research examined changes in runoff and erosion from various land uses, this study was the first watershed experiment to focus so heavily on aquatic habitat and organism response to forest practices. The Alsea Watershed Study, as it came to be known, extended over 15 years with seven years of pretreatment calibration measurements, a year of treatment, and seven years of post-treatment monitoring. The research was a cooperative effort with scientists from Oregon State University, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Cooperating landowners included the Georgia-Pacific Corporation, the U.S. Forest Service, and a local rancher. It was a remarkable 15-year partnership marked by excellent cooperation among the participants and outstanding coordination among the scientists, many of whom participated actively for the entire period.