Based in extensive research in geology, atmospheric science, and paleontology, this book offers a detailed history of CO2 in the atmosphere, and an understanding of factors that have influenced changes in the past. The text illuminates the role of atmospheric CO2 in the modern carbon cycle and in the evolution of plants and animals, and addresses the future role of atmospheric CO2 and its likely effects on ecosystems.
The question of whether the earth's climate is changing in some significant human-induced way remains a matter of much debate. But the fact that climate is variable over time is well known. These two elements of climatic uncertainty affect water resources planning and management in the American West. Managing Water Resources in the West Under Conditions of Climate Uncertainty examines the scientific basis for predictions of climate change, the implications of climate uncertainty for water resources management, and the management options available for responding to climate variability and potential climate change.
Comprehensively illustrated and written by leading researchers, this invaluable publication features papers from the annual Evolutionary Biology meetings in Marseilles. It includes a description of the life and work of the celebrated biologist J.B.S. Haldane.
Range and Animal Sciences and Resources Management is a component of Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. Rangelands comprise over forty percent of the earth's land surface and, as one of the most prevalent land systems on the planet, rangelands are critical habitats for myriad plant and animal species and form many of the world's major watersheds Rangelands are categorized in two distinct ways: (a) as a type of land or (b) a type of (land) use. This theme with contributions from distinguished experts in the field discusses about Range and Animal Sciences and Resources Management in several related topics. These two volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs.
An incisive discussion of biofuel production from an economically informed technical perspective that addresses sustainability and commercialization together In Biodiesel Production: Feedstocks, Catalysts and Technologies, renowned chemists Drs Rokhum, Halder, Ngaosuwan and Assabumrungrat present an up-to-date account of the most recent developments, challenges, and trends in biodiesel production. The book addresses select feedstocks, including edible and non-edible oils, waste cooking oil, microalgae, and animal fats, and highlights their advantages and disadvantages from a variety of perspectives. It also discusses several catalysts used in each of their methods of preparation, as well as their synthesis, reactivity, recycling techniques, and stability. The contributions explore recently developed technologies for sustainable production of biodiesel and provides robust treatments of their sustainability, commercialization, and their prospects for future biodiesel production. A thorough introduction to the various catalysts used in the preparation of biodiesel and their characteristics Comprehensive explorations of biofuel production from technical and economic perspectives, with complete treatments of their sustainability and commercialization Practical discussions of the development of new strategies for sustainable and economically viable biodiesel production In-depth examinations of biodiesel feedstocks, catalysts, and technologies Perfect for academic researchers and industrial scientists working in fields that involve biofuels, bioenergy, catalysis, and materials science, Biodiesel Production: Feedstocks, Catalysts and Technologies will also earn a place in the libraries of bioenergy regulators.
This volume explores the challenges of sustaining long-term ecological research through a historical analysis of the Long Term Ecological Research Program created by the U.S. National Science Foundation in 1980. The book examines reasons for the creation of the Program, an overview of its 40-year history, and in-depth historical analysis of selected sites. Themes explored include the broader impact of this program on society, including its relevance to environmental policy and understanding global climate change, the challenge of extending ecosystem ecology into urban environments, and links to creative arts and humanities projects. A major theme is the evolution of a new type of network science, involving comparative studies, innovation in information management, creation of socio-ecological frameworks, development of governance structures, and formation of an International Long Term Ecological Research Network with worldwide reach. The book’s themes will interest historians, philosophers and social scientists interested in ecological and environmental sciences, as well as researchers across many disciplines who are involved in long-term ecological research.
Reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is imperative to stabilizing our future climate. Our ability to reduce these emissions combined with an understanding of how much fossil-fuel-derived CO2 the oceans and plants can absorb is central to mitigating climate change. In The Carbon Cycle, leading scientists examine how atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have changed in the past and how this may affect the concentrations in the future. They look at the carbon budget and the "missing sink" for carbon dioxide. They offer approaches to modeling the carbon cycle, providing mathematical tools for predicting future levels of carbon dioxide. This comprehensive text incorporates findings from the recent IPCC reports. New insights, and a convergence of ideas and views across several disciplines make this book an important contribution to the global change literature.
Climate change is directly linked to the human activities, according to the Fourth Assessment Report of IPCC (2007). In last two decades of 20th Century, accelerated anthropogenic activities pushed up the atmospheric abundance of greenhouse gases, mainly CO2, CH4, and N2O, alarmingly which enhanced the radiative forcing of the Earth’s surface and thus perturbed its heat radiation balance. As a consequence, atmospheric characteristics, such as temperature, rainfall pattern, levels of CO2 and O3 have changed significantly, affecting the farm productivity. Although rising level of CO2 may have fertilizing effect on C3 crops, but concomitant rise in atmospheric temperature, O3 level and extreme weather conditions can not only nullify the fertilizing effect of CO2, but also drastically reduce the crop production, threatening food security to burgeoning world population. Agricultural crops are not only victim of climate variability and extreme whether conditions, but also serve as a potential source of CH4 and N2O. Therefore, in changed scenario, Kyoto Protocol (1997) has sought all signatory developed nations to cut down their emission levels as per their differential commitments to UNFCCC and developing nations to invest in less carbon emission projects to avert the process of global warming process. In this context, the present edition, which compiles latest findings of studies carried out by the scientists on climate change and crops around the world, serves as a ready reckoner to crop scientists, atmospheric scientists, ecologists, environmentalists, research scholars and post- graduate students to update their knowledge and understanding on this issue.