Here is a collection of papers from BIOGEOMON, The Fourth International Symposium on Ecosystem Behavior. The contributions address a wider-than-ever range of concerns: aspects of catchment monitoring and modeling; nitrogen transformations and processes; stable and radiogenic isotopes; biogeochemistry of restored ecosystems; and the dynamics of such chemicals as mercury and phosphorous, among many other topics.
Volume 2 of Advances in Carbon Management Technologies has 21 chapters. It presents the introductory chapter again, for framing the challenges that confront the proposed solutions discussed in this volume. Section 4 presents various ways biomass and biomass wastes can be manipulated to provide a low-carbon footprint of the generation of power, heat and co-products, and of recovery and reuse of biomass wastes for beneficial purposes. Section 5 provides potential carbon management solutions in urban and manufacturing environments. This section also provides state-of the-art of battery technologies for the transportation sector. The chapters in section 6 deals with electricity and the grid, and how decarbonization can be practiced in the electricity sector. The overall topic of advances in carbon management is too broad to be covered in a book of this size. It was not intended to cover every possible aspect that is relevant to the topic. Attempts were made, however, to highlight the most important issues of decarbonization from technological viewpoints. Over the years carbon intensity of products and processes has decreased, but the proportion of energy derived from fossil fuels has been stubornly stuck at about 80%. This has occurred despite very rapid development of renewable fuels, because at the same time the use of fossil fuels has also increased. Thus, the challenges are truly daunting. It is hoped that the technology choices provided here will show the myriad ways that solutions will evolve. While policy decisions are the driving forces for technology development, the book was not designed to cover policy solutions.
This edited book first gives an overview of issues in the studies of atmospheric sciences and then elaborates on extreme events in air pollution, their assessment, impacts, and mitigation strategies. It covers general overview of factors governing in atmosphere that lead to air pollution, description about recent and hazardous air pollution episodes, emergencies and extremes in atmospheric sciences, impact studies on living organisms and atmosphere related to emergencies and possible remedies/mitigation strategies which may also include green growth strategies for management. Increase in anthropogenic activities from different sources results in very high concentrations of air pollutants in the atmospheres and they lead to cause disturbance in seasonal cycles and atmospheric phenomena, ecological imbalance and change in the quality of air. These impacts are the major cause of short-term or long-term effects on living and non-living systems. In the recent years, several instances of extremes atmosphere and air pollution related emergencies causing accidental episodes, fog, smog, health related, heat and cold wave etc. are experienced. This book brings the attention on such issues in atmospheric sciences and discuss the disaster preparedness and management plus emergencies. This book is valuable reading material for students in Environmental Science, Biological Science, Medical Science, Policy Planning, Disaster Management and Agriculture. It’s useful for environmental consultants, researchers and other professionals involved in air quality, plant, humans and disasters related research.
The globally important nature of wetland ecosystems has led to their increased protection and restoration as well as their use in engineered systems. Underpinning the beneficial functions of wetlands are a unique suite of physical, chemical, and biological processes that regulate elemental cycling in soils and the water column. This book provides an in-depth coverage of these wetland biogeochemical processes related to the cycling of macroelements including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, secondary and trace elements, and toxic organic compounds. In this synthesis, the authors combine more than 100 years of experience studying wetlands and biogeochemistry to look inside the black box of elemental transformations in wetland ecosystems. This new edition is updated throughout to include more topics and provide an integrated view of the coupled nature of biogeochemical cycles in wetland systems. The influence of the elemental cycles is discussed at a range of scales in the context of environmental change including climate, sea level rise, and water quality. Frequent examples of key methods and major case studies are also included to help the reader extend the basic theories for application in their own system. Some of the major topics discussed are: Flooded soil and sediment characteristics Aerobic-anaerobic interfaces Redox chemistry in flooded soil and sediment systems Anaerobic microbial metabolism Plant adaptations to reducing conditions Regulators of organic matter decomposition and accretion Major nutrient sources and sinks Greenhouse gas production and emission Elemental flux processes Remediation of contaminated soils and sediments Coupled C-N-P-S processes Consequences of environmental change in wetlands# The book provides the foundation for a basic understanding of key biogeochemical processes and its applications to solve real world problems. It is detailed, but also assists the reader with box inserts, artfully designed diagrams, and summary tables all supported by numerous current references. This book is an excellent resource for senior undergraduates and graduate students studying ecosystem biogeochemistry with a focus in wetlands and aquatic systems.
This book is an update of the first BACC assessment, published in 2008. It offers new and updated scientific findings in regional climate research for the Baltic Sea basin. These include climate changes since the last glaciation (approx. 12,000 years ago), changes in the recent past (the last 200 years), climate projections up until 2100 using state-of-the-art regional climate models and an assessment of climate-change impacts on terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. There are dedicated new chapters on sea-level rise, coastal erosion and impacts on urban areas. A new set of chapters deals with possible causes of regional climate change along with the global effects of increased greenhouse gas concentrations, namely atmospheric aerosols and land-cover change. The evidence collected and presented in this book shows that the regional climate has already started to change and this is expected to continue. Projections of potential future climates show that the region will probably become considerably warmer and wetter in some parts, but dryer in others. Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems have already shown adjustments to increased temperatures and are expected to undergo further changes in the near future. The BACC II Author Team consists of 141 scientists from 12 countries, covering various disciplines related to climate research and related impacts. BACC II is a project of the Baltic Earth research network and contributes to the World Climate Research Programme.
This textbook presents a comprehensive process-oriented approach to biogeochemistry that is intended to appeal to readers who want to go beyond a general exposure to topics in biogeochemistry, and instead are seeking a holistic understanding of the interplay of biotic and environmental drivers in the cycling of elements in forested watersheds. The book is organized around a core set of ecosystem processes and attributes that collectively help to generate the whole-system structure and function of a terrestrial ecosystem. In the first nine chapters, a conceptual framework is developed based on distinct soil, microbial, plant, atmospheric, hydrologic, and geochemical processes that are integrated in the element cycling behavior of watershed ecosystems. With that conceptual foundation in place, students then proceed to the final three chapters where they are challenged to think critically about integrated element cycling patterns; roles for biogeochemical models; the likely impacts of disturbance, stress, and management on watershed biogeochemistry; and linkages among patterns and processes in watersheds experiencing novel environmental changes. Included with the text are figures, tables of comparative data, extensive literature citations, a glossary of terms, an index, and a set of 24 biogeochemical problems with answers. The problems are intended to support chapter concepts and to demonstrate how critical thinking skills, simple algebra, and thoughtful human logic can be used to solve applied problems in biogeochemistry that might be encountered by a research scientist or a resource manager. Using this book as an introduction to biogeochemistry, students will achieve a level of subject mastery and disciplinary perspective that will permit them to see and to interpret the individual components, interactions, and synergies that are represented in the dynamic element cycling patterns of watershed ecosystems.
Improve the quality and productivity of your crops through selecting positive and effective interactive core-microbiomes As microbial cells are present in overwhelming numbers in our soil, it is perhaps inevitable that microbes are found extensively in plant and animal tissue. The role of microbiomes on the regulation of physiological processes in animals has been extensively researched in recent years, but the overarching role of the plant microbiome has yet to be discovered. Core Microbiome: Improving Crop Quality and Productivity is an attempt to remediate some of that deficit, as the first book to summarize feature of microbial communities that make up the plant microbiome. There is substantial evidence that these communities are crucial in disease control, enhanced nutrient acquisition, and stress tolerance—a feature more important than ever due to climate change. A further focus on improving how core microbiomes interact so that they are both phenotypically and genotypically very adaptive and sustainable will allow the reader to improve the quality and productivity of crops so that they may be considered sustainable agriculture. Core Microbiome readers will also find: Descriptions of the basic structure of core microbiomes and their functions across various habitats New and cutting-edge trends and technological innovations highlighted that use core microbiomes to harness plant microbiome interaction The structure, classification, and biotechnological applications of aquatic core microbiomes, in addition to the material on plant microbiomes As a broad introduction to the interaction of core microbiome and plant productivity, Core Microbiome is ideal for researchers and scientists working in the field of environmental science, environmental microbiology, and waste management. Similarly, undergraduate and graduate students in these fields, as well as in agriculture, biotechnology, biosciences, and life and environmental sciences will also benefit from this work.