Climate Change Effects on Groundwater Resources
Climate Change Effects on Groundwater Resources

Author: Holger Treidel

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2011-12-02

Total Pages: 414

ISBN-13: 0203120760

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Climate change is expected to modify the hydrological cycle and affect freshwater resources. Groundwater is a critical source of fresh drinking water for almost half of the worlds population and it also supplies irrigated agriculture. Groundwater is also important in sustaining streams, lakes, wetlands, and associated ecosystems. But despite this,

Playas of the Great Plains
Playas of the Great Plains

Author: Loren M. Smith

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2003-11-01

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 9780292701779

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Shallow wetlands that occur primarily in semi-arid to arid environments, playas are keystone ecosystems in the western Great Plains of North America. Providing irreplaceable habitat for native plants and animals, including migratory birds, they are essential for the maintenance of biotic diversity throughout the region. Playas also serve to recharge the aquifer that supplies much of the water for the Plains states. At the same time, however, large-scale habitat changes have endangered playas across the Great Plains, making urgent the need to understand their ecology and implement effective conservation measures. This book provides a state-of-the-art survey of all that is currently known about Great Plains playa ecology and conservation. Loren Smith synthesizes his own extensive research with other published studies to define playas and characterize their origin, development, flora, fauna, structure, function, and diversity. He also thoroughly explores the human relationship with playas from prehistoric times, when they served as campsites for the Clovis peoples, to today's threats to playa ecosystems from agricultural activities and global climate change. A blueprint for government agencies, private conservation groups, and concerned citizens to save these unique prairie ecosystems concludes this landmark study.

Eating Earth
Eating Earth

Author: Lisa Kemmerer

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 019939184X

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An examination of human dietary choice as a unifying cause for both the environmental and animal-rights movements.

Soil Water and Agronomic Productivity
Soil Water and Agronomic Productivity

Author: Rattan Lal

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2012-06-19

Total Pages: 597

ISBN-13: 1439850798

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Crop water use can be increased by management of surface runoff, groundwater, irrigation, and soil water. Technological innovations to enhance availability of water for agricultural crops depend on soil and site-specific conditions. Devoted to the principles and practices of enhancing water use efficiency, Soil Water and Agronomic Productivity addresses current problems associated with water supplies required for agricultural purposes and food production. Written for professionals and students in agricultural fields, the book focuses on innovative technologies for improving soil water availability, enhancing water use efficiency, and using productive irrigation systems. It also presents techniques to conserve water in the root zone as well as remote sensing techniques to assess soil water regime and predict drought on a regional scale. Soil water management is crucial to reducing the vulnerability to agronomic drought. There are numerous examples of aquifers that have been severely depleted by misuse and mismanagement. Soil Water and Agronomic Productivity explains the factors and causes of the mismanagement of soil water and proposes options for sustainable and efficient use of scarce water resources. Meeting the global food demand will require careful worldwide management of soil and water resources, and this can only be done by sharing information and knowledge. Part of the Advances in Soil Science Series