Ecology of the Southern California Bight

Ecology of the Southern California Bight

Author: Murray D. Dailey

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 952

ISBN-13: 9780520075788

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Here is a benchmark study of one significant stretch of the Pacific Ocean, the Southern California Bight. Extending from Point Conception to the Mexican border and out to the 200-mile limit, these waters have never before been investigated in such detail, from so many points of view, by such an eminent group of scientists. The twenty-five expert contributors summarize everything known about the physical, chemical, geological, and biological characteristics of the area in individual chapters; the volume concludes with a synthesis of the information presented. In addition, chapters are devoted to the influence of humans on the marine environment and to the various laws and governmental agencies concerned with protecting it. Because Southern California is so heavily populated and because the ocean is a major recreational area for its people, the information in this unique volume will be invaluable for the region's planners and decisionmakers as well as for all those who study the globe's marine resources and ecology.


Economics of Coastal and Water Resources: Valuing Environmental Functions

Economics of Coastal and Water Resources: Valuing Environmental Functions

Author: R.K. Turner

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-04-18

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 9401597553

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Most of the chapters in this volume are authored by staff or associates of the Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE). CSERGE is a research centre sponsored by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which specialises in interdisciplinary work focussed on environmental management issues. Weare grateful for the long term support that we have received from the ESRC. We would also like to acknowledge the efforts of Ann Dixon and SHin Pearce in the preparation of this volume. vii INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1. ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS AND COASTAL ZONE ECOSYSTEMS' VALUES: AN OVERVIEW. Turner, R. K. , Bateman, I. J. and Adger, W. N. 1. 1 Coastal zone pressure and sustainable management challenges Given the continued intensification of the process of globalisation - involving population growth, population density changes via urbanisation, industrial development, increased trade and capital flows, liberalisation of transnational corporation activity and lifestyle and attitudinal changes - coastal zones and their hydrologically linked catchment areas have come under heavy environmental pressure. The scale and extent of socio-economic activities have profound implications for the now coevolving natural and human systems and their complex interrelationships (Turner, Perrings and Folke, 1997). The consequences of this process of change manifest themselves across a range of spatial and temporal scales. Indeed the juxtaposition of different spatial, functional and temporal scales that is inherent in the catchment-coastal ecosystems-seas/oceans continuum poses particularly difficult challenges for both science and resource management/governance.


Clean Coastal Waters

Clean Coastal Waters

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2000-08-17

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13: 0309069483

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Environmental problems in coastal ecosystems can sometimes be attributed to excess nutrients flowing from upstream watersheds into estuarine settings. This nutrient over-enrichment can result in toxic algal blooms, shellfish poisoning, coral reef destruction, and other harmful outcomes. All U.S. coasts show signs of nutrient over-enrichment, and scientists predict worsening problems in the years ahead. Clean Coastal Waters explains technical aspects of nutrient over-enrichment and proposes both immediate local action by coastal managers and a longer-term national strategy incorporating policy design, classification of affected sites, law and regulation, coordination, and communication. Highlighting the Gulf of Mexico's "Dead Zone," the Pfiesteria outbreak in a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, and other cases, the book explains how nutrients work in the environment, why nitrogen is important, how enrichment turns into over-enrichment, and why some environments are especially susceptible. Economic as well as ecological impacts are examined. In addressing abatement strategies, the committee discusses the importance of monitoring sites, developing useful models of over-enrichment, and setting water quality goals. The book also reviews voluntary programs, mandatory controls, tax incentives, and other policy options for reducing the flow of nutrients from agricultural operations and other sources.


Ocean Acidification

Ocean Acidification

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2010-09-14

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 030916155X

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The ocean has absorbed a significant portion of all human-made carbon dioxide emissions. This benefits human society by moderating the rate of climate change, but also causes unprecedented changes to ocean chemistry. Carbon dioxide taken up by the ocean decreases the pH of the water and leads to a suite of chemical changes collectively known as ocean acidification. The long term consequences of ocean acidification are not known, but are expected to result in changes to many ecosystems and the services they provide to society. Ocean Acidification: A National Strategy to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Ocean reviews the current state of knowledge, explores gaps in understanding, and identifies several key findings. Like climate change, ocean acidification is a growing global problem that will intensify with continued CO2 emissions and has the potential to change marine ecosystems and affect benefits to society. The federal government has taken positive initial steps by developing a national ocean acidification program, but more information is needed to fully understand and address the threat that ocean acidification may pose to marine ecosystems and the services they provide. In addition, a global observation network of chemical and biological sensors is needed to monitor changes in ocean conditions attributable to acidification.


Managing Wastewater in Coastal Urban Areas

Managing Wastewater in Coastal Urban Areas

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1993-02-01

Total Pages: 497

ISBN-13: 0309048265

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Close to one-half of all Americans live in coastal counties. The resulting flood of wastewater, stormwater, and pollutants discharged into coastal waters is a major concern. This book offers a well-delineated approach to integrated coastal management beginning with wastewater and stormwater control. The committee presents an overview of current management practices and problems. The core of the volume is a detailed model for integrated coastal management, offering basic principles and methods, a direction for moving from general concerns to day-to-day activities, specific steps from goal setting through monitoring performance, and a base of scientific and technical information. Success stories from the Chesapeake and Santa Monica bays are included. The volume discusses potential barriers to integrated coastal management and how they may be overcome and suggests steps for introducing this concept into current programs and legislation. This practical volume will be important to anyone concerned about management of coastal waters: policymakers, resource and municipal managers, environmental professionals, concerned community groups, and researchers, as well as faculty and students in environmental studies.


Living Roofs in Integrated Urban Water Systems

Living Roofs in Integrated Urban Water Systems

Author: Daniel Roehr

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-03-05

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 1317537033

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With the infrastructure to manage storm water threats in cities becoming increasingly expensive to build or repair, the design community needs to look at alternative approaches. Living roofs present an opportunity to compliment ground-level storm water control measures, contributing to a holistic, integrated urban water management system. This book offers tools to plan and design living roofs, in the context of effectively mitigating storm water. Quantitative tools for engineering calculations and qualitative discussion of potential influences and interactions of the design team and assembly elements are addressed.


Texas Aquatic Science

Texas Aquatic Science

Author: Rudolph A. Rosen

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2014-12-29

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 1623491932

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This classroom resource provides clear, concise scientific information in an understandable and enjoyable way about water and aquatic life. Spanning the hydrologic cycle from rain to watersheds, aquifers to springs, rivers to estuaries, ample illustrations promote understanding of important concepts and clarify major ideas. Aquatic science is covered comprehensively, with relevant principles of chemistry, physics, geology, geography, ecology, and biology included throughout the text. Emphasizing water sustainability and conservation, the book tells us what we can do personally to conserve for the future and presents job and volunteer opportunities in the hope that some students will pursue careers in aquatic science. Texas Aquatic Science, originally developed as part of a multi-faceted education project for middle and high school students, can also be used at the college level for non-science majors, in the home-school environment, and by anyone who educates kids about nature and water. To learn more about The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, sponsors of this book's series, please click here.


Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington

Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 0309255945

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Tide gauges show that global sea level has risen about 7 inches during the 20th century, and recent satellite data show that the rate of sea-level rise is accelerating. As Earth warms, sea levels are rising mainly because ocean water expands as it warms; and water from melting glaciers and ice sheets is flowing into the ocean. Sea-level rise poses enormous risks to the valuable infrastructure, development, and wetlands that line much of the 1,600 mile shoreline of California, Oregon, and Washington. As those states seek to incorporate projections of sea-level rise into coastal planning, they asked the National Research Council to make independent projections of sea-level rise along their coasts for the years 2030, 2050, and 2100, taking into account regional factors that affect sea level. Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present, and Future explains that sea level along the U.S. west coast is affected by a number of factors. These include: climate patterns such as the El NiƱo, effects from the melting of modern and ancient ice sheets, and geologic processes, such as plate tectonics. Regional projections for California, Oregon, and Washington show a sharp distinction at Cape Mendocino in northern California. South of that point, sea-level rise is expected to be very close to global projections. However, projections are lower north of Cape Mendocino because the land is being pushed upward as the ocean plate moves under the continental plate along the Cascadia Subduction Zone. However, an earthquake magnitude 8 or larger, which occurs in the region every few hundred to 1,000 years, would cause the land to drop and sea level to suddenly rise.


River Discharge to the Coastal Ocean

River Discharge to the Coastal Ocean

Author: John D. Milliman

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2013-03-28

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781107612181

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Rivers provide the primary link between land and sea. Utilizing the world's largest database, this book presents a detailed analysis and synthesis of the processes affecting fluvial discharge of water, sediment and dissolved solids. The ways in which climatic variation, episodic events, and anthropogenic activities - past, present and future - affect the quantity and quality of river discharge are discussed in the final two chapters. The book contains 26 tables and more than 165 figures - many in full color - including global and regional maps. The book's extensive appendix presents the 1534-river database as a series of 44 tables and 132 maps that provide quantitative data regarding the discharge of water, sediment and dissolved solids. The complete database is also presented within a GIS-based package available online at www.cambridge.org/milliman. River Discharge to the Coastal Ocean provides an invaluable resource for researchers, professionals and graduate students in hydrology, oceanography, geology, geomorphology and environmental policy.