Skip to main content
Elsevier

Books in Environmental sciences

The Environmental Sciences titles present critical research and insights into the complex interactions within natural ecosystems, climate systems, and human impacts on the environment. Covering areas such as biodiversity, sustainability, climate change, and resource management, these titles support scientific discovery and practical solutions for addressing today’s most pressing environmental challenges. This collection is essential for researchers, policymakers, and students dedicated to advancing environmental understanding and stewardship

  • Measuring Ocean Currents

    Tools, Technologies, and Data
    • 1st Edition
    • Antony Joseph
    • English
    Measuring Ocean Currents: Tools, Technologies, and Data covers all major aspects of ocean current measurements in view of the implications of ocean currents on changing climate, increasing pollution levels, and offshore engineering activities. Although more than 70% of the Earth is covered by ocean, there is limited information on the countless fine- to large-scale water motions taking place within them. This book fills that information gap as the first work that summarizes the state-of-the-art methods and instruments used for surface, subsurface, and abyssal ocean current measurements. Readers of this book will find a wealth of information on Lagrangian measurements, horizontal mapping, imaging, Eulerian measurements, and vertical profiling techniques. In addition, the book describes modern technologies for remote measurement of ocean currents and their signatures, including HF Doppler radar systems, satellite-borne sensors, ocean acoustic tomography, and more. Crucial aspects of ocean currents are described in detail as well, including dispersion of effluents discharged into the sea and transport of beneficial materials—as well as environmentally hazardous materials—from one region to another. The book highlights several important practical applications, showing how measurements relate to climate change and pollution levels, how they affect coastal and offshore engineering activities, and how they can aid in tsunami detection.

  • Transparency for Sustainability in the Food Chain

    Challenges and Research Needs EFFoST Critical Reviews #2
    • 1st Edition
    • Gerhard Schiefer + 1 more
    • English
    Transparency for Sustainability in the Food Chain lays out the key issues and challenges in food safety, food quality, chain integrity, the link with consumers, and the technological base of tracking and tracing systems. This succinct volume brings readers up to speed on the state of the art in these areas, and the research trends in specific domains. Transparency in the food sector, especially to consumers, is one of the priority issues on the agenda of consumer policy representatives. Food scandals and deficiencies in consumer communication have drawn increasing demands for food policies that ensure that food is safe and of the quality consumers expect. Further, consumers increasingly expect that food production processes limit negative impacts on the environment and consider social concerns. Moving toward improved transparency requires action by stakeholders of the food chain but also knowledge on where and how to move. Researchers and professionals working in food sourcing, regulation, safety, and distribution will benefit from this clear overview.

  • Environmentally Friendly Polymer Nanocomposites

    Types, Processing and Properties
    • 1st Edition
    • Suprakas Sinha Ray
    • English
    Concerns about global warming and the depletion of oil reserves have led to significant research into more sustainable composite materials made from natural materials. Recently, research has focussed on the development of nanoscale reinforcements for this new group of composites, significantly improving and extending their range of desirable properties. Environmentally friendly polymer nanocomposites summarises this wealth of research and its practical implications.After an introduction to the subject, part one looks at matrix and reinforcement materials as well as their characterisation. Part two reviews key properties such as tensile and dynamic mechanical properties and thermal stability. It also considers issues such as barrier properties, biodegradability, rheology, electrical and thermal conductivity. The book concludes by reviewing potential applications.This book is ideal for polymer and material scientists, researchers and engineers. It will also help industrial researchers and R&D managers who want to bring advanced eco-friendly polymer composite-based products into the market.

  • Managing Ocean Environments in a Changing Climate

    Sustainability and Economic Perspectives
    • 1st Edition
    • Kevin J. Noone + 2 more
    • English
    Managing Ocean Environments in a Changing Climate summarizes the current state of several threats to the global oceans. What distinguishes this book most from previous works is that this book begins with a holistic, global-scale focus for the first several chapters and then provides an example of how this approach can be applied on a regional scale, for the Pacific region. Previous works usually have compiled local studies, which are essentially impossible to properly integrate to the global scale. The editors have engaged leading scientists in a number of areas, such as fisheries and marine ecosystems, ocean chemistry, marine biogeochemical cycling, oceans and climate change, and economics, to examine the threats to the oceans both individually and collectively, provide gross estimates of the economic and societal impacts of these threats, and deliver high-level recommendations.

  • The Biogeography of the Australian North West Shelf

    Environmental Change and Life's Response
    • 1st Edition
    • Barry Wilson
    • English
    The Biogeography of the Australian North West Shelf provides the first assembly of existing information of the North West Shelf in terms of geological, oceanographic and climatological history and current understanding of such issues as biodiversity, connectivity, larval dispersal and speciation in the sea that determine the distribution patterns of its invertebrate fauna. It is intended as a source of information and ideas on the biota of the shelf and its evolutionary origins and affinities and the environmental drivers of species’ ecology and distribution and ecosystem function. Regulators and industry environmental managers worldwide, but especially on the resource-rich North West Shelf, are faced with having to make decisions without adequate information or understanding of conservation values or the factors that drive ecosystem processes and resilience in the face of increasing anthropogenic and natural change. This book will provide a resource of information and ideas and extensive references to issues of primary concern. It will provide a big-picture narrative, putting the marine biota into a geological, evolutionary, and regional biodiversity context.

  • Biomass for Energy, Environment, Agriculture and Industry

    • 1st Edition
    • P. Chartier + 2 more
    • English
    Interest in the use of biomass for non-food applications has grown strongly in recent years, mainly as a consequence of its potential as a prime renewable energy resource. Renewable energies rank highly among the options that will contribute to the prevention of climate change and to security of energy supply in the future. Furthermore, exploiting biomass is very attractive as a way of dealing with two sensitive issues facing the majority of westernEuropean countries today; the extent of unemployment and the setting aside of farm lands to limit excess agricultural production.The 8th European Conference for Energy, Environment, Agriculture and Industry, held in Vienna, October 1994 was larger that any of its predecessors, with over 300 refereed contributions from 20 countries worldwide and over 520 participants. It was arguably the most significant event to date in this field, providing the opportunity for an international exchange of information on the recent progress in developing and implementing renewable biomass based non-food technologies. Published in 3 volumes, the proceedings of this conference therefore contain the most complete overview of the present state-of-the-art. Subjects covered include: biomass resource base, electricity and heat generation, transportation fuels, chemicals from biomass, products from bio- and thermochemical conversion technologies, economics, environmental aspects and opportunities for implementation worldwide, in particular in developing countries.Apart from the numerous contributions on the most recent results in research, development and implementation, the publication also contains authoritative reviews on most of the above-mentioned areas from leading experts in each field. In addition to this, it contains a list of key issues for developing a successful strategy leading to a rapid implementation in Europe and abroad.As a result it is indispensable for anyone working in this area, whether in research, demonstration or in policy development.

  • Handbook of Energy

    Diagrams, Charts, and Tables
    • 1st Edition
    • Cutler J. Cleveland + 1 more
    • English
    Handbook of Energy, Volume I: Diagrams, Charts, and Tables provides comprehensive, organized coverage on all phases of energy and its role in society, including its social, economic, political, historical, and environmental aspects. While there is a wealth of information about energy available, it is spread across many books, journals, and websites and it tends to target either a particular form of energy or a specific audience. Handbook of Energy provides a central repository of information that meets diverse user communities. It focuses on visual, graphic, and tabular information in a schematic format. Individuals and researchers at all educational levels will find the Handbook of Energy to be a valuable addition to their personal libraries.

  • Global Ecology

    Towards a Science of the Biosphere
    • 1st Edition
    • Mitchell B. Rambler
    • English
    Public awareness and concern over environmental degradation has reached an all time high, as the effect of man's activities on the global environment grows to greater and greater proportions. To understand the consequences of these activities, it is necessary to understand the fundamental nature of the system that supports life on a planetary scale. This book is the first interdisciplinary text on global ecology and is readable to students with only one to two years of science background. It contains a glossary of specialized terms which will enable students who are traditionally trained in geology, astronomy, and chemistry to understand the ecological topics presented. It places biogeochemical cycles witin a planetary perspective, and ties satellite technology, and applications to the earth sciences. As such, it can be the basis for new courses in planetary ecology, as well as being useful for present day ecology courses and seminars in environmental science.

  • Chemical Modeling for Air Resources

    Fundamentals, Applications, and Corroborative Analysis
    • 1st Edition
    • Jinyou Liang
    • English
    Chemical Modeling for Air Resources describes fundamental topics in chemical modeling and its scientific and regulatory applications in air pollution problems, such as ozone hole, acid rain, climate change, particulate matter, and other air toxins. A number of corroborative analysis methods are described to help extract information from model data. With many examples, Chemical Modeling for Air Resources may serve as a textbook for graduate students and reference for professionals in fields of atmospheric science, environmental science and engineering.

  • Evaluating Environmental and Social Impact Assessment in Developing Countries

    • 1st Edition
    • Salim Momtaz + 1 more
    • English
    Evaluating Environmental and Social Impact Assessment in Developing Countries is a valuable reference book for practitioners and researchers conducting research in and developing studies on environmental science and management and environmental and social impact assessment. The book’s authors have developed and tested a new framework to evaluate environmental impact assessment (EIA) systems that may be adopted by most developing countries with EIA experience. Application of this framework will help determine if the EIA is achieving its intended goal of sustainable development in these countries. It also explains the reasons behind the strengths and weaknesses from which the development practitioners and international development partners can take lessons. This book will help the reader answer such questions as "What are the best forms of public participation?" and "How do we measure contributions to EIA procedure?" since it is based on direct experiences from a developing country that is struggling with many of these issues. Evaluating Environmental and Social Impact Assessment in Developing Countries provides further understanding of appropriate tools to evaluate environmental and social impacts of development initiatives especially in developing countries.

Related subjects