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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

  • Arsenic in Soil and Groundwater Environment

    Biogeochemical Interactions, Health Effects and Remediation
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 9
    • Prosun Bhattacharya + 4 more
    • English
    This volume presents the recent developments in the field of arsenic in soil and groundwater. Arranged into nine sections, the text emphasizes the global occurrences of arsenic in the environment, particularly on its source, pathways, behavior, and effects it has on soils, plants, water, animals, and humans. It also covers the diverse issues of arsenic in the mining environment, arsenic emanating from hydrothermal springs, and the geochemical modeling of arsenic adsorption to oxide surfaces. Finally, the text includes different cost effective removal mechanisms of arsenic from drinking water using natural red earth, solar oxidation, and arsenic oxidation by ferrrate.
  • A New Ecology

    Systems Perspective
    • 1st Edition
    • Sven Erik Jørgensen + 8 more
    • English
    A New Ecology presents an ecosystem theory based on the following ecosystem properties: physical openness, ontic openness, directionality, connectivity, a complex dynamic for growth and development, and a complex dynamic response to disturbances. Each of these properties is developed in detail to show that these basic and characteristic properties can be applied to explain a wide spectrum of ecological obsevations and convections. It is also shown that the properties have application for environmental management and for assessment of ecosystem health.
  • Passive Sampling Techniques in Environmental Monitoring

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 48
    • Richard Greenwood + 2 more
    • English
    Monitoring pollutants in air, soil and water is a routine requirement in the workplace, and in the wider environment. Passive samplers can provide a representative picture of levels of pollutants over a period of time from days to months by measuring the average concentrations to which they have been exposed. Air monitors are widely used, for instance to measure the exposure of workers to volatile compounds, but also for monitoring the fate of pollutants in the atmosphere. Passive sampling devices are now becomining increasingly used to monitor pollutants in rivers, coastal waters and ground water where contamination results from sources such as domestic and industrial discharges, and the use of agrochemicals. Passive Sampling Techniques in Environmental Monitoring provides a timely collection of information on a set of techniques that help monitor the quality of air, surface and ground waters. Passive sampling can provide an inexpensive means of obtaining a representative picture of quality over a period of time, even where levels of pollutants fluctuate due to discontinuous discharges or seasonal application of chemicals such as pesticides. Recent changes in legislation have increased the pressure to obtain better information than that provided by classical infrequent spot sampling.Brought together in one source, this book looks at the performance of a range of devices for the passive sampling of metals, and of non-polar and polar organic chemicals in air and in water. The strengths and weaknesses and the range of applicability of the technology are considered.
  • Handbook of Waste Management and Co-Product Recovery in Food Processing

    • 1st Edition
    • Keith W. Waldron
    • English
    The intensification of agriculture and food production in recent years has led to an increase in the production of food co-products and wastes. Their disposal by incineration or landfill is often expensive as well as environmentally sensitive. Methods to valorise unused co-products and improve the management of wastes that cannot be reused, as well as techniques to reduce the quantity of waste produced in the first place, are increasingly important to the food industry. With its distinguished editor and array of international contributors, Waste management and co-product recovery in food processing reviews the latest developments in this area and describes how they can be used to reduce waste.The first section of the book provides a concise introduction to the field with a particular focus on legislation and consumer interests, principle drivers of waste management. Part two addresses the minimisation of biowaste and the optimisation of water and energy use in food processing. The third section covers key technologies for co-product separation and recovery, such as supercritical fluid extraction and membrane filtration, as well as important issues to consider when recovering co-products, such as waste stabilisation and microbiological risk assessment. Part four offers specific examples of waste management and co-product exploitation in particular sectors such as the red meat, poultry, dairy, fish and fruit and vegetable industries. The final part of the book summarises advanced techniques, to dispose of waste products that cannot be reused, and reviews state of the art technologies for wastewater treatment.Waste management and co-product recovery in food processing is a vital reference to all those in the food processing industry concerned with waste minimisation, co-product valorisation and end waste management.
  • Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSAR) for Pesticide Regulatory Purposes

    • 1st Edition
    • Emilio Benfenati
    • English
    Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) for Pesticide Regulatory Purposes stems from the experience of the EC funded project DEMETRA. This project combined institutes involved in the regulatory process of pesticides, industries of the sector and scientists to develop and offer original software for the prediction of ecotoxicity of pesticides. Then to be used within the dossier preparation for pesticide registration. The basis of this book is more than three-years of research activities, discussions, studies and successful models. This experience represents a useful example not only for the case of pesticides, but also for the prediction of ecotoxicity and toxicity in general. QSAR is used to link a given property of a chemical compound with some features related to its structure. The theoretical toxicological, chemical and information technology aspects will be treated considering the regulatory issues. Innovative hybrid systems will be described, for the toxicity prediction of pesticides and related compounds, directly useful for pesticide evaluation within the Dossier preparation for pesticide registration. Five endpoints will also be discussed, addressing issues as standardisation, verification, validation, accessibility, reproducibility.The driving force for Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) for Pesticide Regulatory Purposes is that all the issues of concern for end-users are analysed, discussed and solutions proposed further. An innovative feature is that, in order to offer powerful QSAR models, the book discusses and reports on integrated QSAR models, combined into a unique hybrid system.
  • The Nutritional Biochemistry of Chromium(III)

    • 1st Edition
    • John Vincent
    • English
    Chromium nutritional supplements are the second best selling mineral supplements after calcium as chromium is found in pills, sports drinks, chewing gums, smoothies, and numerous other products. Chromium has been promoted to promote weight loss and muscle development and most recently to be available to treat the symptoms of type 2 diabetes and related conditions. The aim of The Nutritional Biochemistry of Chromium(III) is to examine the four most controversial areas of chromium nutrition and biochemistry: - is chromium an essential element for humans and are chromium nutritional supplements of value? - what biochemical role, if any, does chromium play in the body - can large doses of chromium(III) be used to treat symptoms of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and related medical conditions - is the use of chromium(III) supplements a health concern. Scientific experts, who are recognized leaders in the field, weigh in with their opinions on both sides of these issues in this book.A background review of the field from 1955-1995 by Vincent opens the book and concludes with a summary by Dr. Forrest Nielsen, Center Director of the USDA's Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center concludes the book.
  • Introduction to Environmental Forensics

    • 2nd Edition
    • Brian L. Murphy + 1 more
    • Brian L. Murphy + 1 more
    • English
    Introduction to Environmental Forensics helps readers unravel the complexities of environmental pollution cases. It outlines techniques for identifying the source of a contaminant release, when the release occurred, and the extent of human exposure. Written by leading experts in environmental investigations, the text provides detailed information on chemical "fingerprinting" techniques applicable to ground water, soils, sediments, and air, plus an in-depth look at petroleum hydrocarbons. It gives the environmental scientist, engineer, and legal specialist a complete toolbox for conducting forensic investigations. It demonstrates the range of scientific analyses that are available to answer questions of environmental liability and support a legal argument, and provides several examples and case studies to illustrate how these methods are applied. This is a textbook that would prove useful to a range of disciplines, including environmental scientists involved in water and air pollution, contaminated land and geographical information systems; and archaeologists, hydrochemists and geochemists interested in dating sources of pollution.
  • Plant Disturbance Ecology

    The Process and the Response
    • 1st Edition
    • Edward A. Johnson + 1 more
    • English
    The media coverage of natural disasters (hurricanes, fires, floods, ice storms, etc.) indicates the prevalence of natural disasters in most, if not all, ecosystems. In order for scientists to study, understand, and ultimately predict how these disturbances affect ecosystems, it is necessary for them to know more about the physical processes involved in these disturbances and to learn how to couple these processes to the ecological systems. Essential for all ecologists, forest researchers, and conservation biologists, this book includes chapters on the disturbance processes, how the disturbance causes necrosis or death to individuals, and their effects on population or community processes. In Plant Disturbance Ecology, physical scientists who study disturbances provide an introduction to the physical disturbance processes, while ecologists relate this information to the way the vegetation responds to the disturbances. This reference is also key for all researchers hydrology, geomorphology, and environmental management.
  • UV-visible Spectrophotometry of Water and Wastewater

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 27
    • Olivier Thomas + 1 more
    • English
    UV-Visible Spectrophotometry of Water and Wastewater is the first book dedicated to the use of UV spectrophotometry for water and wastewater quality monitoring. Using practical examples the reader is shown how this technique can be a source of new methods of characterization and measurement. Easy and fast to run, this simple and robust analytical technique must be considered as one of the best ways to obtain a quantitative estimation of specific or aggregate parameters (eg. Nitrate, TOC), and simultaneously qualitative information on the global composition of water and its variation.
  • Radioactivity in the Terrestrial Environment

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 10
    • English
    The Radioactivity in the Environment Series addresses the key aspects of this socially important and complex interdisciplinary subject. Presented objectively and with the ultimate authority gained from the many contributions by the world's leading experts, the negative and positive consequences of having a radioactive world around us is documented and given perspective. In a world in which nuclear science is not only less popular than in the past, but also less extensively taught in universities and colleges, this book series will fill a significant educational gap. Radioactivity in the Terrestrial Environment presents an updated and critical review of designing, siting, constructing and demonstrating the safety and environmental impact of deep repositories for radioactive wastes. It is structured to provide a broad perspective of this multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary topic providing enough detail for a non-specialist to understand the fundamental principles involved.