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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

  • Control and Dynamic Systems

    Advances in Theory and Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 9
    • C. T. Leondes
    • English
    Control and Dynamic Systems: Advances in Theory and Applications, Volume 9 brings together diverse information on important progress in the field of control and systems theory and applications. This volume is comprised of contributions from leading researchers in the field. Topics covered include optimal observer techniques for linear discrete time systems; application of sensitivity constrained optimal control to national economic policy formulation; and modified quasilinearization method for mathematical programming problems and optimal control problems. Dynamic decision theory and techniques and closed loop formulations of optimal control problems for minimum sensitivity are also elaborated. Engineers and scientists in applied physics will find the book interesting.

  • Control and Dynamic Systems

    Advances in Theory and Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 12
    • C. T. Leondes
    • English
    Control and Dynamic Systems: Advances in Theory and Applications reviews progress in the field of control and dynamic systems theory and applications, with emphasis on filtering and stochastic control in dynamic systems. Topics include linear and nonlinear filtering techniques; concepts and methods in stochastic control; and discrete-time optical stochastic observers. The theory of disturbance-accommod... controllers is also presented. Comprised of nine chapters, this volume begins with an overview of filtering and stochastic control in dynamic systems, followed by a discussion on linear and nonlinear filtering techniques. The reader is then introduced to concepts and methods in stochastic control, as well as the innovations process and its applications to sensitivity analysis and system identification. Subsequent chapters focus on the status of observer theory and its major results as applied to discrete-time linear systems; the properties of the class of discrete-time Riccati equations that arise in the filtering problem; and the theory of disturbance-accommod... controllers. The identification of noise characteristics in a Kalman filter and estimation of adaptive minimum variance in discrete-time linear systems round out the book. This monograph will be useful to practicing technologists and research workers interested in filtering and stochastic control in dynamic systems.

  • Advances in Control Systems

    Theory and Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 2
    • C. T. Leondes
    • English
    Advances in Control Systems: Theory and Applications, Volume 2 provides information pertinent to the significant progress in the field of automatic control. This book presents different methods for generating Liapunov functions, which is important in the analysis of nonlinear systems. Organized into five chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the reduction of the important method of Liapunov to a practical working tool for the analysis of complex nonlinear systems. This text then discusses applications of the rather powerful method of dynamic programming to a complex class of problems. Other chapters consider the mathematical theory of optimal control, which is often confronted with the task of solving a system of first-order ordinary differential equations. This book discusses as well the input–output relationship of multivariable linear systems or plants. The final chapter deals with a powerful technique for design by analysis of nonlinear systems. This book is a valuable resource for mathematicians and engineers.

  • Human Physiology in Extreme Environments

    • 1st Edition
    • Hanns-Christian Gunga
    • English
    Human Physiology in Extreme Environments is the one publication that offers how human biology and physiology is affected by extreme environments while highlighting technological innovations that allow us to adapt and regulate environments. Covering a broad range of extreme environments, including high altitude, underwater, tropical climates, and desert and arctic climates as well as space travel, this book will include case studies for practical application. Graduate students, medical students and researchers will find Human Physiology in Extreme Environments an interesting, informative and useful resource for human physiology, environmental physiology and medical studies.

  • Mathematical and Physical Fundamentals of Climate Change

    • 1st Edition
    • Zhihua Zhang + 1 more
    • English
    Mathematical and Physical Fundamentals of Climate Change is the first book to provide an overview of the math and physics necessary for scientists to understand and apply atmospheric and oceanic models to climate research. The book begins with basic mathematics then leads on to specific applications in atmospheric and ocean dynamics, such as fluid dynamics, atmospheric dynamics, oceanic dynamics, and glaciers and sea level rise. Mathematical and Physical Fundamentals of Climate Change provides a solid foundation in math and physics with which to understand global warming, natural climate variations, and climate models. This book informs the future users of climate models and the decision-makers of tomorrow by providing the depth they need. Developed from a course that the authors teach at Beijing Normal University, the material has been extensively class-tested and contains online resources, such as presentation files, lecture notes, solutions to problems and MATLab codes.

  • Hazards, Risks, and Disasters in Society

    • 1st Edition
    • Andrew E. Collins + 4 more
    • English
    Hazards, Risks, and Disasters in Society provides analyses of environmentally related catastrophes within society in historical, political and economic contexts. Personal and corporate culture mediates how people may become more vulnerable or resilient to hazard exposure. Societies that strengthen themselves, or are strengthened, mitigate decline and resultant further exposure to what are largely human induced risks of environmental, social and economic degradation. This book outlines why it is important to explore in more depth the relationships between environmental hazards, risk and disasters in society. It presents challenges presented by mainstream and non-mainstream approaches to the human side of disaster studies. By hazard categories this book includes critical processes and outcomes that significantly disrupt human wellbeing over brief or long time-frames. Whilst hazards, risks and disasters impact society, individuals, groups, institutions and organisations offset the effects by becoming strong, healthy, resilient, caring and creative. Innovations can arise from social organisation in times of crisis. This volume includes much of use to practitioners and policy makers needing to address both prevention and response activities. Notably, as people better engage prevalent hazards and risks they exercise a process that has become known as disaster risk reduction (DRR). In a context of climatic risks this is also indicative of climate change adaptation (CCA). Ultimately it represents the quest for development of sustainable environmental and societal futures. Throughout the book cases studies are derived from the world of hazards risks and disasters in society.

  • Climate Change Biology

    • 2nd Edition
    • Lee Hannah
    • English
    Climate Change Biology, 2e examines the evolving discipline of human-induced climate change and the resulting shifts in the distributions of species and the timing of biological events. The text focuses on understanding the impacts of human-induced climate change by drawing on multiple lines of evidence, including paleoecology, modeling, and current observation. This revised and updated second edition emphasizes impacts of human adaptation to climate change on nature and greater emphasis on natural processes and cycles and specific elements. With four new chapters, an increased emphasis on tools for critical thinking, and a new glossary and acronym appendix, Climate Change Biology, 2e is the ideal overview of this field.

  • Economic Growth and Sustainability

    Systems Thinking for a Complex World
    • 1st Edition
    • Karen L. Higgins
    • English
    How to sustain our world for future generations has perplexed us for centuries. We have reached a crossroads: we may choose the rocky path of responsibility or continue on the paved road of excess that promises hardship for our progeny. Independent efforts to resolve isolated issues are inadequate. Different from these efforts and from other books on the topic, this book uses systems thinking to understand the dominant forces that are shaping our hope for sustainability. It first describes a mental model - the bubble that holds our beliefs - that emerges from preponderant world views and explains current global trends. The model emphasizes economic growth and drives behavior toward short-term and self-motivated outcomes that thwart sustainability. The book then weaves statistical trends into a system diagram and shows how the economic, environmental, and societal contributors of sustainability interact. From this holistic perspective, it finds leverage points where actions can be most effective and combines eight areas of intervention into an integrated plan. By emphasizing both individual and collective actions, it addresses the conundrum of how to blend human nature with sustainability. Finally, it identifies primary three lessons we can learn by applying systems thinking to sustainability. Its metaphor-rich and accessible style makes the complex topic approachable and allows the reader to appreciate the intricate balance required to sustain life on Earth.

  • Geoethics

    Ethical Challenges and Case Studies in Earth Sciences
    • 1st Edition
    • Max Wyss + 1 more
    • English
    Edited by two experts in the area, Geoethics: Ethical Challenges and Case Studies in Earth Sciences addresses a range of topics surrounding the concept of ethics in geoscience, making it an important reference for any Earth scientist with a growing concern for sustainable development and social responsibility. This book will provide the reader with some obvious and some hidden information you need for understanding where experts have not served the public, what more could have been done to reach and serve the public and the ethical issues surrounding the Earth Sciences, from a global perspective.

  • Coastal and Marine Hazards, Risks, and Disasters

    • 1st Edition
    • John F. Shroder + 2 more
    • English
    Sea and Ocean Hazards, Risks and Disasters provides a scientific approach to those hazards and disasters related to the Earth's coasts and oceans. This is the first book to integrate scientific, social, and economic issues related to disasters such as hazard identification, risk analysis, and planning, relevant hazard process mechanics, discussions of preparedness, response, and recovery, and the economics of loss and remediation. Throughout the book cases studies are presented of historically relevant hazards and disasters as well as the many recent catastrophes.

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