Dynamics of Multiscale Earth Systems

Today, earth and life scientists are increasingly confronted with the puzzling complexity of phenomena enmeshed in a seemingly boundless web of interrelations. To deal with this complexity and to further our ability to analyze and predict system behavior, science is learning to transcend reliance on averages and �permanence� and to consider the fundamental multiple-scale character of phenomena. The contributions collected here detail techniques of multi-scale and fractal analysis that enhance the study of geo-complexity. They represent a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding the geological history of a section of the Lower Rhine River. They have in common the underlying question of how our qualitative modelling of natural phenomena do or do not prove the existence of representative averages.