Martin Beniston - Böcker

Mountain environments are often perceived to be austere, isolated, and inhospitable. In fact, these areas are of immense value to mankind, providing direct life support to close to 10 percent of the world's population and sustaining a wide variety of species - many of which are endemic to this environment.'Environmental Change in Mountains and Uplands' provides detailed account of the fragile and marginal physical and socio-economic systems which make up the world's mountain regions. Discussing the direct and indirect impacts of human interference on environmental ecosystems, it then turns to the social and economic consequences of such environmental change - both upon the mountain environment itself and upon the populations who depend on mountain resources for their economic sustenance.This book includes a review of possible implications for adaption and mitigation strategies in a global context. Working within a broad temporal scale, it draws upon paleoenvironmental records to document past changes which have occured in the absence of major anthropogenic influences, as well as utilising modelling as a means to assessing future environmental change.

Home to large numbers of people, sources of water, centres of tourism, and sensitive ecological zones, mountain environments share distinctive climactic characteristics. Once regarded as economically non-viable regions, mountains now attract major investment as sites of tourism, hydro-power and communication routes. This book brings together some of the current work on the physical and human ecology of mountain environments, the impacts of climate change, the processes involved and their observation and prediction.

This volume provides an in-depth view of past, present and potential future climatic change in mountain regions, and in particular on the mechanisms which are responsible for this change. Other books which focus on environmental change in mountains have tended to focus more generally on the impacts of this change on mountain systems, rather than on the regional features of climatic change itself. This text enters into a high level of detail concerning results of international investigations which involve specialists from numerous climate-related disciplines. The book can be used in an academic and research context, for advanced graduate and doctoral students, as well as researchers working in various domains of relevance to climatic change issues. The book also has relevance in the context of future activities of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in terms of providing up-to-date knowledge of fundamental mechanisms and consequences of climatic change in mountain regions.

This volume contains a selection of scientific papers which were presented at an international workshop held in Wengen, Switzerland, in September 1998. A number of state-of-the-art papers are presented, which discuss scientific, technological and socio-economic issues related to large forest fires which occur both in the tropics and in the extra-tropical regions. The book comprises some of the most recent research conducted in the context of the large forest fires which occurred in South-East Asia, Australia, Brazil and Africa in late 1997 and early 1998; while essentially due to human interference, these particular fires appear to have been enhanced by the particularly strong El Nino episode which prevailed at that time. This interdisciplinary volume addresses a number of topics, in particular the contribution to climatic change by the greenhouse gases and aerosols emitted by large forest fires, the monitoring of fires both during and after combustion through satellite remote-sensing techniques, and numerical studies of the perturbation to the climate system using general circulation climate models.

This work covers state-of-the-art research in two domains which are largely complementary, but which have until now not made optimum use of their complementarity: remote sensing techniques and climate models. The material presented in the book covers such diverse areas within satellite remote sensing techniques as aerosol loading of the atmosphere, characterization of the land surface (type and extent of vegetation, reflectivity of snow, land and vegetation), and soil moisture. Such parameters are important determinants of the climate system and its evolution, and are often poorly quantified in climate models; the advantage of remote sensing techniques, which have a global coverage, therefore becomes obvious for the climate modelling community. The book is primarily aimed at advanced academic research, at PhD or post-doctoral levels and beyond.

The scope of this book is to show that protected areas may be the regions where early signs of the impact of global change can be observed. These signs are not limited to physical parameters like temperature and precipitation, but could include changes in the biosphere and in social behaviour. The book is a collection of papers presented at the meeting "Global Change and Protected Areas" held in L'Aquila, Italy, in September 1998. It is divided into four sections dealing with the physical evidence for climatic and environmental changes, the impact on the biosphere and hydrology and the socio-economic implications. The last section is a case study on the Abruzzo Region which has the peculiarity among the Italian regions of having dedicated a third of its territory to natural parks. Most of the contributions have been prepared for this book and each section is opened by a general review that may also be very useful as a teaching tool.

The material presented in this book covers such diverse areas as shifts in precipitation patterns in a changing global climate, the implications for floods or drought, and considerations of managing water resources stressed by poor management practices, overexploitation, and climatic change. The originality of this work is that it brings together under one cover issues that are often otherwise dealt with in a mono-disciplinary manner, either through the physical sciences or through economic or social considerations. In this way, the book has an added value for scientists who wish to broaden their horizons and avenues of research.

Climatic Change is a rapidly evolving domain that has prompted the publication of numerous scientific works in recent years, reflecting both the public and scientific interest in the topic. This book focuses upon climate processes, variability and change and applies the general principles related to these issues, particularly in Switzerland. Although a small country, Switzerland is characterized by complex topography where climatic processes are often enhanced due to the presence of the Alps. In addition, there is a remarkable density of observational data in both the natural and social sciences that enable a comprehensive assessment of climate processes, their long-term trends and their impacts. This book draws upon recent scientific work by the author, as well as by close colleagues working within scientific networks both in Switzerland and Europe, in order to provide the reader with up-to-date information on climate processes in the course of the 20th and 21st centuries. This book is intended for students from the undergraduate level onwards and researchers interested in climate issues specific to the alpine region.

Awareness that many key aspects of public health are strongly influenced by climate is growing dramatically, driven by new research and experience and fears of climate change and the research needed to underpin policy developments in area is growing rapidly. This awareness has yet to translate into a practical use of climate knowledge by health policy-makers. Evidence based policy and practice is the mantra of the health sector. If climate scientists are to contribute effectively to health policy at local and global scales then careful empirical studies must be undertaken – focused on the needs of the public health policy and decision-makers.Results presented at the Wengen conference make clear that the science and art of integrating climate knowledge into the control of climate sensitive diseases on a year to year time frame as well as careful assessments of the potential impacts of climate change on health outcomes over longer time frames is advancing rapidly on many fronts. This includes advances in the empirical understanding of mechanisms, methodologies for modeling future impacts, new partnership developments between the health and climate community along with access to relevant data resources, and education and training. In a rapidly evolving field this book provides a snapshot of these emerging themes.

A selection of scientific papers which were presented at an international workshop on the impacts of climatic variability, held in Wengen, Switzerland, in September 1997. An assessment is made of the interactions between physical and biological elements of the earth system on the basis of shifts in extreme climatic conditions, rather than simply changes in mean atmospheric conditions. Natural ecosystems and forests are typical examples of systems which, while constrained within certain ranges of mean climate, can undergo rapid and often irreversible damage in the face of short-lived but intense extreme events.

This volume is a summary of work undertaken since 1978 when I completed my doctoral dissertation at the Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique (LMO) of the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris. Since that time, my career has taken me through different countries and institutions, many of which have strong links to climate research in one form or another. It would be difficult to thank the numer- ous persons whom I have met in the course of my professional life and who contributed directly (for example as co-authors), or indirectly, to the papers which I have published in various journals. I am particularly indebted to Dr. Gilles Sommeria, who at the time was my thesis supervisor, for his advice during the preparation of my dissertation, and for his enthusiasm which encouraged me to take up a career in scientific research. My thanks also go to Prof. Ernst Augstein, Prof. Hans Hinzpeter, and Prof. Klaus Hasselmann for giving me the opportunity to carry out advanced research at the Max-Planck-Institute for Meteorology, from the early to mid-1980s.

This book provides a unique, in-depth view of past, present and potential future climatic change in mountain regions, and in particular on the mechanisms which are responsible for this change. Other books which focus on environmental change in mountains focus more generally on the impacts of this change on mountain systems, rather than on the regional features of climatic change itself. The book enters into a high level of detail concerning results of international investigations which involve specialists from numerous climate-related disciplines. The book can be used in an academic and research context, for advanced graduate and doctoral students, as well as researchers working in various domains of relevance to climatic change issues. The book also has relevance in the context of future activities of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in terms of providing up-to-date knowledge of fundamental mechanisms and consequences of climatic change in mountain regions.

This volume contains a selection of scientific papers which were presented at an international workshop held in Wengen, Switzerland, in September 1998. A number of state-of-the-art papers are presented, which discuss scientific, technological and socio-economic issues related to large forest fires which occur both in the tropics and in the extra-tropical regions. The book comprises some of the most recent research conducted in the context of the large forest fires which occurred in South-East Asia, Australia, Brazil and Africa in late 1997 and early 1998; while essentially due to human interference, these particular fires appear to have been enhanced by the particularly strong El Nino episode which prevailed at that time. This interdisciplinary volume addresses a number of topics, in particular the contribution to climatic change by the greenhouse gases and aerosols emitted by large forest fires, the monitoring of fires both during and after combustion through satellite remote-sensing techniques, and numerical studies of the perturbation to the climate system using general circulation climate models.

This book for the first time covers state-of-the-art research in two domains which are largely complementary, but which have until now not made optimum use of their complementarity: remote sensing techniques and climate models. The material presented in the book covers such diverse areas within satellite remote sensing techniques as aerosol loading of the atmosphere, characterization of the land surface (type and extent of vegetation, reflectivity of snow, land and vegetation), soil moisture, etc. Such parameters are important determinants of the climate system and its evolution, and are often poorly quantified in climate models; the advantage of remote sensing techniques, which have a global coverage, therefore becomes obvious for the climate modeling community. The book is primarily aimed at advanced academic research, at PhD or post-doctoral levels and beyond.

The scope of this book is to show that protected areas may be the regions where early signs of the impact of global change can be observed. These signs are not limited to physical parameters like temperature, precipitation, etc. but could include changes in the biosphere and in social behavior. The book is a collection of papers presented at the meeting 'Global Change and Protected Areas' held in L'Aquila, Italy, in September 1998. It is divided into four sections dealing with the physical evidence for climatic and environmental changes, the impact on the biosphere and hydrology and the socio-economic implications. The last section is a case study on the Abruzzo Region which has the peculiarity among the Italian regions of having dedicated a third of its territory to natural parks. Most of the contributions have been prepared for this book and each section is opened by a general review that may also be very useful as a teaching tool. The book will be useful for both the researcher and the student. This rather interdisciplinary subject is totally new, with very few books in print.

The material presented in this book covers such diverse areas as shifts in precipitation patterns in a changing global climate, the implications for floods or drought, and considerations of managing water resources stressed by poor management practices, overexploitation, and climatic change. The originality of this work is that it brings together under one cover issues that are often otherwise dealt with in a mono-disciplinary manner, i.e. either through the physical sciences or through economic or social considerations. In this way, the book has an added value for scientists who wish to broaden their horizons and avenues of research. The book is primarily aimed at advanced academic research, from PhD or post-doctoral levels and beyond.

Climatic Change is a rapidly evolving domain that has prompted the publication of numerous scientific works in recent years, reflecting both the public and scientific interest in the topic. This book focuses upon climate processes, variability and change and applies the general principles related to these issues, particularly in Switzerland. Although a small country, Switzerland is characterized by complex topography where climatic processes are often enhanced due to the presence of the Alps. In addition, there is a remarkable density of observational data in both the natural and social sciences that enable a comprehensive assessment of climate processes, their long-term trends and their impacts. This book draws upon recent scientific work by the author, as well as by close colleagues working within scientific networks both in Switzerland and Europe, in order to provide the reader with up-to-date information on climate processes in the course of the 20th and 21st centuries. This book is intended for students from the undergraduate level onwards and researchers interested in climate issues specific to the alpine region.

Awareness that many key aspects of public health are strongly influenced by climate is growing dramatically, driven by new research and experience and fears of climate change and the research needed to underpin policy developments in area is growing rapidly. This awareness has yet to translate into a practical use of climate knowledge by health policy-makers. Evidence based policy and practice is the mantra of the health sector. If climate scientists are to contribute effectively to health policy at local and global scales then careful empirical studies must be undertaken – focused on the needs of the public health policy and decision-makers.Results presented at the Wengen conference make clear that the science and art of integrating climate knowledge into the control of climate sensitive diseases on a year to year time frame as well as careful assessments of the potential impacts of climate change on health outcomes over longer time frames is advancing rapidly on many fronts. This includes advances in the empirical understanding of mechanisms, methodologies for modeling future impacts, new partnership developments between the health and climate community along with access to relevant data resources, and education and training. In a rapidly evolving field this book provides a snapshot of these emerging themes.