Series On Environmental Science And Management – serie

Within the realm of the newly evolving discipline of environmental sciences, the stable-isotope methodology is being used to an ever-increasing extent, especially in the study of the water cycle and of paleo-climatology. This book introduces the rules of the game, by reviewing the natural variability of stable isotopes in the hydrosphere, describing the physico-chemical basis of isotope fractionation, and applying this knowledge to natural waters as they move through the hydrologic cycle from the ocean to the atmosphere, the biosphere and the lithosphere. There is a special focus on the processes at the surface-atmosphere and land-biosphere-atmosphere interfaces, since these are the sites of major changes in isotope composition. In response to the increasing awareness of our changing climate, a discussion on the global view of the changing water cycle, in the past and future, winds up the presentation.

The concern over groundwater contamination has focused attention on the processes that influence the fate of chemicals in soil water systems. A major concern of groundwater contamination is the passage of these chemcials through the unsaturated zone and the relatively thin cover layers overlying the aquifers. Pollution due to diffuse sources is probably the most difficult to model. This is because the loads are usually non-homogeneous and they are also governed by spatially and temporally non-homogeneous, but dynamic, processes of chemical and biochemical phenomena.In this book, the estimation techniques and transfer functions of required input data from existing databases in geographic information systems are provided. Spatially variable input data, such as the type of soil, hydrological conditions, intensity of land use and atmospheric deposit of pollutants, are derived from basic land and climate characteristics. A model for the evaluation of land use and water management is also described. In addition, examples of field and regional studies on water management and policy analysis are provided.

This book contains recent inaugural lectures by professors of environmental science and technology at Imperial College in London. They cover a variety of topics, ranging from the Earth's climate to pests and pesticides, illustrating the diverse and interdisciplinary nature of environmental problems.They are written by leading authorities in their disciplines but at a level that makes them accessible to all students of the environment.Sample Chapter(s)

This book offers a comprehensive overview of the models and methods employed in the rapidly advancing field of numerical ocean circulation modeling. For those new to the field, concise reviews of the equations of oceanic motion, sub-grid-scale parameterization, and numerical approximation techniques are presented and four specific numerical models, chosen to span the range of current practice, are described in detail. For more advanced users, a suite of model test problems is developed to illustrate the differences among models, and to serve as a first stage in the quantitative evaluation of future algorithms. The extensive list of references makes this book a valuable text for both graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the marine sciences and in related fields such as meteorology, and climate and coupled biogeochemical modeling.

This comprehensive text provides the reader with both a detailed reference and a unified course on wastewater treatment. Aimed at scientists and engineers, it deals with the environmental and biological aspects of wastewater treatment and sludge disposal.The book starts by examining the nature of wastewaters and how they are oxidized in the natural environment. An introductory chapter deals with wastewater treatment systems and examines how natural principles have been harnessed by man to treat his own waste in specialist reactors. The role of organisms is considered by looking at kinetics, metabolism and the different types of micro-organisms involved. All the major biological process groups are examined in detail, in highly referenced chapters; they include fixed film reactors, activated sludge, stabilization ponds, anaerobic systems and vegetative processes. Sludge treatment and disposal is examined with particular reference to the environmental problems associated with the various disposal routes. A comprehensive chapter on public health looks at the important waterborne organisms associated with disease, as well as removal processes within treatment systems. Biotechnology has had an enormous impact on wastewater treatment at every level, and this is explored in terms of resource reuse, biological conversion processes and environmental protection. Finally, there is a short concluding chapter that looks at the sustainability of waste water treatment. The text is fully illustrated and supported by over 3000 references.Sample Chapter(s)

This comprehensive text provides the reader with both a detailed reference and a unified course on wastewater treatment. Aimed at scientists and engineers, it deals with the environmental and biological aspects of wastewater treatment and sludge disposal.The book starts by examining the nature of wastewaters and how they are oxidized in the natural environment. An introductory chapter deals with wastewater treatment systems and examines how natural principles have been harnessed by man to treat his own waste in specialist reactors. The role of organisms is considered by looking at kinetics, metabolism and the different types of micro-organisms involved. All the major biological process groups are examined in detail, in highly referenced chapters; they include fixed film reactors, activated sludge, stabilization ponds, anaerobic systems and vegetative processes. Sludge treatment and disposal is examined with particular reference to the environmental problems associated with the various disposal routes. A comprehensive chapter on public health looks at the important waterborne organisms associated with disease, as well as removal processes within treatment systems. Biotechnology has had an enormous impact on wastewater treatment at every level, and this is explored in terms of resource reuse, biological conversion processes and environmental protection. Finally, there is a short concluding chapter that looks at the sustainability of waste water treatment. The text is fully illustrated and supported by over 3000 references.