With the rapid growth of new evidence from astronomy, space science and biology that supports the theory of life as a cosmic rather than terrestrial phenomenon, this book discusses a set of crucial data and pictures showing that life is still arriving at our planet. Although it could spark controversy among the most hardened sceptics this book will have an important role in shaping future science in this area.Contents:Foreword by Gensuke Tokoro

An Introduction to Environmental Biotechnology provides an introduction to the subject of environmental biotechnology. Environmental biotechnology refers to the use of micro-organisms and other living systems to solve current environmental problems such as the detoxification of pollutants and clean-up of oil tanker spills. Additionally, it refers to the biotechnology of the agricultural environment, as well as the use of biopesticides and the application of microorganisms to the m...

How does nature work? When one looks closely at the enormously complex web of life, it is impossible not to be caught by the wonder of how all living things – including rocks and crystals – are interconnected. Just as there is thought behind action, so there is energy behind matter. The Fertile Earth, the third volume of the Eco-Technology series which presents the original, passionate and convincing research of Viktor Schauberger in translation for the first time, contains his groundbreak...

Based on more than twenty years of research and lecturing, Jordi Vilà-Guerau de Arellano and his team's textbook provides an excellent introduction to the interactions between the atmosphere and the land for advanced undergraduate and graduate students and a reference text for researchers in atmospheric physics and chemistry, hydrology, and plant physiology. The combination of the book, which provides the essential theoretical concepts, and the associated interactive Chemistry Land-surface...

Man's understanding of how this planet is put together and how it evolved has changed radically during the last 30 years. This great revolution in geology - now usually subsumed under the concept of Plate Tectonics - brought the realization that convection within the Earth is responsible for the origin of today's ocean basins and conti nents, and that the grand features of the Earth's surface are the product of ongoing large-scale horizontal motions. Some of these notions were put forward ...

Forest soils form the foundation that underpins the existence of all forests. This book encapsulates soil ecology and functioning in northern forests, focusing on the effects of human activity and climate change. The authors introduce the fundamental principles necessary for studying forest soils, and explain the functioning and mutual influence of all parts of a forest soil ecosystem. A chapter is dedicated to each of soil acidity and heavy metal pollution, elevated carbon dioxide, nitrog...

This book presents recent lessons learned in the context of research and development for various dryland ecosystems, focusing on water resources management, land and vegetation cover degradation and remediation, and socioeconomic aspects, as well as integrated approaches to ensuring water and land security in view of the current and predicted climate change. As water and land are the essential bases of food production, the management of these natural resources is becoming a cornerstone for...

This book is part of a series of eight providing profession-wide, consensus-based assessment of innovative site remediation and hazardous waste treatment technologies.

In the field of biosensors the previous focus has been almost entirely on medical diagnostics. Here it is discussed in relation to bioremediation. The application of new biosensing techniques to environmental monitoring promises to be a more economical approach to monitoring both soil consortia and levels of pollutants. Significantly, functional biosensors can determine such parameters as`How clean is clean?'This new edition is targeted specifically at graduate students and environm...

Dredged Material and Mine Tailings are two of the same thing once they are deposited on land: they must be safe-guarded, wash-out must be prevented, and they must be protected by a plantcover. This comprehensive treatise covers both important aspects of their management: In Chemistry and Biology of Solid Waste the principles and assessment are scientifically studied and discussed, while Environmental Management of Solid Waste turns to the prac...

This book addresses issues arising from discharge of effluents from sugar industry on to surrounding land or into a water body such as physicochemical properties of soil, changes in the micro flora, quantification of soil enzyme activities as influenced by effluents. Disposal of effluents without neutralization has become general practice. These effluents are chemically heterogeneous, contain organic and inorganic pollutants including, sugar baggage, molasses, carbonates, bicarbonates. The...

Few processes are as important for environmental geochemistry as the interplay between the oxidation and reduction of dissolved and solid species. The knowledge of the redox conditions is most important to predict the geochemical behaviour of a great number of components, the mobilities of which are directly or indirectly controlled by redox processes. The understanding of the chemical mechanisms responsible for the establishment of measurable potentials is the major key for the evaluation...