Download or read book Sediment Response to Large scale Environmental Change written by Richard P. R. Pannell and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Knowledge about sediment yields is important in developing management strategies for fluvial systems. The effect of sediment must be considered in the design of river structures and in determining water quality for biotic systems. Changes in sediment transport regimes are difficult to understand or predict due to the complexity of factors that influence sediment flux in fluvial systems. Relationships about sediment source, sinks and transport have long been studied and many of these relationships have been quantitatively and qualitatively defined. However, due to the scarcity of long-term sediment records it is often difficult to test these relationships. This study examines one of these long-term suspended sediment records for the Mississippi River at East Dubuque, Illinois from 1943 to 1996. Daily suspended sediment concentrations from the United States Army Corps of Engineers station at East Dubuque were analyzed for the spring and summer months (March - August). Sediment concentrations were analyzed in terms of average concentration during different hydrologic events at the large basin scale. These events included the spring snowmelt runoff (low and high magnitude) and different intensity storm runoff (low, moderate and high). Additionally, peak sediment concentrations during storm runoff were also analyzed. The general trend for all of these analyses suggests a significant decrease in sediment concentrations from the 1940s to the 1990s. The strongest trends are found in high magnitude snowmelt runoff and in high and moderate magnitude storm runoff. Peak concentrations in storm runoff have decreased from about 1000 ppm in the l940s to about 200 ppm in the 1990s. Average concentrations have likewise decreased from about 200 ppm in the 1940s to 100 ppm in the 1990s. Changes in land management practices are identified as being the primary environmental factor influencing sediment concentrations.
Download or read book The Impact of Global Change on Erosion and Sediment Transport by Rivers written by Desmond E. Walling and published by UNESCO. This book was released on 2009 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Riverine Ecosystem Management written by Stefan Schmutz and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-05-08 with total page 571 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book surveys the frontier of scientific river research and provides examples to guide management towards a sustainable future of riverine ecosystems. Principal structures and functions of the biogeosphere of rivers are explained; key threats are identified, and effective solutions for restoration and mitigation are provided. Rivers are among the most threatened ecosystems of the world. They increasingly suffer from pollution, water abstraction, river channelisation and damming. Fundamental knowledge of ecosystem structure and function is necessary to understand how human acitivities interfere with natural processes and which interventions are feasible to rectify this. Modern water legislation strives for sustainable water resource management and protection of important habitats and species. However, decision makers would benefit from more profound understanding of ecosystem degradation processes and of innovative methodologies and tools for efficient mitigation and restoration. The book provides best-practice examples of sustainable river management from on-site studies, European-wide analyses and case studies from other parts of the world. This book will be of interest to researchers in the field of aquatic ecology, river system functioning, conservation and restoration, to postgraduate students, to institutions involved in water management, and to water related industries.
Download or read book Advancing the Science of Climate Change written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-01-10 with total page 526 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for-and in many cases is already affecting-a broad range of human and natural systems. The compelling case for these conclusions is provided in Advancing the Science of Climate Change, part of a congressionally requested suite of studies known as America's Climate Choices. While noting that there is always more to learn and that the scientific process is never closed, the book shows that hypotheses about climate change are supported by multiple lines of evidence and have stood firm in the face of serious debate and careful evaluation of alternative explanations. As decision makers respond to these risks, the nation's scientific enterprise can contribute through research that improves understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change and also is useful to decision makers at the local, regional, national, and international levels. The book identifies decisions being made in 12 sectors, ranging from agriculture to transportation, to identify decisions being made in response to climate change. Advancing the Science of Climate Change calls for a single federal entity or program to coordinate a national, multidisciplinary research effort aimed at improving both understanding and responses to climate change. Seven cross-cutting research themes are identified to support this scientific enterprise. In addition, leaders of federal climate research should redouble efforts to deploy a comprehensive climate observing system, improve climate models and other analytical tools, invest in human capital, and improve linkages between research and decisions by forming partnerships with action-oriented programs.
Download or read book Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2013-12-31 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate is changing, forced out of the range of the past million years by levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases not seen in the Earth's atmosphere for a very, very long time. Lacking action by the world's nations, it is clear that the planet will be warmer, sea level will rise, and patterns of rainfall will change. But the future is also partly uncertain-there is considerable uncertainty about how we will arrive at that different climate. Will the changes be gradual, allowing natural systems and societal infrastructure to adjust in a timely fashion? Or will some of the changes be more abrupt, crossing some threshold or "tipping point" to change so fast that the time between when a problem is recognized and when action is required shrinks to the point where orderly adaptation is not possible? Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change is an updated look at the issue of abrupt climate change and its potential impacts. This study differs from previous treatments of abrupt changes by focusing on abrupt climate changes and also abrupt climate impacts that have the potential to severely affect the physical climate system, natural systems, or human systems, often affecting multiple interconnected areas of concern. The primary timescale of concern is years to decades. A key characteristic of these changes is that they can come faster than expected, planned, or budgeted for, forcing more reactive, rather than proactive, modes of behavior. Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change summarizes the state of our knowledge about potential abrupt changes and abrupt climate impacts and categorizes changes that are already occurring, have a high probability of occurrence, or are unlikely to occur. Because of the substantial risks to society and nature posed by abrupt changes, this report recommends the development of an Abrupt Change Early Warning System that would allow for the prediction and possible mitigation of such changes before their societal impacts are severe. Identifying key vulnerabilities can help guide efforts to increase resiliency and avoid large damages from abrupt change in the climate system, or in abrupt impacts of gradual changes in the climate system, and facilitate more informed decisions on the proper balance between mitigation and adaptation. Although there is still much to learn about abrupt climate change and abrupt climate impacts, to willfully ignore the threat of abrupt change could lead to more costs, loss of life, suffering, and environmental degradation. Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change makes the case that the time is here to be serious about the threat of tipping points so as to better anticipate and prepare ourselves for the inevitable surprises.
Download or read book Understanding the Changing Planet written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2010-07-23 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the oceans to continental heartlands, human activities have altered the physical characteristics of Earth's surface. With Earth's population projected to peak at 8 to 12 billion people by 2050 and the additional stress of climate change, it is more important than ever to understand how and where these changes are happening. Innovation in the geographical sciences has the potential to advance knowledge of place-based environmental change, sustainability, and the impacts of a rapidly changing economy and society. Understanding the Changing Planet outlines eleven strategic directions to focus research and leverage new technologies to harness the potential that the geographical sciences offer.
Download or read book Biogeodynamics of Pollutants in Soils and Sediments written by Wim Salomons and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the USA, Western and Central Europe, there are many large-scale polluted sites that are too large to be cleaned up economically with available technologies. The pollution is caused by heavy industries to soils and sediments in waterways and reservoirs. Since these areas are expected to remain polluted for many years, it is necessary to take a long-term view to insure that the capacity to retain the contaminants is not diminished and to understand the potential for large-scale contaminant mobilization at these sites triggered by changing environmental conditions. This book provides information for predicting long-term changes and making risk assessments and describes the approach of geochemical engineering to handling large-scale polluted sites.
Download or read book Surface Temperature Reconstructions for the Last 2 000 Years written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2007-01-05 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In response to a request from Congress, Surface Temperature Reconstructions for the Last 2,000 Years assesses the state of scientific efforts to reconstruct surface temperature records for Earth during approximately the last 2,000 years and the implications of these efforts for our understanding of global climate change. Because widespread, reliable temperature records are available only for the last 150 years, scientists estimate temperatures in the more distant past by analyzing "proxy evidence," which includes tree rings, corals, ocean and lake sediments, cave deposits, ice cores, boreholes, and glaciers. Starting in the late 1990s, scientists began using sophisticated methods to combine proxy evidence from many different locations in an effort to estimate surface temperature changes during the last few hundred to few thousand years. This book is an important resource in helping to understand the intricacies of global climate change.
Download or read book The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate written by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2022-05-19 with total page 1807 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body for assessing the science related to climate change. It provides policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of human-induced climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation. This IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate is the most comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the observed and projected changes to the ocean and cryosphere and their associated impacts and risks, with a focus on resilience, risk management response options, and adaptation measures, considering both their potential and limitations. It brings together knowledge on physical and biogeochemical changes, the interplay with ecosystem changes, and the implications for human communities. It serves policymakers, decision makers, stakeholders, and all interested parties with unbiased, up-to-date, policy-relevant information. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Download or read book Sediment Cascades written by Tim Burt and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2010-01-07 with total page 482 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sediment Cascades: An Integrated Approach provides a comprehensive overview that addresses the transport of sediment through the landscape. Suitable for academic researchers, industry practitioners, research students and advanced level undergraduates, seeking detailed knowledge and an up-to-date review of the recent research literature. The emphasis is on contemporary sediment system dynamics with relevance both to landscape management and landform development. Sediment Cascades: An Integrated Approach begins with an explanation of the need for an integrated approach to sediment delivery systems and introduces the main themes of sediment production, delivery, storage and transfer. Further chapters then focus on specific environments from mountains, through floodplains, to estuaries and the continental shelf. Focuses on contemporary sediment system dynamics and current research Covers a sequence of environments from steep mountains to the continental shelf Highlights the continuity of the subject by linking each component area with its adjacent elements
Download or read book Blue Carbon written by C. Nellemann and published by UNEP/Earthprint. This book was released on 2009 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report explores the potential for mitigating the impacts of climate change by improved management and protection of marine ecosystems and especially the vegetated coastal habitat, or blue carbon sinks. The objective of this report is to highlight the critical role of the oceans and ocean ecosystems in maintaining our climate and in assisting policy makers to mainstream an oceans agenda into national and international climate change initiatives. While emissions' reductions are currently at the centre of the climate change discussions, the critical role of the oceans and ocean ecosystems has been vastly overlooked.
Download or read book River Dynamics written by Bruce L. Rhoads and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-04-29 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rivers are important agents of change that shape the Earth's surface and evolve through time in response to fluctuations in climate and other environmental conditions. They are fundamental in landscape development, and essential for water supply, irrigation, and transportation. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the geomorphological processes that shape rivers and that produce change in the form of rivers. It explores how the dynamics of rivers are being affected by anthropogenic change, including climate change, dam construction, and modification of rivers for flood control and land drainage. It discusses how concern about environmental degradation of rivers has led to the emergence of management strategies to restore and naturalize these systems, and how river management techniques work best when coordinated with the natural dynamics of rivers. This textbook provides an excellent resource for students, researchers, and professionals in fluvial geomorphology, hydrology, river science, and environmental policy.
Download or read book Tracking Environmental Change Using Lake Sediments written by John B.H. Birks and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-04-08 with total page 751 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Numerical and statistical methods have rapidly become part of a palaeolimnologist’s tool-kit. They are used to explore and summarise complex data, reconstruct past environmental variables from fossil assemblages, and test competing hypotheses about the causes of observed changes in lake biota through history. This book brings together a wide array of numerical and statistical techniques currently available for use in palaeolimnology and other branches of palaeoecology. Visit http://extras.springer.com the Springer's Extras website to view data-sets, figures, software, and R scripts used or mentioned in this book.
Download or read book Tracking Environmental Change Using Lake Sediments written by H. John B. Birks and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-04-06 with total page 751 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Numerical and statistical methods have rapidly become part of a palaeolimnologist’s tool-kit. They are used to explore and summarise complex data, reconstruct past environmental variables from fossil assemblages, and test competing hypotheses about the causes of observed changes in lake biota through history. This book brings together a wide array of numerical and statistical techniques currently available for use in palaeolimnology and other branches of palaeoecology. Visit http://extras.springer.com the Springer's Extras website to view data-sets, figures, software, and R scripts used or mentioned in this book.
Download or read book Sediment for Survival written by Scott Dusterhoff and published by . This book was released on 2021-05 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The resilience of San Francisco Bay shore habitats, such as tidal marshes and mudflats, is essential to all who live in the Bay Area. Tidal marshes and tidal flats (also known as mudflats) are key components of the shore habitats, collectively called baylands, which protect billions of dollars of bay-front housing and infrastructure (including neighborhoods, business parks, highways, sewage treatment plants, and landfills). They purify the Bay's water, support endangered wildlife, nurture fisheries, and provide people access to nature within the urban environment. Bay Area residents showed their commitment to restoring these critical habitats when they voted for a property tax to pay for large-scale tidal marsh restoration. However, climate change poses a great threat, because there may not be enough natural sediment supply for tidal marshes and mudflats to gain elevation fast enough to keep pace with sea-level rise. This report analyses current data and climate projections to determine how much natural sediment may be available for tidal marshes and mudflats and how much supplemental sediment may be needed under different future scenarios. These sediment supply and demand estimates are combined with scientific knowledge of natural physical and biological processes to offer a strategy for sediment delivery that will allow these wetlands to survive a changing climate and provide benefits to people and nature for many decades to come. The approach developed in this report may also be useful beyond San Francisco Bay because shoreline protection, flood risk-management, and looming sediment deficits are common issues facing coastal communities around the world.
Download or read book Sediment Dynamics and the Hydromorphology of Fluvial Systems written by John S. Rowan and published by International Assn of Hydrological Sciences. This book was released on 2006 with total page 630 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Climate Change Adaptation Strategies An Upstream downstream Perspective written by Nadine Salzmann and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-10-03 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change and the related adverse impacts are among the greatest challenges facing humankind during the coming decades. Even with a significant reduction of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, it will be inevitable for societies to adapt to new climatic conditions and associated impacts and risks. This book offers insights to first experiences of developing and implementing adaptation measures, with a particular focus on mountain environments and the adjacent downstream areas. It provides a comprehensive ‘state-of-the-art’ of climate change adaptation in these areas through the collection and evaluation of knowledge from several local and regional case studies and by offering new expertise and insights at the global level. As such, the book is an important source for scientists, practitioners and decision makers alike, who are working in the field of climate change adaptation and towards sustainable development in the sense of the Paris Agreement and the Agenda 2030.
