ALBERT

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract The Palaeozoic Era ends with the c. 47-million-year-long Permian Period. This was a major juncture in Earth history when the vast Pangean supercontinent continued its assembly and the global biota suffered the most extensive biotic decimation of the Phanerozoic, the end-Permian mass extinction. It was also the time of accumulation of vast mineral and energy deposits, notably of salt and petroleum. The temporal ordering of geological and biotic events during Permian time is, therefore, critical to the interpretation of some unique and pivotal events in Earth history. This temporal ordering is based mostly on the Permian timescale, which has been developed and refined for nearly two centuries. This book reviews the history of the development of the Permian chronostratigraphic scale. It also includes comprehensive analyses of Permian radioisotopic ages, magnetostratigraphy, isotope-based correlations, and timescale-relevant marine and non-marine biostratigraphy and biochronology.

Description / Table of Contents: The improvement of measurement and particularly surveying technologies results in a large as well as rapidly increasing amount of spatial data. These data stem from various measurement techniques as well as platforms and, therefore, may compile quite different densities, qualities, and error characteristics. Effective tools are required to understand and interpret them. The challenges include efficient processing, robustness against data flows and uncertainty, rationality of modeling, and the potential of automation and learning. This thesis presents an exploration of the use of statistical models and related techniques in spatial data analysis. The foundation of the methodology employed in the scope of this thesis consists of Bayesian statistics and Markov models. Selected approaches conceived by the author, including 3D building reconstruction, semantic building classification, pattern recognition in trajectories, and segmentation of RGBD data, demonstrate their potential in spatial data modeling and interpretation.

Description / Table of Contents: This work presents up-to-date research achievements from a region that displays unique interactions between climate, the environment and human evolution. Focusing on southeast Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel, it brings together over 80 contributions from leading researchers to review 2.5 million years of environmental change and human cultural evolution. Information from prehistoric sites and palaeoanthropological studies contributing to our understanding of 'out of Africa' migrations, Neanderthals, cultures of modern humans, and the origins of agriculture are assessed within the context of glacial-interglacial cycles, marine isotope cycles, plate tectonics, geochronology, geomorphology, palaeoecology and genetics. Complemented by overview summaries that draw together the findings of each chapter, the resulting coverage is wide-ranging and cohesive. The cross-disciplinary nature of the volume makes it an invaluable resource for academics and advanced students of Quaternary science and human prehistory, as well as being an important reference for archaeologists working in the region

Description / Table of Contents: Using full-colour palaeogeographical maps from the Cambrian to the present, this interdisciplinary volume explains how plate motions and surface volcanism are linked to processes in the Earth's mantle, and to climate change and the evolution of the Earth's biota. These new and very detailed maps provide a complete and integrated Phanerozoic story of palaeogeography. They illustrate the development of all the major mountain-building orogenies. Old lands, seas, ice caps, volcanic regions, reefs, and coal beds are highlighted on the maps, as well as faunal and floral provinces. Many other original diagrams show sections from the Earth's core, through the mantle, and up to the lithosphere, and how Large Igneous Provinces are generated, helping to understand how plates have appeared, moved, and vanished through time. Supplementary resources are available online, making this an invaluable reference for researchers, graduate students, professional geoscientists and anyone interested in the geological history of the Earth.

Description / Table of Contents: Front Cover -- ADDRESSES/INSTITUTIONS -- A Concise Geologic Time Scale -- A Concise Geologic Time Scale -- Copyright -- CONTENTS -- 1 - Introduction -- Geologic time scale and this book -- International divisions of geologic time and their global boundaries (GSSPs) -- Biologic, chemical, sea-level, geomagnetic, and other events or zones -- Assigned numerical ages -- Time Scale Creator database and chart-making package -- Geologic Time Scale 2020 -- Selected publications and websites -- 2 - PLANETARY TIME SCALE -- Introduction -- The Moon -- Mars -- Mercury -- Venus

Description / Table of Contents: Other solar system bodies -- Selected publications and websites -- 3 - Precambrian -- Status of international subdivisions -- Summary of Precambrian trends and events, and a potential revised time scale -- Hadean -- Archean -- Proterozoic -- Acknowledgments -- Selected publications and websites -- 4 - Cryogenian and Ediacaran -- Basal definitions and status of international subdivisions -- Cryogenian -- Selected main stratigraphic scales and events -- (1) Stable-isotope stratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and selected events -- (2) Biostratigraphy and major trends -- Numerical age model

Description / Table of Contents: GTS2012 age model and potential future enhancements -- Revised ages compared to GTS2012 -- Acknowledgments -- Selected publications and websites -- 5 - CAMBRIAN -- Basal definition and status of international subdivisions -- Terreneuvian series -- Series 2 -- Series 3 -- Furongian series -- Selected main stratigraphic scales and events -- (1) Biostratigraphy and major trends -- (2) Stable-isotope stratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and selected events -- Numerical age model -- GTS2012 age model and potential future enhancements -- Revised ages compared to GTS2012

Description / Table of Contents: Estimated uncertainties on assigned ages on stage boundaries -- Acknowledgments -- Selected publications and websites -- 6 - ORDOVICIAN -- Basal definition and international subdivisions -- Selected main stratigraphic scales and events -- (1) Biostratigraphy and major trends -- (2) Stable-isotope stratigraphy and selected events -- Numerical age model -- GTS2012 age model and potential future enhancements -- Estimated uncertainties on assigned ages on stage boundaries -- Acknowledgments -- Selected publications and websites -- 7 - SILURIAN -- Basal definition and international subdivisions

Description / Table of Contents: Selected main stratigraphic scales and events -- (1) Biostratigraphy (marine -- terrestrial) -- (2) Stable-isotope stratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and selected events -- Numerical age model -- GTS2012 age model and potential future enhancements -- Estimated uncertainties on assigned ages on stage boundaries -- Acknowledgments -- Selected publications and websites -- 8 - DEVONIAN -- Basal definition and international subdivisions -- Selected main stratigraphic scales and events -- Biostratigraphy (marine -- terrestrial) -- Magnetostratigraphy -- Stable-isotope stratigraphy and selected events

Description / Table of Contents: Numerical age model

Description / Table of Contents: Preface -- Contents -- Contributors -- Part I: Limnology, History and Comparative Legends -- 1: Pavin, the Birthplace of French Limnology (1770-2012), and Its Degassing Controversy (1986-2016) -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.2 Analysis of Pavin Actors, History and Perception Through an Interdisciplinary and Intercomparative Approach -- 1.3 Pavin, a Typical Maar-Lake Above any Contamination Source -- 1.3.1 Pavin General Features -- 1.3.2 Pavin Compared to Other Lakes of the Cézallier Lake District -- 1.3.3 Pavin Compared to Other European Maar-Lakes -- 1.3.3.1 Eifel Lakes

Description / Table of Contents: 1.3.3.2 Italian Lakes -- 1.4 Pavin Scientific Exploration (1770-1985) -- 1.4.1 Chevalier's Expedition (1770) -- 1.4.2 Lecoq, the Great Auvergne Naturalist, Normalizes Pavin… with Fishes (1847-1871) -- 1.4.3 The First Golden Age of Science at Pavin: Berthoule, Delebecque, Martel, Bruyant (1880-1914) -- 1.4.3.1 Clermont Botanists and Zoologists Establish the Limnological Station at Besse -- 1.4.3.2 André Delebecque at Pavin (1892) -- 1.4.3.3 Edouard-Alfred Martel at Creux de Soucy (1892) -- 1.4.4 Pavin Meromixis Discovery by Olivier and Pelletier (1950-1960s)

Description / Table of Contents: 1.5 Pavin Acquires a Status of International Field Laboratory (1965-2000) -- 1.5.1 International Projects Select Pavin as a Pristine Lake (1965-1975) -- 1.5.2 Pavin, a Laboratory for Innovative Lake Research (1965-1986) -- 1.6 Maar Lakes Degassing Evidence in Cameroun and Italy -- 1.6.1 Nyos (21 August 1986) and Monoun (15 August 1984) Degassing Events and Their Effects on Populations -- 1.6.2 Ancient Degassing Events in Italian Maar-Lakes, Albano and Monticchio -- 1.6.2.1 The Albano Catastrophic Degassing and Spillover Event in Latium (398 BC)

Description / Table of Contents: 1.6.2.2 Monticchio Lakes (Southern Italy) and Their Pioneer Degassing Studies, 1777-1838 -- 1.7 Sensory Grid of Degassing in Maar-Lakes -- 1.8 Pavin Degassing Controversy (1986-2016) -- 1.9 Conclusions -- References -- 2: Pavin, A Rich but Fragmented History (200 AD-2016) -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Finding Pavin Puzzle Pieces -- 2.3 Pavin's History Highlights -- 2.3.1 Antiquity: A Pompeian Millstone Retrieved from Pavin Waters in 1909 -- 2.3.2 Early Antique and Medieval Worship Near Pavin, on the Vassivière Mountain

Description / Table of Contents: 2.3.3 Lacus pavens Terrifies the Whole Region Throughout the Sixteenth Century -- 2.3.3.1 The Terrible Explosion Witnessed at Vassivière by Besse People (28 August 1551 Pavin Event) -- 2.3.3.2 A Hazardous Abyss, Generating Storm, Thunder and Hail, Presented to Charles IX (1566) -- 2.3.3.3 Pavin Painted on the First Realistic Landscape Picture in France (1571-1579) -- 2.3.3.4 Pavin Marvelous Response to a Thrown Stone in Belleforest's Cosmographia Universalis (1575) -- 2.3.3.5 Lacus pavens, the Terrifying Lake, Is the Original Pavin Name (Banc 1605)

Description / Table of Contents: 2.3.4 The Admirable and Terrifying Pavens Gets Famous During the Seventeenth Century

Description / Table of Contents: Content: Intro & Welcome. - Introduction. - Campus Map. - Location & Dinner. - Excursions. - Natural and cultural heritage of Potsdam by bike / Bernhard Diekmann. - Quaternary geology and geomorphology by bus / Olaf Juschus. - Scientific programme. - Schedule - Overview. - Programme - Tuesday. - Programme - Thursday. - Programme - Friday. - Poster Session 1. - Sediment cores from innter Upernavik Isfjord: preliminary results / Amalie E. Cordua et al. - A younger dryas glacier readvance/retreat on Greenland's north coast, and notes on the ice sheet's response to YD cooling/warming / Svend Funder et al. - The Fast Full Stokes solver - an accurate, efficient and flexible tool for palaeo-ice sheet simulations / Josefin Ahlkrona et al. - Model of the late glacial Svalbard Ice Sheet using a coupled approximation of the full Stokes method / Evan James Gowan et al. - Numerically modelling the growth and collapse of the Barents Sea ice sheet / Henry Patton et al. - Late Weichselian and deglacial ice sheet configurations and dynamics inferred from submarine landforms and sediment cores in north-eastern Svalbard / Anne Elina Flink et al. - Ice stream dynamics and its implications on the sedimentary processes on the continental shelf edge and slope north of Nordaustlandes, Svalbard / Oscar Jacob Fransner. - Geomorphological reconstruction of the dynamics of a SW Greenland tidewater glacier through the Holocene / James Lea. - Modeling the response of two neighbouring Svalbard ice streams to similar climate forcing / James Lea et al. - Tentative age model of marine glacial landforms and related glaciations on the East Siberian and Chukchi margins / Frank Niessen et al. - Glacimarine sediment facies and morphology of the Disko Bugt trough Mouth fan, West Greenland / Colm O'Cofaigh et al. - A new quaternary sediment sequence from the eastern Mendeleev Ridge: preliminary stratigraphic subdivision based on IRD and microfossil records / Ekaterina Taldenkova et al. - A number of several warmer spells noted on eastern Svalbard during Younger Dryas - a bidecadal resolution of paleoceanographic record of Atlantic Water variability / Magdalena Lacka et al. - Quantitative micropalaeontological and sedimentary facies analysis of surface samples from the Lomonosov Ridge / Mike Marcell Zwick et al. - Specificities of sea surface evolution across the last two interglacial cycles in the southwestern Nordic Seas - a comparison / Anastasia Zhuravleva et al. - Early Holocene Atlantic Water advection and ice coverage in the Arctic Gateway / Robert F. Spielhagen et al. - Mid to late Holocene palaeoceanographic evolution of the East Greenland Current based on foraminiferal assemblage data / Kerstin Perner et al. - Past environmental variability in the eastern Fram Strait from the early deglaciation to the early Holocene reconstructed from benthic microfossils and IRD records / Yaroslav Ovsepyan. - Present and past flow regime on contourite drifts west of Spitsbergen: preliminary results from Eurofleet 2 PREPARED cruise (June 2014) / Renata G. Lucchi. - Late Quaternary central Arctic Ocean sea-ice variability: First results from biomarker studies of RV Polarstern Cruise PS87 sediment cores / Anne Kremer et al. - Mid to Late Holocene evolution of sea ice distribution and primary production on the East Greenland Shelf and the NW Fram Strait / Henriette Kolling et al. - The western Laptev Sea: High-resolution sea ice distribution and river run-off variability from post-glacial to present / Tanja Hörner et al. - Holocene modulations in the Earth's largest ice and freshwater pathway - the East Greenland Current / Christian Valdemar Dylmer et al. - Late Quaternary sediment supply variability at the Mendeleev Ridge (Arctic Ocean): Insights from grain-size distribution and ice-rafted debris composition / Evgenia Bazhenova et al. - First insights into pre-glacial Pleistocene environments in the Arctic Ocean / Leonid Polyak et al. - Poster Session 2. - Analysis of radiocarbon dates collected from the Holocene raised beach sequences on Svalbard and Franz Josef Land / Michail Anisimov et al. -Reconstruction of postglacial environmental changes at the eastern Laptev Sea continental margin / Nataliya Chistyakova et al. -Late Holocene environmental ice core record from Akademii Nauk ice cap (Severnaya Zemlya) / Diedrich Fritzsche et al. -K Fjord-head delta progradation and permafrost aggradation interpreted from a 60 m frozen sediment core, Adventdalen, Svalbard / Graham Lewis Gilbert et al. -Geochronologic challenges related to spatial and temporal discontinuities of sediments in permafrost environments: the case of Bol'shoy Lyakhovsky, Siberian Arctic / Margret Christine Fuchs et al. -Late Pleistocene and Holocene ice-rich permafrost in the Colville River valley, northern Alaska / Guido Grosse et al. -Biomarker records from the eastern continental margin off Kamchatka Peninsula and Eastern Siberia on deglacial variations in sea surface temperature, air temperature, provenance and terrestrial residence times of terrigenous organic matter in Beringia / Vera Meyer et al. -Validity of the MIS 2 glacial border in the NW Canadian Arctic based on comparing the on- and off-shore clay mineral composition / Georg Schwamborn et al. -Summer and winter proxy data from Ice Complex features in East Siberia dating back to 200 kyr / Sebastian Wetterich et al. -Thermokarst lake history and stable tundra vegetation since the 18th century in a Low Arctic setting, Yukon Territory, Canada / Juliane Wolter et al. -International Permafrost Association / Karina Schollaen et al. -Paleogeographical investigations along the Yukon Coast / Hugues Lantuit et al. - Abstracts & Adresses. - Abstracts. - The fast full stokes solver - an accurate, efficient and flexible tool for palaeo-ice sheet simulations / J. Ahlkrona et al. - Lagoons, beaches and sea-level change on NW Svalbard / H. Alexanderson et al. - Analysis of radiocarbon dates collected from the Holocene raised beach sequences on Svalbard and Franz Josef Land / M. Anisimov et al. - Late Quaternary glaciation of arctic and subarctic Urals / V. Astakhov. - Spatial shifts in North Eurasian ice sheet extent since the Middle Pleistocene / H. A. Bauch et al. - Late Quaternary sediment supply variability at the Mendeleev Ridge (Arctic Ocean): Insights from grain-size distribution and ice-rafted debris composition / E. Bazhenova et al. - Environmental variability in northeastern Siberia inferred from lake sediment records / B. K. Biskaborn et al. - The influence of subglacial hydrology on glacial dynamics during deglaciation of the central Barents Sea / L. R. Bjarnadottir et al. - Reconstruction of postglacial environmental changes at the eastern Laptev Sea continental margin / N. Chistyakova et al. - Sediment cores from inner Upernaviklsfjord: preliminary results / A. E. Cordua et al. - Arctic productivity and orbital climate cycles / T. M. Cronin et al. - Variability of the northward flux of North Atlantic waters though Fram Strait during the Holocene / A. de Vernal et al. - Applications of cavity ring-down spectroscopy to paleoclimate, including high-precision analysis of the triple oxygen isotopes in water and water vapor / K. J. Dennis et al. - Holocene modulations in the earth's largest ice and freshwater pathway - the East Greenland Current / C. Dylmer et al. - Late Weichselian and deglacial ice sheet configurations and dynamics inferred from submarine landforms and sediment cores in north-eastern Svalbard / A. E. Flink et al. - Ice stream dynamics and its implications on the sedimentary processes on the continental shelf edge and slope north of Nordaustlandes, Svalbard / O. Fransner et al. - Ice wedge polygon development on different temporal and spatial scales in the northern Yukon, Canada / M. Fritz et al. - Late Holocene environmental ice core record from Akademii Nauk ice cap (Severnaya Zemlya) / D. Fritzsche et al. - Geochronologic challenges related to spatial and temporal discontinuities of sediments in permafrost environments: the case of Bol'shoy Lyakhosky, Siberian Arctic / M. C. Fuchs et al. - A younger dryas glacier readvance/retreat on Greenland's north coast, and notes on the ice sheet's response to YD cooling/warming / S. Funder et al. - Fjord-head delta progradation and permafrost aggradation interpreted from a 60 m frozen sediment core, Adventdalen, Svalbard / G. L. Gilbert et al. - Model of the late glacial Svalbard Ice Sheet using a coupled approximation of the full Stokes method / E. J. Gowan et al. - Late Pleistocene and Holocene ice-rich permafrost in the Colville River valley, northern Alaska / G. Grosse et al. - The Batagay mega thaw slump, Yana Uplands, Yakutia, Russia: permafrost thaw dynamics on decadal time scale / F. Günther et al. - The western Laptev Sea: High-resolution sea ice distribution and river run-off variability from post-glacial to present / T. Hörner et al. - Deglaciation of the last Scandinavian-Barents ice sheet and variations in the Atlantic water inflow into the Barents Sea / E. Ivanova et al. - Onland deglaciation and provenance changes in SW Barents Sea sediments over the Late Glacial-Holocene / E. Kaparulina et al. - Climate controlled variability of an Arctic sea ice fabric / J. Knies et al. - Mid to Late Holocene evolution of sea ice distribution and primary production on the East Greenland Shelf and the NW Fram Strait / H. Kolling et al. - Late Quaternary central Arctic Ocean sea-ice variability: first results from biomarker studies of RV Polarstern Cruise PS87 sediment cores / A. Kremer et al. - Pleistocene-Holocene terrestrial palaeoenvironmental changes at the New Siberian Islands and adjacent areas (Arctic Siberia) / T. V. Kuznetsova et al. - A number of several warmer spells noted on eastern Svalbard during Younger Dryas - a bidecadal resolution of paleoceanographic record of Atlantic Water variability / M. Lacka et al. - Paleogeographical investigations along the Yukon Coast / H. Lantuit et al. - Modelling the response of two neighbouring Svalbard ice streams to similar climate forcing / J. M. Lea et al. - Geomorphological reconstruction of the dynamics of a SW Greenland tidewater glacier through the Holocene / J. M. Lea. - Past landscape and permafrost dynamics in Arctic Alaska based on sedimentary records / J. Lenz et al. - Present and past flow regime on contourite drifts west of Spitzbergen: preliminary results from Eurofleet 2 PREPARED cruise (June 2014) / R. G. Lucchi et al. - Evidence of the deep marine record of the MWP-1a on the NW-Barents Sea continental margin: Support from palaeomagnetic data / R. G. Lucchi. - Ice stream dynamics during deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet / M. Margold et al. - Biomarker records from the eastern continental margin off Kamchatka Peninsula and Eastern Siberia on deglacial variations in sea surface temperature, aire temperature, provenance and terrestrial residence times of terrigenous organic matter in Beringia / V. D. Meyer et al. - Permafrost history and environmental change at the margin of Beringia and the Laurentide Ice Sheet, Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands, western Arctic Canada / J. Murton. - Postglacial environments of Nettilling Lake basin (Baffin Island, Canada) inferred by the geochemical and biological proxies / B. Narancic et al. - Tentative age model of marine glacial landforms and related glaciations on the East Siberian and Chukchi margins / F. Niessen et al. - Deglaciation of the Svalbard-Barents Sea ice sheet in the northern Barents Sea, East of Svalbard / R. Noormets et al. - The appearance of pollen on the archipelago Franz-Josef Land of the Arctic Ocean / E. Nosevich et al. - Glacimarine sediment facies and morphology of the Disko Bugt trough Mouth Fan, West Greenland / C. O'Cofaigh et al. - Ice-wedge record of Arctic winter temperatures over the past two millennia - long-term and recent warming in the Siberian Laptev Sea region / T. Opel et al. - Past environmental variability in the eastern Fram Strait from the early deglaciation to the early Holocene reconstructed from benthic microfossils and IRD records / Ya. Ovsepyan et al. - Numerically modelling the growth and collapse of the Barents Sea ice sheet / H. Patton et al. - Mid to late Holocene palaeoceanographic evolution of the East Greenland current based on foraminiferal assemblage data / K. Perner et al. - First insights into pre-glacial Pleistocene environments in the Arctic Ocean / L. Polyak et al. - Future priorities for Arctic Research / V. Rachold. - Early thinning and recession of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet in southernmost Norway - new chronological constraints from cosmogenic 10Be-dates / A. Romundset et al. - The International Permafrost Association: current initiatives for cryospheric research / K. Schollaen et al. - Validity of the MIS 2 glacial border in the NW Canadian Arctic based on comparing the on- and offshore clay mineral composition / G. Schwamborn et al. - Variability of late Holocene ocean and atmosphere circulation in the Labrador Sea and North Atlantic region - or why that which does not fit, fits extra well! / M.-S. Seidenkrantz et al. - Early Holocene atlantic water advection and ice coverage in the Arctic Gateway / R. F. Spielhagen et al.

Description / Table of Contents: The geomorphological and sedimentary record of the Holocene evolution of Jakobshavn Ibrae in Disko Bay, West Greenland / K. Streuff et al. - Catastrophic events shaping Arctic coasts - impact of tsunamis and ice-berg roll waves on coastal evolution in Greenland / M. C. Strzelecki et al. - A new Quaternary sediment sequence from the eastern Mendeleev Ridge: preliminary stratigraphic subdivision based on IRD and microfossil records / E. Taldenkova et al. - Timing and frequency of glacigenic debris flows on the Bear Island Fan - implications for the growth and decay of the Barents ice sheet / E. Pope et al. - The last northern hemispheric deglaciation: missing ice, data / model challenges, and opportunities / T. Tarasov. - Development of northern Nordic Seas deep convection during the Holocene - implications from surface and bottom water foraminiferal [Delta]13C records / M. M. Telesinski et al. - Summer and winter proxy data from ice complex features in East Siberia dating back to 200 kyr / S. Wetterich et al. - Thermokarst lake history and stable tundra vegetation since the 18th century in a low Arctic setting, Yukon territory, Canada / J. Wolter et al. - Specificites of sea surface evolution across the last two interglacial cycles in the southwestern Nordic Seas - a comparison / A. Zhuravleva et al. - Quantitative micropalaeontological and sedimentary facies analysis of surface samples from the Lomonosov Ridge / M. Zwick et al. - Index of authors. - List of participants.

Description / Table of Contents: PAST Gateways (Past Spatial and Temporal Gateways) is an IASC-endorsed network, with the scientific goal to understand and reconstruct Arctic environmental changes during the period preceding instrumental records and across decadal to millennial timescales. The focus of the six-year programme is on the nature and significance of Arctic spatial and temporal gateways, with an emphasis on the transistions between major Late Cenozoic climate events such as interglacial to full glacial and full glacial to deglacial states, as well as more recent Holocene fluctuations.

Description / Table of Contents: Humankind has pervasively influenced the Earth's atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere and cryosphere, arguably to the point of fashioning a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene. To constrain the Anthropocene as a potential formal unit within the Geological Time Scale, a spectrum of indicators of anthropogenically-induced environmental change is considered, and shown as stratigraphical signals that may be used to characterize an Anthropocene unit, and to recognize its base. This volume describes a range of evidence that may help to define this potential new time unit and details key signatures that could be used in its definition. These signatures include lithostratigraphical (novel deposits, minerals and mineral magnetism), biostratigraphical (macro- and micro-palaeontological successions and human-induced trace fossils) and chemostratigraphical (organic, inorganic and radiogenic signatures in deposits, speleothems and ice and volcanic eruptions). We include, finally, the suggestion that humans have created a further sphere, the technosphere, that drives global change.

Description / Table of Contents: Für die Beantwortung verschiedener Fragestellungen im Siedlungsraum werden kleinräumige Informationen zur Siedlungsstruktur (funktional, morphologisch und sozio-ökonomisch) benötigt. Der Gebäudebestand spielt eine besondere Rolle, da dieser die physische Struktur prägt und sich durch dessen Nutzung Verteilungsmuster von Wohnungen, Arbeitsstätten und Infrastrukturen ergeben. In amtlichen Geodaten, Karten und Diensten des Liegenschaftskatasters und der Landesvermessung sind die Gebäude in ihrem Grundriss modelliert. Diese besitzen allerdings nur selten explizite semantische Informationen zum Gebäudetyp. Es stellt sich die Frage, ob und wie genau eine automatische Erkennung von Gebäudetypen unter Nutzung von Methoden der Geoinformatik, der Mustererkennung und des maschinellen Lernens möglich ist.In diesem Buch werden methodische Bausteine zur automatischen Klassifizierung von Gebäudegrundrissen vorgestellt. Im Kern werden Fragen beantwortet zu den Datenanforderungen, der Gebäudetypologie, der Merkmalsgewinnung sowie zu geeigneten Klassifikationsverfahren und den Klassifikationsgenauigkeiten, die abhängig von Eingangsdaten, Siedlungstyp und Trainingsdatenmenge erzielt werden können. Der Random-Forest-Algorithmus zeigte die höchste Flexibilität, Generalisierungsfähigkeit und Effizienz und wurde als bestes Klassifikationsverfahren identifiziert.Die Arbeit leistet einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Gewinnung kleinräumiger Informationen zur Siedlungsstruktur. Die entwickelte Methodik ermöglicht ein breites Anwendungsspektrum in der Wissenschaft, Planung, Politik und Wirtschaft (u. a. Stadt- und Regionalplanung, Infrastrukturplanung, Risikomanagement, Energiebedarfsplanung oder dem Geomarketing).

Description / Table of Contents: Decoding the complete history of Earth and our solar system requires the placing of the scattered pages of Earth history in a precise chronological order, and the 40Ar/39Ar dating technique is one of the most trusteddating techniques to do that. The 40Ar/39Ar method has been in use for more than 40 years, and has constantlyevolved since then. The steady improvement of the technique is largely due to a better understandingof the K/Ar system, an appreciation of the subtleties of geological material and a continuous refinement ofthe analytical tools used for isotope extraction and counting. The 40Ar/39Ar method is also one of the mostversatile techniques with countless applications in archaeology, tectonics, structural geology, orogenic processesand provenance studies, ore and petroleum genesis, volcanology, weathering processes and climate,and planetary geology. This volume is the first of its kind and covers methodological developments, modelling,data handling, and direct applications of the 40Ar/39Ar technique.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume presents results of a variety of case studies documenting the Late Palaeozoic climate changes and cyclicity of deposition. The collected papers cover many aspects related to palaeoenvironmental analysis with sedimentological, stratigraphic, palaeobiological, geochemical, and palaeomagnetic studies of the fossil record around the Late Palaeozoic Ice Age and soon after. They span a stratigraphic interval from Carboniferous to Permian-Triassic transition around the world.This book comprising results for a range of disciplines, is a valuable source for not only researchers who are actively working on specific aspects of the Late Palaeozoic and looking for an up-to-date reference on this inhospitable time in the Earth's history. It is also of interest to climate modellers and the wider scientific community with an interest in the latest research on the decline of the Palaeozoic World.

Description / Table of Contents: The volume highlights developments in our understanding of the palaeogeographical, palaeobiological, palaeoclimatic and cryospheric evolution of Antarctica. It focuses on the sedimentary record from the Devonian to the Quaternary Period. It features tectonic evolution and stratigraphy, as well as processes taking place adjacent to, beneath and beyond the ice-sheet margin, including the continental shelf.The contributions in this volume include several invited review papers, as well as original research papers arising from the International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences in Edinburgh, in July 2011. These papers demonstrate a remarkable diversity of Earth science interests in the Antarctic. Following international trends, there is particular emphasis on the Cenozoic Era, reflecting the increasing emphasis on the documentation and understanding of the past record of ice-sheet fluctuations. Furthermore, Antarctic Earth history is providing us with important information about potential future trends, as the impact of global warming is increasingly felt on the continent and its ocean.

Description / Table of Contents: "In this well-illustrated book, Hildebrand expands upon his model for the development of the North American Cordillera detailed in Special paper 457. Starting with an overview of Cordilleran geology he goes on to provide an in depth look at how the Rubian ribbon continent was assembled. He integrates the complex geology of the Cordillera into an actualistic model involving arc magmatism, arc-continent collision, slab failure magmatism, and transcurrent motion in both Rubia and the western North American margin. While much of the focus is on the assembly of the Rubian ribbon continent, Hildebrand explores its interactions with North America during the Sevier and Laramide events and concludes that North America was the lower plate in both"...Provided by publisher

Description / Table of Contents: This book provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in the field of thermal infrared remote sensing. Temperature is one of the most important physical environmental variables monitored by earth observing remote sensing systems. Temperature ranges define the boundaries of habitats on our planet. Thermal hazards endanger our resources and well-being. In this book renowned international experts have contributed chapters on currently available thermal sensors as well as innovative plans for future missions. Further chapters discuss the underlying physics and image processing techniques for analyzing thermal data. Ground-breaking chapters on applications present a wide variety of case studies leading to a deepened understanding of land and sea surface temperature dynamics, urban heat island effects, forest fires, volcanic eruption precursors, underground coal fires, geothermal systems, soil moisture variability, and temperature-based mineral discrimination. Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing: Sensors, Methods, Applications is unique because of the large field it spans, the potentials it reveals, and the detail it provides.

Description / Table of Contents: Volcanoes have played a profound role in shaping our planet, and volcanic activity is a major hazard locally, regionally and globally. Many volcanoes are, however, poorly accessible and sparsely monitored. Consequently, remote sensing is playing an increasingly important role in tracking volcano behaviour, while synoptic remote sensing techniques have begun to make major contributions to volcanological science. Volcanology is driven in part by the operational concerns of volcano monitoring and hazard management, but the goal of volcanological science is to understand the processes that underlie volcanic activity. This volume shows how we may reach a deeper understanding by integrating remote sensing measurements with modelling approaches and, if available, ground-based observations. It includes reviews and papers that report technical advances and document key case studies. They span a range of remote sensing applications to volcanoes, from volcano deformation, thermal anomalies and gas fluxes, to the tracking of eruptive ash and gas plumes. The result is a state-of-the-art overview of the ever-growing importance of remote sensing to volcanology.

Description / Table of Contents: After more than 20 years of use, close-range photogrammetry, now for the most part entirely digital, has become an accepted, powerful and readily available technique for engineers, scientists and others who wish to utilise images to make accurate 3D measurements of complex objects. Here they will find the photogrammetric fundamentals, details of system hardware and software, and broad range of real-world applications in order to achieve this. Following the introduction, the book provides fundamental mathematics covering subjects such as image orientation, digital imaging processing and 3D reconstruction methods, as well as a discussion of imaging technology, including targeting and illumination, and its implementation in hardware and software. It concludes with an overview of photogrammetric solutions for typical applications in engineering, manufacturing, medical science, architecture, archaeology and other fields.

Description / Table of Contents: Hyperspectral narrow-band (or imaging spectroscopy) spectral data are fast emerging as practical solutions in modeling and mapping vegetation. Recent research has demonstrated the advances in and merit of hyperspectral data in a range of applications including quantifying agricultural crops, modeling forest canopy biochemical properties, detecting crop stress and disease, mapping leaf chlorophyll content as it influences crop production, identifying plants affected by contaminants such as arsenic, demonstrating sensitivity to plant nitrogen content, classifying vegetation species and type, characterizing wetlands, and mapping invasive species. The need for significant improvements in quantifying, modeling, and mapping plant chemical, physical, and water properties is more critical than ever before to reduce uncertainties in our understanding of the Earth and to better sustain it. There is also a need for a synthesis of the vast knowledge spread throughout the literature from more than 40 years of research.Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Vegetation integrates this knowledge, guiding readers to harness the capabilities of the most recent advances in applying hyperspectral remote sensing technology to the study of terrestrial vegetation. Taking a practical approach to a complex subject, the book demonstrates the experience, utility, methods and models used in studying vegetation using hyperspectral data. Written by leading experts, including pioneers in the field, each chapter presents specific applications, reviews existing state-of-the-art knowledge, highlights the advances made, and provides guidance for the appropriate use of hyperspectral data in the study of vegetation as well as its numerous applications, such as crop yield modeling, crop and vegetation biophysical and biochemical property characterization, and crop moisture assessment.This comprehensive book brings together the best global expertise on hyperspectral remote sensing of agriculture, crop water use, plant species detection, vegetation classification, biophysical and biochemical modeling, crop productivity and water productivity mapping, and modeling. It provides the pertinent facts, synthesizing findings so that readers can get the correct picture on issues such as the best wavebands for their practical applications, methods of analysis using whole spectra, hyperspectral vegetation indices targeted to study specific biophysical and biochemical quantities, and methods for detecting parameters such as crop moisture variability, chlorophyll content, and stress levels. A collective "knowledge bank," it guides professionals to adopt the best practices for their own work.

Description / Table of Contents: The Indian shield represents a vast repository of the Palaeoproterozoic geological record. Built over the four large amalgamated Archaean nuclei (Dharwar, Bastar, Singhbhum and Aravalli-Bundelkhand) the major and minor Palaeoproterozoic sedimentary basins and supracrustal sequences in India are comparable in scale, and perhaps also in development, to those of North America, Africa, Australia and Brazil. The deformation of these supracrustal sequences, attendant metamorphism and emplacement of plutonic bodies hold important clues to their connection with major orogenies. Research in these areas has led to investigations into global correlation, which in turn has had a direct bearing on refining models of Palaeoproterozoic supercontinent assembly and break-up. This book covers various aspects of regional geology as well as broader issues of the Indian Palaeoproterozoic geology and its global context. It is an outcome of the UNESCO-IGCP 509 Palaeoproterozoic Supercontinents and Global Evolution research project.

Description / Table of Contents: Hyperspectral remote sensing is an emerging, multidisciplinary field with diverse applications that builds on the principles of material spectroscopy, radiative transfer, imaging spectrometry, and hyperspectral data processing. While there are many resources that suitably cover these areas individually and focus on specific aspects of the hyperspectral remote sensing field, this book provides a holistic treatment that captures its multidisciplinary nature.The content is oriented toward the physical principles of hyperspectral remote sensing as opposed to applications of hyperspectral technology. Readers can expect to finish the book armed with the required knowledge to understand the immense literature available in this technology area and apply their knowledge to the understanding of material spectral properties, the design of hyperspectral systems, the analysis of hyperspectral imagery, and the application of the technology to specific problems.

Description / Table of Contents: Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are revolutionizing the world in a way their original developers never envisaged. From being military 'war' tools, GNSS satellites are rapidly becoming 'peace' tools that play a potentially critical role in enabling changing environmental phenomenon that do not permit direct measurements to be remotely observed via their all-weather, highly accurate and continuously updatable positional time series. This is evident, for example, in their use in emerging environmental monitoring methods that are considered in this book. These include: GPS-based radio telemetry, which is enhancing ecological and conservation monitoring by more accurately mapping animal movements, their behaviours, and their impact on the environment; GNSS-meteorology, which is contributing to weather and climate change studies; GNSS-remote sensing, which, for example, allows the rapid monitoring of changes in fresh water resources and cryosphere; Geosensor network techniques, which are earning a crucial role in disaster response management; Epidemiology, for improved efficiency in tracking and studying the spread of infectious diseases and climate change effects on vector-borne diseases; and Economics, to provide data for the econometric modelling of casual impact of policies. In Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA), and Sustainability Assessments (SA), GNSS, together with other spaced-based remote sensing techniques, are emerging, not only as modern tools that connect the developers to the community, but also provide information that support Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) methods, which inform decision making and policy formulations.By bringing the two fields of geodesy (the parent of GNSS technology) and environmental studies (potential users of this technology), this book presents the concepts of GNSS in a simplified way that can, on the one hand, be understood and utilised by environmentalists, while on the other, outlines its potential applications to environmental monitoring and management for those engaged more with its technology, which hopefully will further energise the already innovative research that is being carried out. Lastly, this book is most relevant to all the professionals whose work is related to the environment such as hydrologists, meteorologists, epidemiologists, economist, and engineers, to name just a few.

Description / Table of Contents: The African continent preserves a long geological record that covers almost 75% of Earth's history. The Pan-Africanorogeny (c.600-500 Ma) brought together old continental kernels (West Africa, Congo, Kalahari and Tanzania) to form Gondwana and subsequently the supercontinent Pangaea by the late Palaeozoic. The break-up of Pangaea since the Jurassic and Cretaceous, primarily through opening of the Central Atlantic, Indian, and South Atlantic oceans, in combination with the complicated subduction history to the north, gradually shaped the African continent. This volume contains 18 contributions that discuss the geology of Africa from the Archaean to the present day. It celebrates African geology in two ways: first, it highlights multidisciplinary Earth science research by viewing the formation and evolution of Africa from 18 different angles; second, it celebrates the work of Kevin Burke and Lewis Ashwal and portrays the wide range of interests and research angles that have characterized these two scientists throughout their careers, working in Africa, and studying African geology.

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: High-resolution Paleoclimatology - R. Bradley What is high-resolution paleoclimatology? What are its major achievements? What opportunities and challenges does it now face? What should dendroclimatology's role be in this? Chapter 2: Dendroclimatology in high-resolution Paleoclimatology - M. K. Hughes, H. F. Diaz and Th. W. Swetnam An overview of the development of dendroclimatology and an introduction to the questions posed in this book. Scientific bases of dendroclimatology Chapter 3: How well understood are the processes that create tree-ring records? - G. Vaganov Starting at the most basic level of the environmental control of tree-ring formation, do we have the necessary biological and ecophysiological understanding of this to support inferences about climate variability from tree rings? What are the weak points of this understanding and how might they be strengthened? Chapter 4: The state of the art of quantitative methods in dendroclimatology - E. Cook How sound are the quantitative techniques commonly used in dendroclimatology, in chronology building, identification and reconstruction of climate variables and the checking of these reconstructions? Are they appropriate to the material being analyzed and to the climatological problems being addressed? How might they be improved? Chapter 5: Detecting low-frequency change using tree rings - K. Briffa What limits the ability of tree-ring records to faithfully record climate variability at low frequencies (multi-centennial to millennial)? How might those limitations be overcome, if at all? What are the advantages and limitations of older and more novel approaches? What are the implications of these limitations? Reconstruction of climate patterns and values relative to today's climate Chapter 6: Dendroclimatology at regional and continental scales - R. Villalba What have been the major contributions of dendroclimatology to climatology so far? In what regions and for which climate problems is exciting progress now being made? What next? Chapter 7: Dendroclimatology at hemispheric and global scales - M. K. Hughes and M. Mann What are the achievements of dendroclimatology as applied at hemispheric and global scales climate patterns, circulation indices and large-scale means? What are the limitations of this approach? How might they be overcome? How might dendroclimatology contribute to the study of central pressing problems such as "How big is climate sensitivity? How has the last century, and especially recent decades, compared with earlier centuries? How faithful a representation of variability in recent centuries does the 20th century instrumental record give? Particular attention will be given to: a) identifying the most robust findings; and b) the most serious limitations. Chapter 8: Dendroclimatology, dendrohydrology and water resources management - C. Woodhouse and D. Meko How may dendroclimatology contribute to the study of water resources? How may it be used to inform modern public and decision-maker expectations of climate variability? Chapter 9: Dendroclimatology and the ecosystem impacts of climate - Th. W. SwetnamHow has dendroclimatology contributed to disturbance ecology? What is the significance of the recent changes in tree-growth-climate relationships observed in some regions, not only for dendroclimatology, but also for the understanding of the impacts of climate variability and change on ecosystems? Chapter 10: Dendroclimatology and the understanding of the interactions between climate variability and ancient human societies - D. Stahle and J. DeanHow has dendroclimatology contributed to understanding of the relationships between climate variability and societies in ancient times? Chapter 11: Tree rings and climate- sharpening the focus - M. K. Hughes, H. F. Diaz and Th. W. Swetnam What has been learned, using tree rings, about natural climate variability and its environmental and social impacts? What are the most significant strengths and weaknesses of dendroclimatology and the needs of, and opportunities for, future work.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume presents an overview of the current state of dendroclimatology, its contributions over the last 30 years, and its future potential. The material included is useful not only to those who generate tree-ring records of past climate-dendroclimatologists, but also to users of their results - climatologists, hydrologists, ecologists and archeologists.

Description / Table of Contents: This book reports on developments in Proximal Soil Sensing (PSS) and high resolution digital soil mapping. PSS has become a multidisciplinary area of study that aims to develop field-based techniques for collecting information on the soil from close by, or within, the soil. Amongst others, PSS involves the use of optical, geophysical, electrochemical, mathematical and statistical methods. This volume, suitable for undergraduate course material and postgraduate research, brings together ideas and examples from those developing and using proximal sensors and high resolution digital soil maps for applications such as precision agriculture, soil contamination, archaeology, peri-urban design and high land-value applications, where there is a particular need for high spatial resolution information. The book in particular covers soil sensor sampling, proximal soil sensor development and use, sensor calibrations, prediction methods for large data sets, applications of proximal soil sensing, and high-resolution digital soil mapping. - Table of contens: Part 1. Introduction.- Part 2. Soil Sensing and Sampling.- Part 3. Soil Spectroscopy and Hyperspectral Remote Sensing.- Part 4. ElectroMagnetic Induction and Electrical Resistivity.- Part 5. Geophysical and Mechanical Data.- Part 6. Multisensor Systems and Other Sensors.- Part 7. Applications.

Description / Table of Contents: This book describes analytical methods needed by all experts active in coastal area. It provides a theoretical understanding and practical experience in GIS, remote-sensing and modelling for specific coastal environment applications. This book introduces new environmental applications to geomatic techniques and methodology to use for environmental applications.

Description / Table of Contents: The Zagros fold-thrust belt (ZFTB) extends from Turkey to the Hormuz Strait, resulting from the collision of the Arabian and Eurasian plates during Cenozoic times, and separates the Arabian platform from the large plateaux of central Iran. To the east a pronounced syntaxis marks the transition between the Zagros collision belt and the Makran accretionary wedge. In the ZFTB, the Proterozoic to Recent stratigraphic succession pile is involved in huge folds, and offers the opportunity to study the stratigraphic and tectonic evolution of the Palaeo-Tethyan margin.Few recent data were widely available on the southern Tethys margin preserved in the Zagros Mountains. The Middle East Basins Evolution (MEBE) program was an excellent opportunity to go back to the field and to collect new data to better constrain the evolution of this margin. In this volume the structure of the Zagros Mountains is explored through different scales and using different methodologies.