ALBERT

Description / Table of Contents: In the last several years, much has been written about growing economic challenges, increasing income inequality, and political polarization in the United States. Addressing these new realities in America’s metropolitan regions, this book argues that a few lessons are emerging: first, inequity is bad for economic growth; second, bringing together the concerns of equity and growth requires concerted local action; and third, the fundamental building block for doing this is the creation of diverse and dynamic epistemic (or knowledge) communities, which help to overcome political polarization and to address the challenges of economic restructuring and social divides.

Description / Table of Contents: A geographer with extensive research experience in the Canadian North, Jack D. Ives has written a lively and informative account of several expeditions to Baffin Island during the "golden age" of federal research. In the 1960s, scientists from the Geographical Branch of Canada's Department of Energy, Mines, and Resources travelled to Baffin to study glacial geomorphology and glaciology. Their fieldwork resulted in vastly increased knowledge of the Far North-from its ice caps and glaciers to its lichens and microfossils. Drawing from the recollections of his Baffin colleagues as well as from his own memories, Ives takes readers on a remarkable adventure, describing the day-to-day experiences of the field teams in the context of both contemporary Arctic research and bureaucratic decision making. Along the way, his narrative illustrates the role played by the Cold War-era Distant Early Warning Line and other northern infrastructure, the crucial importance of his pioneering aerial photography, the unpredictable nature of planes, helicopters, and radios in Arctic regions, and of course, the vast and breathtaking scenery of the North. Baffin Island encompasses both field research and High Arctic adventure. The research trips to Baffin between 1961 and 1967 also served as a vital training ground in polar studies for university students; further, they represented a breakthrough in gender equality in government-sponsored science, thanks to the author's persistence in having women permitted on the teams. The book contains a special section detailing the subsequent professional achievements of the many researchers involved (in addition to the later career moves of Ives himself) and a chapter that delves deeper into the science behind their fieldwork in the North. Readers need not be versed in glaciology, however. Ives has produced a highly readable book that seamlessly combines research and adventure.

Description / Table of Contents: Land degradation which is caused by multiple forces-extreme weather conditions and anthropogenic activities that pollute or degrade the quality of soils and land utility-negatively affects food production, livelihoods, and the provision of other ecosystem goods and services. Land degradation can also lead to climate change and affect human health. The problem is more pronounced in least developing countries due to overdependence of natural resources for survival. Sustainable ways to reduce land degradation and desertification demand research and advocacy of sustainable land management practices. This book is organized into two sections. The first section covers three major aspects, viz., an understanding of patterns of land degradation and desertification for developing mitigation strategies, land-atmosphere interaction from response of land cover to climate change effects of Karst rocky desertification, and the effect of unprecedented human activity into land degradation and desertification processes using natural and human-induced landscape research. The last section dwells on the relationship between soil degradation and crop production and an examination on how land degradation impacts the quality of soil in communal rangelands. Environmentalists, land-use planners, ecologists, pedologists, researchers, and graduate students will find this book to be an essential resource.

Description / Table of Contents: The importance of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can hardly be overemphasized in today’s academic and professional arena. More professionals and academics have been using GIS than ever – urban & regional planners, civil engineers, geographers, spatial economists, sociologists, environmental scientists, criminal justice professionals, political scientists, and alike. As such, it is extremely important to understand the theories and applications of GIS in our teaching, professional work, and research. “The Application of Geographic Information Systems” presents research findings that explain GIS’s applications in different subfields of social sciences. With several case studies conducted in different parts of the world, the book blends together the theories of GIS and their practical implementations in different conditions. It deals with GIS’s application in the broad spectrum of geospatial analysis and modeling, water resources analysis, land use analysis, infrastructure network analysis like transportation and water distribution network, and such. The book is expected to be a useful source of knowledge to the users of GIS who envision its applications in their teaching and research. This easy-to-understand book is surely not the end in itself but a little contribution to toward our understanding of the rich and wonderful subject of GIS.

Description / Table of Contents: Nous assistons actuellement au peuplement des zones périurbaines de la planète par des centaines de millions d’individus. Cette évolution pose de redoutables problèmes et des difficultés inédites pour les politiques publiques. Si les effets de la périurbanisation sont relativement bien connus dans les pays du Nord, les analyses dédiées aux pays du Sud sont bien moins développées. L’ouvrage « Territoires périurbains : développement, enjeux et perspectives dans les pays du Sud » permet de lever un coin du voile sur cette problématique et sur les grands défis que la périurbanisation pose pour le Sud en général et pour l’Afrique centrale en particulier. L’ouvrage débute en cherchant à clarifier ce qu’il faut exactement entendre par « territoire périurbain ». À la suite de cette mise en contexte, il se poursuit par cinq parties organisées autour des problématiques des ressources naturelles, de la sécurité alimentaire, de la santé publique, des services publics et de l’aménagement des territoires. Pour chacune de ces problématiques, des chercheurs spécialisés issus de disciplines variées apportent des contributions qui, tout en soulignant l’ampleur des défis, permettent la mise en avant de solutions innovantes pour améliorer la gouvernance et le bien-être des populations. Cet ouvrage s’adresse d’abord aux chercheurs préoccupés par les défis du développement. En parallèle, par les pistes pour l’action publique qu’il esquisse, il ne manquera pas d’également intéresser les décideurs et les praticiens qui opèrent dans le contexte des territoires périurbains des pays du Sud.

Description / Table of Contents: What are smart cities? What are their purposes? What are the impacts resulting from their implementations? With these questions in mind, this book is compiled with the primary concern of answering readers with different profiles; from those interested in acquiring basic knowledge about the various topics surrounding the subject related to smart cities, to those who are more motivated by knowing the technical elements and the technological apparatus involving this theme. This book audience is multidisciplinary, as it will be confirmed by the various chapters addressed here. It explores different knowledge areas, such as electric power systems, signal processing, telecommunications, electronics, systems optimization, computational intelligence, real-time systems, renewable energy systems, and information systems.

Description / Table of Contents: This monograph presents the results of archaeological research that takes a longitudinal approach to interpreting and understanding Aboriginal–European contact. It focuses on a small but unique area of tropical rainforest in far north Queensland’s Wet Tropics Bioregion, located within the traditional lands of the Jirrbal Aboriginal people on the Evelyn Tableland. The research integrates a diverse range of data sources: archaeological evidence recovered from Aboriginal open sites occupied in the pre- to post-contact periods, historical documents of early ethnographers, settlers and explorers in the region, supplemented with Aboriginal oral history testimony. Analyses of the archaeological evidence excavated from three open sites facilitated the identification of the trajectories of culture change and continuity that this investigation focused on: Aboriginal rainforest material culture and technology, plant subsistence strategies, and rainforest settlement patterns. Analyses of the data sets demonstrate that initial use of the rainforest environment on the Evelyn Tableland occurred during the early Holocene period, with successful adaptation and a change towards more permanent Aboriginal use of the rainforest becoming established in the late Holocene period. European arrival and settlement on traditional Aboriginal land resulted in a period of historical upheaval for the Aboriginal rainforest people. Following an initial period of violent interactions and strong Aboriginal resistance from the rainforest, Jirrbal Aboriginal people continued to adapt and transform their traditional culture to accommodate for the many changes forced upon them throughout the post‑contact period.

Description / Table of Contents: The Carbiocial Project investigates viable carbon-optimized land management strategies for maintaining tropical ecosystem services under land use change and changing climate conditions in Southern Amazonia – a hotspot of global change. The project aims at understanding the vital natural processes and socio-economic driving forces in the region and develops strategies to enhance and protect carbon stocks in the recently deforested agroscapes of Central/Northern Mato Grosso and South Pará. That is why Carbiocial analyzes and models soil, water and climate as well as agro-economics, social and political transformations. Based on detailed storylines, the project aims at identifying possible entry-points for a necessary change in local and regional production patterns, considering local livelihoods as well as the present national and global economic, legal and political situation. This book gives an overview of the first results of the multi-disciplinary Carbiocial Project by publishing the main presentations, held on the Carbiocial Status Conference, on October 7-8, 2013, in Cuiabá. In sixteen chapters the authors elucidate the project‘s current state of knowledge, illustrating adapted methods for regional modeling and promising strategies for the Amazon development. | Contents --- Stefan Hohnwald & Gerhard Gerold: Carbon-Optimized Land Management Research for the Southern Amazon-Geographical and Organizational Settings of the Carbiocial-Carbioma Project Consortium --- Philip M. Fearnside, Aurora M. Yanai & Claudia S. M. N. Vitel: Modeling Baselines for REDD Projects in Amazonia: Is the Carbon Real? --- Jens Boy, Charlotte Schumann, Simone Strey, Robert Strey, Georg Guggenberger & Regine Schönenberg: Digging Deeper – Biographic Interviews as a Promising Tool for the Joint Dissemination of Natural- and Social Science Results in REDD Contexts --- Carlos E. P. Cerri, Thalita F. Abbruzzini, Carolina B. Brandani, Mariana R. Durigan & Denise Signor: Soil Carbon Stocks and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agrosystems in Brazil --- Karl M. Wantzen, Malte Unger, Eduardo G. Couto, Ricardo S. S. Amorim, Karina P. Peña & Ulrich Irmler: Carbon Farming: Enriching Tropical Farm Soils with Organic Matter --- Alphonce C. Guzha, Ricardo S. S. Amorim, Rodolfo Nóbrega, Gabriele Lamparter, Kristof Kovacs, Norma Bertão & Gerhard Gerold: Impacts of Land Cover and Climate Change on Hydrology and Hydrochemistry in Selected Catchments in Southern Amazonia: Preliminary Analysis and Results --- Marcus Schindewolf, Daniela Schönke, Ricardo S. S. Amorim & Jürgen Schmidt: Effects of Contour Banks and No-Till Measures on Run-Off and Sediment Yield in Campo Verde Region, Mato Grosso --- Alessandra R. Gomes, César G. Diniz & Cláudio A. Almeida: Amazon Regional Center (INPE/CRA) Actions for Brazilian Amazon Forest: TerraClass and Capacity Building Projects --- Patrick Hostert, Tobia Lakes, Hannes Müller, Florian Gollnow & Letícia B. V. Hissa: Land-Use Monitoring and Change Detection --- Jürgen Böhner, Helge Dietrich, Klaus Fraedrich, Tobias Kawohl, Markus Kilian, Valerio Lucarini & Frank Lunkeit: Development and Implementation of a Hierarchical Model Chain for Modelling Regional Climate Variability and Climate Change Over Southern Amazonia --- Claas Nendel, Hermann Jungkunst & Adriano M. R. Figueiredo: Intercol and Steps Towards a Simplified DSS --- Neli A. de Mello-Théry & Paulo R. Cunha: Environmental Policies and Forest Code: Changes and Repercussions on the Agriculture in Mato Grosso --- Regine Schönenberg, Korbinian Hartberger & Charlotte Schumann: Challenges and Chances of Social Transformation for GHG-Optimized Land- and Natural Resource Management Strategies: Stakeholder-Dialogues as Prerequisite for the Elaboration of Applicable Results --- José H. Benatti & Luly R. da Cunha Fischer: Land Use Regulations in the State of Pará: An Introductory Approach of Its Guidelines --- Martin Coy, Michael Klingler, Matthias Siebold & Thomas Berger: Socio-Economic Regional Change and Agro-Economic Development Along the BR-163 --- Edna Castro: Deforestation Along the BR-163: Socio-Environmental Conflicts and Ignored Governmental Politics

Description / Table of Contents: Pazifikstaaten wie die Fidschi-Inseln sind wie kaum eine andere Region der Welt gekennzeichnet von gesellschaftlichen Veränderungen und dem globalen Umweltwandel. Auf Basis eines partizipativen Forschungsdesigns, durchgeführt in ausgewählten Küstendörfern, untersucht dieser Band die Auswirkungen der Globalisierung und des Klimawandels auf die Lebensqualität ihrer Bewohner. Dabei wird aufgezeigt, dass die Dorfbewohner keine passiven Opfer externer Prozesse sind, sondern aktiv ihr Leben gestalten. Mittels neo-traditioneller Bewegungen gelingt es den Bewohnern weitestgehend, ein festes Wertefundament als Grundlage ihrer kulturellen Identität zu bewahren. Eine intakte Gemeinschaft steht dabei im Zentrum spiritueller, ökonomischer und sozialer Werte. Im Zuge der gesellschaftlichen Transformation agieren die Gemeinschaften nicht mehr ortsgebunden, sondern bilden mithilfe moderner Transport- und Kommunikationstechnologien globalisierte Netzwerke – ohne dabei die Bezüge zu ihrer kulturellen Herkunft zu verlieren. Auswärts lebende Familienangehörige tragen so Wissen und materiellen Wohlstand in die Dorfgemeinschaften und erweitern die Handlungspotentiale und Lebensstandards der Küstendorfbewohner. Im Zuge der Wissensvermittlung erfolgt jedoch insbesondere die Darstellung des Klimawandels und seiner Gefahren verkürzt und nicht auf lokale Werte zurechtgeschnitten, sodass es auch zu Wahrnehmungsverzerrungen und Fehlanpassungen kommt. Im Kontext von Entwicklungszusammenarbeit rät diese Untersuchung daher zu kultureller Sensibilität und einer kritischen Reflektion ethnozentrischer Weltanschauungen, um die Lebensqualität in fidschianischen Dorfgemeinschaften nicht zu gefährden. In diesem Band werden ethnographische Ideale für eine kultur- und sozialgeographische Forschung im globalen Süden aufbereitet. Konzeptionell ist die Untersuchung in die kritische geographische Verwundbarkeits- und Transformationsforschung eingerahmt. In einem kulturräumlichen Überblick wird zunächst aus historisch-politischer Perspektive die Bedeutung postkolonialer Belastungen auf gegenwärtige Transformationsprozesse aufgezeigt. Das Herzstück bildet anschließend die ausführliche Analyse gesellschaftlicher Transformationsprozesse auf die Lebensqualität in drei Küstendörfern der Fidschi-Inseln. | As other Pacific Islands Countries, Fiji is shaped by processes of social transformations and global environmental change. This study utilises ethnographic ideals for enhancing cultural and social geographic research in the global south. A participatory in-depth analysis of rural life in three Fijian coastal villages is at the core of this study. This is framed by a historic-political overview of the burden of Fiji's colonial past. Fijian coastal villagers are not passive victims of global social transformation and climate change. Through neo-traditional movements they actively form processes of social and cultural change. Rural Fijian norms, values and cultural identity crystallize in robust communities. Via modern forms of communication and transportation Fijians established globalised networks securing individuals' quality of life. Family members living far from their home villages remain in contact with their relatives. This way they keep their Fijian Identities as source of wellbeing and as well support the villagers' material wealth and knowledge to enhance capabilities. Merely regarding hazardous climate change impacts the passed on knowledge is spread abridged and poorly fitting into local value systems. Therefore, misperceptions and maladaptations are prevalent. In consequence this study pleads for development agencies to act culturally sensitive and to critically reflect ethnocentric worldviews in order not to harm Fijian values and wellbeing.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume consists of some papers presented at the AMS Symposium held to honor the memory of the late Professor Michio Yanai as well as additional works inspired by his research. By the nature of this volume, many of the contributed papers describe the development of tropical meteorology over the past half-century or so in connection with Professor Yanai’s influence on it. While most of the chapters address specific areas and discuss timely issues, in this prologue I will describe some of Professor Yanai’s contributions during the early period of his career from my own point of view. As this is a personal reminiscence, I would like to emphasize how Professor Yanai influenced me. Both Professor Yanai and I became graduate students at the University of Tokyo to begin our career as meteorologists in 1956 and 1957, respectively. Since we studied and worked together so closely for a long time, in this article I will call him Yanai-san as I have done in our personal interactions.