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: Abstract Karst landscapes and karst aquifers are composed of a variety of soluble rocks, such as salt, gypsum, anhydrite, limestone, dolomite and quartzite. They are fascinating areas of exploration, study and research. As karst rocks are abundant on the Earth's surface, the fast evolution of karst landscapes and the rapid flow of water through karst aquifers present many challenges from a number of different perspectives. This collection of 25 papers deals with different aspects of these challenges, including karst geology, geomorphology and speleogenesis, karst hydrogeology, karst modelling, and karst hazards and management. Together these papers provide a state-of-the-art review of the current challenges and solutions we face in describing karst from a scientific perspective, while at the same time providing useful data and information for managing karst territories to land planners, developers, and managers of show caves, natural parks and reserves in karst terrains.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract Reservoir quality is studied using a wide range of similar techniques in both sandstones and carbonates. Sandstone and carbonate reservoir quality both benefit from the study of modern analogues and experiments, but modelling approaches are currently quite different for these two types of reservoirs. There are many common controls on sandstone and carbonate reservoir quality, but also distinct differences due primarily to mineralogy. Numerous controversies remain including the question of oil inhibition, the key control on pressure solution and geochemical flux of material to or from reservoirs. This collection of papers contains case-study-based examples of sandstone and carbonate reservoir quality prediction as well as modern analogue, outcrop analogue, modelling and advanced analytical approaches.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract The Black Sea remains one of the largest underexplored rift basins in the world. Future success is dependent on a better understanding of a number of geological uncertainties. These include reservoir and source rock presence and quality, and the timing of migration of hydrocarbons relative to trap formation. An appreciation of the geological history of the Black Sea basins and the surrounding orogens is therefore key. The timing of basin formation, uplift of the margins, and of facies distribution remain issues for robust debate. This Special Publication presents the results of 15 studies that relate to the tectono-stratigraphy and petroleum geology of the Black Sea. The methodologies of these studies encompass crustal structure, geodynamic evolution, stratigraphy and its regional correlation, petroleum systems, source to sink, hydrocarbon habitat and play concepts, and reviews of past exploration. They provide insight into the many ongoing controversies concerning Black Sea regional geology and provide a better understanding of the geological risks that must be considered for future hydrocarbon exploration.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract The history of the European oil and gas industry reflects local as well as global political events, economic constraints and the personal endeavours of individual petroleum geoscientists as much as it does the development of technologies and the underlying geology of the region. The first commercial oil wells in Europe were drilled in Poland in 1853, Romania in 1857, Germany in 1859 and Italy in 1860. The 23 papers in this volume focus on the history and heritage of the oil and gas industry in the key European oil-producing countries from the earliest onshore drilling to its development into the modern industry that we know today. The contributors chronicle the main events and some of the major players that shaped the industry in Europe. The volume also marks several important anniversaries, including 150 years of oil exploration in Poland and Romania, the centenary of the drilling of the first oil well in the UK and 50 years of oil production from onshore Spain.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract Economically viable concentrations of mineral resources are uncommon in Earth's crust. Most ore deposits that were mined in the past or are currently being extracted were found at or near Earth's surface, often serendipitously. To meet the future demand for mineral resources, exploration success hinges on identifying targets at depth. Achieving this requires accurate and informed models of the Earth's crust that are consistent with all available geological, geochemical and geophysical information, paired with an understanding of how ore-forming systems relate to Earth's evolving structure. Contributions to this volume address the future resources challenge by (i) applying advanced microscale geochemical detection and characterization methods, (ii) introducing more rigorous 3D Earth models, (iii) exploring critical behaviour and coupled processes, (iv) evaluating the role of geodynamic and tectonic setting and (v) applying 3D structural models to characterize specific ore-forming systems.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract The challenges facing submarine mass movement researchers and engineers are plentiful and exciting. This book follows several high-profile submarine landslide disasters that have reached the world's attention over the past few years. For decades, researchers have been mapping the world's mass movements. Their significant impacts on the Earth by distributing sediment on phenomenal scales is undeniable. Their importance in the origins of buried resources has long been understood. Their hazard potential ranges from damaging to apocalyptic, frequently damaging local infrastructure and sometimes devastating whole coastlines. Moving beyond mapping advances, the subaqueous mass movement scientists and practitioners are now also focussed on assessing the consequences of mass movements, and the measurement and modelling of events, hazard analysis and mitigation. Many state-of-the-art examples are provided in this book, which is produced under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Program S4SLIDE (Significance of Modern and Ancient Submarine Slope LandSLIDEs).

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract This Special Publication highlights the importance of clays and clayey material, and their multiple roles, in many national geological disposal facilities for higher activity radioactive wastes. Clays can be both the disposal facility host rock and part of its intrinsic engineered barriers, and may be present in the surrounding geological environment. Clays possess various characteristics that make them high-quality barriers to the migration of radionuclides and chemical contaminants, e.g. very little water movement, diffusive transport, retention capacity, self-sealing capacity, stability over millions of years, homogeneity and lateral continuity. The 20 papers presented in this Special Publication cover a range of topics related to clays in radioactive waste confinement. Aspects of clay characterization and behaviour at various temporal and spatial scales relevant to the confinement of radionuclides in clay are discussed, from phenomenological processes to the overall understanding of the performance and safety of geological disposal facilities.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract The Himalaya mountains contain not only one of the largest concentrations of ice outside the polar regions, but contribute to the hydrological requirements of large populations spread over seven nations. The exceptionally high elevations of this low-latitude cryosphere presents a natural laboratory and archives to study climate–tectonics interactions as well as regional v. global climate influences. The existing base-level data on the Himalayan cryosphere are highly variable. Several climate fluctuations occurred during the late Quaternary (MIS1–MIS5, especially the last c. 100 ka), which led to the evolution of the Himalayan landscape. Detailed studies of these archives, along with those of the present cryosphere and related hydrosphere, are essential for understanding the controls on present and future hydrology of the glacial-fed mountain rivers. This volume, a follow-up of the XII International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Science, Goa (A SCAR symposium), provides new data from locales spread over the entire Himalaya region and from Tibet. It provides a glimpse of the late Quaternary cryosphere, as well as a discussion in the last section on sustainability in the context of geohazard mitigations as well as the hydrological budget.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract The Southern Permian Basin, as its name suggests, is a historical heartland for hydrocarbon production from the Palaeozoic Rotliegend interval. However, in this mature basin the Mesozoic presents further possibilities to offer resource security to NW Europe. Such opportunities include increasing efficiency in the production of discovered hydrocarbons, exploration for further hydrocarbons (both conventional and unconventional) and efficient exploration for, and production of, geothermal energy. All these potential resources require a grounding in technically sound geoscience, via traditional scientific observation and the application of new technologies, to unlock their value. The main aim of this volume is to bring together the work of academics and industry workers to consider cross-border geoscience including contributions on Poland, Germany, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and adjacent areas. The work presented intends to contribute to the development and discovery of further Mesozoic energy resources across the basin.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract Alluvial and fluvial fans are the most widespread depositional landform bordering the margins of highland regions and actively subsiding continental basins, across a broad spectrum of tectonic and climatic settings. They are significant to the local morphodynamics of mountain regions and also to the evolution of sediment-routing systems, affecting the propagation and preservation of stratigraphic signals of environmental change over vast areas. The volume presents case studies discussing the geology and geomorphology of alluvial and fluvial fans from both active systems and ancient ones preserved in the stratigraphic record. It brings together case studies from a range of continents, climatic and tectonic settings, some introducing innovative monitoring and analysis techniques, and it provides an overview of current debates in the field. This volume will be of particular interest to geologists, geomorphologists, sedimentologists and the general reader with an interest in Earth science.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract High pressure (HP) and ultrahigh pressure (UHP) metamorphic rocks play a key role in understanding the tectonic evolution of orogenic belts. They have typically experienced complex changes during subduction and exhumation processes arising from recrystallization, deformation, fluid–rock interactions and even partial melting, and may therefore carry valuable records of evolving geodynamic systems in an orogenic belt. This special publication addresses the current work on HP–UHP metamorphism and its relation to the tectonic evolution of orogenic belts. This special publication contains fifteen papers covering the important orogenic belts of the Himalaya, Dabie–Sulu, Tian Shan, North Qaidam and others that have been grouped into three parts: (I) new developments in the determination of metamorphic pressure–temperature (PT) conditions and their timing, (II) overview papers of well-known HP–UHP metamorphic belts and (III) research papers for some newly discovered HP–UHP belts.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract In Earth evolution, mountain belts are the loci of crustal growth, reworking and recycling. These crustal-scale processes are unravelled through microscale investigations of textures and mineral assemblages of metamorphic rocks. Multiple episodes of metamorphism, re-equilibration and deformation, however, generally produce a complex and tightly interwoven pattern of microstructures and assemblages. Over the last two decades, the combination of advanced computing and technological capabilities with new concepts has provided a vast array of novel petrological tools and high-resolution/high-sensitivity techniques for microanalysis and imaging. Such novel approaches are proving fundamental to untangling the enigma represented by metamorphism with an unprecedented level of detail and confidence. As a result, the first decade and a half of this century has already seen the tumultuous development of new research avenues in metamorphic petrology. This book aims to provide a timely overview of the state of the art of this field, of newly developed petrological techniques, future advancements and significant new case studies.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract This volume comprises 17 contributions that address the architecture and geodynamic evolution of the Himalaya–Karakoram–Tibet (HKT) system, covering wide aspects, from the active seismicity of the present day to the remnants of the Proterozoic orogen. The articles investigate the HKT system at different scales, blending field research with laboratory studies. The role of various lithospheric components and their inheritance in the geodynamic and magmatic evolution of the HKT system through time, and their links to global geological events, are studied in the field. The laboratory research focuses on the (sub-)micrometre scale, detailing micro-structural geology, crystal chemistry, geochronology, and the study of circulating fluids, their preservation (trapped in fluid inclusions) and their evolution, distribution, migration and interaction with the solid host. An orogen over 2000 km long can be understood only if the processes at the nanometre and micrometre scales are taken into account. The contributions in this volume successfully combine these scales to enhance our understanding of the HKT system.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract Understanding the sedimentary and geophysical archive of glaciated margins is a complex task that requires integration and analysis of disparate sedimentological and geophysical data. Their analysis is vital for understanding the dynamics of past ice sheets and how they interact with their neighbouring marine basins, on timescales that cannot be captured by observations of the cryosphere today. As resources, sediments deposited on the inner margins of glaciated shelves also exhibit resource potential where more sand-dominated systems occur, acting as reservoirs for both hydrocarbons and water. This book surveys the full gamut of glaciated margins, from deep time (Neoproterozoic, Ordovician and Carboniferous–Permian) to modern high-latitude margins in Canada and Antarctica. This collection of papers is the first attempt to deliberately do this, allowing not only the similarities and differences between modern and ancient glaciated margins to be explored, but also the wide spectrum of their mechanisms of investigation to be probed. Together, these papers offer a high-resolution, spatially and temporally diverse blueprint of the depositional processes, ice sheet dynamics, and basin architectures of the world's former glaciated margins; a vital resource in advancing understanding of our present and future marine-terminating ice sheet margins.

Description / Table of Contents: Fifty years ago, Tuzo Wilson published his paper asking ‘Did the Atlantic close and then re-open?’. This led to the ‘Wilson Cycle’ concept in which the repeated opening and closing of ocean basins along old orogenic belts is a key process in the assembly and breakup of supercontinents. The Wilson Cycle underlies much of what we know about the geological evolution of the Earth and its lithosphere, and will no doubt continue to be developed as we gain more understanding of the physical processes that control mantle convection, plate tectonics, and as more data become available from currently less accessible regions. This volume includes both thematic and review papers covering various aspects of the Wilson Cycle concept. Thematic sections include: (1) the Classic Wilson v. Supercontinent Cycles, (2) Mantle Dynamics in the Wilson Cycle, (3) Tectonic Inheritance in the Lithosphere, (4) Revisiting Tuzo's question on the Atlantic, (5) Opening and Closing of Oceans, and (6) Cratonic Basins and their place in the Wilson Cycle.

Description / Table of Contents: The Himalaya–Karakoram–Tibet mountain belt resulted from Cenozoic collision of India and Asia and is frequently used as the type example of a continental collision orogenic belt. The last quarter of a century has seen the publication of a remarkably detailed dataset relevant to the evolution of this belt. Detailed fieldwork backed up by state-of-the-art structural analysis, geochemistry, mineral chemistry, igneous and metamorphic petrology, isotope chemistry, sedimentology and geophysics produced a wide-ranging archive of data-rich scientific papers. The rationale for this book is to provide a coherent overview of these datasets in addressing the evolution of the mountain ranges we see today. This volume comprises 21 specially invited review papers on the Himalaya, Kohistan arc, Tibet, the Karakoram and Pamir ranges. These papers span the history of Himalayan research, chronology of the collision, stratigraphy, magmatic and metamorphic processes, structural geology and tectonics, seismicity, geophysics, and the evolution of the Indian monsoon. This landmark set of papers should underpin the next 25 years of Himalayan research.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume brings together a number of papers from two workshops with the theme, ‘Rain, Rivers, Reservoirs’, which considered the dynamic changes to river systems as part of natural processes, particularly changing climatic conditions. Bringing researchers from two different locations to Brazil and the UK allowed scientists to contribute to and promote, ‘debate on current research…on how the planet works and how we can live sustainably on it’. This volume features a series of papers on the geoscience of modern and ancient rivers from across the world (Brazil, United States, Spain, Argentina, Canada, India and the UK), their evolution through time, their management, their deposits and their engineering, with both subsurface aquifers/hydrocarbon reservoirs (of Carboniferous, Triassic and Cretaceous age) and surface reservoirs considered.

Description / Table of Contents: This Special Publication is dedicated to heritage stone: those natural stones that have special significance in human culture. Some stones that have had important uses in the past are now neglected because theyare no longer extracted. Others are still commercially important, but their heritage uses have not beenwell documented in widely available sources. The Heritage Stone Task Group of the International Unionof Geological Sciences is working to establish a new formal designation of 'Global Heritage StoneResource' to recognize those stones that have had internationally significant architectural and ornamentaluses. The aim is to spread awareness of the cultural heritage aspects of these stones, to help to encouragecontinued supply for maintenance and repair of important monuments and to preserve historically importantquarries. The aim is neither to promote nor to limit these stones for new construction: in some cases continuingcommercial use might help to ensure future supplies for building conservation purposes.

Description / Table of Contents: The historical links between geology and medicine are surprisingly numerous and diverse. This, the first ever volume dedicated to the subject, contains contributions from an international authorship of geologists, historians and medical professionals.Rocks, minerals, fossils and earths have been used therapeutically since earliest times and details recorded on ancient papyri, clay tablets, medieval manuscripts and early published sources. Pumice was used to clean teeth, antimony to heal wounds, clays as antidotes to poison, gold to cure haemorrhoids and warts, and gem pastes to treat syphilis and the plague, while mineral springs preserved health. Geology was crucial in the development of public health. Medical men who made important contributions to geology include Steno, Worm, Parkinson, Bigsby, William Hunter, Jenner, John Hulke, Conan Doyle, Gorini and various Antarctic explorers.

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: Fold-and-thrust belts occur worldwide, have formed in all eras of geological time, and are widely recognized as the most common mode in which the crust accommodates shortening. Much current research on the structure of fold-and-thrust belts is focused on structural studies of regions or individual structures and on the geometry and evolution of these regions employing kinematic, mechanical and experimental modelling. In keeping with the main trends of current research, this title is devoted to the kinematic evolution and structural styles of a number of fold-and-thrust belts formed from Palaeozoic to Recent times. The papers included in this book cover a broad range of different topics, from modelling approaches to predict internal deformation of single structures, 3D reconstructions to decipher the structural evolution of groups of structures, palaeomagnetic studies of portions of fold-and-thrust belts, geometrical and kinematical aspects of Coulomb thrust wedges and structural analyses of fold-and-thrust belts to unravel their sequence of deformations.

Description / Table of Contents: The invasion of the land by plants (‘terrestrialization’) was one of the most significant evolutionary events in the history of life on Earth, and correlates in time with periods of major palaeoenvironmental perturbations. The development of a vegetation cover on the previously barren land surfaces impacted on the global biogeochemical cycles and the geological processes of erosion and sediment transport. The terrestrialization of plants preceded the rise of major new groups of animals, such as insects and tetrapods, the latter numbering some 24 000 living species, including ourselves. Early land-plant evolution also correlates with the most spectacular decline of atmospheric CO2 concentration of Phanerozoic times and with the onset of a protracted period of glacial conditions on Earth. This book includes a selection of papers covering different aspects of the terrestrialization, from palaeobotany to vertebrate palaeontology and geochemistry, promoting a multidisciplinary approach to the understanding of the co-evolution of life and its environments during Early to Mid-Palaeozoic times.

Description / Table of Contents: Reservoir compartmentalization - the segregation of a petroleum accumulation into a number of individual fluid/pressure compartments - controls the volume of moveable oil or gas that might be connected to any given well drilled in a field, and consequently impacts ‘booking’ of reserves and operational profitability. This is a general feature of modern exploration and production portfolios, and has driven major developments in geoscience, engineering and related technology. Given that compartmentalization is a consequence of many factors, an integrated subsurface approach is required to better understand and predict compartmentalization behaviour, and to minimize the risk of it occurring unexpectedly. This volume reviews our current understanding and ability to model compartmentalization. It highlights the necessity for effective specialist discipline integration, and the value of learning from operational experience in: detection and monitoring of compartmentalization; stratigraphic and mixed-mode compartmentalization; and fault-dominated compartmentalization.

Description / Table of Contents: Understanding the sediments deposited by glaciers or other cold-climate processes assumes enhanced significance in the context of current global warming and the predicted melt and retreat of glaciers and ice sheets. This volume analyses glacial, proglacial and periglacial settings focusing, among others, on sedimentation at termini of tidewater glaciers, on hitherto not-well-understood high-mountain features, and on sediments such as slope and aeolian deposits whose clasts were sourced in glacial and periglacial regions, but have been transported and deposited by azonal processes. Difficulties are thus often encountered in inferring Pleistocene and pre-Pleistocene cold-climate conditions when the sedimentary record lacks many of the specific diagnostic indicators. The main objective of this volume is to establish the validity and limitations of the evidence that can be obtained from widely distributed clastic deposits, in order to achieve reliable palaeogeographic and palaeoclimatic reconstructions. At a more general level and on the much longer geological timescale, an understanding of ice-marginal and periglacial environments may better prepare us for the unavoidable reversal towards cooler and perhaps even glacial times in the future.

Description / Table of Contents: This collection of papers presents recent advances in the study of deformation mechanisms and rheology and their applications to tectonics. Many of the contributions exploit new petrofabric techniques, particularly electron backscatter diffraction, to help understand evolution of rock microstructure and mechanical properties. Papers in the first section (lattice preferred orientations and anisotropy) show a growing emphasis on the determination of elastic properties from petrofabrics, from which acoustic properties can be computed for comparison with in-situ seismic measurements. Such research will underpin geodynamic interpretation of large-scale active tectonics. Contributions in the second section (microstructures, mechanisms and rheology) study the relations between microstructural evolution during deformation and mechanical properties. Many of the papers explore how different mechanisms compete and interact to control the evolution of grain size and petrofabrics. Contributors make use of combinations of laboratory experiments, field studies and computational methods, and several relate microstructural and mechanical evolution to large-scale tectonic processes observed in nature.

Description / Table of Contents: This book shows some of the socio-economic impacts of climate change according to different estimates of the current or estimated global warming. A series of scientific and experimental research projects explore the impacts of climate change and browse the techniques to evaluate the related impacts. These 23 chapters provide a good overview of the different changes impacts that already have been detected in several regions of the world. They are part of an introduction to the researches being done around the globe in connection with this topic. However, climate change is not just an academic issue important only to scientists and environmentalists; it also has direct implications on various ecosystems and technologies.

Description / Table of Contents: The purpose of this book is to put together recent developments on sediment transport and morphological processes. There are twelve chapters in this book contributed by different authors who are currently involved in relevant research. First three chapters provide information on basic and advanced flow mechanisms including turbulence and movement of particles in water. Examples of computational procedures for sediment transport and morphological changes are given in the next five chapters. These include empirical predictions and numerical computations. Chapters nine and ten present some insights on environmental concerns with sediment transport. Last two contributions deal with two large-scale case studies related to changes in the transport and provenance of glacial marine sediments, and processes involving land slides.

Description / Table of Contents: This book aspires to be a comprehensive summary of current biofuels issues and thereby contribute to the understanding of this important topic. Readers will find themes including biofuels development efforts, their implications for the food industry, current and future biofuels crops, the successful Brazilian ethanol program, insights of the first, second, third and fourth biofuel generations, advanced biofuel production techniques, related waste treatment, emissions and environmental impacts, water consumption, produced allergens and toxins. Additionally, the biofuel policy discussion is expected to be continuing in the foreseeable future and the reading of the biofuels features dealt with in this book, are recommended for anyone interested in understanding this diverse and developing theme.

Description / Table of Contents: Leading air quality professionals describe different aspects of air pollution. The book presents information on four broad areas of interest in the air pollution field; the air pollution monitoring; air quality modeling; the GIS techniques to manage air quality; the new approaches to manage air quality. This book fulfills the need on the latest concepts of air pollution science and provides comprehensive information on all relevant components relating to air pollution issues in urban areas and industries. The book is suitable for a variety of scientists who wish to follow application of the theory in practice in air pollution. Known for its broad case studies, the book emphasizes an insightful of the connection between sources and control of air pollution, rather than being a simple manual on the subject.

Description / Table of Contents: Air pollution has been a major transboundary problem and a matter of global concern for decades. High concentrations of different air pollutants are particularly harmful to large cities residents, where numerous anthropogenic activities strongly influence the quality of air. Although there are many books on the subject, the one in front of you will hopefully fulfill some of the gaps in the area of air quality monitoring and modeling, and be of help to graduate students, professionals and researchers. The book is divided in five sections, dealing with mathematical models and computing techniques used in air pollution monitoring and forecasting; air pollution models and application; measuring methodologies in air pollution monitoring and control; experimental data on urban air pollution in China, Egypt, Northeastern U.S, Brazil and Romania; and finally, the health effects due to exposure to benzene, and on the influence of air pollutants on the acute respiratory diseases in children in Mexico.

Description / Table of Contents: Ocean closure involves a variety of converging tectonic processes that reshape shrinking basins, their adjacent margins and the entire earth underneath. Following continental breakup, margin formation and sediment accumulation, tectonics normally relaxes and the margins become passive for millions of years. However, when final convergence is at the gate, the passive days of any ocean and its margins are over or soon will be. The fate of the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf is seemingly known beforehand, as they are nestled in the midst of Africa-Arabia plate convergence with Eurasia. Over millions of years through the Cenozoic era they progressively shriveled, leaving only a glimpse of the Tethys Ocean. Eventually, the basins will adhere to the Alpine-Himalaya orogen and dissipate. This book focuses on a unique stage in the ocean closure process, when significant convergence already induced major deformations, yet the inter-plate basins and margins still record the geological history.

Description / Table of Contents: This book represents recent research on tropical cyclones and their impact, and a wide range of topics are covered. An updated global climatology is presented, including the global occurrence of tropical cyclones and the terrestrial factors that may contribute to the variability and long-term trends in their occurrence. Research also examines long term trends in tropical cyclone occurrences and intensity as related to solar activity, while other research discusses the impact climate change may have on these storms. The dynamics and structure of tropical cyclones are studied, with traditional diagnostics employed to examine these as well as more modern approaches in examining their thermodynamics. The book aptly demonstrates how new research into short-range forecasting of tropical cyclone tracks and intensities using satellite information has led to significant improvements. In looking at societal and ecological risks, and damage assessment, authors investigate the use of technology for anticipating, and later evaluating, the amount of damage that is done to human society, watersheds, and forests by land-falling storms. The economic and ecological vulnerability of coastal regions are also studied and are supported by case studies which examine the potential hazards related to the evacuation of populated areas, including medical facilities. These studies provide decision makers with a potential basis for developing improved evacuation techniques.

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Plates Amalgamation and Plate Destruction, the Western Gondwana History by Ngako Vincent and Njonfang Emmanuel --- Chapter 2: Lithospheric Structure and Tectonics of the Eastern Alps – Evidence from New Seismic Data by Ewald Brückl --- Chapter 3: Structure and Plate Tectonic Evolution of the Northern Outer Carpathians by Jan Golonka, Kaja Pietsch and Paweł Marzec --- Chapter 4: Tectonic Model of the Sinai Peninsula Based on Geophysical Investigations by Taha Rabeh --- Chapter 5: Siberia - From Rodinia to Eurasia by Dmitry V. Metelkin, Valery A. Vernikovsky and Alexey Yu. Kazansky --- Chapter 6: Proto-Basin Types of North China Craton (NCC) in Late Triassic and Its Implication for Regional Tectonics of Initial Craton Destruction by Yang Minghui, Liu Chiyang, Zeng Peng, Bai Hua and Zhou Jin --- Chapter 7: Tectonic Implications of Stratigraphy Architecture in Distal Part of Foreland Basin, Southwestern Taiwan by Jong-Chang Wu, Kenn-Ming Yang, Yi-Ru Chen and Wen-Rong Chi --- Chapter 8: Seismic Hazard in Tien Shan: Basement Structure Control Over the Deformation Induced by Indo-Eurasia Collision by Buslov, Mikhail M. and De Grave, Johan --- Chapter 9: Lithosphere as a Nonlinear System: Geodynamic Consequences by E. G. Mirlin --- Chapter 10: Layer-Block Tectonics, a New Concept of Plate Tectonics - An Example from Nansha Micro-Plate, Southern South China Sea by Hai-ling Liu, Hong-bo Zheng, Yan-Lin Wang, Chao-Hua Wu, Mei-Song Zhao and Yun-Kong Du --- Chapter 11: The Role of Geoelectrical DC Methods in Determining the Subsurface Tectonics Features. Case Studies from Syria by Jamal Asfahani --- Chapter 12: Salt Tectonics of the Lisan Diapir Revealed by Synthetic Aperture Radar Images by Damien Closson, Najib Abou Karaki, Nada Milisavljević, Frédéric Hallot, and Marc Acheroy --- Chapter 13: Mantle-like Trace Element Composition of Petroleum – Contributions from Serpentinizing Peridotites by Peter Szatmari, Teresa Cristina O. da Fonseca and Norbert F. Miekeley

Description / Table of Contents: There are several books on broad aspects of hydrogeology, groundwater hydrology and geohydrology, which do not discuss in detail on the intrigues of hydraulic conductivity elaborately. However, this book on Hydraulic Conductivity presents comprehensive reviews of new measurements and numerical techniques for estimating hydraulic conductivity. This is achieved by the chapters written by various experts in this field of research into a number of clustered themes covering different aspects of hydraulic conductivity. The sections in the book are: Hydraulic conductivity and its importance, Hydraulic conductivity and plant systems, Determination by mathematical and laboratory methods, Determination by field techniques and Modelling and hydraulic conductivity. Each of these sections of the book includes chapters highlighting the salient aspects and most of these chapters explain the facts with the help of some case studies. Thus this book has a good mix of chapters dealing with various and vital aspects of hydraulic conductivity from various authors of different countries.

Description / Table of Contents: Econometrics is becoming a highly developed and highly mathematicized array of its own sub disciplines, as it should be, as economies are becoming increasingly complex, and scientific economic analyses require progressively thorough knowledge of solid quantitative methods. This book thus provides recent insight on some key issues in econometric theory and applications. The volume first focuses on three recent advances in econometric theory: non-parametric estimation, instrument generating functions, and seasonal volatility models. Additionally, three recent econometric applications are presented: continuous time duration analysis, panel data analysis dealing with endogeneity and selectivity biases, and seemingly unrelated regression analysis. Intended as an electronic edition, providing immediate "open access" to its content, the book is easy to follow and will be of interest to professionals involved in econometrics.

Description / Table of Contents: To better understand the contemporary world, the world of innovation and technology, science should try to synthesize and assimilate social science in the development of our civilization. Does the new era require new knowledge? Does the age of globalization demand new education, new human attitudes? This books tries to clarify these questions. The book New Knowledge in a New Era of Globalization consists of 16 chapters divided into three sections: Globalization and Education; Globalization and Human Being; Globalization and Space. The Authors of respective chapters represent a great diversity of disciplines and methodological approaches as well as a variety of academic culture. This book is a valuable contribution and it will certainly be appreciated by a global community of scholars.

Description / Table of Contents: Crop production depends on the successful implementation of the soil, water, and nutrient management technologies. Food production by the year 2020 needs to be increased by 50 percent more than the present levels to satisfy the needs of around 8 billion people. Much of the increase would have to come from intensification of agricultural production. Importance of wise usage of water, nutrient management, and tillage in the agricultural sector for sustaining agricultural growth and slowing down environmental degradation calls for urgent attention of researchers, planners, and policy makers. Crop models enable researchers to promptly speculate on the long-term consequences of changes in agricultural practices. In addition, cropping systems, under different conditions, are making it possible to identify the adaptations required to respond to changes. This book adopts an interdisciplinary approach and contributes to this new vision. Leading authors analyze topics related to crop production technologies. The efforts have been made to keep the language as simple as possible, keeping in mind the readers of different language origins. The emphasis has been on general descriptions and principles of each topic, technical details, original research work, and modeling aspects. However, the comprehensive journal references in each area should enable the reader to pursue further studies of special interest. The subject has been presented through fifteen chapters to clearly specify different topics for convenience of the readers.

Description / Table of Contents: Ecosystems can be considered as dynamic and interactive clusters made up of plants, animals and micro-organism communities. Inevitably, mankind is an integral part of each ecosystem and as such enjoys all its provided benefits. Driven by the increasing necessity to preserve the ecosystem productivity, several ecological studies have been conducted in the last few years, highlighting the current state in which our planet is, and focusing on future perspectives. This book contains comprehensive overviews and original studies focused on hazard analysis and evaluation of ecological variables affecting species diversity, richness and distribution, in order to identify the best management strategies to face and solve the conservation problems.

Description / Table of Contents: Driven by the increasing necessity to define the biological diversity frame of widespread, endemic and threatened species, as well as by the stimulating chance to describe new species, the study of the evolutive and spatial dynamics is in constant execution. Systematic overviews, biogeographic and phylogenic backgrounds, species composition and distribution in restricted areas are focal topics of the 15 interesting independent chapters collected in this book, chosen to offer to the reader an overall view of the present condition in which our planet is.

Description / Table of Contents: Today science is moving in the direction of synthesis of the achievements of various academic disciplines. The idea to prepare and present to the international academic milieu, a multidimensional approach to globalization phenomenon is an ambitious undertaking. The book The Systemic Dimension of Globalization consists of 14 chapters divided into three sections: Globalization and Complex Systems; Globalization and Social Systems; Globalization and Natural Systems. The Authors of respective chapters represent a great diversity of disciplines and methodological approaches as well as a variety of academic culture. This is the value of this book and this merit will be appreciated by a global community of scholars.

Description / Table of Contents: As everybody knows, the dynamic interactions between biotic and abiotic factors, as well as the anthropic ones, considerably affect global climate changes and consequently biology, ecology and distribution of life forms of our planet. These important natural events affect all ecosystems, causing important changes on biodiversity. Systematic and phylogenetic studies, biogeographic distribution analysis and evaluations of diversity richness are focal topics of this book written by international experts, some even considering economical effects and future perspectives on the managing and conservation plans.

Description / Table of Contents: The phenomena related to the flow of fluids are generally complex, and difficult to quantify. New approaches - considering points of view still not explored - may introduce useful tools in the study of Hydrodynamics and the related transport phenomena. The details of the flows and the properties of the fluids must be considered on a very small scale perspective. Consequently, new concepts and tools are generated to better describe the fluids and their properties. This volume presents conclusions about advanced topics of calculated and observed flows. It contains eighteen chapters, organized in five sections: 1) Mathematical Models in Fluid Mechanics, 2) Biological Applications and Biohydrodynamics, 3) Detailed Experimental Analyses of Fluids and Flows, 4) Radiation-, Electro-, Magnetohydrodynamics, and Magnetorheology, 5) Special Topics on Simulations and Experimental Data. These chapters present new points of view about methods and tools used in Hydrodynamics.

Description / Table of Contents: An Introduction to the Study of Mineralogy is a collection of papers that can be easily understood by a wide variety of readers, whether they wish to use it in their work, or simply to extend their knowledge. It is unique in that it presents a broad view of the mineralogy field. The book is intended for chemists, physicists, engineers, and the students of geology, geophysics, and soil science, but it will also be invaluable to the more advanced students of mineralogy who are looking for a concise revision guide.

Description / Table of Contents: Monitoring of water and land objects enters a revolutionary age with the rise of ubiquitous remote sensing and public access. Earth monitoring satellites permit detailed, descriptive, quantitative, holistic, standardized, global evaluation of the state of the Earth skin in a manner that our actual Earthen civilization has never been able to before. The water monitoring topics covered in this book include the remote sensing of open water bodies, wetlands and small lakes, snow depth and underwater seagrass, along with a variety of remote sensing techniques, platforms, and sensors. The Earth monitoring topics include geomorphology, land cover in arid climate, and disaster assessment after a tsunami. Finally, advanced topics of remote sensing covers atmosphere analysis with GNSS signals, earthquake visual monitoring, and fundamental analyses of laser reflectometry in the atmosphere medium.

Description / Table of Contents: Today, space technology is used as an excellent instrument for Earth observation applications. Data is collected using satellites and other available platforms for remote sensing. Remote sensing data collection detects a wide range of electromagnetic energy which is emitting, transmitting, or reflecting from the Earth's surface. Appropriate detection systems are needed to implement further data processing. Space technology has been found to be a successful application for studying climate change, as current and past data can be dynamically compared. This book presents different aspects of climate change and discusses space technology applications.

Description / Table of Contents: Soils play multiple roles in the quality of life throughout the world, not only as the resource for food production, but also as the support for our structures, the environment, the medium for waste disposal, water, and the storage of nutrients. A healthy soil can sustain biological productivity, maintain environmental quality, and promote plant and animal health. Understanding the impact of land management practices on soil properties and processes can provide useful indicators of economic and environmental sustainability. The sixteen chapters of this book orchestrate a multidisciplinary composition of current trends in soil health. Soil Health and Land Use Management provides a broad vision of the fundamental importance of soil health. In addition, the development of feasible management and remediation strategies to preserve and ameliorate the fitness of soils are discussed in this book. Strategies to improve land management and relevant case studies are covered, as well as the importance of characterizing soil properties to develop management and remediation strategies. Moreover, the current management of several environmental scenarios of high concern is presented, while the final chapters propose new methodologies for soil pollution assessment.

Description / Table of Contents: This book aims to provide information about Fourier transform to those needing to use infrared spectroscopy, by explaining the fundamental aspects of the Fourier transform, and techniques for analyzing infrared data obtained for a wide number of materials. It summarizes the theory, instrumentation, methodology, techniques and application of FTIR spectroscopy, and improves the performance and quality of FTIR spectrophotometers.

Description / Table of Contents: Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) plays a key role in high precision navigation, positioning, timing, and scientific questions related to precise positioning. This is a highly precise, continuous, all-weather, and real-time technique. The book is devoted to presenting recent results and developments in GNSS theory, system, signal, receiver, method, and errors sources, such as multipath effects and atmospheric delays. Furthermore, varied GNSS applications are demonstrated and evaluated in hybrid positioning, multi-sensor integration, height system, Network Real Time Kinematic (NRTK), wheeled robots, and status and engineering surveying. This book provides a good reference for GNSS designers, engineers, and scientists, as well as the user market.

Description / Table of Contents: In this timely volume, geoscientists from both industry and academia present a contemporary view of salt at a global scale. The studies examine the influence of salt on synkinematic sedimentation, its role in basin evolution and tectonics, and ultimately in hydrocarbon prospectivity. Recent improvements in seismic reflection, acquisition and processing techniques have led to significant advances in the understanding of salt and sediment interactions, both along the flanks of vertical or overturned salt margins, and in subsalt plays such as offshore Brazil. The book is broadly separated into five major themes covering a variety of geographical and process-linked topics. These are: halokinetic sequence stratigraphy, salt in passive margin settings, Central European salt basins, deformation within and adjacent to salt, and salt in contractional settings and salt glaciers.

Description / Table of Contents: This book is devoted to different aspects of earthquake research. Depending on their magnitude and the placement of the hypocenter, earthquakes have the potential to be very destructive. Given that they can cause significant losses and deaths, it is really important to understand the process and the physics of this phenomenon. This book does not focus on a unique problem in earthquake processes, but spans studies on historical earthquakes and seismology in different tectonic environments, to more applied studies on earthquake geology.

Description / Table of Contents: Climate Models offers a sampling of cutting edge research contributed by an international roster of scientists. The studies strive to improve our understanding of the physical environment for life on this planet. Each of the 14 essays presents a description of recent advances in methodologies for computer-based simulation of environmental variability. Subjects range from planetary-scale phenomena to regional ecology, from impacts of air pollution to the factors influencing floods and heat waves. The discerning reader will be rewarded with new insights concerning modern techniques for the investigation of the natural world.

Description / Table of Contents: Environmental change is increasingly considered a critical topic for researchers across multiple disciplines, as well as policy makers throughout the world. Mounting evidence shows that environments in every part of the globe are undergoing tremendous human-induced change. Population growth, urbanization and the expansion of the global economy are putting increasing pressure on ecosystems around the planet. To understand the causes and consequences of environmental change, the contributors to this book employ spatial and non-spatial data, diverse theoretical perspectives and cutting edge research tools such as GIS, remote sensing and other relevant technologies. International Perspectives on Global Environmental Change brings together research from around the world to explore the complexities of contemporary, and historical environmental change. As an InTech open source publication current and cutting edge research methodologies and research results are quickly published for the academic policy-making communities. Dimensions of environmental change explored in this volume include: Climate change Historical environmental change Biological responses to environmental change Land use and land cover change Policy and management for environmental change.

Description / Table of Contents: The subject of 'drainage: draining the water off' is as important as 'irrigation: application of water', if not more. 'Drainage' has a deep impact on food security, agricultural activity, hygiene and sanitation, municipal usage, land reclamation and usage, flood and debris flow control, hydrological disaster management, ecological and environmental balance, and water resource management. 'Drainage Systems' provides the reader with a tri-dimensional expose of drainage in terms of sustainable systems, surface drainage and subsurface drainage. Ten eminent authors and their colleagues with varied technical backgrounds and experiences from around the world have dealt with extensive range of issues concerning the drainage phenomenon. Field engineers, hydrologists, academics and graduate students will find this book equally benefitting.

Description / Table of Contents: An economic viability of a modern day mine is highly dependent upon careful planning and management. Declining trends in average ore grades, increasing mining costs and environmental considerations will ensure that this situation will remain in the foreseeable future. This book describes mining methods for the surface and underground mineral deposits. The methods are generalized and focus on typical applications from different mining areas around the world, keeping in mind, however, that every mineral deposit, with its geology, grade, shape, and volume, is unique. The book will serve as a useful resource for researchers, engineers and managers working in the mining industry, as well as for universities, non-governmental organizations, legal organizations, financial institutions and students and lecturers in mining engineering.

Description / Table of Contents: Climatology, the study of climate, is no longer regarded as a single discipline that treats climate as something that fluctuates only within the unchanging boundaries described by historical statistics. The field has recognized that climate is something that changes continually under the influence of physical and biological forces and so, cannot be understood in isolation but rather, is one that includes diverse scientific disciplines that play their role in understanding a highly complex coupled "whole system" that is the earth's climate. The modern era of climatology is echoed in this book. On the one hand it offers a broad synoptic perspective but also considers the regional standpoint, as it is this that affects what people need from climatology. Aspects on the topic of climate change - what is often considered a contradiction in terms - is also addressed. It is all too evident these days that what recent work in climatology has revealed carries profound implications for economic and social policy; it is with these in mind that the final chapters consider acumens as to the application of what has been learned to date.

Description / Table of Contents: Approaches to Managing Disaster - Assessing Hazards, Emergencies and Disaster Impacts demonstrates the array of information that is critical for improving disaster management. The book reflects major management components of the disaster continuum (the nature of risk, hazard, vulnerability, planning, response and adaptation) in the context of threats that derive from both nature and technology. The chapters include a selection of original research reports by an array of international scholars focused either on specific locations or on specific events. The chapters are ordered according to the phases of emergencies and disasters. The text reflects the disciplinary diversity found within disaster management and the challenges presented by the co-mingling of science and social science in their collective efforts to promote improvements in the techniques, approaches, and decision-making by emergency-response practitioners and the public. This text demonstrates the growing complexity of disasters and their management, as well as the tests societies face every day.

Description / Table of Contents: This book includes several geomorphological studies up-to-date, incorporating different disciplines and methodologies, always focused on methods, tools and general issues of environmental and applied geomorphology. In designing the book the integration of multiple methodological fields (geomorphological mapping, remote sensing, meteorological and climate analysis, vegetation and biogeomorphological investigations, geographic information systems GIS, land management methods), study areas, countries and continents (Europe, America, Asia, Africa) are considered.

Description / Table of Contents: Solid waste management generates big challenges for society due to its large variability in production and composition, and because of its sanitary and environmental impacts. To contribute in facing this situation, this book includes a worldwide overview of experiences and conceptual and technical developments attained through research and development projects. In addition to minimizing generation, considered as the most desirable practice, it includes alternatives of valuation for potentially recoverable waste and strategies to reduce final conditioning and disposition risks. The book includes contextual technical, economical, political and social aspects aimed at proposing integral solutions for the solid waste management.

Description / Table of Contents: Spatial planning is a significant part of geosciences that is developing very rapidly. Many new methods and modeling techniques like GIS (Geographical Information Systems), GPS (Global Positioning Systems) or remote sensing techniques have been developed and applied in various aspects of spatial planning. The chapters collected in this book present an excellent profile of the current state of theories, data, analysis methods and modeling techniques used in several case studies. The book is divided into three main parts (Theoretical aspects of spatial planning, Quantitative and computer spatial planning methods and Practical applications of spatial planning) that cover the latest advances in urban, city and spatial planning. The book also shows different aspects of spatial planning and different approaches to case studies in several countries.

Description / Table of Contents: The book contains fundamentals of solar radiation, its ecological impacts, applications, especially in agriculture, architecture, thermal and electric energy. Chapters are written by numerous experienced scientists in the field from various parts of the world. Apart from chapter one which is the introductory chapter of the book, that gives a general topic insight of the book, there are 24 more chapters that cover various fields of solar radiation. These fields include: Measurements and Analysis of Solar Radiation, Agricultural Application / Bio-effect, Architectural Application, Electricity Generation Application and Thermal Energy Application. This book aims to provide a clear scientific insight on Solar Radiation to scientist and students.

Description / Table of Contents: The fractal analysis is becoming a very useful tool to process obtained data from chaotic systems in geosciences. It can be used to resolve many ambiguities in this domain. This book contains eight chapters showing the recent applications of the fractal/mutifractal analysis in geosciences. Two chapters are devoted to applications of the fractal analysis in climatology, two of them to data of cosmic and solar geomagnetic data from observatories. Four chapters of the book contain some applications of the (multi-) fractal analysis in exploration geophysics. I believe that the current book is an important source for researchers and students from universities.

Description / Table of Contents: The self-organizing map, first described by the Finnish scientist Teuvo Kohonen, can by applied to a wide range of fields. This book is about such applications, i.e. how the original self-organizing map as well as variants and extensions of it can be applied in different fields. In fourteen chapters, a wide range of such applications is discussed. To name a few, these applications include the analysis of financial stability, the fault diagnosis of plants, the creation of well-composed heterogeneous teams and the application of the self-organizing map to the atmospheric sciences.

Description / Table of Contents: The contents of this book show the implementation of new methodologies applied to archaeological sites. Chapters have been grouped in four sections: New Approaches About Archaeological Theory and Methodology; The Use of Geophysics on Archaeological Fieldwork; New Applied Techniques - Improving Material Culture and Experimentation; and Sharing Knowledge - Some Proposals Concerning Heritage and Education. Many different research projects, many different scientists and authors from different countries, many different historical times and periods, but only one objective: working together to increase our knowledge of ancient populations through archaeological work. The proposal of this book is to diffuse new methods and techniques developed by scientists to be used in archaeological works. That is the reason why we have thought that a publication on line is the best way of using new technology for sharing knowledge everywhere. Discovering, sharing knowledge, asking questions about our remote past and origins, are in the basis of humanity, and also are in the basis of archaeology as a science.

Description / Table of Contents: Nowadays, it is generally accepted that in the natural and industrial environments, corrosion and pollution are interrelated harmful processes since many water, air and soil pollutants accelerate corrosion, and corrosion products such as rust, oxides and salts, also pollute water bodies at ports, rivers, dams, canals and shipyards. Both are pernicious processes that impair the durability of the infrastructure assets, the industry efficiency and profitability and the quality of the environment. Therefore, it is essential to develop and to apply corrosion engineering control methods and techniques, in particular those being environment-friendly. In this crucial time of worldwide energy crisis and economic turmoil, cost effective corrosion control will extend the life of the infrastructure saving large expenses in materials, equipment and structures. This book will contribute to achieve this important mission!

Description / Table of Contents: Intelligent systems, known as expert systems, serve to this purpose in the extent that they have signed as facilitators in this process. These are systems that are based on expert knowledge, on any subject, in order to emulate human expertise in the specific field. To obtain this knowledge, the knowledge engineers, also called software engineers, need to develop methodologies for intelligent systems. In this area there is still no unified methodology that provides effective methods, notations and tools to aid in development.

Description / Table of Contents: Organic pollutants cause several environmental problems if discharged to air or water body. The occurrence of organic pollutants in the ecosystem, their risk and removal methods are very important issues .This book deals with several aspects of organic pollutants, especially in the light of organic pollutants monitoring, risk assessment as well as the practical application of different techniques for removing it from the environment. The book is divided into three sections contains 9 chapters. The first section explains monitoring of organic pollutants in soil and water. The second section discusse its risk to human, soil and plants. The third section focuse on the different treatment process for the removal of organic pollutants.

Description / Table of Contents: This excellent book represents the final part of three-volumes regarding MATLAB-based applications in almost every branch of science. The book consists of 19 excellent, insightful articles and the readers will find the results very useful to their work. In particular, the book consists of three parts, the first one is devoted to mathematical methods in the applied sciences by using MATLAB, the second is devoted to MATLAB applications of general interest and the third one discusses MATLAB for educational purposes. This collection of high quality articles, refers to a large range of professional fields and can be used for science as well as for various educational purposes.

Description / Table of Contents: This excellent book represents the second part of three-volumes regarding MATLAB-based applications in almost every branch of science. The present textbook contains a collection of 13 exceptional articles divided in three parts. In particular, the first part is devoted to electronic engineering and computer science, the second part is devoted to MATLAB/SIMULINK as a tool for engineering applications and the third part is about telecommunication and communication systems. This collection of high quality articles refers to a large range of professional fields and can be used for science as well as for various educational purposes.

Description / Table of Contents: A well-known statement says that the PID controller is the "bread and butter" of the control engineer. This is indeed true, from a scientific standpoint. However, nowadays, in the era of computer science, when the paper and pencil have been replaced by the keyboard and the display of computers, one may equally say that MATLAB is the "bread" in the above statement. MATLAB has became a de facto tool for the modern system engineer. This book is written for both engineering students, as well as for practicing engineers. The wide range of applications in which MATLAB is the working framework, shows that it is a powerful, comprehensive and easy-to-use environment for performing technical computations. The book includes various excellent applications in which MATLAB is employed: from pure algebraic computations to data acquisition in real-life experiments, from control strategies to image processing algorithms, from graphical user interface design for educational purposes to Simulink embedded systems.

Description / Table of Contents: The enchanting and worthy world of PU beckoned to bring forth the book titled "Polyurethane". The book is divided into three sections: structures, properties and characterization of PU, applications of PU and a separate section on Biobased PU, covering the research and development in these areas. Each contributed chapter handles new and interesting topics introducing the reader to the wider known and unknown applications of PU such as PU for grouting technologies, fuel binder, extraction of metals, treatment of industry wastewater, alkanolamide PU coatings and foams, and others. The book aims to cater a larger audience comprising of readers from polymer chemistry, materials chemistry, and industrial chemistry.

Description / Table of Contents: Geology as medicine and medics as geologists / Christopher J. Duffin / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 1-6, 23 August 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.29 --- Lithotherapeutical research sources from antiquity to the mid-eighteenth century / Christopher J. Duffin / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 7-43, 4 September 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.25 --- Cryptopalaeontology / Eladio Liñán, María Liñán and Joaquín Carrasco / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 45-64, 10 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.14 --- The stomatological use of stones cited in the Kitab al-tasrif treatise (Abulcasis, 1000 CE) / Joaquín Carrasco and María Liñán / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 65-80, 11 December 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.7 --- The gem electuary / Christopher J. Duffin / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 81-111, 17 December 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.9 --- Medicinal terra sigillata: a historical, geographical and typological review / Arthur Macgregor / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 113-136, 15 November 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.1 --- Materia medica in the seventeenth-century Paper Museum of Cassiano dal Pozzo / W. D. Ian Rolfe / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 137-156, 15 November 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.3 --- History of the pharmaceutical use of pumice / Christopher J. Duffin / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 157-169, 17 December 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.8 --- Pharmaceutical use of gold from antiquity to the seventeenth century / Renzo Console / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 171-191, 2 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.12 --- Bezoar stones, magic, science and art / Maria Do Sameiro Barroso / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 193-207, 26 February 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.11 --- Some early eighteenth century geological Materia Medica / Christopher J. Duffin / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 209-233, 2 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.13 --- Religiosity and magic in some lithoiatric practices of European folk medicine / Massimo Aliverti / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 235-242, 23 August 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.27 --- Britain’s spa heritage: a hydrogeological appraisal / John D. Mather / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 243-260, 2 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.16 --- Groundwater – Medicine by the Glassful? / N. S. Robins and P. L. Smedley / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 261-267, 2 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.17 --- Sunday Stone: an enduring metaphor of mining diseases and underground mining conditions / John H. Pearn and Christopher Gardner-Thorpe / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 269-278, 11 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.22 --- The influence of geology in the development of public health / Beverly P. Bergman / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 279-287, 15 November 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.6 --- From flesh to fossils – Nicolaus Steno’s anatomy of the Earth / Jakob Bek-Thomsen / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 289-305, 2 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.15 --- Diagnosing fossilization in the Nordic Renaissance: an investigation into the correspondence of Ole Worm (1588–1654) / Ella Hoch / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 307-327, 17 September 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.26 --- Education forms the tender mind / Christopher Gardner-Thorpe / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 329-337, 23 August 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.28 --- James Parkinson’s ‘system of successive creations’ / Cherry Lewis / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 339-348, 15 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.18 --- From obstetrics to oryctology: inside the mind of William Hunter (1718–1783) / J. J. Liston / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 349-373, 15 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.21 --- John Jeremiah Bigsby, MD: British Army physician and pioneer North American geologist / Leonard G. Wilson / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 375-394, 15 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.20 --- Five eighteenth-century medical polymaths / Gillian C. Hull / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 395-407, 15 November 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.5 --- John Whitaker Hulke, surgeon and palaeontologist / Simon Wills / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 409-427, 22 February 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.10 --- Dr Arthur Conan Doyle’s contribution to the popularity of pterodactyls / David M. Martill and Tony Pointon / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 429-443, 15 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.19 --- Physicians and their contribution to the early history of earth sciences in Austria / Daniela Claudia Angetter, Bernhard Hubmann and Johannes Seidl / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 445-454, 15 November 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.4 --- Medical geologists during the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration / Henry Guly / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 455-462, 15 November 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.2 --- Vomiting stones: mental illness and forensic medicine in 18th century Italy / Alessandro Porro, Carlo Cristini, Bruno Falconi, Antonia Francesca Franchini and Lorenzo Lorusso / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 463-468, 4 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.23 --- Geology, conservation and dissolution of corpses by Paolo Gorini (1813–1881) / Lorenzo Lorusso, Bruno Falconi, Francesca Antonia Franchini and Alessandro Porro / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 469-474, 9 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.24

Description / Table of Contents: Orogenic andesites have long intrigued scientists because of their remarkable compositional similarities to the continental crust. The significance of orogenic andesites as proxies to continental crust formation has been recognized for over 30 years, but no consensus model of andesite genesis exists. Much of the controversy revolves around whether orogenic andesites are primary melts of slab and mantle materials, or instead evolve from basaltic mantle melts at shallower crustal levels. In three sections, this book provides an overview of andesite genesis at convergent margins that focuses on the slab–mantle interaction, crustal processing and andesite evolution through the life of volcanic arcs. Without favouring a particular view, the books aims to engender cross-fertilization and discussion that will smooth the pathway towards a holistic communal model of andesite petrogenesis and its role within the broader geochemical cycles of the Earth.

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction --- Antarctic Palaeoenvironments and Earth-Surface Processes in context / Michael J. Hambrey and Bethan J. Davies / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 1-5, 24 September 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.27 --- A. Palaeozoic and Mesozoic evolution of the Antarctic Continent --- The geological and tectonic evolution of the Transantarctic Mountains: a review / David H. Elliot / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 7-35, 1 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.14 --- Differential Movement across Byrd Glacier, Antarctica, as indicated by Apatite (U–Th)/He thermochronology and geomorphological analysis / D. J. Foley, E. Stump, M. van Soest, K. X. Whipple and K. V. Hodges / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 37-43, 6 August 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.25 --- Mesozoic to recent evolution of intraplate stress fields under multiple remote stresses: The case of Signy Island (South Orkney Microcontinent, Antarctica) / A. Maestro, J. López-Martínez and F. Bohoyo / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 45-65, 19 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.4 --- The Taylor Group (Beacon Supergroup): the Devonian sediments of Antarctica / Margaret A. Bradshaw / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 67-97, 6 August 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.23 --- Late Cretaceous dinosaurs from the James Ross Basin, West Antarctica / Marcelo A. Reguero, Claudia P. Tambussi, Rodolfo A. Coria and Sergio A. Marenssi / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 99-116, 24 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.20 --- Palaeobiogeography of Austral echinoid faunas: a first quantitative approach / Thomas Saucede, Benjamin Pierrat, Arnaud Brayard and Bruno David / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 117-127, 19 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.6 --- B. Cenozoic glaciation and impacts --- Taxonomic diversity of Eocene Antarctic penguins: a changing picture / Piotr Jadwiszczak / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 129-138, 24 June 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.7 --- Heat-flow determinations of basement age in small oceanic basins of the southern central Scotia Sea / P. F. Barker, L. A. Lawver and R. D. Larter / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 139-150, 19 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.3 --- Cenozoic landscape and ice drainage evolution in the Lambert Glacier–Amery Ice Shelf system / Duanne A. White / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 151-165, 1 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.15 --- History of the grounded ice sheet in the Ross Sea sector of Antarctica during the Last Glacial Maximum and the last termination / Brenda L. Hall, George H. Denton, John O. Stone and Howard Conway / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 167-181, 19 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.5 --- Late Eocene Glaciofluvial to Glaciomarine transition in the Lambert Graben: constraints from lithofacies and mineralogy of ODP Site 1166 sediments, Prydz Bay, Antarctica / K. Strand, J. Köykkä and J. Lamminen / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 183-197, 30 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.24 --- The Offshore New Harbour Project: deciphering the Middle Miocene through Late Eocene seismic stratigraphy of Offshore New Harbour, western Ross Sea, Antarctica / Stephen F. Pekar, Marvin A. Speece, Gary S. Wilson, David S. Sunwall and Kirsty J. Tinto / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 199-213, 19 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.2 --- Constraints on Antarctic Ice Sheet configuration during and following the Last Glacial Maximum and its episodic contribution to sea-level rise / John B. Anderson, Alexandra E. Kirshner and Alexander R. Simms / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 215-232, 1 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.13 --- Glaciomarine sedimentation dynamics of the Abbot glacial trough of the Amundsen Sea Embayment shelf, West Antarctica / Katharina Hochmuth and Karsten Gohl / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 233-244, 24 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.21 --- Southern Ocean bioproductivity during the last glacial cycle – new detection method and decadal-scale insight from the Scotia Sea / D. Sprenk, M. E. Weber, G. Kuhn, P. Rosén, M. Frank, M. Molina-Kescher, V. Liebetrau and H.-G. Röhling / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 245-261, 30 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.17 --- Palaeoenvironmental records from the West Antarctic Peninsula drift sediments over the last 75 ka / Maryline J. Vautravers, David A. Hodell, James E. T. Channell, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, Mike Hall, James Smith and Robert D. Larter / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 263-276, 5 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.12 --- Provenance of Pleistocene sediments from Site U1359 of the Wilkes Land IODP Leg 318 – evidence for multiple sourcing from the East Antarctic Craton and Ross Orogen / N. C. Pant, P. Biswas, Prakash K. Shrivastava, S. Bhattacharya, Kamlesh Verma, Mayuri Pandey and Iodp Expedition 318 Scientific Party / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 277-297, 1 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.11 --- C. Glacial and periglacial processes --- Geomorphological evidence of cold-based glacier activity in South Victoria Land, Antarctica / C. B. Atkins / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 299-318, 24 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.18 --- A review of geomorphic processes and landforms in the Dry Valleys of southern Victoria Land: implications for evaluating climate change and ice-sheet stability / D. R. Marchant, S. L. Mackay, J. L. Lamp, A. T. Hayden and J. W. Head / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 319-352, 1 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.10 --- Landscape evolution and ice-sheet behaviour in a semi-arid polar environment: James Ross Island, NE Antarctic Peninsula / Bethan J. Davies, Neil F. Glasser, Jonathan L. Carrivick, Michael J. Hambrey, John L. Smellie and Daniel Nývlt / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 353-395, 19 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.1 --- Windows on Antarctic soil–landscape relationships: comparison across selected regions of Antarctica / Megan R. Balks, Jerónimo López-Martínez, Sergey V. Goryachkin, Nikita S. Mergelov, Carlos E. G. R. Schaefer, Felipe N. B. Simas, Peter C. Almond, Graeme G. C. Claridge, Malcolm Mcleod and Joshua Scarrow / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 397-410, 16 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.9 --- Sedimentary processes in two different polar periglacial environments: Examples from Schirmacher Oasis and Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica / Rajesh Asthana, Prakash K. Shrivastava, M. Javed Beg, Ashit K. Swain, Amit Dharwadkar, Sandip K. Roy and Hari B. Srivastava / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 411-427, 30 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.22 --- Periglacial processes and landforms of the Antarctic: a review of recent studies and directions / Kevin Hall / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 429-453, 1 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.16 --- Palaeoshoreline records of glacial isostatic adjustment in the Dry Valleys region, Antarctica / Stephanie A. Konfal, T. J. Wilson and B. L. Hall / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 455-467, 30 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.26 --- Characteristic atmosphere–ocean–solid earth interactions in the Antarctic coastal and marine environment inferred from seismic and infrasound recording at Syowa Station, East Antarctica / Masaki Kanao, Alessia Maggi, Yoshiaki Ishihara, Eleonore Stutzmann, Masa-Yuki Yamamoto and Genti Toyokuni / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 469-480, 16 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.8 --- Evaluation of Envisat ASAR IMP imagery for snow mapping at varying spatial resolution (Deception Island, South Shetlands – Antarctica) / Carla Mora, Gonçalo Vieira and Miguel Ramos / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 481-493, 24 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.19

Description / Table of Contents: Faced with the upcoming serious deficiency of energy, food and water, along with inevitable environmental pollution, much related research has been on the upsurge because Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) seem to be one of the solutions to these concerns in the future. The aim of this book is to describe and consider some concepts regarding MFC application designs for interested colleagues. Five topics regarding the technology of flow control, biocatalysts, biofilms, removal of chemical oxygen demand and biochemical fields are addressed in the book. Considering the low power density and short life span of MFCs, there has been a dramatic increase in funding and research that has led to a greater understanding of the fundamental science behind MFC study. This is driving significant improvements in both the reliability and efficiency of MFCs and hence their future use.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume highlights key challenges for fluid-flow prediction in carbonate reservoirs, the approaches currently employed to address these challenges and developments in fundamental science and technology. The papers span methods and case studies that highlight workflows and emerging technologies in the fields of geology, geophysics, petrophysics, reservoir modelling and computer science. Topics include: detailed pore-scale studies that explore fundamental processes and applications of imaging and flow modelling at the pore scale; case studies of diagenetic processes with complementary perspectives from reactive transport modelling; novel methods for rock typing; petrophysical studies that investigate the impact of diagenesis and fault-rock properties on acoustic signatures; mechanical modelling and seismic imaging of faults in carbonate rocks; modelling geological influences on seismic anisotropy; novel approaches to geological modelling; methods to represent key geological details in reservoir simulations and advances in computer visualization, analytics and interactions for geoscience and engineering.

Description / Table of Contents: This book is devoted to different aspects of tectonic research. Syntheses of recent and earlier works, combined with new results and interpretations, are presented in this book for diverse tectonic settings. Most of the chapters include up-to-date material of detailed geological investigations, often combined with geophysical data, which can help understand more clearly the essence of mechanisms of different tectonic processes. Some chapters are dedicated to general problems of tectonics. Another block of chapters is devoted to sedimentary basins and special attention in this book is given to tectonic processes on active plate margins.

Description / Table of Contents: This book provides an interdisciplinary view of how to prepare the ecological and socio-economic systems to the reality of climate change. Scientifically sound tools are needed to predict its effects on regional, rather than global, scales, as it is the level at which socio-economic plans are designed and natural ecosystem reacts. The first section of this book describes a series of methods and models to downscale the global predictions of climate change, estimate its effects on biophysical systems and monitor the changes as they occur. To reduce the magnitude of these changes, new ways of economic activity must be implemented. The second section of this book explores different options to reduce greenhouse emissions from activities such as forestry, industry and urban development. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that climate change can be minimized, but not avoided, and therefore the socio-economic systems around the world will have to adapt to the new conditions to reduce the adverse impacts to the minimum. The last section of this book explores some options for adaptation.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume provides a synopsis of current research on volcanic processes, as gained through the use of palaeomagnetic and rock magnetic techniques. Thermoremanent magnetization information provides a powerful means of deciphering thermal processes in volcanic deposits, including estimating the emplacement temperature of pyroclastic deposits, which allows us to understand better the rates of cooling during eruption and transport. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility and anisotropy of remanence are used primarily to investigate rock fabrics and to quantify flow dynamics in dykes, lava flows, and pyroclastic deposits, as well as identify vent locations. Rock-magnetic characteristics allow correlation of volcanic deposits, but also provide means to date volcanic deposits and to understand better their cooling history. Because lava flows are typically good recorders of past magnetic fields, data from them allow understanding of changes in geomagnetic field directions and intensity, providing clues on the origin of Earth's magnetic field.

Description / Table of Contents: This book is devoted to the mechanisms of sedimentary basin formation on active plate margins, which show enormous diversity reflecting complex tectonic processes. Multidisciplinary approach pursuing basin-forming mechanism is based on geology, sedimentology, geochronology and geophysics. Some chapters are dedicated to the genetic analysis of sedimentary basins in wrench deformation zones in forearc and intra-arc regions. Another block of chapters deals with basin formation in peripheral regions of Eurasia and intra-arc / foreland basins under the influence of the fluctuation of stress regimes. Finally geophysical approaches to basin analyses are shown in some chapters from microscopic to regional scales. Diverse contents of the chapters provide the audience with the present accomplishments of basin researches on active margins by Earth scientists.

Description / Table of Contents: This book is a research publication that covers original research on developments within the Hydraulic Conductivity field of study. The book is a collection of reviewed scholarly contributions written by different authors. Each scholarly contribution represents a chapter and each chapter is complete in itself but related to the major topics and objectives.

Description / Table of Contents: Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, and/or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions that will produce the desired outcome. The scope of the profession includes: urban design; site planning; town or urban planning; environmental restoration; parks and recreation planning; visual resource management; green infrastructure planning and provision; and private estate and residence landscape master planning and design - all at varying scales of design, planning and management. This book contains chapters on recent developments in studies of landscape architecture. For this reason I believe the book would be useful to the relevant professional disciplines.

Description / Table of Contents: Ore deposits form by a variety of natural processes that concentrate elements into a volume that can be economically mined. Their type, character and abundance reflect the environment in which they formed and thus they preserve key evidence for the evolution of magmatic and tectonic processes, the state of the atmosphere and hydrosphere, and the evolution of life over geological time. This volume presents 13 papers on topical subjects in ore deposit research viewed in the context of Earth evolution. These diverse, yet interlinked, papers cover topics including: controls on the temporal and spatial distribution of ore deposits; the sources of fluid, gold and other components of orogenic gold deposits; the degree of oxygenation in the Neoproterozoic ocean; bacterial immobilization of gold in the semi-arid near-surface environment; and mineral resources for the future, including issues of resource estimation, sustainability of supply and the criticality of certain elements to society.