Applying Deep Learning Technology for Spatiotemporal Prediction of Air Pollution from Urban Mobile Sources
Occurrence, Accumulation, and Impacts of Environmental Pollutants in Aquatic Systems
Environmental Transport and Transformation of Pollutants
The presence of various pollutants in the environment causes concern due to their potential adverse effects on the ecosystem and human beings. Pollutants such as heavy metals, chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, per- and poly-fluorinated compounds, pesticides, antibiotics, micro- and nano-plastics, etc., may be transported and transformed in the environment, and these processes are influenced by many factors, such as the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the pollutants, the physio-chemical and biological properties of the matrix, and environmental conditions. Understanding the environmental processes of pollutants as well as their effects helps to establish sound science-based regulations and develop effective management practices. This Special Issue offers insights into advanced research in the environmental processes of pollutants. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Technologies for measurements of pollutants; (2) Approaches to characterize environmental transport and transformation; (3) Methods to predict and quantify environmental processes; (4) Assessments of interactions between pollutants and the environmental matrix; (5) Effects of transport and transformation of pollutants.
Constructed Wetlands as a Sustainable Technology for Wastewater Treatment
The world faces growing water scarcity and pollution, intensified by socioeconomic development and rising demand for clean water. Annually, about 359.4 billion m3 of wastewater is generated globally, with nearly half discharged untreated. Conventional treatment plants, while widely used, are energy-intensive, rely heavily on chemicals, incompletely remove emerging contaminants and pathogens, emit significant greenhouse gases, and operate separately from natural ecosystems. Sustainable, cost-effective alternatives are urgently needed. Constructed wetlands mimic natural wetland processes-using plants, substrates, and microorganisms-to effectively remove pollutants. Recognized as eco-friendly and efficient nature-based solutions, they offer multiple benefits, including water purification, resource recovery, carbon sequestration, stormwater management, biodiversity support, and opportunities for education and recreation. This Reprint tackles current challenges in constructed wetlands, such as carbon emission reduction and removal of emerging contaminants. The studies provide insights to advance innovative applications and enhance the mechanistic understanding of wetlands for sustainable pollution control.
Advanced Research on Hydraulic Engineering and Hydrological Modelling
Hydraulics and hydrology are ancient disciplines that play a crucial role in ensuring water security, safeguarding water environments, and maintaining water ecology. In recent years, the construction of high dams, such as the Baihetan Project, has not only resolved numerous problems but has also generated a wealth of practical theories, advanced techniques, and valuable practical experiences in the fields of hydraulics and hydrology. Physical models, numerical models, and prototype measurements are traditional research methods. However, with the rapid advancement of emerging technologies like information technology and big data, the integration of these technologies with hydraulics and hydrology has emerged as a prominent research topic in the current academic landscape. It is essential to summarize and disseminate the above-mentioned research findings to further promote the development of this area of interest. We hope that the work contained within this Reprint will be useful to the scientific community, policymakers, and stakeholders in the field of hydraulics and hydrology at large.
Advancing Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Service Using Satellite Navigation Technology
This Reprint aims to comprehensively explore the expansive and ever-evolving realm of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) technologies, with a primary focus on those rooted in satellite navigation systems. It serves as an in-depth platform for delving into a wide array of significant topics, including, but not limited to, the seamless integration of multiple PNT sources for enhanced accuracy and reliability, the development of resilient PNT systems capable of withstanding challenging environments, miniaturized micro PNT innovations tailored for small-scale devices, secure PNT frameworks to safeguard against cyber threats, advancements in GNSS Precise Point Positioning (PPP) and PPP-Real-Time Kinematic (PPP-RTK) for centimeter-level real-time positioning, precision in GNSS timing for critical applications, refined GNSS orbit determination and modeling for improved system performance, atmospheric sensing utilizing GNSS signals for weather forecasting, research into the impact of ionospheric disturbances and space weather on GNSS signals, and the integration of navigation with smart applications, as well as exploring satellite navigation countermeasures and the future potential of Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) PNT and broadband PNT constellations leveraging signals of opportunity.
Simulation, Experiment and Modeling of Coal Fires
This Special Issue brings together 12 pioneering articles dedicated to an in-depth analysis of coal fires, a global disaster, through various research paradigms including simulation, experimentation, and modeling. The content focuses on three core areas: i. At the microscopic mechanisms level, it investigates the effects of solvent extraction on the functional groups and molecular structures of coal, combined with thermodynamic analysis, to fundamentally reveal the physicochemical properties of spontaneous combustion. ii. In the field of monitoring and early warning, it presents advanced monitoring solutions ranging from optimizing traditional gas indicators to deploying Distributed Temperature Sensing Systems, while innovatively applying artificial intelligence models such as deep learning for the precise prediction of secondary disasters like gas explosion. iii. Regarding engineering prevention and control, it investigates airflow leakage patterns in gob areas under advanced mining techniques, proposing targeted, field-verified sealing and fire prevention strategies. The Special Issue also includes comprehensive reviews on the research landscape and looks forward to exploring innovative pathways for recovering and converting waste heat from fire zones using a combined device of TPCTs and TGs, presenting a new vision that integrates disaster management with resource utilization. Collectively, the research in this Special Issue provides a vital theoretical and technical foundation for understanding the mechanisms of coal fires, and for achieving their precise prevention, control, and sustainable governance.
Sketches of Western Canada 1873-1899
Landscapes, rivers, resources, geology, indigenous peoples... all these subjects were of interest to geologist-explorer George M. Dawson (1849-1901) as he travelled the prairies, Rockies, British Columbia, Yukon and beyond.These sketches are collected from his personal notebooks at McGill University Archives and his field notebooks at the National Archives from his work with the Geological Survey of Canada, of which he was Assistant Director (1883-) and Director (1895-1901). Raised in upper-class Victorian Montreal (his father Sir William was principal of McGill) he was well educated and, beyond his work as a scientist, excelled at drawing, watercolours and photography. Prepared by Peter D. Geldart
Climate Change and Hydrological Processes
Water is one of the essential elements sustaining human life and security. In recent years, the emergence and intensification of extreme climatic events have increasingly compromised water availability and quality, profoundly affecting people's well-being. Periods of drought have intensified water scarcity, while, conversely, rainfall has become more intense and frequent in various regions around the world. Within this evolving climatic context, the need to evaluate, forecast, and mitigate the occurrence and effects of extreme events has become a pressing priority-not only as a subject of scientific investigation but also as a matter of great importance for policymakers and decision-makers seeking to prevent or reduce their inherent impacts. Therefore, this reprint focuses on a range of interrelated topics, including the influence of climate change on water runoff processes, the projection of flash-flood susceptibility under different climate scenarios, and the variability of maximum river discharges in response to changing climatic conditions. It also addresses the impacts of climate change on the frequency and severity of droughts, the challenges of assessing risk and uncertainty in detecting drought events, and the need for both quantitative and qualitative analyses of extreme hydrological occurrences. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of evaluating hazards and risks in drought assessment, integrating environmental economics into flood and drought risk management, and modeling the complex relationships between climatic variables and hydrological processes.
Advances in Hydro-Geological Research in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas
Hydrogeological research in arid and semi-arid regions has entered a new stage driven by interdisciplinary integration and technological innovation, providing crucial support for the sustainable management of water-scarce areas. Research continues to make breakthroughs in core areas such as groundwater cycle mechanisms, hydrogeological modeling, and the coupling of landscape and hydrological processes. Through techniques such as hydrogen-oxygen stable isotope analysis and the chlorine mass balance method, diverse recharge sources and slow cycle characteristics have been clarified. The integration of open-source tools with remote sensing, GIS, and artificial intelligence has not only reduced the cost of constructing three-dimensional hydrogeological framework models but also enabled more precise drought risk assessment and dynamic water resource monitoring. For special systems such as desert springs and karst aquifers, the unique gushing mechanisms and hydrochemical laws have been elucidated. Furthermore, through field infiltration tests and data analysis, the impacts of soil type and land use on hydrological processes have been clarified, providing a scientific basis for land use planning and watershed management. Today, research methods that combine multi-source data fusion and field and laboratory work are becoming increasingly mature. Interdisciplinary collaboration has further streamlined the chain from mechanism research to application, enabling hydrogeological research results to serve practical needs such as water resource optimization, ecological protection, and climate change adaptation more efficiently.
XVIII International Seminars on Overarching Issues of the European Area
The Reprint "XVIII International Seminars on Overarching Issues of the European Area" gathers twenty peer-reviewed papers presented in Porto, Portugal, between 23 and 26 May 2024. This Reprint explores the intersections between sustainability, innovation, and territorial development, offering multidisciplinary insights into how societies can respond to global and local challenges. The contributions address various topics, including rural innovation, wildfire risk management, climate change adaptation, sustainable tourism, cultural heritage, governance, and social cohesion. These works provide an integrated understanding of the transformations shaping territories in the twenty-first century and highlight the importance of place-based and community-oriented approaches to building more resilient futures.
Production of Energy-Efficient Natural Gas Hydrate
Natural gas hydrate represents a significant potential energy resource for the future, yet its path to commercial production requires overcoming substantial scientific and technical hurdles. This Reprint, entitled "Production of Energy-efficient Natural Gas Hydrate", is dedicated to presenting the latest progress in addressing these challenges. The collected research spans the entire value chain, from fundamental molecular-scale studies to field-scale simulations and environmental impact assessments. This Reprint consolidates cutting-edge findings on core topics essential for advancing the field. These include the fundamentals of gas hydrate phase transition, the development of novel production technologies, and the comprehensive characterization of hydrate resources. A significant focus is placed on understanding and mitigating environmental impacts, such as those related to climate and geohazards. The issue also explores critical areas like flow assurance in production systems, the application of hydrate science for CO2 capture and storage, and the use of advanced numerical simulations for prediction and scaling. By synthesizing a wide array of experimental, theoretical, and simulation-based research, this Reprint serves as a vital reference on the current state of knowledge and the innovative approaches driving the efficient and responsible development of natural gas hydrates.
Environmental Exposure to Microplastics
This Reprint compiles key research addressing the pervasive challenge of microplastic pollution. Moving beyond detection, the included studies critically examine toxicological effects and exposure pathways from a One Health perspective.The synthesis reveals that microplastics act as carriers for co-pollutants like phthalates and pharmaceuticals, enhancing their bioavailability and toxicity in aquatic and mammalian models. Toxicological impact depends strongly on polymer type, with polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride eliciting distinct biological responses. Fieldwork from regions like the Yangtze River Estuary and Pakistan's freshwater ecosystems documents environmental distribution and confirms widespread wildlife ingestion. Innovative non-invasive methods, such as analyzing white stork pellets, are highlighted as effective biomonitoring tools. A key focus is human exposure, identifying the mechanical fragmentation of everyday plastics as a significant, overlooked pathway. Studies on wastewater treatment plants show that while microplastics are partially removed, persistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals in effluent remain an ecological concern.By integrating toxicology, environmental monitoring, and risk assessment, this Reprint serves as a comprehensive scientific resource. It provides an essential resource for researchers, policymakers, and students seeking an evidence-based understanding of microplastic impacts on ecosystem stability, animal health, and public health.
Feature Papers for Land Systems and Global Change Section
This Reprint presents a concise selection of recent studies that deepen our understanding of land system dynamics under accelerating global change. Land systems arise from interactions among ecological processes, human activities, and socio-economic structures, and their evolution is increasingly shaped by multiple, intertwined pressures. The contributions highlight how climate variability, urban growth, institutional change, and ecological degradation jointly drive land transformation, often producing nonlinear and spatially heterogeneous outcomes. Several studies investigate how land use transitions alter ecosystem functions such as soil stability, hydrological regulation, and cultural benefits. Case analyses from diverse regions show that landscape patterns and ecological resilience respond differently across environmental and developmental contexts, emphasizing the need for locally tailored strategies. Urban environments feature prominently, with research assessing ecological efficiency, green infrastructure, and the impacts of rapid urbanization on environmental stress. These findings demonstrate the dual role of cities as both drivers of land system change and critical arenas for nature-based solutions. Other contributions address governance and conceptual challenges, including land resource equity and the need for coherent planning frameworks.
Advances in Remediation of Contaminated Sites
This Reprint compiles 24 cutting-edge studies on contaminated site remediation, covering four core areas: pollution characterization and risk assessment, environmental fate of pollutants, remediation technology, and review articles with bibliometric analysis. It explores diverse scenarios including industrial zones, mining areas, agricultural lands, drinking water sources, and tailings ponds. Key advances include rapid pollution detection via multi-source spectral fusion and machine learning, revelation of plant-microbe adaptive mechanisms in polluted environments, development of high-performance materials (e.g., modified biochar, nanoflower-like oxides), and intelligent optimization of remediation strategies. The collection reflects interdisciplinary integration and practical application, addressing challenges like compound pollution and technology scaling. It serves as a valuable resource for researchers, engineers, and policymakers, advancing sustainable management of contaminated sites worldwide.
Sustainability in Energy and Buildings
This Reprint focuses on the urgent challenge of achieving sustainability in the building sector, one of the world's largest consumers of energy and contributors to CO₂ emissions. It brings together recent research and innovative approaches aimed at reducing energy demand and environmental impact throughout a building's life cycle. The contributions explore advancements in sustainable construction materials, the design and optimization of passive and active building envelopes, and the integration of efficient HVAC systems with smart control technologies. Renewable energy applications for buildings-such as photovoltaic and solar thermal systems, small wind turbines, and low-temperature geothermal solutions-are also examined. Furthermore, life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost (LCC) methodologies are presented as essential tools for evaluating and guiding sustainable design and operation. Collectively, this Reprint offers a comprehensive overview of emerging strategies and technologies shaping a more energy-efficient and environmentally responsible built environment.
Application of Remote Sensing and GIS for Promoting Sustainable Geoenvironment
With the Earth's growing population, the environment faces a wide array of new challenges. Detailed knowledge, as well as continuous monitoring and evaluation of the environment, is crucial to promote a sustainable geological environment. In recent decades, Remote Sensing (RS) has made it possible to gather huge quantities of geographical information and data. Additionally, a Geographical Information System (GIS) serves as an outstanding and effective tool in the spatial analysis of various natural phenomena. The integration of RS with GIS further enhances the process of collating and updating multiple information, thereby offering a cost-effective way for environmental monitoring, evaluation, and change detection. These geospatial technologies are particularly helpful for both basic and applied geology, mapping, characterizing natural resources, assessing contaminated environment risk, estimating natural hazards, identifying community susceptibility to hazards, and land use planning. Therefore, RS and GIS have become necessary tools in addressing the geoenvironment.This Special Issue aims to present research on the application of RS and GIS in addressing geoenvironmental phenomena, underscoring how and why monitoring and evaluating changes in the environment are rather important to encourage the geological environment's sustainability and ensure a good quality of human life.
Bold Women, Sustainable Futures
What do we do now? How do we move forward in a world moving backward?Around the world, women bear the brunt of the climate crisis-yet remain the least likely to hold positions of power or decision-making in shaping its solutions.As women face the compounding pressures of the climate emergency, global rollbacks on DEI and ESG policies, and the revival of cultural misogyny, Bold Women, Sustainable Futures: Leadership Lessons in an Age of Resistance offers a powerful and timely exploration of the progress, potential, and power of women in sustainability leadership to drive inclusive and systemic change.Amid the growing backlash against climate action, gender equity, human rights, and DEI, women in leadership positions find themselves facing new and unprecedented challenges-from burnout and backlash to exclusion-while still struggling to navigate systems never designed for them in the first place.Years of research show that sustainability and sustainable development are best supported by leadership rooted in collective progress, justice, and inclusion-values women often bring to the table. But how do we continue to support and encourage women to lead in the face of such persistent and mounting opposition?Bold Women, Sustainable Futures addresses this dilemma, serving as both a guide and a call to action-for women stepping into leadership roles, as a tribute to those who have come before, and as an invitation to the next generation of sustainability leaders.It begins by profiling nine women leading across climate science, governance, business, media, advocacy, and the arts-including Helle Bank Jorgensen, Roberta Boscolo, Honourable Rosa Galvez, Tensie Whelan, Dr. Shawna Pandya, Sylvia Yu Friedman, Dr. Dianne Saxe, Dr. Deborah Rosati, and the author herself-weaving in her own deeply personal reflections on leadership, identity, and transformation as a woman of colour navigating voice and visibility throughout her journey so far.The second half takes a hard look at the global backlash against DEI and ESG, revealing the historical cycles of gendered progress and regression while offering strategies, solutions, and concrete steps for meeting this moment head-on.A powerful, fiery fulcrum chapter, "The Turning Point," brings together diverse reflections from extraordinary women around the world across sustainability, business, and justice movements, offering wisdom and guidance on leading with courage when the systems we thought were shifting begin to turn back. The book ends with practical tips and strategies for navigating the current backlash, aimed at existing female leaders, emerging and aspiring leaders, students, and allies.Beautifully written, evidence-based, and told through women's real-life experiences, Bold Women, Sustainable Futures serves as a mirror revealing how far we still have to go-exposing the systemic barriers women face in leadership-and counters them with actionable strategies, inspiring stories, and a message of hope.This book is a playbook for navigating uncharted territory, rewriting the rules of power, and leading with courage toward a sustainable future-especially when the world pushes back.
Bold Women, Sustainable Futures
What do we do now? How do we move forward in a world moving backward?Around the world, women bear the brunt of the climate crisis-yet remain the least likely to hold positions of power or decision-making in shaping its solutions.As women face the compounding pressures of the climate emergency, global rollbacks on DEI and ESG policies, and the revival of cultural misogyny, Bold Women, Sustainable Futures: Leadership Lessons in an Age of Resistance offers a powerful and timely exploration of the progress, potential, and power of women in sustainability leadership to drive inclusive and systemic change.Amid the growing backlash against climate action, gender equity, human rights, and DEI, women in leadership positions find themselves facing new and unprecedented challenges-from burnout and backlash to exclusion-while still struggling to navigate systems never designed for them in the first place.Years of research show that sustainability and sustainable development are best supported by leadership rooted in collective progress, justice, and inclusion-values women often bring to the table. But how do we continue to support and encourage women to lead in the face of such persistent and mounting opposition?Bold Women, Sustainable Futures addresses this dilemma, serving as both a guide and a call to action-for women stepping into leadership roles, as a tribute to those who have come before, and as an invitation to the next generation of sustainability leaders.It begins by profiling nine women leading across climate science, governance, business, media, advocacy, and the arts-including Helle Bank Jorgensen, Roberta Boscolo, Honourable Rosa Galvez, Tensie Whelan, Dr. Shawna Pandya, Sylvia Yu Friedman, Dr. Dianne Saxe, Dr. Deborah Rosati, and the author herself-weaving in her own deeply personal reflections on leadership, identity, and transformation as a woman of colour navigating voice and visibility throughout her journey so far.The second half takes a hard look at the global backlash against DEI and ESG, revealing the historical cycles of gendered progress and regression while offering strategies, solutions, and concrete steps for meeting this moment head-on.A powerful, fiery fulcrum chapter, "The Turning Point," brings together diverse reflections from extraordinary women around the world across sustainability, business, and justice movements, offering wisdom and guidance on leading with courage when the systems we thought were shifting begin to turn back. The book ends with practical tips and strategies for navigating the current backlash, aimed at existing female leaders, emerging and aspiring leaders, students, and allies.Beautifully written, evidence-based, and told through women's real-life experiences, Bold Women, Sustainable Futures serves as a mirror revealing how far we still have to go-exposing the systemic barriers women face in leadership-and counters them with actionable strategies, inspiring stories, and a message of hope.This book is a playbook for navigating uncharted territory, rewriting the rules of power, and leading with courage toward a sustainable future-especially when the world pushes back.
Alpine South
Alpine South includes photos showcasing the breathtaking beauty of Southern Appalachia. L.L. Gaddy's photographs of plant communities in high elevations are paired with information about the geological spread of the area and the multitude of lifeforms it hosts. The book depicts the nature of Appalachia up close and from a distance, alternating from photos of broad landscapes to closeups of the fruits and flowers within. Much like the beautiful mountain range, this book has many hidden treasures to uncover.
New Insights in GNSS Remote Sensing for Ionosphere Monitoring and Modeling
This Remote Sensing Special Issue, "New Insights in GNSS Remote Sensing for Ionosphere Monitoring and Modeling", presents cutting-edge research on using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals to probe the Earth's ionosphere. The collection advances techniques for detecting space weather perturbations, from typhoons to solar activity, using advanced algorithms and multi-sensor data fusion. It also features improved modeling approaches for ionospheric electron content and its spatiotemporal variations, which are critical for enhancing GNSS positioning accuracy and reliability. Furthermore, several contributions demonstrate how precise ionospheric correction enables other GNSS remote sensing applications, such as monitoring precipitable water vapor for meteorological studies. Collectively, these ten papers provide valuable tools and insights for scientists in geodesy, space weather, and satellite communication, highlighting GNSS's vital role in understanding our near-Earth space environment.
Climate Change and Hydrological Processes, 2nd Edition
The articles in this reprint highlight the complex interactions between climate change, human activities, and hydrological processes across diverse regions. They showcase advances in modeling, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence for assessing river dynamics, flood and drought risks, and ecosystem responses. Together, these studies reveal both the progress achieved in understanding hydrological change and the persistent challenges in forecasting, managing, and mitigating its impacts. Overall, the issue underscores the need for integrated, data-driven, and adaptive approaches to enhance water security under a changing climate.
Driving Water Reuse by New Technologies, Land Use and Infrastructure Planning, and Legislation Policies
The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have set targets for climate protection until 2030. Increasing periods of drought in many countries have shown that water supplies are reaching their limits. Reusing treated wastewater, available in predictable quantities daily, is an important approach, along with the storage of rainwater. To achieve the SDGs, new technologies, planning strategies, and legislative policies must be developed or improved to drive the use of recycled wastewater. Municipalities, industry, and agriculture can reduce water stress by reusing treated wastewater for purposes such as street cleaning, refilling cooling water, and crop irrigation.Most countries have regulations for discharging treated wastewater, but advanced regulations for reused water according to the "fit-for-purpose" principle are sometimes lacking. Advanced treatment steps and their implementation are essential for wastewater treatment so that treated water meets the "fit-for-purpose" standard.Holistic water management concepts improve the situation around scarce water locally and regionally. Only a few countries have implemented holistic integrated water management strategies including wastewater reuse, which is why further research is needed. Only in this way will it be possible to achieve SDG 6 in the near future.
Designing Hydrogels and Hydrogel-Derived Materials for Agriculture and Water Sustainability
The design and application of hydrogels in different fields have increased in prevalence considerably over recent years. This is due to the great versatility, excellent properties, and unique solutions that these materials provide. Currently, faced with the challenge of obtaining new, more environmentally friendly materials with applications that minimize the impacts of climate change, the design of hydrogels and hydrogel-derived materials has become a focus of studies aiming to address the current sustainability needs regarding agriculture and water use as part of the global economy and as necessary resources on our planet.In this Special Issue, entitled "Designing Hydrogels and Hydrogel-Derived Materials for Agriculture and Water Sustainability", we collect some manuscripts in the field of advancing the design of hydrogel-derived materials for improving the sustainability of agriculture and water use, such as hydrogels designed for the elimination of emerging organic contaminants, contaminants of an organic origin such as antibiotics, endocrine disruptors, dyes, analgesics, and pesticides, among others, and contaminants of an inorganic origin such as heavy metals and oxyanions in both the soil and water matrix.
Earth Observation by GNSS and GIS Techniques
This Reprint highlights recent advances in the integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for Earth observation and geospatial research. Over the past decades, these technologies have evolved significantly, becoming essential tools for positioning, navigation, and environmental monitoring. The Special Issue brings together eight high-quality research articles that span diverse themes, including vegetation monitoring, rockfall modeling, coastal and wetland mapping, geoid computation, landform erosion, open-ocean and inland water monitoring, and deformation assessment.By integrating remote sensing data (satellite imagery, UAV photogrammetry, SAR), GNSS measurements, and advanced GIS-based processing, the featured studies highlight new methodological approaches for monitoring natural hazards, tracking environmental changes, and improving our understanding of the Earth's processes. Overall, this Reprint emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of modern geospatial research and the critical role played by GIS and GNSS in advancing our understanding of our planet's dynamic systems.
Human Wildlife Conflict and Management
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) has emerged as a major sustainability challenge caused by human expansion into natural ecosystems. As forests decline and farmlands spread, wild animals are forced into human spaces, triggering frequent clashes. Factors like climate change, habitat destruction, and resource competition worsen the issue, threatening both communities and wildlife. This book explores the causes, consequences, and solutions to HWC, aiming to promote coexistence. The impacts are grave-people lose crops, livestock, and even lives, while animals face retaliatory killings and habitat loss, disrupting ecological balance. Addressing HWC needs integrated action through policy reforms, technology, and community participation. Successful global approaches include Asia's community-led conservation, Africa's wildlife-based economies, and South America's agroforestry systems. India, especially Kerala, has pioneered innovative, people-centered strategies using technology and traditional wisdom. Through global insights and local experiences, this book highlights pathways toward harmony between humans and wildlife.
Battery Rocks
In Battery Rocks Katrina Naomi returns to the Cornish swimming spot - Battery Rocks in Penzance - every day for a year. On each swim, she finds something fresh and invigorating, whether this is an encounter with a bull seal, an insight into the conflict in Palestine, or a realisation about herself.Alongside poems exploring the sea in all its mercurial forms - rough and calm, wild and healing - she examines issues of fear, strength and vulnerability. Writing in response to an attempted rape and other experienced attacks, she questions how she can feel safer alone, in a raging sea in winter, in nothing but a swimming costume, than on dry land.These poems also approach the climate emergency from aslant, offering several new takes on one of the most pressing concerns of our times. Finding joy through immersion in nature, Battery Rocks is a thoughtful meditation on nature, risk, swimming and the sea.
The Heck Hypothesis
Thousands of crop circles have been discovered and recorded in this generation, but no interpretative key has been available until now. This book, unique in crop circle literature, deciphers 2,700 circles as signs of a sequence of comet strikes extending over the next 250 years which will contribute to repeated crop shortages. The extraterrestrial circle makers will be artificially directing these cosmic bodies to their impact areas, but before they begin they are revealing a large number of significant details about the whole process. Using the crop circles, plus biblical and personal prophecies, the author has derived approximate dates and locations for the global impacts. According to the author, directed comets have played an essential role in the evolution of life on this planet for millions, even billions of years. In fact, the general shape of most plants and animals originates from the comet shape, and the sexual reproductive cycle emulates the primordial act of a comet striking the earth. New and improved plant species to eliminate world hunger will become an integral part of the biosphere as the comets appear. Comet strikes have always been necessary for pollinating the flower of life, and creating new species, a new age and a new earth. The Heck Hypothesis is required reading for anyone seriously concerned with crop circles, potential asteroid or comet impacts, prophecy, and the intrinsic nature of life on this planet.
Environmental questions, community responses
Environmental Humanities is the product of the 21st century, an age in which it is no longer possible to grasp and manage environmental problems from a single viewpoint. This is true of the scientific method as well. Although fundamentally important for the understanding of ecological issues and changes to the climate, scientific knowledge is not sufficient for providing an adequate answer to the complex phenomenon that is the cause and consequence of the environmental challenges of our century. This is why traditional humanities subjects have been combined with the natural and social sciences and the arts into an interdisciplinary formation in an attempt to understand the causes, current forms, and future trajectories of the contemporary environmental crisis, and to give possible answers to it. This volume is intended to join a body of literature - introductions, textbooks - on Environmental Humanities, adapted to the Hungarian context. Due to its nature, it provides a comprehensive description of several topics, such as environmental philosophy, environmental anthropology, nature art, nature conservation, the relationship between religion and ecology, environmental history, legal, political, and economic issues, social justice, overpopulation, or food dilemmas. In addition, the volume shows community responses to contemporary ecological and social problems with examples from Hungary.
Large Igneous Provinces
Over the past decade, major advances have been made in global research on the critical role of large igneous provinces (LIPs) in major geodynamic processes. These include the formation and evolution of the lithosphere and mantle, supercontinent breakup, dramatic climate change events (including mass extinctions), and the genesis of major ore deposits.This Special Issue highlights recent progress in LIP research through eight papers arranged by LIP age. The contributions include insights into source chemistry for the young (16 Ma) Columbia River LIP, the plumbing system of the 118-114 Ma Rajmahal flood basalts in the context of the Kerguelen plume, mechanisms by which plume-related LIPs drive continental breakup, magnetic fabric studies used to determine magma flow in parts of the 252 Ma Siberian Traps LIP, characterization of an intrusion associated with the poorly understood ca. 260 Ma Khangai LIP, application of U-Pb garnet dating to alkaline ultramafic complexes in the ca. 645-625 Ma Eastern Sayan Province, and linking Neoproterozoic redbeds to hydrothermal fluids derived from the 940-890 Ma Dashigou LIP.
China Water Forum 2024
With the impacts of global climate change and increasing human activities, water security has become a key issue constraining economic and social development, as well as ecological protection. To help address these challenges, the China Water Forum, as an important academic platform, has long regarded water security as a major topic and collaborated with the journal Water to establish the Special Issue "China Water Forum 2024". A total of nine articles have been included in this Special Issue. These articles focus on topics related to climate change, human-water relationships, and water security. The research includes analyses of hydrological processes and their responses to climate change, examinations of balanced human-water interactions in water resource development and use, and innovations in water security governance strategies. The Reprint serves as a valuable resource for researchers working on water-related studies, policymakers formulating water management strategies, and practitioners engaged in water resource protection and utilization.
Remote Sensing Retrievals of Optical Properties in Inland Waters and the Coastal Ocean
Inland waters and the coastal ocean are vital components of the biosphere, underpinning atmospheric processes and regional climate regulation through primary production, carbon storage, and greenhouse gas emissions. Inland waters also serve economic roles, providing water for agriculture, aquaculture, recreation, and drinking. As the key zone for land-ocean material exchange, the coastal ocean holds immense ecological value. In recent decades, industrial and urban pollution has had a catastrophic impact on these aquatic systems, reducing water transparency, intensifying eutrophication, and triggering frequent cyanobacteria blooms. With large-scale synchronous observation capabilities and long-term datasets, satellite imagery has become a mainstream data source for global and regional aquatic environment research.Water colour remote sensing is a core focus of this journal, and this Special Issue is in close alignment with this theme. The research contained herein primarily involves the retrieval of the optical/non-optical parameters of inland and coastal waters from multispectral or hyperspectral radiance data. These derived products rely on bio-optical models integrating empirical/semi-empirical, analytical/semi-analytical, quasi-analytical, and machine learning algorithms.
Still No Miracles Needed
What if we don't need 'miracle technologies' to solve the climate problem? What if the technologies we need are already available? And what if we can use those existing technologies to ensure reliable electricity, heat supplies, and energy security? In a revised and updated edition of his award-winning climate bestseller, No Miracles Needed, the world's premier thinker on energy futures and one of the world's 100 most impactful people in the world in 2023, Mark Z. Jacobson reveals how nations, communities, and individuals can solve the climate crisis most effectively, while simultaneously eliminating air pollution and providing energy security. Mark explains how existing technologies can harness, store, and transmit energy from wind, water, and solar sources to ensure reliable electricity and heat supplies. It includes new, cutting-edge technologies, additional new real-life case studies about the solutions, and additional references. Written for everyone who cares about the future of our planet, this book advises individuals, policymakers, communities, and nations about what they can do to solve the problems identified, and the economic, health, and climate benefits of the solutions.
Asteroid YR4-11 Ways the World Could End
December 2032. The asteroid 2024 YR4, roughly fifty meters across, could strike Earth. The odds are low-3% as of now. But if it hit Paris or New York, either city would be annihilated, releasing hundreds of times the energy of Hiroshima.Earth has already faced five mass extinctions. Colossal volcanic eruptions and giant asteroid impacts wiped out up to 90% of species. These cataclysms are not myths-they are etched in our planet's rocks and fossils.In this eye-opening book, the author explores eleven scientifically plausible, if unlikely, ways the world could end: asteroid impact, supervolcano eruption, wandering planet, solar storm, nearby supernova, shift of Earth's orbit, rotation halt, Sun's extinction, a passing neutron star, or a rogue black hole.A gripping and thought-provoking examination of our planet's fragility in the face of cosmic threats.
Lady Gaia Speaks
What does the planet think?Lady Gaia is an organism made up of every living thing, from prions and viruses to blue whales and red sequoias, and in this imaginative tour de force of a polemic against human-made global warming and habitat destruction, Patricia Finney gets the views of the world we should love, on our prospects for survival, departure into space - or replacement.There are other species that could become dominant, if our planet turns against us...Patricia Finney is an environmental activist and historical novelist. Her novels featuring James Enys, lawyer, friend of Shakespeare and (when necessary) sleuth - who is never seen at the same time as his sister but who possesses a rare insight into the world of Elizabethan women - are available from Climbing Tree Books.
Satellite Remote Sensing for Ocean and Coastal Environment Monitoring
Knowledge of the ocean environment, especially in coastal regions, is essential for numerous human activities, such as tidal power, navigation, and ocean engineering. Remote sensing technologies like satellite altimeters and GNSS can transform traditional ocean research through providing observations with nearly global coverage. Nowadays, nearly all ocean environment elements, including sea level anomalies, sea surface temperature, winds, chlorophyll-a concentrations, water transparency, and sea waves, can be observed using remote sensing technologies. Evidently, remote sensing observations provide valuable opportunities to explore basin-wide changes in the ocean environment and ocean dynamic processes at different scales of space and time, such as ocean tides, mesoscale eddies, coastal currents, sea level rise, and ocean circulation. Furthermore, remote sensing observations have been assimilated into numerical models and thus greatly improve model performance. This Reprint endeavors to collect novel research works that utilize multi-source remote sensing observations, as well as numerical models, to explore diverse ocean dynamic processes and their influences on the changing ocean environment in the global ocean, especially in coastal areas with complicated hydrodynamic contexts and vital socio-economic roles.
How Does Forest Management Affect Soil Dynamics?
Forest ecosystems represent an important biodiversity resource worldwide and provide numerous important services. Their status is under constant change due to the applied management practices, which can exert both positive and negative effects. Forest soils have a complex microbiome and show variable activity dynamics in relation to soil structure, nutrient cycling, and organic matter content. There is a constant need for research oriented towards a better understanding of how these ecosystems respond to current management practices and to forecast their evolution and to optimize them to achieve resilience. Soil microbiomes occupy a key position within forest ecosystems, being responsible for nutrient cycling and vegetation maintenance. Microbial communities are suitable indicators for applied management and show rapid reactions to both biotic and abiotic factors. The ecosystem specificity of soil microbiome is an important trait to deepen understanding of their site-specific reaction to management procedures and enable the identification of new and more performant indicators that bring understanding of forest soils. Techniques like reforestation or regeneration imply great changes in soil microbiomes and change the diversity and assemblage of microbial communities. Clearing, thinning, or prescribed burning produce a different effect on the soil microbiome, along with climatic context and rainwater quality. Post-disturbance microbial dynamics are important in understanding the direction of ecosystem regeneration, the flow of biogeochemical cycles, and the assurance of growth conditions for tree species.
Conserving Oregon's Environment
Conserving Oregon's Environment traces the arc of successes in conserving Oregon's environment, beginning in the 1880s and continuing to 2013. It answers the questions: Where did this program or reserve come from? Who led the way, and who opposed it? What difference has it made?It deals with the breadth of modern environmentalism: protecting nature, habitat, purifying ambient media, eliminating unsafe operations, and promoting energy efficiency. It is organized around themes, such as public lands, state parks, rivers, wilderness, environmental laws and turning points on such issues, modern reserves, new refuges, breakthroughs on national forests; each chapter tells its story chronologically. Two appendices accompany the text: a timeline of accomplishments, and a list of organizations providing leadership. In addition, maps show the location of reserves.It concludes that Oregon occupies a special place in the history of conservation because of the degree of innovation here and the continuity of progress. For its size, no state has done more to make history in protecting its environment.
Earthquakes in Human History
On November 1, 1755--All Saints' Day--a massive earthquake struck Europe's Iberian Peninsula and destroyed the city of Lisbon. Churches collapsed upon thousands of worshippers celebrating the holy day. Earthquakes in Human History tells the story of that calamity and other epic earthquakes. The authors, Jelle Zeilinga de Boer and Donald Theodore Sanders, recapture the power of their previous book, Volcanoes in Human History. They vividly explain the geological processes responsible for earthquakes, and they describe how these events have had long-lasting aftereffects on human societies and cultures. Their accounts are enlivened with quotations from contemporary literature and from later reports. In the chaos following the Lisbon quake, government and church leaders vied for control. The Marqu礙s de Pombal rose to power and became a virtual dictator. As a result, the Roman Catholic Jesuit Order lost much of its influence in Portugal. Voltaire wrote his satirical work Candide to refute the philosophy of "optimism," the belief that God had created a perfect world. And the 1755 earthquake sparked the search for a scientific understanding of natural disasters. Ranging from an examination of temblors mentioned in the Bible, to a richly detailed account of the 1906 catastrophe in San Francisco, to Japan's Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, to the Peruvian earthquake in 1970 (the Western Hemisphere's greatest natural disaster), this book is an unequaled testament to a natural phenomenon that can be not only terrifying but also threatening to humankind's fragile existence, always at risk because of destructive powers beyond our control.
Potentially Toxic Elements Pollution in Urban and Suburban Environments II
Pollution from potentially toxic elements (PTEs) has emerged as a critical global concern due to rapid population growth, industrialization, and urban expansion. These elements, known for their persistence and biotoxicity, pose significant risks to ecosystems and human health. PTEs can enter the human body through dermal contact, inhalation, and ingestion via contaminated food and water. Their widespread presence across environmental matrices - soil, water, air, and sediments - demands urgent scientific attention. Environmental geochemistry plays a key role in identifying and characterizing the distribution and sources of PTEs, using geostatistical tools to trace both natural and anthropogenic origins. This Special Issue collects contributions that explore the behavior, transport, fate, and ecotoxicological impact of PTEs in urban and suburban environments. Topics of interest include PTE bioavailability, mapping, spatial data analysis, and pollution from geogenic and anthropogenic sources.
Yellow River Basin Management under Pressure
This Special Issue marks the third edition in a series dedicated to the sustainable management and development of the Yellow River Basin, following successful publications in 2022 and 2023. The Yellow River, as a vital ecological and economic region in China, faces ongoing challenges such as human-water relationship coordination, water security, resource allocation, ecological restoration, pollution control, and emerging contaminants. These issues significantly constrain the basin's high-quality growth and ecological integrity. This collection brings together ten innovative research papers predominantly authored by researchers from Chinese universities and research institutions, providing in-depth insights into the region's unique environmental and socio-economic context. The contributions are categorized into five themes: resource endowment and basic characteristics, management strategies and opportunities, harmony between human activities and water systems, pollution governance, and ecological restoration. Topics include developing advanced water indexing methods, optimizing reservoir operations, constructing basin simulation platforms, assessing water security, analyzing pollution trends, and evaluating soil erosion risks. By sharing cutting-edge methodologies, technological advances, and policy suggestions, this Special Issue aims to foster ecological protection and support high-quality regional development. The ongoing interest in this topic underscores its importance for ecological resilience, social stability, and sustainable progress in one of China's most significant river.
Coastal and Marine Governance and Protection
Formulation of coastal and marine policies is the first step in the development of action plans that address the challenges faced by coastal and marine areas and associated human activities. This Reprint, entitled "Coastal and Marine Governance and Protection", presents relevant experiences and techniques throughout the world that address the absence or limited implementation of effective coastal policies, legal frameworks, and governance mechanisms. The essays offer different methodologies and case studies focusing on coastal areas and watersheds, marine protected areas, citizen science, community engagement, environmental justice, complex governance frameworks, and capacity building for multi-hazard management.
Coyote America
The "engaging" (New Yorker), New York Times best-selling story of how coyotes took over North America--and are now taking over South America as well Finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award "A masterly synthesis of scientific research and personal observation."--Wall Street Journal Legends don't come close to capturing the incredible survival story of the coyote. In the face of centuries of annihilation campaigns employing poisons, gases, helicopters, and bioweapons, coyotes didn't just survive, they thrived, expanding across North America from Alaska to Florida and New York, and now, as this new edition explores, to South America as well. In the war between humans and coyotes, coyotes have won hands-down. Coyote America traces both the five-million-year-long biological story of coyotes, as well as their cultural evolution from preeminence in Native American religions to haplessness before the Road Runner. A deeply American tale, the story of the coyote in the American West and then across the entire country is a sort of Manifest Destiny in reverse, with a pioneering hero whose career holds up an uncanny mirror to the successes and failures of American expansionism. An illuminating biography of an extraordinary animal, Coyote America is one of the great epics of our time.
