Author: Donald G. Kaufman
Publisher: Kendall Hunt
ISBN: 9780787257132
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 708

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Book Description

Author: Heinz Knoepfel
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351392948
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
Originally published in 1986, this book takes an inter-disciplinary approach to the options for energy in the future. Written in a clear, easy-to-read style, it proposes that future solutions should not be based solely on cost, given our plentiful energy resources, but on ecological, human and ethical considerations. The book features a quantittive review of energy sources, supported by numerous figures and tables, that includes such long-term solutions as nuclear fission and solar energy. The book allows engineers and students to easily weigh the pros and cons of all energy options to realistically plan for the future.

Author: Vaclav Smil
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 026201856X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
An interdisciplinary and quantitative account of human claims on the biosphere's stores of living matter, from prehistoric hunting to modern energy production. The biosphere—the Earth's thin layer of life—dates from nearly four billion years ago, when the first simple organisms appeared. Many species have exerted enormous influence on the biosphere's character and productivity, but none has transformed the Earth in so many ways and on such a scale as Homo sapiens. In Harvesting the Biosphere, Vaclav Smil offers an interdisciplinary and quantitative account of human claims on the biosphere's stores of living matter, from prehistory to the present day. Smil examines all harvests—from prehistoric man's hunting of megafauna to modern crop production—and all uses of harvested biomass, including energy, food, and raw materials. Without harvesting of the biomass, Smil points out, there would be no story of human evolution and advancing civilization; but at the same time, the increasing extent and intensity of present-day biomass harvests are changing the very foundations of civilization's well-being. In his detailed and comprehensive account, Smil presents the best possible quantifications of past and current global losses in order to assess the evolution and extent of biomass harvests. Drawing on the latest work in disciplines ranging from anthropology to environmental science, Smil offers a valuable long-term, planet-wide perspective on human-caused environmental change.

Author: Vaclav Smil
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262692984
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
A comprehensive overview of Earth's biosphere, written with scientific rigor and essay-like flair. In his latest book, Vaclav Smil tells the story of the Earth's biosphere from its origins to its near and long-term future. He explains the workings of its parts and what is known about their interactions. With essay-like flair, he examines the biosphere's physics, chemistry, biology, geology, oceanography, energy, climatology, and ecology, as well as the changes caused by human activity. He provides both the basics of the story and surprising asides illustrating critical but often neglected aspects of biospheric complexity. Smil begins with a history of the modern idea of the biosphere, focusing on the development of the concept by Russian scientist Vladimir Vernadsky. He explores the probability of life elsewhere in the universe, life's evolution and metabolism, and the biosphere's extent, mass, productivity, and grand-scale organization. Smil offers fresh approaches to such well-known phenomena as solar radiation and plate tectonics and introduces lesser-known topics such as the quarter-power scaling of animal and plant metabolism across body sizes and metabolic pathways. He also examines two sets of fundamental relationships that have profoundly influenced the evolution of life and the persistence of the biosphere: symbiosis and the role of life's complexity as a determinant of biomass productivity and resilience. And he voices concern about the future course of human-caused global environmental change, which could compromise the biosphere's integrity and threaten the survival of modern civilization.

Author: Brian Groombridge
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 9780520236684
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
Global biological diversity, ecosystem diversity.

Author: Ashish Malik
Publisher: Disha Publications
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The thoroughly Revised & Updated 3rd Edition of the Book 2000+ Most Probable IAS Prelim MCQs with 500 Past Questions is updated with all latest General Studies and Current Affair Questions. The Book is POWER PACKED with Original Prelim Style & Difficulty Level Questions further supported with Latest Schemes, Bill, Acts, Events (Current Affairs) Questions. The salient features of the book are: • The book is divided into 2 Units – 1500+ Practice Question Bank; 500 Previous Year Questions; • The Unit 1 provides Collection of around 1500+ Most Probable Questions divided into 8 sections - History, Art & Culture; Indian Polity & Governance; Indian Economy & latest Developments; Indian & World Geography; Environment & Biodiversity; Science & Tech, Defence & Space; International Development; & Disaster Management. • Includes MCQs an Latest Policies, Schemes, Bills, Act, Agreements, Meets etc. • Questions designed on exact difficulty level of IAS Prelim Exam. • All the questions are fully solved with detailed explanations. • The Unit 2 provides Includes Errorless Solutions to previons 5 Year IAS Prelim (2021 - 2017) Questions again divided into 8 sections. • The Book is the most authentic source of newly created MCQs available for IAS Prelim Exam

Author: Bülent Şen
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
ISBN: 1789232325
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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Book Description
The present book offers an overall up-to-date overview of the biological diversity, comprising many interesting chapters focussing on the different aspects of biodiversity. Most of the chapters include findings of investigations and observations on biodiversity, whilst a few are based on statistically and theoretically derived information. The book produced sufficient information on the occurrence and distribution of many plant and animal species or groups of organisms with environmental estimates from a wide variety of interesting terrestrial and aquatic habitats. With 18 interesting and elaborately prepared chapters, the present book would definitely be an ideal source of scientific information to the advanced students, junior researchers, scientists and a portion of the public involved in ecology and other research areas involving biodiversity studies. It will also help to the development of the growing awareness of the close linkage between the conversation of biodiversity and economic development.

Author: Michel Loreau
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780198515715
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
Increasing domination of ecosystems by humans is steadily transforming them into depauperate systems. How will this loss of biodiversity affect the functioning and stability of natural and managed ecosystems? This work provides comprehensive coverage of empirical and theoretical research.

Author: Cheryll Glotfelty
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134504098
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
Bioregionalism asks us to reimagine ourselves and the places where we live in ecological terms and to harmonize human activities with the natural systems that sustain life. As one of the originators of the concept of bioregionalism, Peter Berg (1937-2011) is a founding figure of contemporary environmental thought. The Biosphere and the Bioregion: Essential Writings of Peter Berg introduces readers to the biospheric vision and post-environmental genius of Berg. From books and essays to published interviews, this selection of writings represents Berg's bioregional vision and its global, local, urban, and rural applications. The Biosphere and the Bioregion provides a highly accessible introduction to bioregional philosophy, making Berg's paradigm available as a guiding vision and practical "greenprint" for the twenty-first century. This valuable compilation lays the groundwork for future research by offering the first-ever comprehensive bibliography of Berg's publications and should be of interest to students and scholars in the interdisciplinary fields of environmental humanities, environment and sustainability studies, as well as political ecology, environmental sociology and anthropology.

Author: Lawrence B Flanagan
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080525288
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 334

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Book Description
The emerging multidisciplinary field of earth system science sets out to improve our understanding functioning ecosystems, at a global level across the entire planet. Stable Isotopes and Biosphere - Atmosphere Interactions looks to one of its most powerful tools — the application of stable isotope analyses — to understanding biosphere-atmosphere exchange of the greenhouse gases, and synthesizes much of the recent progress in this work. Stable Isotopes and Biosphere - Atmosphere Interactions describes recent progress in understanding the mechanisms, processes and applications of new techniques. It makes a significant contribution to the emerging, multidisciplinary study of the Earth as an interacting system. This book will be an important reference for students and researchers in biology, ecology, biogeochemistry, meteorology, and atmospheric science and will be invaluable for anyone with any interest in the future of the planet. - Describes applications of new stable isotope techniques to the emerging fields of earth system science and global change - Illustrates advances in scaling of physiological processes from leaf/soil to the global scale - Contains state-of-the-art, critical reviews written by international researchers and experts