Anthropogenic changes in the environment, caused by 250 years of economic growth and utilization of fuel and mineral resources, have considerably impacted the natural environment. The resulting physical and chemical alterations to the Earth's sphere and our adaptive responses in the biosphere are detailed in this reference book. Readers will learn about concepts relevant to Earth's history, the evolution of life, economy, ecology, environmental history, biology, and medicine and how these concepts can be linked to environmental change. The scope of this interdisciplinary work entails to convey the true degree of responsibility for the universal consequences of ecosystem degradation resulting from industrial processing, human consumption and the transformation of natural sites due to industrialization and urbanization. Topics covered in the book include: -Ecosystem transformations by natural and anthropogenic forces -The Anthropocene epoch -A short history of industrialization -Environmental sites and the impact of socio-economic influences -The current environmental crisis, This textbook is intended for graduate students in economics, civil engineering, architecture, agronomics, forestry, technical and mining sciences, political sciences, business studies and humanities. General readers who wish to understand the basic philosophy behind environmental studies and their relation to human activity can also benefit from this book.

A Primer on Earth Pollution: Pollution Types and Disposal, is an encyclopedia of important research articles and short essays on pollution. Chapters in the initial half provide information about a wide variety of pollutants (dyes and microplastics) and contributing factors (thermal pollution and the impact of GM plants, for instance). Each chapter explains the nature of polluting agents and presents notes and references on preventive measures. Notes on the associated clinical complications due to exposure are also proved where applicable, such as the case of MDR bacteria in marine environments. The latter chapters of the book cover the biotechnology of medical waste disposal using microbes as well as nanotechnology used for limiting the spread of COVID-19. The volume is a handy reference for students and trainees in the field of environmental science as it brings a balance of basic and applied information on the subject of pollution.

Among various water and wastewater treatment technologies, the adsorption process is considered better because of lower cost, simple design and easy operation. Activated carbon (a universal adsorbent) is generally used for the removal of diverse types of pollutants from water and wastewater. Research is now being directed towards the modification of carbon surfaces to enhance its adsorption potential towards specific pollutants. However, widespread use of commercial activated carbon is sometimes restricted especially in developing or poor countries due to its higher costs. Attempts are therefore being made to develop inexpensive adsorbents utilizing abundant natural materials, agricultural and industrial waste materials. Use of waste materials as low-cost adsorbents is attractive due to their contribution in the reduction of costs for waste disposal, therefore contributing to environmental protection. This e-book explores knowledge on recent developments in adsorbents synthesis and their use in water pollution control. This handy reference work is intended for researchers and scientists actively engaged in the study of adsorption and the development and application of efficient adsorption technology for water treatment. This e-book covers a wide range of topics including modeling aspects of adsorption process and the applications of conventional and non-conventional adsorbents in water remediation emphasizing sorption mechanisms of different pollutants on the adsorbents.

Radon is a highly radioactive gas and a waste product of nuclear reactors. Radon is also carcinogenic for this reason and can be linked to the incidence of lung cancer in non smoking individuals who often spend time indoors. Assessment and Mitigation of Indoor Radon Problem is a case book for professionals who are interested in modeling the distribution of Radon gas in a real environment. The book is a collection of results taken from a survey of locations in the US state of Ohio. The data in this case book is based is based on the homes and mitigation databases of the Ohio Radon Information System (ORIS), maintained by the Air Pollution Research Group (APRG) at The University of Toledo in Toledo. This case book will be of interest to software engineers and environmental health workers seeking to build a geographic information system for tracking radioactive waste that can contaminate residential areas, particularly household indoors.

This interdisciplinary reference work presents a linked consideration, to the reader, of physical- cultural (physicocultural) representations of headstones located in urban churchyards in England and Scotland. The geomorphology of landscapes relevant to these locations is explained with the help of detailed case studies from Oxford and Edinburgh. The integrated physicocultural approach addresses the conservation of the archaeological record and presents a cross-temporal perspective of landscape change – of the headstones as landforms in their landscape (as part of deathscapes). The physical record (of headstones) is examined in the context of both cultural representation and change. In this way, an integrated approach is employed that connects the physical (natural) and cultural (social) records kept by historians and archeologists over the years. Changing Landscapes in Urban British Churchyards is of interest to geomorphologists, historians and scholars interested in understanding landscaping studies and cultural nuance of specific historical urban sites in England and Scotland.

Environmental Zeolites and Aqueous Media: Examples of practical solutions brings to light the characteristic features of ion exchange and adsorption onto natural zeolite for environmental cleanup processes, particularly for water purification, zeolite`s present, past and future. This eBook emphasizes on the recent development in the synthesis and manufacturing of the advanced cost-effective organic and inorganic zeolite-based adsorbents.

Famous Planet Earth Caves - The new series presents important caves or rock shelters in any kind of rock types all over the world. Each book focuses on a single cave presentation covering different and most important disciplines of a cave: Geology (e.g. cave genesis, sedimentology, speleothems) such as Hydrogeology (e.g. speleothems for climate reconstructions, aquifer reconstructions), Paleontology (e.g. cave bear or carnivore dens), Archeology (e.g. Palaeolithic to Medieval camp or burial sites) and modern Biology (e.g. bat caves). The books are scientific chaptered monographs, sometimes of show caves, but often of non- or difficult to access caves. The well-illustrated books are written in a mixed scientific and popular scientific way for a better understanding and larger readership, especially speleologists and natural scientists all over the world.

Famous Planet Earth Caves presents information about geologically important caves or rock shelters in different kinds of rock formations all over the world. Each volume of this series is a focused monograph on a single cave. The series covers many disciplines that can be applied to study a cave: geology (cave genesis, sedimentology, speleothems), hydrogeology (speleothems for climate reconstructions, aquifer reconstructions), paleontology (cave bear or carnivore dens), archaeology (Palaeolithic to Medieval camp or burial sites) and modern biology. Each volume is beautifully illustrated and written in a simple manner that will be of interest to general readers, speleologists and natural scientists, alike. This volume gives details of Hermann’s Cave in Rübeland near Wernigerode, Germany. It is one of the largest show caves in Germany and Europe. The cave gives us information about the region in the Ice Age dating back to 350.000 years (which implies its significance in the Late Pleistocene epoch). The cave is within a beautiful granite (Brocken Peak) and limestone rock and valley cut landscape. The volume presents information about the Late Pleistocene fauna discovered within the cave and other archaeological findings. Specifically, the volume gives details about the small and large cave bear species within the cave, their ecological relationship to the region (including interactions with steppe lions and Cromagnon humans), and their survival in taiga forest mountain areas of central Europe. This volume continues the premise of the book series on bringing information about fossils and archaeological records of well-known caves to light and will give readers an interesting peek into Hermann’s Cave by bringing some of its Ice Age stories to life.

The close of the first decade of the 21st century posed additional pressing environmental issues related to human activities and their effects on the planet. The need to protect the planet seems frequently to be in conflict with the need to feed the earth’s inhabitants and to supply the energy required for industry, transportation, regulating our indoor environment, and fueling other needs. The corporate world sometimes seems to have a callous disregard for the safety of its workers and the public at large. This e-book discusses the ecological and health impacts of aquaculture, the Alberta tar sands development, the Gulf Oil disaster of 2010, the hazards of inadequately safeguarding water supplies, and global warming, to name some of the important topics. This e-book will be very useful to students of environmental science, ecology, ecotoxicology and others interested in a broad overview of contemporary environmental issues. It is presented in a highly readable manner that makes it accessible to well-informed members of the public. Complex biochemical and chemical equations are avoided. Nonetheless, current primary sources of scientific information are used and referenced, making it easy for a reader to pursue a topic in greater depth if so desired.

Floods are devastating natural disasters with a significant impact on human life and the surrounding environent. Flood Risk Assessment and Management should serve as an Ideal textbook on analytical flood risk assessment and management, and is intended for lecturers, undergraduates and postgraduates in civil engineering, geography, environmental science, earth sciences, and related disciplines. This book is based on the lecture notes taught at the University of Bristol to students undertaking a Masters course in civil engineering. All chapters are supplemented with challenging questions, answers and solutions.