The practitioner or researcher often faces complex alternatives when selecting a method to characterize properties governing a soil process. After years of research and development, environmental and agricultural professionals now have an array of methods for characterizing soil processes. Well-established methods, however, may not be suitable for

Fluid flow and solute transport within the vadose zone, the unsaturated zone between the land surface and the water table, can be the cause of expanded plumes arising from localized contaminant sources. An understanding of vadose zone processes is, therefore, an essential prerequisite for cost-effective contaminant remediation efforts. In addition, because such features are potential avenues for rapid transport of chemicals from contamination sources to the water table, the presence of fractures and other channel-like openings in the vadose zone poses a particularly significant problem, Conceptual Models of Flow and Transport in the Fractured Vadose Zone is based on the work of a panel established under the auspices of the U.S. National Committee for Rock Mechanics. It emphasizes the importance of conceptual models and goes on to review the conceptual model development, testing, and refinement processes. The book examines fluid flow and transport mechanisms, noting the difficulty of modeling solute transport, and identifies geochemical and environmental tracer data as important components of the modeling process. Finally, the book recommends several areas for continued research.

This Encyclopedia of Agrophysics will provide up-to-date information on the physical properties and processes affecting the quality of the environment and plant production. It will be a "first-up" volume which will nicely complement the recently published Encyclopedia of Soil Science, (November 2007) which was published in the same series. In a single authoritative volume a collection of about 250 informative articles and ca 400 glossary terms covering all aspects of agrophysics will be presented. The authors will be renowned specialists in various aspects in agrophysics from a wide variety of countries. Agrophysics is important both for research and practical use not only in agriculture, but also in areas like environmental science, land reclamation, food processing etc. Agrophysics is a relatively new interdisciplinary field closely related to Agrochemistry, Agrobiology, Agroclimatology and Agroecology. Nowadays it has been fully accepted as an agricultural and environmental discipline. As such this Encyclopedia volume will be an indispensable working tool for scientists and practitioners from different disciplines, like agriculture, soil science, geosciences, environmental science, geography, and engineering.

A year has passed since Eshel Bresler, my good friend and colleague, and a member of the editorial board of the Advanced Series in Agricultural Sciences, died suddenly while on a visit to the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. We had worked together for almost 30 years at the Institute of Soils and Water, ARO, The Volcani Center at Bet Dagan. At the very beginning of our scientific careers we cooperated directly and as a result one of our first publications was coauthored (Soil Sci. 101:205-209, 1966). Thereafter, our specific research interests diver sified, but we continued to work together, with similar approaches to research, and to strive towards the development of Israel soil science and its integration into general worldwide scientific progress. I don't need to emphasize Eshel's contribution to the understan ding of the processes governing water flow and solute transport pro cesses in soils and unsaturated zones. The contributions to this Volume by such a body of outstanding scientists shows the apprecia tion of the international scientific community to his research achievements.