The tendency for climate to change has been one of the most surprising outcomes of the study of Earth's history. Marine geoscience can reveal valuable information about past environments, climates, and biota just before, during and after each climate perturbation. Particularly, certain intervals of geological records are windows to key episodes in the climate history of the Earth-life system. Ιn this regard, the detailed analyses of such time intervals are challenging and rewarding for environmental reconstruction and climate modelling, because they provide documentation and better understanding of a warmer-than-present world, and opportunities to test and refine the predictive ability of climate models. Marine geological dynamics such as sea-level changes, hydrographic parameters, water quality, sedimentary cyclicity, and (paleo)climate are strongly related through a direct exchange between the oceanographic and atmospheric systems. The increasing attention paid to this wide topic is also motivated by the interplay of these processes across a variety of settings (coastal to open marine) and timescales (early Cenozoic to modern). In order to realize the full predictive value of these warm (fresh)/cold (salty) intervals in Earth's history, it is important to have reliable tools (e.g., integrated geochemical, paleontological and/or paleoceanographic proxies) through the application of multiple, independent, and novel techniques (e.g., TEX86, UK'37, Mg/Ca, Na/Ca, Δ47, and μCT) for providing reliable hydroclimate reconstructions at both local and global scales.

This book deals with every aspect of oceanography in detail including various aspects of physical, chemical, geological, and biological discourse. ‘Earth and Planetary Science’ is perhaps the oldest, dynamic, and ever-evolving subject. Oceanography is one of its domains, which has become important in the present date, given the ubiquitous and undeniable climate change that we are experiencing. The subject domain of oceanography encompasses several environmental issues, which need serious attention from the present scientific community. Despite the ocean’s significant role in the collective well-being of the human race, a multitude of anthropogenic activities has drastically polluted and degraded several crucial oceanic ecosystems within a short span. This book aims to present a concise yet succinct introduction to Oceanography as a subject and at the same time highlight the cutting-edge topics of research encompassing marine pollution, coastal processes, and many other associated phenomena. Oceanography is an interdisciplinary emerging subject and students all over the world who come from varied disciplines are pursuing it as higher studies. Long sections are devoted to ocean–atmosphere interaction, tides, waves, and related coastal processes. The book represents a comprehensive idea of human activities bestowing the ocean with particular reference to Indian examples. This book helps to understand marine pollution and the behavior of oil, plastic, and other agents in the light of real-world examples and empirical models. Harnessing electricity from waves and tides is a technological advancement in the field of unconventional energy. The vast resources of the ocean like oil, mineral, methane hydrate, and their proper estimation and exploitation is the topic of discussion in the third part of the book. This book is designated to meet the essential needs of the students studying oceanography and marine science. It may be helpful to professional oceanographers also.

In order to answer important questions about ecosystems and biodiversity, scientists can look to the past geological recordâ€"which includes fossils, sediment and ice cores, and tree rings. Because of recent advances in earth scientists' ability to analyze biological and environmental information from geological data, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Geological Survey asked a National Research Council (NRC) committee to assess the scientific opportunities provided by the geologic record and recommend how scientists can take advantage of these opportunities for the nation's benefit. The committee identified three initiatives for future research to be developed over the next decade: (1) use the geological record as a "natural laboratory" to explore changes in living things under a range of past conditions, (2) use the record to better predict the response of biological systems to climate change, and (3) use geologic information to evaluate the effects of human and non-human factors on ecosystems. The committee also offered suggestions for improving the field through better training, improved databases, and additional funding.

This book is one out of 8 IAEG XII Congress volumes and deals with climate change affecting different natural processes and environments, such as slope dynamics, water courses, coastal and marine environments, hydrological and littoral processes and permafrost terrain. Due to climate change, major effects are also expected on territorial planning and infrastructure, particularly in extreme climate regions. The volume and its contents aim to analyze the role of engineering geology and the solutions it may offer with respect to the ongoing environmental changes. Contributions regard the modeling of both the factors and the effects induced by climate change. Potential impacts of the climate change on the common practice and routine work of engineering geologists are also analyzed, with particular attention to the risk assessment and mitigation procedures and to the adaptation measures adopted. The Engineering Geology for Society and Territory volumes of the IAEG XII Congress held in Torino from September 15-19, 2014, analyze the dynamic role of engineering geology in our changing world and build on the four main themes of the congress: environment, processes, issues and approaches. The congress topics and subject areas of the 8 IAEG XII Congress volumes are: Climate Change and Engineering Geology. Landslide Processes. River Basins, Reservoir Sedimentation and Water Resources. Marine and Coastal Processes. Urban Geology, Sustainable Planning and Landscape Exploitation. Applied Geology for Major Engineering Projects. Education, Professional Ethics and Public Recognition of Engineering Geology. Preservation of Cultural Heritage.

This book presents chapters, written by leading coastal scientists, which collectively depict the current understanding of the processes that shape barrier islands and barrier spits, with an emphasis on the response of these landforms to changing conditions. A majority of the world’s population lives along the coast at the dynamic intersection between terrestrial and marine ecosystems and landscapes. As narrow, low-lying landforms, barriers are especially vulnerable to changes in sea level, storminess, the geographic distribution of grass species, and the rate of sand supply—some barriers will undergo rapid changes in state (e.g., from landward migrating to disintegrating), on human time scales. Attempts by humans to prevent change can hasten the loss of these landforms, threatening their continued existence as well as the recreational, financial and ecosystem service benefits they provide. Understanding the processes and interactions that drive landscape response to climate change and human actions is essential to adaptation. As managers and governments struggle to plan for the future along low-lying coasts worldwide, and scientists conduct research that provides useful guidance, this volume offers a much-needed compilation for these groups, as well as a window into the science of barrier dynamics for anyone who is generally interested in the impacts of a changing world on coastal environments.

This unique collaboration of Russian and Norwegian scientists examines the most recent data on the White Sea bathymetry, examines the ecosystem profile, and provides extensive historical marine and riverine data records. The book presents extensive data and numerical modelling simulations of the White Sea to provide a quantitative assessment of vulnerability of the Sea’s marine ecosystems, of future anthropogenic and climate change forcing.