This book provides an introduction to general ecology, life safety and environment protection. It reviews the current problems resulting from anthropogenic changes of the environment, discusses the ways and methods of reducing the negative sub-sequences, regards various aspects of biosphere preservation, the concept and the principles of forming environmental ideology and organising rational nature management.

Meeting today’s environmental challenges requires a new way of thinking about the intricate dependencies between humans and nature. Ecology and Ecosystem Conservation provides students and other readers with a basic understanding of the fundamental principles of ecological science and their applications, offering an essential overview of the way ecology can be used to devise strategies to conserve the health and functioning of ecosystems. The book begins by exploring the need for ecological science in understanding current environmental issues and briefly discussing what ecology is and isn’t. Subsequent chapters address critical issues in conservation and show how ecological science can be applied to them. The book explores questions such as: • What is the role of ecological science in decision making? • What factors govern the assembly of ecosystems and determine their response to various stressors? • How does Earth’s climate system function and determine the distribution of life on Earth? • What factors control the size of populations? • How does fragmentation of the landscape affect the persistence of species on the landscape? • How does biological diversity influence ecosystem processes? The book closes with a final chapter that addresses the need not only to understand ecological science, but to put that science into an ecosystem conservation ethics perspective.

This volume presents leading-edge research from around the world on modern analytic methodologies in the chemistry and physics of engineering materials that have potential for applications in several disciplines of engineering and science. Contributions range from new methods to novel applications of existing methods. The collection of topics in this volume reflects the diversity of recent advances in chemistry and physics of engineering materials and provides a broad perspective that will be useful for scientists as well as for graduate students and engineers. Topics in the book include • methods for the quality of gas-filled polymer materials • radiometric measurements deposits of surface water • hydrophobic material-supported platinum catalysts • concepts of the physical chemistry of polymers in technologies and environmental protection • application-able radicals for the study of behavior of biological systems • surface-modified magnetic nanoparticles for cell labeling • sorption of industrial dyes by inorganic rocks from aqueous solutions • various method for steel surface modification • recent advances in fire retardant composites • much more This volume is also sold as part of a two-volume set. Volume 2 focuses on the limitations, properties, and models of engineering materials.

Applied Natural Science: Environmental Issues and Global Perspectives provides the reader with a complete insight into the natural-scientific pattern of the world, covering the most important historical stages of the development of various areas of science, methods of natural-scientific research, general scientific and philosophical concepts, and the fundamental laws of nature. The book analyzes the main scientific trends and developments of modern natural science and also discusses important aspects of environmental protection. Topics include: The problem of "the two cultures": the mathematization of natural sciences and the informatization of society The non-linear nature of the processes occurring in nature and society Application of the second law of thermodynamics to describe the development of biological systems Global problems of the biosphere Theory and practice of stable organic paramagnetic materials Polymers and the natural environment Key features include: An interdisciplinary approach in considering scientific and technical problems A discussion of general scientific trends in modern natural science, including globalization challenges in nature and society, the organic chemistry of stable paramagnetic materials, the fundamentals of the environmental chemistry of polymeric materials, etc. A justification of applying classical (non-equilibrium) thermodynamics to studying the behavior of open (including biological) systems Of particular importance in the book is the discussion of some problems associated with the place of man in the biosphere, issues of the globalization of science and technology, new ideas about the universe, and the concept of universal evolutionism. At the same time, the book discusses more specific issues related to solving major global and regional environmental problems (particularities of organic paramagnetic materials, the influence of polymers on the man and environment, etc). All this leads to the fundamental conclusion of the unity of animate and inanimate nature, as well as improvement of the process of cognition of the real world, which consists in objective and natural changing of world views. The book is intended for professors, teachers, and students of classical and technological universities who are interested in the development of the foundations of modern natural sciences, as well as for professionals working in the field of chemical physics and applied ecology.

With chapters by the editors and other experts in the field of polymer science, this book covers a broad selection of important research advances in the field, including updates on enzymatic destruction and photoelectric characteristics, studies on the changes in the polymer molecular mass during hydrolysis and a new type of bioadditive for motor f

Estuaries are productive ecosystems of high ecological value. They are important habitats for various species and those of highest value are protected by national and international conventions. This book highlights possible pollution impacts in a protected estuarine ecosystem, Amvrakikos Gulf, considered as one of the most important wetlands in Greece. In addition, the Changjiang (Yangtze) River is known to contribute significantly to the ecosystems of the Changjiang River estuary and adjacent waters. In this book, some long-term data of freshwater discharge, sediment load, nutrient concentrations and compositions in the river and estuary waters are presented, as well as the long-term response of the ecosystem in the estuary. Moreover, the literature on modern estuarine diatoms from Argentina is revised in order to synthesise the available ecological information and to detect possible modern analogues for Quaternary diatom assemblages. The authors also discuss negative or inverse estuaries, those where seawater is concentrated by the removal of fresh water, in the Northern Gulf of California. The challenges facing the sustainable management of temporarily open/closed estuaries (TOCEs) is addressed as well, critical in some cases because their ecological integrity, biodiversity and nursery function have already been compromised.

This anthology provides an historical overview of the scientific ideas behind environmental prediction and how, as predictions about environmental change have been taken more seriously and widely, they have affected politics, policy, and public perception. Through an array of texts and commentaries that examine the themes of progress, population, environment, biodiversity and sustainability from a global perspective, it explores the meaning of the future in the twenty-first century. Providing access and reference points to the origins and development of key disciplines and methods, it will encourage policy makers, professionals, and students to reflect on the roots of their own theories and practices.