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Cold-water corals form reef structures in continental margin and seamount settings world-wide, making them more wide-spread and abundant than shallow-water reefs. Their role in these ecosystems is no less important than the influence that shallow-water coral reefs have on tropical systems. They create habitat structure, host endemic species, enhance elemental cycling, alter current flow, sequester carbon, and provide many other ecosystem services that we are just beginning to understand. The rapidly evolving state of knowledge of cold-water and deep-sea coral reefs has not been compiled in over 10 years. This volume synthesizes recent and historical information, reveals new findings from reefs that have been discovered only recently, and presents key avenues for future research. We are on the cusp of understanding the critical role that cold-water coral reefs play in the world's oceans, and this book lays the foundation on which this knowledge will be built in the future.

This book, entitled Tracking Environmental Change Using Lake Sediments: Volume 6 – Sedimentary DNA, provides an overview of the applications of sedimentary DNA-based approaches to paleolimnological studies. These approaches have shown considerable potential in providing information about the long-term changes of overall biodiversity in lakes and their watersheds in response to natural and anthropogenic changes, as well as tracking human migrations over the last thousands of years.Although the first studies investigating the preservation of these molecular proxies in sediments originate from the late-1990s, the number of scientific publications on this topic has increased greatly over the last five years. Alongside numerous ecological findings, several sedimentary DNA studies have been dedicated to understanding the reliability of this approach to reconstruct past ecosystem changes. Despite the major surge of interest, a comprehensive compilation of sedimentary DNA approaches and applications has yet to be attempted. The overall aim of this DPER volume is to fill this knowledge gap.

Applied Environmental Metabolomics: Community Insights and Guidance from the Field brings together contributions from global experts who have helped to define and develop the exciting and rapid advances that are taking place in the field of environmental metabolomics. This book is aimed at expert users, students, researchers, and academics in metabolomics and systems biology. It not only demonstrates the best practice in experimental design but also provides insight into state-of-the-art instrumentation and the depth of analysis one can expect to get by using various sampling, chromatographic, mass spectrometric, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. Common experimental and technical pitfalls are also highlighted. This book provides a unique insight into the world of environmental metabolomics and will help the practicing scientist avoid repeating similar costly mistakes, steering them efficiently toward the generation of high-quality data and high-impact publications. - Highlights overarching principles and considerations for researchers to leverage when planning, conducting, and evaluating environmental metabolomics research - Applies key insights and lessons learned from leaders in the field - Provides real-world case study applications of multiple environmental metabolomics techniques - Integrates the Metabolomics Standards Initiative into case study examples - Encompasses standard operating protocols for metabolomics to help new entrants to the field

This book presents research findings and conclusions that has been developed as algorithms or intelligent new methods solving problems in the fields of air pollution, climate and health, natural hazards and risks, water resources, human activities and management and informatics, remote sensing, high-performance computing and GIS for environmental monitoring and management. Environmental protection and disaster risk topics are challenging fields, that scientific world is trying to address as much as it can. Earthquakes, floods, fires, droughts, blizzards, dust storms, natural releases of toxic gases and liquids, diseases and other environmental variations affect hundreds of millions of people each year. Many disaster events are triggered by human activities. Dealing with these problems will require systems thinking and integrating multidisciplinary science. Actions in these directions are taken more and more in the recent years by political bodies, NGOs and scientific groups trying to find sustainable solutions for the future generations. Every point of view matter when it comes to our global home – The Planet Earth.

This book includes over three hundred and seventy-five short papers presented during the second EMCEI, which was held in Sousse, Tunisia in October 2019. After the success of the first EMCEI in 2017, the second installment tackled emerging environmental issues together with new challenges, e.g. by focusing on innovative approaches that contribute to achieving a sustainable environment in the Mediterranean and surrounding regions and by highlighting to decision makers from related sectors the environmental considerations that should be integrated into their respective activities. Presenting a wide range of environmental topics and new findings relevant to a variety of problems in these regions, this volume will appeal to anyone working in the subject area and particularly to students interested in learning more about new advances in environmental research initiatives in view of the worsening environmental degradation of the Mediterranean and surrounding regions, which has made environmental and resource protection into an increasingly important issue hampering sustainable development and social welfare.

Emerging Technologies in Environmental Bioremediation introduces emerging bioremediation technologies for the treatment and management of industrial wastes and other environmental pollutants for the sake of environmental sustainability. Emerging bioremediation approaches such as nano-bioremediation technology, electro-bioremediation technology, microbial fuel cell technology, Modified Ludzack-Ettinger Process, Modified Activated Sludge Process, and phytotechnologies for the remediation of industrial wastes/pollutants are discussed in a comprehensive manner not found in other books. Furthermore, the book includes updated information as well as future directions for research in the field of bioremediation of industrial wastes. This book will be extremely useful to students, researchers, scientists and professionals in the field of microbiology and biotechnology, Bio (chemical) engineers, environmental researchers, eco-toxicology, and many more. - Includes the recovery of resources from wastewater - Describes the importance of microorganisms in environmental bioremediation technologies - Points out the reuse of treated wastewater through emerging technologies - Pays attention to the occurrence of novel micro-pollutants - Emphasizes the role of nanotechnology in pollutant bioremediation

World Seas: An Environmental Evaluation, Second Edition, Volume One: Europe, The Americas and West Africa provides a comprehensive review of the environmental condition of the seas of Europe, the Americas and West Africa. Each chapter is written by experts in the field who provide historical overviews in environmental terms, current environmental status, major problems arising from human use, informed comments on major trends, problems and successes, and recommendations for the future. The book is an invaluable worldwide reference source for students and researchers who are concerned with marine environmental science, fisheries, oceanography and engineering and coastal zone development. - Covers regional issues that help countries find solutions to environmental decline that may have already developed elsewhere - Provides scientific reviews of regional issues, thus empowering managers and policymakers to make progress in under-resourced countries and regions - Includes comprehensive maps and updated statistics in each region covered

World Seas: An Environmental Evaluation, Second Edition, Volume Three: Ecological Issues and Environmental Impacts covers global issues relating to our seas, including a biological description of the coast and continental shelf waters, the development and use of the coast, landfills and their effects, pollutant discharges over time, the effects of over-fishing, and the management methods and techniques used to ensure continued ecosystem functioning. The relative importance of water-borne and airborne routes differ in different parts of the world is explored, along with extensive coverage of major habitats and species groups, governmental, education and legal issues, fisheries effects, remote sensing, climate change and management. This book is an invaluable, worldwide reference source for students and researchers concerned with marine environmental science, fisheries, oceanography and engineering and coastal zone development. - Provides scientific reviews of regional issues, empowering managers and policymakers to make progress in under-resourced countries and regions - Covers environmental issues arising from the human use of both the sea and its watershed - Presents informed commentary on major trends, problems and successes, and recommendations for the future

This book describes the state-of-the-art concerning the ‘marine microbiome'and its uses in biotechnology. The first part discusses the diversity and ecology of marine microorganisms and viruses, including all three domains of life: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. It discusses whether marine microorganisms exist and, if so, why they might be unique. The second part presents selected marine habitats, their inhabitants and how they influence biogeochemical cycles, while the third discusses the utilization of marine microbial resources, including legal aspects, dissemination, and public awareness.The marine microbiome is the total of microorganisms and viruses in the ocean and seas and in any connected environment, including the seafloor and marine animals and plants. The diversity of microbial life remains unquantified and largely unknown, and could represent a hidden treasure for human society. Accordingly, this book is also intended to connect academics and industry, providing essential information for microbiologists from both fields.

Despite the fact that water covers two-thirds of the Earth's surface, it is surprisingly vulnerable to human influence and activity. Marine ecosystems receive large amounts of a variety of pollutants from either treated or untreated wastewater. The extensive use of chemicals and their introduction into the environment has resulted in increased public concern for the potential threats to ecosystems, human health and safety. Persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and pesticides, as well as heavy metals, surfactants; endocrine disrupting chemicals or personal care products and pharmaceuticals are pollutants usually present in marine environments. This book focuses on discussing the types of marine pollutants. It provides topics on the environmental significance and management strategies available.

Global climate change is one of the most important environmental issues facing the world today. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) acknowledges the potential for global climate change to have major effects on the world economy. The work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Cli­ mate Change (lPCC) is focused on evaluating the scientific data on climate change and analyzing the potential responses to it. One of the primary issues in the global climate change debate is how to adapt to any change that might occur. The process ofidentifying adaptation measures and evaluating their effectiveness is the focus of this book. In dealing with climate change adaptation, the sequence of events in conduct­ ing these types of analyses can be generalized as follows: • Develop scenarios for the possible range of climate change, • Assess the vulnerability of various sectors of the national economy and infrastructure to climate change, and • Identify and evaluate measures in each sector to adapt to the climate change It is this third step that is the subject of this book. In presenting this material, Chapter 1 gives an overview of the concept of climate change adaptation and the general principles guiding the conduct of analyses in this area. Chapters 2-7 give the results of evaluating climate change adaptation options in the agriculture, water resources, coastal resources, forest and ecosystems, fisheries, and human settlements sectors.