Earth & Environmental Sciences
The Role of Place Identity in the Perception, Understanding, and Design of Built Environments
In an era of globalization where the progressive deterioration of local values is a dominating characteristic identity is seen as a fundamental need that encompasses all aspects of human life. One of these identities relates to place and the physical environment. Place identity is concerned with a set of ideas about place and identity from the perspective of a wide range of disciplines. Mainly it refers to the meaning and importance of places for their inhabitants and users.
Readers of this e-book will gain an insight on the role of identity as a basis for the perception experience and appreciation of the form of built structures. This e-book explains knowledge in relation to place identity focusing on people's identity and those factors that play a significant role in this process. Most of all the book gives further insight about place identity with regard to global and local contexts and across multifaceted and multicultural societies. The theme is approached from a number of disciplines that include environmental psychology philosophy urban sociology geography urban planning urban design architecture and landscape architecture.
Environmental Issues for the Twenty-First Century and their Impact on Human Health
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.
Groundwater Reactive Transport Models
Ground water reactive transport models are useful to assess and quantify contaminant precipitation absorption and migration in subsurface media. Many ground water reactive transport models available today are characterized by varying complexities strengths and weaknesses. Selecting accurate efficient models can be a challenging task. This ebook addresses the needs issues and challenges relevant to selecting a ground water reactive transport model to evaluate natural attenuation and alternative remediation schemes. It should serve as a handy guide for water resource managers seeking to achieve economically feasible results.
Mechanisms of Landscape Rehabilitation and Sustainability
Mechanisms of Landscape Rehabilitation and Sustainability is based on the results of landscape rehabilitation with the help of fabricated soil and a new approach on the use of restored soils for building houses and communities.
This book presents discoveries and proposals that have emerged from the authors' research and explains ways to protect Earth's ecosystems against further degradation. These proposals are founded on the philosophy of sustainable development and its application to various aspects essential to the long-term success of human beings; these include community coexistence education water purification and recycling agriculture the production of fabricated soil for landscape rehabilitation and the preservation and propagation of wild flora. Strategies for both indoor and outdoor systems are covered in this publication.
The book covers several subjects including molecular biology botany microbiology soil biochemistry and human interaction with the ecosystem. Methods for soil rehabilitation ultimately allow us to obtain optimal crop yield.
Mechanisms of Landscape Rehabilitation and Sustainability is of particular interest to academic and professional biologists soil scientists ecologists agronomists and architects.