Geology And Ecosystems

This book was prepared for publication by an International Working Group of experts under the auspices of COGEOENVIRONMENT - the Commission of the International Union of Geological Sciences (lUGS) on Geological Sciences for Environmental Planning and lUGS-GEM (Commission on Geosciences for Environmental Management). The main aim of the Working Group "Geology and Ecosystems" was to develop an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the mechanisms and special features within the "living tissue - inert nature" system under different regional, geological, and anthropogenic conditions. This activity requires international contributions from many scientific fields. It requires efforts from scientists specializing in fields such as: environmental impacts of extractive industries, anthropogenic development and medical problems related to geology and ecosystem interaction, the prediction of the geoenvironmental evolution of ecosystems, etc. The Working Group determined the goal and objectives of the book, developed the main content, discussed the parts and chapters, and formed the team of authors and the Editorial Board. The Meetings of the Working Group (Vilnius, Lithuania, 2002 and Warsaw-Kielniki, Poland, 2003) were dedicated to discussion and approval of the main content of all chapters in the Book.

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.

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 scientistsâ (TM) 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 nationâ (TM)s benefit. The committee identified three initiatives for future research to be developed over the next decade: (1) use the geological record as a â oenatural laboratoryâ 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.

Account of the structure, formation, fauna and flora of cliffs from an ecological perspective.

This volume focuses on interaction between vegetation, relief, climate, soil and fauna in the treeline ecotone, and the effects of climate change and land use in North America and Europe.

Breathtaking in scope, this is the first survey of the entire ecological history of life on land—from the earliest traces of terrestrial organisms over 400 million years ago to the beginning of human agriculture. By providing myriad insights into the unique ecological information contained in the fossil record, it establishes a new and ambitious basis for the study of evolutionary paleoecology of land ecosystems. A joint undertaking of the Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems Consortium at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, and twenty-six additional researchers, this book begins with four chapters that lay out the theoretical background and methodology of the science of evolutionary paleoecology. Included are a comprehensive review of the taphonomy and paleoenvironmental settings of fossil deposits as well as guidelines for developing ecological characterizations of extinct organisms and the communities in which they lived. The remaining three chapters treat the history of terrestrial ecosystems through geological time, emphasizing how ecological interactions have changed, the rate and tempo of ecosystem change, the role of exogenous "forcing factors" in generating ecological change, and the effect of ecological factors on the evolution of biological diversity. The six principal authors of this volume are all associated with the Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems program at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.

This book is the first volume of a new interdisciplinary series on "Impact Studies". The volumes of this series aim to include all aspects of research related to impact cratering - geology, geophysics, paleontology, geochemistry, mineralogy, petrology, planetolgy, etc. Future volumes will include monographs, field guides, conference proceedings, etc. All contributions in this book were peer-reviewed to ensure high scientific quality. The thirteen papers in the present volume result from a workshop of the European Science Foundation (ESF) IMPACT programme ("Response of the Earth System to Impact Processes"). This programme is an interdisciplinary effort aimed at understanding impact processes and their effects on the Earth System, including environmental, biological, and geological changes, and consequences for the biodiversity of ecosystems. The goals of the programme, and details about our activities, can be found on the web at . The IMPACT programme has currently 15 member nations from allover Europe. The activities of the programme range from workshops to specific topics regarding impact cratering, short courses on impact stratigraphy, shock metamorphism, etc. , mobility grants for students and young researchers, development of teaching aids, and publications. The third IMPACT workshop was held in Quillan, in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, in September 1999.

Many problems related to groundwater and ecosystems are shared by countries throughout the world and there is growing recognition that much can be gained by co-operation on an international scale. This is no time for complacency and it is critical that key problems be identified, that the potential consequences of these problems be understood, and that the development of solutions begins urgently. Important data gaps must be recognized and filled without delay.