River Sediments

Sediments, which constitute the surface of the Earth, start their journey to rivers with the energy obtained from rainfalls, fl oods and other natural processes. Due to transport of sediments, rivers develop with various appearances and functions, and play a crucial role in the activities of human beings and the life cycles of other species. River

The rivers of East Asia are some of the largest and most important to human society and the global economy. They drain a variety of terrains from the Tibetan plateau, the hill country of southern China and the steep mountains of Taiwan. The sediment they carry potentially records the longterm evolution of continental environments within the marine stratigraphic record. Sediments reaching the ocean have to traverse the wide continental shelves where they may be reworked and transported by longshore currents, typhoon storm waves, as well as large ocean currents such as the Kuroshio. Deciphering any marine record requires us to understand the dynamics of sediment transport on the continental shelves, and this region acts as a global type example of such processes. Studies in this volume span a wide range of subdisciplines in the marine sciences and provide new insights into how sediment is distributed offshore after leaving the river mouths

With contributions by numerous experts

The first volume to comprehensively discuss the range of methods available for the analysis of organic compounds in soils, river and marine sediments and industrial sludges. It commences with a review of the instrumentation used in soil and sediment laboratories and indicates the types of organics that can be determined by each technique. Subsequent chapters discuss the analysis of various types of organics in a logical and systematic manner. It provides guidance on the applicability of techniques in certain environments, the advantages and disadvantages of using one method over another, likely interference, the sensitivity of particular techniques, and detection limits.

Over the last couple of decades, fluvial geomorphology and fluvial sedimentary geology have been developing in parallel, rather than in conjunction as might be desired. This volume is the result of the editors' attempt to bridge this gap in order to understand better how sediments in modern rivers become preserved in the rock record, and to improve interpretation from that record of the history of past environmental conditions. The catalyst for the volume was a conference with the same title hosted at the University of Aberdeen School of Geosciences, in Aberdeen, Scotland, on 12-14 January 2009.