River Ecology and Management: Lessons from the Pacific Coastal Ecoregion

Book Description

Touching all parts of the natural environment and nearly all aspects of human culture, streams and rivers act as centers of organization within landscapes. They provide natural resources such as fish and clean water, transportation, energy, diffusion of wastes, and recreation. Today, with unprecedented demands on streams and rivers by an exponentially increasing human population, a basic ecological understanding of the structure and dynamics of running waters is essential for formulating sound management and policy decisions.

The vast Pacific coastal ecoregion of the United States contains an extraordinary array of physical settings and examples of the range of dynamics associated with rivers and their management. The interface between the science and policy of natural resource management is illustrated by examples from this ecoregion, including the protection of riparian forest, the marbled murrelet, salmon, and amphibians.

Book Description

Covering 92 million acres from Virginia to Texas, the longleaf pine ecosystem was, in its prime, one of the most extensive and biologically diverse ecosystems in North America. Today these magnificent forests have declined to a fraction of their original extent, threatening such species as the gopher tortoise, the red-cockaded woodpecker, and the Venus fly-trap. Conservationists have proclaimed longleaf restoration a major goal, but has it come too late?

In Looking for Longleaf, Lawrence S. Earley explores the history of these forests and the astonishing biodiversity of the longleaf ecosystem, drawing on extensive research and telling the story through first-person travel accounts and interviews with foresters, ecologists, biologists, botanists, and landowners. For centuries, these vast grass-covered forests provided pasture for large cattle herds, in addition to serving as the world's greatest source of naval stores. They sustained the exploitative turpentine and lumber industries until nearly all of the virgin longleaf had vanished.

Looking for Longleaf demonstrates how, in the twentieth century, forest managers and ecologists struggled to understand the special demands of longleaf and to halt its overall decline. The compelling story Earley tells here offers hope that with continued human commitment, the longleaf pine might not just survive, but once again thrive.

Customer Reviews:

Superb book on several fronts..........2007-10-16

Earley was trying to write a history of turpentining. What he ended up with was a spectacular essay on the natural history of longleaf pine forests, the human history of the forested south, an essay on conflicting views in forestry, and....oh yes...turpentine!

Reading this as an ecologist, I found everything I wanted with just enough of the human element to flesh it out without boring me. Oddly enough, I suspect those reading this from an anthropological view have the same opinion about the natural history aspect of the book. Earley is that good in weaving his tale.

It flows well, is well organized, and the research and references are stunning. Twenty-three pages of references make me wonder how he ever finished the book. (In his acknowledgements he seems to wonder the same thing himself!)

This book belongs on the shelf of every forester, ecologist, and southern historian. I'm just thankful I stumbled across it on a rainy day in Congaree National Park.

complete book about longleaf pines.......2006-11-19

mr. earley goes deep into everything you could want to know about this native tree species,a cornerstone to both the natural world of the southeastern united states and the economic growth and development of the country as a whole.......he tells all about the past history,present day status,and projected outlook of the longleaf pine tree:it's one-time dominance of the coastal plain landscape,compared to it's present day status;all about the naval stores and timber industries,and their heavy dependence upon it that led to it's near demise and current numbers;and the changes in land management of the longleaf forest and it's various ecosystems,with much insight to the controlled burning philosophy that has gained in popularity during the last 50 years or so.....with photos, including some impressive shots of long-gone virgin growth trees dwarfing the grown men standing among them.

Best book on longleaf yet........2005-09-08

This book is as accurate and detailed as any scholarly paper but is written so well that it is certain to be a classic of literature like Archie Carr's "The Windward Road."

America's Rain Forest.......2004-11-23

For years I have been concerned about the disappearance of the South American Rain Forest. What was shocking from Earley's book is how we had our own expansive Forest with it's own ecosystem and let it disappear before our very eyes without anyone noticing.

It is not only a wonderfully told story of the Longleaf pine but it is a genuine history of how the South's economic development between the time of the settlers and up until today nearly destroyed it's most valuable resource and the ecology that was a part of it.

The only problem with this book was not being able to put it down after I started reading it.

Estuary Restoration And Maintenance: The National Estuary Program (Marine Science Series)

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Overview and case studies of impacted estuaries

Estuary Restoration And Maintenance: The National Estuary Program (Marine Science Series)
Michael J., Ed. Kennish
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0849307201

Book Description

This timely volume examines the work of the National Estuary Program, the prominent federally-funded initiative dealing with pollution and other anthropogenic impacts on estuarine ecosystems and the management plans necessary to ensure that these invaluable natural treasures remain healthy and productive for future generations. Estuary Restoration and Maintenance sets into clear perspective the state of America's estuarine waters, the effects of human development in watersheds, and the impacts of pollution and anthropogenic activities on living resources and habitats in these critically important coastal systems. Effective management and protection of estuarine environments Edited by a leading estuarine scientist, the book focuses on the technical and management issues involved in National Estuary Program sites across the United States-Long Island Sound, Delaware Bay, Galveston Bay, and San Francisco Bay. Each case study explains and assesses the following critical issues: -a historical description of the priority problems -status and trends of water quality, habitat conditions, natural resources and the uses of the estuary -human impacts on water quality and habitats, natural resources and the uses of the estuary -the links between pollutant loadings and watershed development, natural resources and the uses of the estuary -the identification of priority problems and their cause and effect, -management plans to ensure ecological integrity of the estuary Estuary Restoration and Maintenance covers the gamut of issues, from the technical assessment of problems to management action plans for the improvement of the environmental quality of estuaries. Features

Customer Reviews:

Overview and case studies of impacted estuaries.......2001-04-10

Estuary Restoration and Maintenance: The National Estuary Program Michael J. Kennish, editor. CRC Press. 1999. 359 pp. ...

Reviewed by Kirk R. Barrett, Ph.D., P. E., P.W.S. Research Assistant Professor and Research Director Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute ...This book examines the (US) National Estuary Program (NEP) and "focuses on the technical and management issues" involved at 4 NEP sites. The declared purpose of the book is "to examine the multitude of anthropogenic problems affecting estuaries nationwide and to investigate the management actions that have been devised to remedy them"; it is "principally designed as a reference for estuarine scientists, resource managers, decision-makers, and other professionals dealing with anthropogenic impacts and remediation".

The National Estuary Program was established by the Clean Water Act amendments in 1987. Twenty-eight major estuaries were identified and included in the program. For each site, USEPA was directed to convene a "management conference" whose main purpose was to develop a "comprehensive conservation and management plan (CCMP)". A major part of each NEP is a technical assessment or "characterization" of problems to be addressed in the CCMP.

In most books, case studies are a complement, serving as illustrations or examples of ideas raised in the bulk of the book. In this book, however, the case studies are primary. The first chapter presents an excellent, thoroughly referenced overview of the anthropogenic effects on estuaries (pollution sources, types and effect; habitat loss and alteration; freshwater inflow alteration shoreline development; sea level rise; introduced species; and fishing).

The balance of the book, about 70% of its pages, is devoted to essentially summarizing the CCMPs for 4 case-study NEP sites that have been extensively studied, namely Long Island Sound (NY/CT), Delaware Bay (NJ/PA/DE), Galveston Bay (TX), San Francisco Bay (CA). Although they are widely distributed geographically, these sites are all in heavily populated and industrialized areas. As such, they all experience the kinds of impacts that one would expect: habitat destruction, contaminated sediments, nonpoint pollution, etc. The bulk of these chapters presents assessment of resources and problems, with a secondary emphasis on restoration/management goals and plans. I presume that these programs are not far along in implementing their CCMPs, because there is almost no information on their success. The book concludes with the final case study, without any generalized lessons presented. In any case, by focusing only 4 sites of 28, it seems difficult to draw any firm conclusions about the NEP as a whole.

Book Description

Risk assessment is the cornerstone of contemporary environmental protection. You must find the answers to questions such as: what might be the impacts of the new synthetic chemicals, what problems might arise from the normal operations of industry, what are the chances of accidental releases and how will they impact the environment? Understanding and assessing these risks is essential to sound environmental policy and management. The first book to address the application of the current National Research Council (NRC) risk assessment paradigm to the coastal marine environment, Coastal and Estuarine Risk Assessment covers topics that range from pollutants of emerging concern to bioavailability and bioaccumulation at the suborganismal through landscape levels. It explores the necessary applications for modifying the NRC paradigm and presents a series of steps to actually accomplish an effective assessment using the modified paradigm. The book highlights the logical framework for assessing causation, and measurement of toxicant fate and effect. The chapter authors bring together experiences from academia, private consultants, and government agencies, resulting in a rich mixture of experience and insights. Exploring the science of exposure, effect, and risk in coastal and estuarine environments, Coastal and Estuarine Risk Assessment gives you a building block approach to the fundamental components of risk assessment.

Remote Sensing of Aquatic Coastal Ecosystem Processes: Science and Management Applications (Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing)

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Remote Sensing of Aquatic Coastal Ecosystem Processes: Science and Management Applications (Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing)
Richardson L.L.
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1402039670

Book Description

The aquatic coastal zone is one of the most challenging targets for environmental remote sensing. Properties such as bottom reflectance, spectrally diverse suspended sediments and phytoplankton communities, diverse benthic communities, and transient events that affect surface reflectance (coastal blooms, runoff, etc.) all combine to produce an optical complexity not seen in terrestrial or open ocean systems. Despite this complexity, remote sensing is proving to be an invaluable tool for "Case 2" waters. This book presents recent advances in coastal remote sensing with an emphasis on applied science and management. Case studies of the operational use of remote sensing in ecosystem studies, monitoring, and interfacing remote sensing/science/management are presented. Spectral signatures of phytoplankton and suspended sediments are discussed in detail with accompanying discussion of why blue water (Case 1) algorithms cannot be applied to Case 2 waters.

Audience

This book is targeted for scientists and managers interested in using remote sensing in the study or management of aquatic coastal environments. With only limited discussion of optics and theory presented in the book, such researchers might benefit from the detailed presentations of aquatic spectral signatures, and to operational management issues. While not specifically written for remote sensing scientists, it will prove to be a useful reference for this community for the current status of aquatic coastal remote sensing.

CD included

An interactive CD accompanies this book containing the WASI program by Peter Gege (DLR, Germany). The WASI program allows users to interactively manipulate and view coastally relevant spectra. The CD also contains full color images of a selection of illustrations which are printed as black and white figures in the book.

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Pine Barrens: Ecosystem and Landscape
Richard T. T. Forman
Manufacturer: Rutgers University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0813525934

Monitoring in Coastal Environments Using Foraminifera and Thecamoebian Indicators

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Monitoring in Coastal Environments using Foraminifera and Thecamoebian Indicators
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Monitoring in Coastal Environments Using Foraminifera and Thecamoebian Indicators
David B. Scott , Franco S. Medioli , and Charles T. Schafer
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Paperback

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Ecology and Applications of Benthic Foraminifera

ASIN: 0521021146

Book Description

Here is the first comprehensive book to describe specific environmental applications of foraminifera and thecamoebians. These organisms permit the biological characterization of a variety of freshwater and coastal marine environments and react quickly to environmental stress, natural or anthropogenic. Their small size and hard shells lead to preservation in large numbers in core samples, allowing their use as proxies to reconstruct past environmental conditions. The book introduces the topic to nonspecialists and then goes on to give detailed descriptions of the methods and techniques. Resource managers and consultants in the public and private sectors who routinely work on coastal environmental problems will find this book invaluable.

Download Description

Foraminifera and thecamoebians are highly sensitive to environmental stress (natural or anthropogenic). This feature means that they can be used to biologically characterize a variety of freshwater and coastal marine environments. Due to their small size and hard shells, large quantities are also found fossilised in core samples making them ideal for reconstructing past environmental conditions. This unique volume covers the specific environmental applications of these organisms and contains an introduction to the subject, detailed descriptions of methods and techniques and case studies. Written for non-specialists, this book will appeal to resource managers and consultants in the public and private sector who routinely work on coastal environmental problems. The book will also serve as a supplementary text for graduate students in many courses on environmental monitoring, ecological baseline studies and environmental science.

Customer Reviews:

Monitoring in Coastal Environments using Foraminifera and Thecamoebian Indicators.......2007-05-22

The book represents a summary of the experience and knowledge amassed by authors in total of over ninety years of research on foraminifera and thecamoebians. They pioneered the use of fossil testate rhizopods for reconstructing pollution history, storminess and others which constitute the aim of this book. It is worth mentioning chapter five because it is very original as it summarizes some of the relevant general information about thecamoebians. They have been domain of geneticists, biologists, taxonomists and the literature concerning them is mainly in nongeological journals, not always readily available; no attempt has been made to use them as geological proxies until very recently. This book is simply-written, easy to understand and the illustrations and diagrams are very clear. It is, on the whole, a readable book. It is intended for the non-specialist, but since it deliberately emphasizes on continental margin areas where over 50% of the world's people live, where most contemporary marine environmental stress problems occur, specialists in the subject will be able to make good use of it as well.

Sara Ballent
Museo de Ciencias Naturales de La Plata, Argentina

Environmental Indicators.......2005-07-25

This is an excellent book for Environmental Managers and Junior Scientists who are involved with the monitoring of coastal and estuarine environments; and is also an excellent guide for graduate students who are learning how to utilize Foraminifera and Thecamoebians.

The Estuarine Ecosystem: Ecology, Threats, and Management

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The Estuarine Ecosystem: Ecology, Threats, and Management
Donald S. McLusky , and Michael Elliott
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0198525087

Book Description

For the inhabitants of many of the world's major towns and cities, estuaries provide their first and nearest glimpse of a natural habitat. Despite the attempts of man to pollute or reclaim it, the estuarine ecosystem continues to provide a fascinating insight into a natural world where energy
is transformed from sunlight into plant material, and then through the steps of a food chain is converted into a rich food supply for birds and fish.
When the previous editions of this book appeared, biologists were beginning to realize that the estuarine ecosystem was an ideal habitat in which to observe the processes controlling biological productivity. In the intervening period, many more estuaries and their inhabitants have been studied
intensively. It is now possible to answer many of the questions posed by the earlier editions, and to pursue further the explanation of high productivity in estuaries and of energy utilization at different trophic levels within estuarine food webs. A significant amount of new information has also
been accumulated on the human use and abuse of these habitats, particularly the effects of pollution. Although the world's seas are vast and may appear capable of receiving unlimited quantities of human effluent, such waste is often first discharged into the confined waters of estuaries. In
practice, marine pollution is often essentially estuarine pollution. To reflect the huge impact of humans on estuaries, and to consider how we may either modify, remove or enrich the estuarine ecosystem, three completely new chapters have been prepared in this edition. These consider anthropogenic
change (including pollution) in estuaries, the diverse uses and abuses of the estuarine habitat by man, and the methods used to study human induced changes in estuaries. Finally, this text examines the ways in which estuarine management can monitor, control or prevent the pollution and destruction
of this fragile ecosystem.

Seagrasses: Monitoring, Ecology, Physiology and Management (Marine Science Series)

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Seagrasses: Monitoring, Ecology, Physiology and Management (Marine Science Series)
Stephen A., Ed. Bortone
Manufacturer: CRC Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Seagrasses: Biology, Ecology and Conservation

ASIN: 0849320453

Book Description

Seagrasses are becoming widely used as in situ indicators of the relative health and condition of subtropical and tropical estuarine ecosystems. To permit meaningful management of our estuaries, there is clearly a need to develop and refine ways of effectively monitoring and assessing seagrasses. Seagrasses: Monitoring, Ecology, Physiology, and Management includes the peer-reviewed, written results of presentations made at a recent workshop that addressed this very issue. A total of 28 original research and review chapters are organized around four major themes: Ecology and Physiology, Monitoring and Trends, Management, and Restoration. Additional research study results, not completed at the time of the workshop, are also included as they are directly related to the topic of seagrass management ecology. Overall, Seagrasses: Monitoring, Ecology, Physiology, and Management encompasses the latest research in seagrass management ecology to assist in the promotion of a dialogue between the research and environmental management communities. Not only will this work serve as a cornerstone for continued improvement in effectively monitoring the health and condition of near coastal waters, but also as a reference central to the premise that effective and efficient assessment of seagrasses will aid in estuarine ecosystem management.

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