Ecology and Applied Environmental Science

by Kimon Hadjibiros

Overview

Ecology and Applied Environmental Science addresses the impact of contemporary environmental problems by using the main principles of scientific ecology. It offers a brief yet comprehensive explanation of ecosystems based on energy, populations, and cycles of chemical elements. The book presents a variety of scientific ecological issues and uses these to examine a range of environmental problems while considering potential engineering, scientific, and managerial solutions. It takes an engineering approach and avoids excessive biological detail, while introducing ecology with a systemic approach. The book examines categories of organisms as well as the physical and chemical processes that affect them. It refers to the dynamics of populations and analysis of their major mutual influences, elaborates on the roles of primary production, limiting factors, energy flow, and circulation of chemical substances in the ecosystems, and presents the basic functions of aquatic ecosystems.

The author considers important issues related to environmental degradation of forests, aquatic habitats, coastal zones, other natural landscapes, and urban areas, includes a survey of problems related to waste and toxic and radioactive substances, and presents the greenhouse effect and impacts from climate change. He discusses environmental management prospects and the potential for technological control of pollution from liquid, solid, and gaseous waste. He also highlights existing tools for environmental management, ecological and social aspects of biodiversity and landscape protection, and the contrast between development and environment in combination with ideas about sustainability.

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367867768
Publisher:	CRC Press
Publication date:	12/10/2019
Pages:	290
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Kimon Hadjibiros is a physicist specialising in ecology and a Professor in the Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens. He has more than twenty five years' experience of teaching ecology for engineers, environmental management and policy.

Table of Contents

Ecological Systems. Systems and Ecosystems. Organisms And Environmental Factors. Organization at Population Level. Organization at Ecosystem Level. Fundamentals of Environmental Problems. Values, Alterations and Degradation of The Natural Landscape. The Environment in the City. Toxic Pollution. Water Pollution. Air Pollution and Global Change. Management of Environmental Problems. Pollution Control Technology. Tools for Environmental Analysis, Evaluation and Management. Biodiversity and Landscape Protection. Environment and Development. Appendix. Bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

"A comprehensive book, useful for students, engineers and citizens; it explains basic environmental functions, problems and mitigation tools."
––Roger Frank, Professor, Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, Paris

"An interesting and for the most part, very readable book. Recommended."
—Noise Control Engineering Journal, January-February 2014

"This comprehensive title will be useful for students and engineers but also for the wider public interested in environmental issues, because special emphasis is given to the examination of fundamental concepts that will contribute to the understanding and interpretation of ecological phenomena."
—International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry

From the Publisher