Terrestrial Environmental Sciences

This book introduces the variety of research skills necessary for integrated environmental science, which are applicable to atmospheric, oceanic, terrestrial, and biota studies. The surface environment of the earth is a complex system consisting of atmospheric, oceanic, and terrestrial regions as well as the biota therein, all of which interact with one another to various extents. The integration of research disciplines including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and social science is a core of environmental science.

This book series is composed of peer-reviewed proceedings of selected symposia organized by the International Association of Geodesy.

Understanding and predicting the behaviour of natural and human environmental systems is crucial for the effective management of the Earth’s limited resources. Recently, great advances have been made through spatial modelling. This book provides a snapshot of the latest research in modelling technologies and methodologies within five environmental fields; the cryosphere, hydrology, geomorphology, vegetation interfaces and urban environments.

This volume concisely and systematically presents our current knowledge of the terrestrial environment and inland water resources in the Kaliningrad Region. The 22 chapters, including an introduction and a conclusion, are based on observational data; scientific literature, mainly published in Russian; and the authors’ long-standing experience in this area of research.

This books presents a brief review of modern concepts of the Sun-Earth problem and proposed physical mechanisms of solar-terrestrial relations (STR). This field covers a wide range of fundamental and actual applied problems of paramount importance (Space Weather, radiation hazard in space, functioning of space-borne and ground-based technological systems, heliobiology etc.). It is also closely tied with some general gnosiological problems.
The author provides state-of-the-art information about existing problems and discusses different channels for extraterrestrial influences at the up-to-date level: electromagnetic waves and fields, total solar irradiance, solar wind, energetic solar particles, galactic cosmic rays, cosmic dust, etc. Some of the well-known and suggested STR effects and corresponding physical mechanisms are illustrated by several examples. In particular, a number of different external “signals” in observed changes of terrestrial climate and weather are considered. Especially, an expected impact of geophysical disturbances on the accuracy of some precise physical measurements and experiments is analysed. Due attention is paid to the heliobiological aspects of STR. Particular emphasis is on the multifactor nature of magneto-biological effect (MBE), its non-stationary and non-linear behaviour.