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Sensing Technologies For Precision Irrigation

by Dejan Vukobratovic Marta Alonso Fernandez Vladan Minic Dubravko Ćulibrk Vladimir Crnojevic Javier Alvarez Osuna

This brief provides an overview of state-of-the-art sensing technologies relevant to the problem of precision irrigation, an emerging field within the domain of precision agriculture. Applications of wireless sensor networks, satellite data and geographic information systems in the domain are covered. This brief presents the basic concepts of the technologies and emphasizes the practical aspects that enable the implementation of intelligent irrigation systems. The authors target a broad audience interested in this theme and organize the content in five chapters, each concerned with a specific technology needed to address the problem of optimal crop irrigation. Professionals and researchers will find the text a thorough survey with practical applications.

Sensitivity of Mangrove Ecosystem to Changing Climate

by Abhijit Mitra

Mangroves are basically salt tolerant forest ecosystems found mainly in tropical and sub-tropical inter-tidal regions. Till about 1960s, mangroves were largely viewed as "economically unproductive areas" and were therefore destroyed for reclaiming land for various economic and commercial activities. Gradually, with the passage of time, the economic and ecological benefits of mangroves have become visible and their importance is now well appreciated. Today, mangroves are observed in about 30 countries in tropical subtropical regions covering an area of about 99,300 Sq.Km. However, during the past 50 years, over 50% of the mangrove cover has been lost, mainly because of the increased pressure of human activities like shrimp farming and agriculture, forestry, salt extraction, urban development, tourist development and infrastructure. Also, dam on rivers, contamination of sea waters caused by heavy metals, oil spills, pesticides and other products etc. have been found to be responsible for the decline of mangroves. Although the temperature effect on growth and species diversity is not known, sea-level rise may pose a serious threat to these ecosystems The present book addresses all these important issues in separate chapters with some interesting case studies whose data may serve as pathfinder for future researches in the sphere of the influence of climate change on mangrove ecosystem. The role of mangroves in the sector of bioremediation is a unique feather in the crown of this coastal and brackishwater vegetation that may be taken up by the coastal industries in order to maintain the health of ambient environment. This book seeks to discover and to assess the vulnerability of climate change on mangrove flora and fauna, their role in carbon sequestration and some interesting case studies by some groups of dedicated researchers that may serve as the basis of future climate related policies.

Sensorgestützte Kartierung von Bodeneigenschaften für die teilflächenspezifische Kalkung: Textur, pH und Humus: Von den Messwerten zur Streukarte

by Eckart Kramer Jörg Rühlmann Robin Gebbers

Dieses Open Access Buch vermittelt fundierte Grundlagen und praxisorientierte Anleitungen für die genaue Kartierung von Ackerflächen auf der Grundlage von Bodenparametern wie Textur, pH-Wert und Humusgehalt. Es werden die gegenwärtig bestgeeigneten Kartierungsverfahren beschrieben. Von der Bereinigung der Bodensensordaten bis hin zur Erstellung von Streukarten und der Auswahl des optimalen Kalkdüngers wird jeder Schritt des Prozesses detailliert erklärt. Sämtliche Funktionen und Algorithmen zum Buch sind als “R”-Skripte via Download verfügbar. Mit Hilfe von Beispieldaten und einem Tutorial kann die Prozesskette zur Streukartenerstellung mit der freien Softwareumgebung “R” als Einstieg in mathematische Methoden des Precision Farming, u.a. räumliche Statistik und Entscheidungsunterstützungsalgorithmen, nachvollzogen werden. Darüber hinaus bietet dieses Buch praktische Einblicke in die landwirtschaftliche Praxis, indem es die Bedeutung präziser Bodentexturkarten für eine effiziente Grunddüngung erläutert. Anhand von anschaulichen Praxisbeispielen werden die Auswirkungen ungenauer Bodeninformationen auf die Nährstoffversorgung des Bodens und die Umwelt verdeutlicht. Mit seinem ganzheitlichen Ansatz liefert dieses Buch nicht nur praktische Anleitungen, sondern auch wertvolles Hintergrundwissen zu Fachthemen wie Bodenacidität, Kalkdüngestoffen und Kartierungsmethoden. Es ist ein idealer Begleiter für Landwirt*innen, Berater*innen und Wissenschaftler*innen, die ihre landwirtschaftlichen Praktiken optimieren und ihre Erträge steigern möchten.

Sensory Transformations: Environments, Technologies, Sensobiographies (Ambiances, Atmospheres and Sensory Experiences of Spaces)

by Helmi Järviluoma Lesley Murray

This book offers original insights into cultural transformations of the sensory with particular emphasis on environments and technologies, articulating a special moment in the sensory history of urban Europe as people’s relationship with their environment is increasingly shaped through digital technologies. It is a much-needed addition to Sensory Studies literature with its firmly grounded empirical and theoretical perspectives. It provides radical and impactful food for thought on sensory engagements with urban environments. After reading the book, the reader will have a profound understanding of the original methodology of sensobiographic walking, as well as transdisciplinary and transgenerational ethnographies in different cultural contexts – in this case three European cities. The book is aimed at a large audience of readers. It is equally useful for social and human scientists and students finalizing their MA degrees or working on their doctoral or post-doctoral work, and essential reading for environmental planners, youth workers, city planners and architects, among others.

Sensuous Geographies: Body, Sense and Place

by Paul Rodaway

The contemporary challenge of postmodernity draws our attention to the nature of reality and the ways in which experience is constructed. Sensuous Geographies explores our immediate sensuous experience of the world. Touch, smell, hearing and sight - the four senses chiefly relevant to geographical experience - both receive and structure information. The process is mediated by historical, cultural and technological factors. Issues of definition are illustrated through a variety of sensuous geographies. Focusing on postmodern concerns with representation, the book brings insights from individual perceptions and cultural observations to an analysis of the senses, challenging us to reconsider the role of the sensuous as not merely the physical basis of understanding but as an integral part of the cultural definition of geographical knowledge.

Sentient Ecologies: Xenophobic Imaginaries of Landscape (Environmental Anthropology and Ethnobiology #31)

by Alexandra Coțofană Hikmet Kuran

Employing methodological perspectives from the fields of political geography, environmental studies, anthropology, and their cognate disciplines, this volume explores alternative logics of sentient landscapes as racist, xenophobic, and right-wing. While the field of sentient landscapes has gained critical attention, the literature rarely seems to question the intentionality of sentient landscapes, which are often romanticized as pure, good, and just, and perceived as protectors of those who are powerless, indigenous, and colonized. The book takes a new stance on sentient landscapes with the intention of dispelling the denial of “coevalness” represented by their scholarly romanticization.

Separable Boundary-Value Problems in Physics

by Morten Willatzen Lok C. Lew Yan Voon

Innovative developments in science and technology require a thorough knowledge of applied mathematics, particularly in the field of differential equations and special functions. These are relevant in modeling and computing applications of electromagnetic theory and quantum theory, e.g. in photonics and nanotechnology. The problem of solving partial differential equations remains an important topic that is taught at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Separable Boundary-Value Problems in Physics is an accessible and comprehensive treatment of partial differential equations in mathematical physics in a variety of coordinate systems and geometry and their solutions, including a differential geometric formulation, using the method of separation of variables. With problems and modern examples from the fields of nano-technology and other areas of physics. The fluency of the text and the high quality of graphics make the topic easy accessible. The organization of the content by coordinate systems rather than by equation types is unique and offers an easy access. The authors consider recent research results which have led to a much increased pedagogical understanding of not just this topic but of many other related topics in mathematical physics, and which like the explicit discussion on differential geometry shows - yet have not been treated in the older texts. To the benefit of the reader, a summary presents a convenient overview on all special functions covered. Homework problems are included as well as numerical algorithms for computing special functions. Thus this book can serve as a reference text for advanced undergraduate students, as a textbook for graduate level courses, and as a self-study book and reference manual for physicists, theoretically oriented engineers and traditional mathematicians.

Separation of Variables for Partial Differential Equations: An Eigenfunction Approach

by George Cain Gunter H. Meyer

Separation of Variables for Partial Differential Equations: An Eigenfunction Approach includes many realistic applications beyond the usual model problems. The book concentrates on the method of separation of variables for partial differential equations, which remains an integral part of the training in applied mathematics. Beyond the usual model p

Sequel to Suburbia: Glimpses of America's Post-Suburban Future (Urban and Industrial Environments)

by Nicholas A. Phelps

How the decentralized, automobile-oriented, and fuel-consuming model of American suburban development might change.In the years after World War II, a distinctly American model for suburban development emerged. The expansive rings of outer suburbs that formed around major cities were decentralized and automobile oriented, an embodiment of America's postwar mass-production, mass-consumption economy. But alternate models for suburbia, including “transit-oriented development,” “smart growth,” and “New Urbanism,” have inspired critiques of suburbanization and experiments in post-suburban ways of living. In Sequel to Suburbia, Nicholas Phelps considers the possible post-suburban future, offering historical and theoretical context as well as case studies of transforming communities.Phelps first locates these outer suburban rings within wider metropolitan spaces, describes the suburbs as a “spatial fix” for the postwar capitalist economy, and examines the political and governmental obstacles to reworking suburban space. He then presents three glimpses of post-suburban America, looking at Kendall-Dadeland (in Miami-Dade County, Florida), Tysons Corner (in Fairfax County, Virginia), and Schaumburg, Illinois (near Chicago). He shows Kendall-Dadeland to be an isolated New Urbanism success; describes the re-planning of Tysons Corner to include a retrofitted central downtown area; and examines Schaumburg's position as a regional capital for Chicago's northwest suburbs. As these cases show, the reworking of suburban space and the accompanying political process will not be left to a small group of architects, planners, and politicians. Post-suburban politics will have to command the approval of the residents of suburbia.

Sequence Stratigraphy

by Keith Myers Dominic Emery

The innovation and refinement of the techniques and concepts of sequence stratigraphy has been one of the most exciting and profound developments in geology over the past thirty years. Seismic stratigraphy has now become one of the standard tools of the geoscientist, and there is a pressing need for an introductory text on sequence stratigraphy. This new book sets out to define and explain the concepts, principles and applications of this remarkably influential approach to the study of sedimentary strata. The authors take a rigorous objective stance in evaluating the techniques and interpretation of sequence stratigraphy - basing the text on an internal training course developed by British Petroleum (BP).

Sequence Stratigraphy of the Lower Miocene Moghra Formation in the Qattara Depression, North Western Desert, Egypt

by Safiya M. Hassan

The Qattara Depression is part of the Northwestern Desert in Egypt and is home to the second lowest point in Africa at -133 meters below sea level. Therefore, before any projects can be carried out in this area, we must first understand the geology of the land. The present study deals with the high-resolution sequence stratigraphic analysis of the Lower Miocene Moghra Formation outcrops in the Qattara Depression Region. The literature on the sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of the Moghra Formation has been sparse to date, despite some excellent work over the years by academic and petroleum workers. Moreover, the area studied is within what was once a front-line of World War II, where mine fields and war relics are scattered and cover wide reaches. This has resulted in limited geologic mapping in the past. Thus, great attention is paid in this study to establishing a robust sedimentology and high-resolution sequence stratigraphic framework for the Lower Miocene Moghra Formation. Included are works based on outcrops and, most importantly, new sedimentological and chronostratigraphic information not previously available.

Sequential Analysis and Observational Methods for the Behavioral Sciences

by Vicenç Quera Roger Bakeman

Behavioral scientists - including those in psychology, infant and child development, education, animal behavior, marketing and usability studies - use many methods to measure behavior. Systematic observation is used to study relatively natural, spontaneous behavior as it unfolds sequentially in time. This book emphasizes digital means to record and code such behavior; while observational methods do not require them, they work better with them. Key topics include devising coding schemes, training observers and assessing reliability, as well as recording, representing and analyzing observational data. In clear and straightforward language, this book provides a thorough grounding in observational methods along with considerable practical advice. It describes standard conventions for sequential data and details how to perform sequential analysis with a computer program developed by the authors. The book is rich with examples of coding schemes and different approaches to sequential analysis, including both statistical and graphical means.

Serengeti: Plains of Grass

by Leslie Bulion

Award-winning science poetry master Leslie Bulion presents a lyrical salute to Africa's Serengeti Plain, one of the most spectacular and productive ecosystems on Earth.Leslie Bulion, a virtuoso science poet, has created a portrait of the rainy season on East Africa's southern Serengeti Plain, offering young readers a compelling look at an ecosystem in motion. Using a series of interconnected verses inspired by an East African Swahili poem form—the utendi—Bulion's cadences and rhythmic lines mimic the web of life in the Serengeti, following the great migration of wildebeest, zebras, and other animals into and then out of the vast short-grass plain. Lush, evocative gouache illustrations by Becca Stadtlander showcase the grandeur of this immense and complex ecosystem and provide close-up details of its wildlife inhabitants. Scientific notes on each spread and comprehensive back matter material offer more specifics. This, paired with Bulion's brilliant poetic form, makes the book ideal for cross-curricular learning. A Booklist Editors&’ Choice Selection <P><P><i>Advisory: Bookshare has learned that this book offers only partial accessibility. We have kept it in the collection because it is useful for some of our members. Benetech is actively working on projects to improve accessibility issues such as these.</i>

Serengeti IV: Sustaining Biodiversity in a Coupled Human-Natural System

by Anthony R. E. Sinclair Kristine L. Metzger Simon A. R. Mduma John M. Fryxell

The vast savannas and great migrations of the Serengeti conjure impressions of a harmonious and balanced ecosystem. But in reality, the history of the Serengeti is rife with battles between human and non-human nature. In the 1890s and several times since, the cattle virus rinderpest at last vanquished in 2008 devastated both domesticated and wild ungulate populations, as well as the lives of humans and other animals who depended on them. In the 1920s, tourists armed with the world s most expensive hunting gear filled the grasslands. And in recent years, violence in Tanzania has threatened one of the most successful long-term ecological research centers in history. "Serengeti IV," the latest installment in a long-standing series on the region s ecology and biodiversity, explores the role of our species as a source of both discord and balance in Serengeti ecosystem dynamics. Through chapters charting the complexities of infectious disease transmission across populations, agricultural expansion, and the many challenges of managing this ecosystem today, this book shows how the people and landscapes surrounding crucial protected areas like Serengeti National Park can and must contribute to Serengeti conservation. In order to succeed, conservation efforts must also focus on the welfare of indigenous peoples, allowing them both to sustain their agricultural practices and to benefit from the natural resources provided by protected areas an undertaking that will require the strengthening of government and education systems and, as such, will present one of the greatest conservation challenges of the next century. "

Serious Leisure and Nature

by Lee Davidson Robert A. Stebbins

Outings in nature considered as leisure activity constitute a main way in which many people the world over presently use their free time. Nature is defined here as any natural setting perceived by users as at most only minimally modified by human beings. In its most general manifestation nature thus defined is composed of one or more of six elements: air, land, water, plants, animals (birds, fish) and snow or ice. Outdoor pursuits are immensely popular, especially among city dwellers. They are also widely discussed in leisure studies, where they have inspired considerable research. Still this research tends to lack a theoretic anchor, which this book provides through the new serious leisure concept of nature challenge activity (NCA). It examines several hundred NCAs and types of NCAs, setting out how meeting this challenge unfolds in an aesthetically appealing natural environment with notable implications for consumption and environmental sustainability.

Serious Microhydro

by Scott Davis

Waterpower is the largest source of renewable energy in the world today, and microhydro is a mature, proven technology that can provide clean, inexpensive, renewable energy with little or no impact on the environment. Serious Microhydro brings you dozens of firsthand stories of energy independence covering a complete range of systems, from household pressure sites to higher pressure installations capable of powering a farm, business, or small neighborhood. Topics include: Low head and medium head sites AC-only systems as well as ones using a battery/inverter subsystem Stand alone power supply or grid intertie setups Hybrid systems (combined with photovoltaics or wind) With all the variables involved in microhydro, there is no "typical" system. These case studies represent the most comprehensive collection of knowledge and experience available for tailoring an installation to meet the needs of a site and its owner or operators. If you are considering building a system, you are bound to find a wealth of creative solutions appropriate to your own circumstances. Serious Microhydro shows how scores of people are achieving a high standard of living from local energy sources with a minimal ecological footprint. It has particular appeal to homeowners, teachers, renewable energy professionals, activists, and decision makers who want to understand the technology from a "hands-on" perspective. Scott Davis is an award-winning renewable energy project developer with decades of experience operating, installing, designing, selling, and teaching microhydro technology. He is a founder and president of Friends of Renewable Energy BC, and the author of Microhydro: Clean Power From Water.

Serpent River Resurgence: Confronting Uranium Mining at Elliot Lake

by Lianne C. Leddy

Serpent River Resurgence tells the story of how the Serpent River Anishinaabek confronted the persistent forces of settler colonialism and the effects of uranium mining at Elliot Lake, Ontario. Drawing on extensive archival sources, oral histories, and newspaper articles, Lianne C. Leddy examines the environmental and political power relationships that affected her homeland in the Cold War period. Focusing on Indigenous-settler relations, the environmental and health consequences of the uranium industry, and the importance of traditional uses of land and what happens when they are compromised, Serpent River Resurgence explores how settler colonialism and Anishinaabe resistance remained potent forces in Indigenous communities throughout the second half of the twentieth century.

Serpentine: The Evolution and Ecology of a Model System

by Susan Harrison Nishanta Rajakaruna

Serpentine soils have long fascinated biologists for the specialized floras they support and the challenges they pose to plant survival and growth. This volume focuses on what scientists have learned about major questions in earth history, evolution, ecology, conservation, and restoration from the study of serpentine areas, especially in California. Results from molecular studies offer insight into evolutionary patterns, while new ecological research examines both species and communities. Serpentine highlights research whose breadth provides context and fresh insights into the evolution and ecology of stressful environments.

The Serpents of Paradise: A Reader

by Edward Abbey

“[From] a true independent, a self-declared extremist and ‘desert mystic’. . . . outstanding essays, travel pieces, and works of fiction” —BooklistThis book is different from any other Edward Abbey book. It includes essays, travel writing and fictions to reveal Ed’s life directly, in his own words.The selections gathered here are arranged chronologically by incident, not by date of publication, to offer Edward Abbey’s life from the time he was the boy called Ned in Home, Pennsylvania, until his death in Tucson at age 62. A short note introduces each of the four parts of the book and attempts to identify what’s happening in the author’s life at the time. When relevant, some details of publishing history are provided.“This anthology, edited by his longtime editor and friend Macrae, makes for a splendid summary of his best work. . . . Anyone who doesn’t already know his work will find this volume, culled from more than a dozen books of fiction and nonfiction, an addictive introduction.” —Publishers Weekly“If your library is Abbey-deficient, this collection is essential.” —Library Journal“The announcement of a new Abbey book, whether essays or fiction, stirs a personal craving no other current American writer can satisfy.” —Los Angeles Book Review“A record as important and lovely as Muir’s and Thoreau’s.” —Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature“Abbey’s work is a kind of blessed voice in the wilderness any way you take it, and a precious figure in our lethal time.” —W.S. Merwin, US Poet Laureate

The Serpents of Paradise

by Edward Abbey

The selections gathered here are arranged chronologically by incident, not by date of publication, to offer Edward Abbey's life from the time he was the boy called Ned in Home, Pennsylvania, until his death in Tucson at age 62.

Service Industries: A Geographical Appraisal

by Peter W. Daniels

First published in 1985. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Service Industries and Asia Pacific Cities: New Development Trajectories (Routledge Studies in the Growth Economies of Asia)

by P. W. Daniels K. C. Ho T. A. Hutton

During the second half of the twentieth century, development in the Asia-Pacific region has been dominated by industrialization. However, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, services, in particular, finance, information and creative services, have become deeply embedded in the processes of urban growth. In Asia-Pacific the rise of service industries has lead to national modernization programmes and globalization strategies. Services are also driving change in the internal form of city regions and are being actively deployed as instruments of metropolitan reconfiguration and land use changes. These changes have created problems such as social polarization and the displacement of traditional industries and residential districts. Also, there are tensions between local and global processes in the development of service industries, and between the imperatives of competitive advantage and sustainable development.Service Industries and Asia Pacific Cities brings together a multi-disciplinary team of experts to explore and illustrate the theoretical, conceptual and practical issues arising from the transformation of Asia-Pacific cities by service industries.

Service Industries and Regions

by Juan R. Cuadrado-Roura

The service sector in most advanced economies accounts for up to seventy percent of employment and GDP and, given its growing importance, has received much research attention over the last two decades. However, not very much attention has been paid to the relationship between this sector and both its territorial impact and regional effects. The main objective of this book is to offer a comprehensive approach to these aspects, focusing particularly on the location factors of service industries and the importance of some specific services, such as business services and knowledge and information services. The contributions have been prepared by well-known experts in the field from a wide number of countries. The focus of all contributions is not only on theoretical aspects, but also provides empirical analyses on specific countries and topics such as the geographical concentration, globalization impacts, foreign direct investments, and innovation.

Service-Oriented Mapping: Changing Paradigm in Map Production and Geoinformation Management (Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography)

by Jürgen Döllner Markus Jobst Peter Schmitz

This book gathers various perspectives on modern map production. Its primary focus is on the new paradigm of “sharing and reuse,” which is based on decentralized, service-oriented access to spatial data sources. Service-Oriented Mapping is one of the main paradigms used to embed big data and distributed sources in modern map production, without the need to own the sources. To be stable and reliable, this architecture requires specific frameworks, tools and procedures. In addition to the technological structures, organizational aspects and geographic information system (GIS) capabilities provide powerful tools to make modern geoinformation management successful. Addressing a range of aspects, including the implementation of the semantic web in geoinformatics, using big data for geospatial visualization, standardization initiatives, and the European spatial data infrastructure, the book offers a comprehensive introduction to decentralized map production..

Service Provision and Rural Sustainability: Infrastructure and Innovation (Perspectives on Rural Policy and Planning)

by Greg Halseth Sean Markey Laura Ryser

Access to quality services and community infrastructure are vital parts of supporting sustainable and resilient rural and small town places. Renewing outdated infrastructure and supporting the delivery of services in rural communities present significant challenges from the constrained fiscal and policy realities of the 21st century. Drawing upon contributors from five Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, this book describes innovative service delivery and community infrastructure models that are appropriate to the contemporary rural and resource-dependent regions of developed economies. The examples show that an entrepreneurial approach to service delivery and infrastructure provision by local organizations and governments is needed. Critical economic and community development supports are crucial to assist creative and innovative sets of solutions that work for small communities. Chapters in this book argue that community development foundations for resilient rural and small town communities and regions must be co-constructed and co-delivered in partnership by both local and senior government actors, in terms of both policy and committed resources. This volume will be extremely valuable for students, scholars, and community development practitioners exploring policy-making, government initiatives, and community service provision in rural and small town places.

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