Böcker i Advances in Geographical and Environmental Sciences-serien

The Bay of Bengal is prone to tropical cyclones and storm surges as a result of its location, and many of the mostly poor people living along the coastal regions of South Asia lose their lives almost every year. These disasters have been particularly devastating and have caused serious damage. During the past five decades, the low-lying coastal and offshore islands have experienced a tragic history of 50 severe cyclones and storm surges, with more than one million victims dead or missing. People accepted and waited for the next disaster as they had no alternatives. Members of the poor families who survived the disasters experienced hard times recovering from damage and the loss of their loved ones. After disasters, epidemic diseases arise in the affected areas. Many of the people in distress are also deprived of public services. Providing all sorts of assistance and emergency health preparedness are most essential to overcome such a situation. The causes of these huge casualties have been mainly: (1) the high population density of costal settlements, (2) inadequate cyclone shelters in the disaster risk areas, (3) lack of awareness of the disaster risk by the vulnerable population, (4) deterministic attitudes of people who accept disasters as "e;fate"e;, (5) houses that are weakly constructed and (6) underdeveloped central awareness programmes and weather forecast systems. This book is based on an empirical study presenting a timeline analysis of major cyclones and their impacts and consequent losses through the super-cyclones in the disaster-prone coastal regions of India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. This study also investigates resilience mechanisms based on early warning systems, technology applications including GIS and remote sensing, best practices, success stories and case studies that can be used for effective cyclone management and development of a resilience mechanism among coastal communities.

Placemaking and cultural landscapes are worldwide multidisciplinary global concerns that cover many points of view of the common impacts of socio-economic cultural and rights jurisprudence planning, wellbeing and related advancements. Concerned with the complex interactions between the development and environment of those factors, it is important to seek ways, paths and implications for framing sustainability in all social activities. This book is mostly based on the 10th ACLA ¿ Asian Cultural Landscape Association International Webinar Symposium that took place during September 26¿27, 2020, in the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. It examines contemporary social¿cultural issues in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) and associated cultural and sacred landscapes. There, the emphasis is on awakening deeper cultural sensitivity in harmonizing the world and the role of society and spiritual systems, drawing upon multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural interfaces¿all within the scope of the future of the earth. The book¿s chapters add a new dimension of cultural understanding in the broad domain of emerging human geoscience, considered as key policy science for contributing towards sustainability and survivability science together with future earth initiatives.

This book introduces the use of various remote sensing data such as microwave, hyperspectral and very high-resolution (VHR) satellite imagery; mapping techniques including pixel and object-based machine learning; and geostatistical modelling techniques including cellular automation, entropy and land fragmentation. Remote sensing plays a vital role in solving urban and environmental challenges at the landscape level. Globally, more than half of the urban population is facing severe environmental and social challenges, especially those relating to climate change, agricultural land encroachment, green infrastructure and environmental degradation, mobility due to rapid rural¿urban transformation and anthropogenic interventions. Mapping and quantification of such threats at the landscape level are challenging for experts using traditional techniques; however, remote sensing technology provides diverse spatial data at a varying scale, volume and accessibility for mapping and modelling, and it also analyses challenges at urban and landscape levels.Together, they address challenges at urban and landscape levels to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This book suggests sustainable economy from the viewpoint of tourism fostering low carbon footprint. Focussed on conserving heritage, culture and endemic biota of a crucial biodiversity hotspot of the world, the book discusses the impact of a large population, fast-paced development and excessive consumption of earth resources by tourism in a developing economy.The book (i) assesses the impact of overexploitation of earth resources on environmental components such as air, water, land and people, (ii) examines the sustainability of tourism on the physical, economic and socio-cultural environment including human lifestyles, (iii) presents the potential of tourism in promoting sustainable development, poverty alleviation and conservation of nature and (iv) formulates recommendations for tourism, fostering sustainable development in Goa, India.The book offers students, researchers, academics and professionals a comprehensive discourse integrating geological and societal perspectives on core issues. It generates critical thinking on the complex issue of sustainable tourism by providing in-depth perspective on peoples of different hues and their role in safeguarding the future of this unique region.

This book covers themes related to the geosphere, biosphere, sociosphere and ecosphere dealing with changing geographical, environmental and socio-economic realities to plan a sustainable future for the northeast region (NER) of India. The NER consists of eight states¿Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Sikkim¿and they carry political, economic and social importance. The book integrates the past, present and future of geospheric attributes incorporating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to meet the demands for improving human wellbeing under diverse and challenging socio-economic, political and environmental conditions. The key SDGs, as in food and agriculture, health, education, water, energy and other overarching goals of the region, have yet to incorporate providing sustainable jobs and promoting equality and inclusive development, although there have been a few studies in that regard.The challenges to achieve SDGs in the NER are formidable compared to the rest of India. The NER has put a great deal of effort into achieving the SDGs, mainly in poverty (SDG-1), good health (SDG-3), education (SDG-4), gender (SDG-5), decent work (SDG-8) and reduced inequalities (SDG-10), similar to the rest of the country. However, the standard development indicators such as road length, access to health care, power consumption and other measures are far below the national average. A multi-pronged strategy has played a pivotal role in the region, but development strategy to attain the SDGs 2030 must be more inclusive in empowering people with maximising self-governance, considering the resources, needs and aspirations of the people.This book evaluates the performance of the SDGs and fills in the gaps. It includes case studies focusing on different SDGs using advanced cartographic, statistical and GIS techniques and methods. It also provides unique findings that serve as valuable resources for plannersand policy-makers so that a sustainable future in Northeast India can be achieved.

This book uncovers the multiple layers of challenges posed to achieve sustainable human health and improves the understanding of interactive areas set by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (1) no poverty, (2) zero hunger, (3) good health and wellbeing, (6) clean water and sanitation, and (11) sustainable cities and communities. The book focuses on conceptual understanding, food, nutrition, lifestyle, and their integration to reinforce the ideas of holistic health principles.'The most important drivers of sustainable health are food, nutrition, and lifestyle. Healthy food is a basic need of human beings. In under-developed regions, people are underweight and facing malnutrition, with a prevalence of deficiency diseases due to low intake of micro-nutrients such as vitamin A, iodine, and protein among others. A good diet as well as lifestyle has a tremendous bearing on a person¿s health, emotional stability, and enthusiasm for life.The global coronavirus pandemic has brought unimaginable devastation and hardship in all corners of the globe, questioning the existing healthcare services, health policies, and health planning across the developed and developing countries. It has also exposed the lacunae in understanding health, the base of human happiness. The global community needs to gravely ponder the health issues we are facing and explore sustainable solutions for health recovery and the wellbeing of humanity.

This book introduces the issues of the contemporary state of Bihar, India, in terms of its performance on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicators and the initiatives taken by the central and state governments towards realizing human development. Doing so, it draws upon the mistakes committed in the past and moves ahead towards a better future with the idea of sustainable human development. The book also presents a comprehensive evaluation of the background and indicators of the human development index, and it analyses the impact of COVID-19 on India in general and on Bihar in particular.India is a nation of unbalanced states in terms of development. In spite of all the development initiatives, India still contains states that have not conformed to the breakthrough claimed by the nation, and the state of Bihar falls under this category. Bihar has emerged as the worst performer in human development, based on the ranking of the Human Development Index 2020. Nevertheless, Bihar has the potential for overall development to achieve its glorious past once again, by various pro-poor policies implemented by the government of Bihar in the last two decades, which is critically analysed in detail.

This book presents the history and theoretical contributions of Brazilian geography since the late twentieth century and shows how this sphere of knowledge has been organically integrated with social and territorial issues and with social movements. The relationship between the subjects and objects of research in Brazilian geography has been centred on the understanding and transformation of realities marked by injustice and inequality. Against this backdrop, the geography of the country has developed by integrating, relating to, and forming part of those realities as it headed out into the streets. Brazilian geography continues to hold theoretical debate in high regard as a result of the influence of critical theory. This book thus covers the theoretical approaches in Brazilian geography, its different lines of research, and above all its character as manifested in culture and society.

Since the last decades of the twentieth century, the circumstances surrounding map use and map making have drastically changed owing to advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs). In particular, the spread of web maps and mobile devices have altered the way people interact with maps. This book features the latest works on theoretical and practical issues of these changes by terming them "e;ubiquitous mapping"e;. In particular, the book pays attention to not only the technological basis but also multidisciplinary human-social aspects. The book covers the topics of the evaluation of ICT-based technologies for context-aware mapping, the theory and application of crowd-sourced geospatial information and collaborative mapping, and both the positive and negative effects of ubiquitous mapping on human society.

This book presents a complete set of studies of alluvial fan sediments in southern Iran from the point of view of sedimentology, sedimentary geochemistry, tectonics, economic geology, groundwater, geomorphology, hazards and telemetry. In addition, the book focuses on advanced topics and theory, which practically serves as a model for the study of this type of sediment around the world.Alluvial fans are an important and fundamental factor in many sciences such as geology, environmental science, natural hazards, groundwater science, agriculture and many other related sciences. Lack of accurate knowledge of their constituent sediments has always been an important problem for experts in many science disciplines. From the economic point of view, the identification of alluvial fan deposits is of particular importance. For example, alluvial deposits are the centre of groundwater accumulation, and most groundwater reservoirs within the sedimentary basin are fed by water from alluvial deposits. Most of the gold production in South Africa has been formed as placer deposits in ancient alluvial fans. In addition, a large amount of uranium placer deposits is extracted from old alluvial fans in sedimentary basins in South Africa. This book serves as an ideal guide for experts in earth and environmental sciences and hydrology.

This book reviews the structure, applications, technologies, governance, environmental sustainability, smart communities, gender space and other issues related to smart cities. The book is divided into four parts. The first one entails the conceptual background, growth and development. The second part presents diverse issues on smart cities in terms of environmental sustainability, the role of the community, and gender space, among others. The third part revolves around economic and technological issues, and the fourth is a compilation of case studies in connection with smart cities. This collection of diverse issues from different locations presents a holistic view of smart cities contributed by authors who have undertaken research projects and implemented their own unique perspectives and methods. A variety of innovative concepts such as digital governance, polycentric structures, geodata repositories, geoweb services and advanced geospatial technologies in smart city planning, urban microclimatic parameters, and urban heat islands provide invaluable knowledge for researchers and practitioners in these fields.

This volume provides a holistic and concise overview of the complex science of climate change involving the interplay of multiple factors. It also acts as a primer and a one-source reference to all the aspects of climate change, allowing researchers to understand the complexity of this science and to see the larger picture, thereby aiming towards holistic solutions.Beginning in the second half of the twentieth century, the impacts of climate change have been the worst nightmare to hit humanity so fiercely, causing loss of human life and irreparable destruction to natural and man-made infrastructure in many parts of the world. The difference between climate change now and in the past is that of sudden and disproportionate disruption of the natural energy dynamics by the changing consumption patterns of billions of human beings who, in their quest for economic superiority, have polluted the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The picture that emerges from the exhaustive analysis of international data drawn from the most reliable sources indicates that we have possibly gained access to the gateway of extinction and it is time that we take corrective steps immediately.The book's chapters not only provide an overview of climate change science but also include detailed discussion on current research. This unique analytical text is suitable for conservation environmentalists, researchers, and academicians working in the field, along with policy makers, research and training institutes, and nongovernment organizations.

The management of data to understand complex and interwoven processes of sustainable development has been a great challenge for researchers, planners, and decision makers. Remote sensing and GIS-based policy decision support systems not only help them to solve spatially related environmental and socio-economic issues; they also provide a powerful tool for integrating spatial and non-spatial datasets with analytical and spatial models and knowledge domains. Recent advances in the modern spatial tools of remote sensing and GIS combined with advanced computation techniques have enhanced the efficiency and capabilities of policy development. This book expands the scientific knowledge base in various physical and socio-economic issues among scholars, planners, and decision makers for policy development and research regarding sustainable development. It also demonstrates the importance of modern spatial decision support tools of remote sensing and GIS to better understand sustainable development processes and policy development. Furthermore, the book discusses case studies providing new insights as to how remote sensing and GIS-based decision support systems contribute to understanding physical and socio-economic processes and developing pragmatic policy for sustainable development.This book covers land surface temperature, hydrological processes, terrain mapping, flood and landslide hazards, land use and land cover dynamics, crime hotspots, urban health issues, tourism, agriculture, forest management, flood mitigation, urban sprawl, and village information systems, among others. Readers will find this book to be an invaluable resource for understanding and solving diverse physical and human issues for policy development related to sustainable planning and management.

Agriculture is the backbone of our economic system. It provides not only food and raw material but also employment opportunities to a very large number of people. Higher atmospheric temperature has an impact on crop yields while the changes in rainfall could affect both crop quality and quantity. Climate change, therefore, could increase the prices of major crops in some regions. For the most vulnerable people, lower agricultural output means lower income. In addition, climate change is expected to increase the risk of illness and death from extreme heat and poor air quality. Recent evidence is the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, climate change also affects the occurrence of other infectious diseases. A number of well-known diseases are climate-sensitive - malaria, dengue fever, and cholera among others. Tourism is considered as an industry and alternative contributor to a nation¿s income. It can generate employment opportunities and boost up the economy. This book, consisting of 26 chapters, focuses on the issues of agriculture, tourism and health for livelihood enhancement. It is essential to discuss these diverse issues in the field of geography as it encompasses interdisciplinary topics. The range of concerns at the national, regional and local levels is not confined to geography only but also involves other disciplines as well. Therefore, this book is a valuable source for scientists and researchers in allied fields such as livelihood, agriculture, land use, tourism management, health care and tribal studies. Furthermore, this book can be of immense help to the researchers, planners and decision makers engaged in solving problems in these areas in developing countries and beyond.

The world is currently experiencing changes in climate and environment that often lead to natural disasters. Nearly three million people worldwide may have been killed in the past 20 years by natural disasters. In total, 90% of the natural disasters and 95% of all disaster-related deaths occur in the developing countries. Recently such problems have accelerated due to LULC change, biodiversity degradation, increased tourism, urbanization and climate change. This book, consisting of 27 chapters, explores the topics of climate, environment and natural disasters in developing countries. It is essential to discuss these diverse issues in the field of geography as it encompasses interdisciplinary topics. The range of issues on national, regional and local dimensions is not only confined to geography but also concerned to other disciplines as well. Therefore, this book is a valuable source for scientists and researchers in allied fields such as climatology, disaster management, environmental science, hydrology, agriculture, and land use studies, among other areas. Furthermore, this book can be of immense help to the planners and decision-makers engaged in dealing with the problems of climate, environmental change and natural disasters in developing countries.

Water is the elixir of life and is crucial for sustainable development. Earlier, it was considered to be a limitless or at least a fully renewable natural resource. During the past 20 years, however, there has been tremendous pressure on this precious natural resource mainly due to rapid urbanization, industrialization and the increase in the human population. Together, these have resulted in increasing demand for irrigation, industrial, and household purposes to meet supply-chain requirements. Keeping in mind the scarcity of available water resources in the near future and its impending threats, it has become imperative on the part of scientists in hydrology and allied disciplines such as geography, landscape planning, sustainability science etc. Regional planners and supply chain management experts also must be involved in studying the spatial and temporal nature of the growing demand for water and the future availability for its judicial use and sustainable management.  A primary intent of the book is to provide comprehensive scientific knowledge base on water resource management and sustainability. It covers geo-engineering and scientific problems, case studies, and sustainable solutions in the water resources management domain. Additionally and of equal importance, the chapters of the book provide in-depth coverage on water resource vulnerability, water quality, wastewater treatment, application of remote sensing and geographical information systems hydrological modeling and harvesting, climate variability and runoff, sediment discharge and irrigation planning, community participation in water governance, internet of things and machine learning applications for sustainable water resources management. This practical, state-of-the-art reference book is a valuable resource for students, researchers, scientists, policymakers, spatio-temporal designers of water resource systems, various stake holders interested in hydro-climatology and sustainable water resources management.

Geospatial technology is a combination of state-of-the-art remote sensing and technology for geographic information systems (GIS) and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) for the mapping and monitoring of landscapes and environment.

This book discusses various issues relating to water resources, climate change and sustainable development.

This book focuses on interdisciplinary issues of human health in the changing urban environments of India's largest megacities-Delhi and Mumbai. The book is especially useful for students and researchers in geography, urban demography, urban studies, environmental studies, health sciences, and policy studies.

This book explores the geographical, geomorphological, ecological, touristic and socioeconomic aspects of natural heritage, argues for the dynamic conservation of that heritage and explains its key characteristics, promotion, conservation and management to achieve sustainable development goals.

This book demonstrates the benefits of using commercially available surfactants, or surface-active agents, for remediation of metal-contaminated soil and sediment. First the book offers theoretical reviews of commercially available surfactants, then it proceeds to a study of various available surfactants for the mobilization of metals. Surfactants representative of amphiphiles discovered in the digestive environment of sediment-ingesting organisms are used to examine the extent and rate of metal (Al, Fe, Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, Zn) mobilization from contaminated estuarine sediment. Metals can cause harmful effects to the environment and organisms. It is difficult to treat contaminants that are often tightly bound to the extremely small size of the estuarine sediments.The book also demonstrates the mechanisms of metal mobilization that appear to be related to complexation with monomers and adsorption to micelles of the anionic amphiphiles, and to the denudation of hydrophobichost phases or coatings on the sediment by micelles of both anionic and nonionic surfactants.Readers obtain a better understanding of current commercial surfactants, their impact on the environment, and possible remediation. This transdisciplinary book contributes toward Sustainable Development Goals numbers 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and 13 (Climate Action) set by the United Nations and is useful for students and teachers of sediment studies, coastal studies, environmental sciences, hydrology, civil engineering, and policy sciences.

This volume synthesizes critical environmental challenges of dynamic earth and human environment systems in South Asia emphasizing geographical dimensions. The book integrates environmental attributes relating the past, present, and future of South Asia broadly based on biophysical and human dimensions in spatio-temporal perspectives.

This book identifies and analyzes livelihood impacts of recent environmental and socio-economic changes in urban and rural settings of the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh, north western Himalaya, India.