Summary

Environmental science emerged from the fields of natural history and medicine during the Enlightenment. Today, it provides an integrated, quantitative, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental systems. Environmental studies are incorporating more of the social sciences in order to understand human relationships, perceptions and policies towards the environment. This entry collection features information about design and technology for improving environmental quality in every aspect.

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Topic Review
Soil health in Pasture
The USDA-NRCS (United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resource Conservation Service) defines soil as (i) the unconsolidated mineral or organic material on the immediate surface of the Earth that serves as a natural medium for the growth of land plants, (ii) the unconsolidated mineral or organic matter on the surface of the Earth that has been subjected to and shows effects of genetic and environmental factors of climate (including water and temperature effects), and macro- and microorganisms, conditioned by relief, acting on parent material over a period of time. Soil health is an emerging paradigm for which much research in row crop agriculture has been undertaken. Research involving grazing lands and soil health has not been as active, a feature partially attributed to (i) greater erosional rates in cropland, (ii) loss of soil organic matter and reduced soil structure attributed to annual tillage practices, (iii) cash flow from cropland is easier to visualize than the value-added nature of grazing lands, and (iv) there exists more competitive grant funding sources for croplands. Grazing lands do require soil quality augmentation and investment in soil health to optimize their ecosystem services potential.
  • 397
  • 04 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Dendrocalamus asper and Related Bamboos
Bamboos represent an emerging forest resource of economic significance and provide an avenue for sustainable development of forest resources. The development of the commercial bamboo industry is founded upon efficient molecular and technical approaches for the selection and rapid multiplication of elite germplasm for its subsequent propagation via commercial agro-forestry business enterprises. 
  • 1.6K
  • 08 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Reservoirs
Reservoirs are manmade lakes created by building dams on rivers for various purposes: flood control, electricity generation, irrigation, water supply, aquaculture, environmental services, recreational activities, navigation etc. In freshwater ecosystems, several mechanisms are involved in the natural carbon cycle. They receive carbon from terrestrial ecosystems through drainage, capture the carbon through primary production, bury the carbon in sediments, emit GHG through biomass degradation and respiration, and transport the carbon downstream to the seas or oceans. GHG emissions can be increased by human activities around the ecosystem through sewage and agricultural pollution.
  • 858
  • 03 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
The carbon capture and storage (CCS) refers to many technologies that capture CO2 at some stage of a combustion process or an industrial process that produces CO2 as waste.
  • 789
  • 03 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Cold Stress in Arabidopsis and Rice
Cold stress, including freezing stress and chilling stress, is one of the major environmental factors that limit the growth and productivity of plants. As a temperate dicot model plant species, Arabidopsis develops a capability to freezing tolerance through cold acclimation. The past decades have witnessed a deep understanding of mechanisms underlying cold stress signal perception, transduction, and freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis. In contrast, a monocot cereal model plant species derived from tropical and subtropical origins, rice, is very sensitive to chilling stress and has evolved a different mechanism for chilling stress signaling and response.
  • 846
  • 03 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Seasonal Changes in Soil Microbial Community
Hazelnut is one of the four major nuts in the world and has high nutritional and economic value. This study employed Illumina sequencing of ITS rDNA and 16S rRNA genes to identify the seasonal changes in soil microbial community, the predominant environmental factors driving microbial community composition, and the differences in soil microbial composition among different species of the genus Corylus. We found that the soil microbial community composition of species of Corylus changed significantly with the change in seasons. Corylus heterophylla and Corylus kweichowensis had more ectomycorrhiza in their soil compared to Corylus avellane. The main factor influencing fungal community composition in soil was the available potassium, while that of bacteria was the total phosphorus content.
  • 763
  • 02 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Sustainability Human Factors
Sustainability is the result of a complex combination of factors. Social, cultural and personal elements are key for the pursuit of a sustainable future. Beyond the existing, very broad program on sustainability studies, additional research should contribute to specify how those social and human factors affect sustainability indices. General beliefs, values, attitudes, habits, assumed lifestyles or even meaning systems projecting purpose on one’s own life have an impact on sustainability as well. Our aim in this paper is to describe these factors, which we group under the label of ‘sustainability human factors’. This task requires a multidisciplinary effort involving anthropology, psychology and social sciences, covering cognitive, emotional or cultural dimensions. First, we set the stage describing the expected network of features and traits that could describe the human factor. Second, we propose a model which can help to assess it through multiple scales and surveying instruments. These instruments can provide valuable data that could expand the current indices. It is important to connect our program with the ongoing research in this field and to develop a broad model that highlights the human factor and its central role when planning for a sustainable future.
  • 1.7K
  • 02 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Fire Safety Performance of Polymer Composites
The growth of the use of polymer composite materials has been a phenomenon since 1960, with diverse applications in spacecraft, aircraft, boats, ship, automobiles, civil infrastructure, sporting goods, and consumer products. In addition, the use of composites will continue to grow in the coming years with emerging end-use such as large bridge structures, engine machinery, offshore platforms, computer hardware, and biomedicals devices. However, a critical challenge facing the growing use of polymer composites is their high combustibility.
  • 607
  • 02 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Building Energy and Urban Microclimate Simulations
Considering the latest research findings as well as trends in energy policies that necessitate building energy design with accurately predicted performance indicators, building simulation techniques, taking into account the external microclimate effects, should no longer be considered as “for research purposes only” and move to the practitioner level at the early design stages.
  • 672
  • 02 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Influence on Habitat on Neotropical Rodents Viral Diversity
Ecosystem disturbances and resulting decreases of host species richness have been associated with the emergence of zoonotic diseases. Among vertebrates, rodents are important reservoirs of numerous viruses, including some with significant impacts on public health. Exploring the viral diversity in Neotropical rodents, we provide significant insights into zoonotic viruses in Amazonia, and emphasize that habitats and host’s dietary ecology drive viral diversity. Linking richness and abundance of viruses to the ecology and responses to habitat disturbance of their hosts should be starting points for a better understanding of viral emergence, prediction of at-risk situation, and implementation of early control and mitigation measures.
  • 574
  • 01 Nov 2021
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