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Entropy and the Tao of Counting: A Brief Introduction to Statistical Mechanics and the Second Law of Thermodynamics (SpringerBriefs in Physics)
by Kim SharpThis book provides a complete and accurate atomic level statistical mechanical explanation of entropy and the second law of thermodynamics. It assumes only a basic knowledge of mechanics and requires no knowledge of calculus. The treatment uses primarily geometric arguments and college level algebra. Quantitative examples are given at each stage to buttress physical understanding. This text is of benefit to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as educators and researchers in the physical sciences (whether or not they have taken a thermodynamics course) who want to understand or teach the atomic/molecular origins of entropy and the second law. It is particularly aimed at those who, due to insufficient mathematical background or because of their area of study, are not going to take a traditional statistical mechanics course.
Entropy, Divergence, and Majorization in Classical and Quantum Thermodynamics (SpringerBriefs in Mathematical Physics #16)
by Takahiro SagawaRich information-theoretic structure in out-of-equilibrium thermodynamics exists in both the classical and quantum regimes, leading to the fruitful interplay among statistical physics, quantum information theory, and mathematical theories such as matrix analysis and asymptotic probability theory. The main purpose of this book is to clarify how information theory works behind thermodynamics and to shed modern light on it.The book focuses on both purely information-theoretic concepts and their physical implications. From the mathematical point of view, rigorous proofs of fundamental properties of entropies, divergences, and majorization are presented in a self-contained manner. From the physics perspective, modern formulations of thermodynamics are discussed, with a focus on stochastic thermodynamics and resource theory of thermodynamics. In particular, resource theory is a recently developed field as a branch of quantum information theory to quantify “useful resources” and has an intrinsic connection to various fundamental ideas of mathematics and information theory. This book serves as a concise introduction to important ingredients of the information-theoretic formulation of thermodynamics.
Entropy Measures for Environmental Data: Description, Sampling and Inference for Data with Dependence Structures (Advances in Geographical and Environmental Sciences)
by Daniela Cocchi Linda AltieriThis book shows how to successfully adapt entropy measures to the complexity of environmental data. It also provides a unified framework that covers all main entropy and spatial entropy measures in the literature, with suggestions for their potential use in the analysis of environmental data such as biodiversity, land use and other phenomena occurring over space or time, or both. First, recent literature reviews about including spatial information in traditional entropy measures are presented, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of past approaches and the difference in interpretation of their proposals. A consistent notation applicable to all approaches is introduced, and the authors’ own proposal is presented. Second, the use of entropy in spatial sampling is focused on, and a method with an outstanding performance when data show a negative or complex spatial correlation is proposed. The last part of the book covers estimating entropy and proposes a model-based approach that differs from all existing estimators, working with data presenting any departure from independence: presence of covariates, temporal or spatial correlation, or both. The theoretical parts are supported by environmental examples covering point data about biodiversity and lattice data about land use. Moreover, a practical section is provided for all parts of the book; in particular, the R package SpatEntropy covers not only the authors’ novel proposals, but also all the main entropy and spatial entropy indices available in the literature. R codes are supplemented to reproduce all the examples. This book is a valuable resource for students and researchers in applied sciences where the use of entropy measures is of interest and where data present dependence on space, time or covariates, such as geography, ecology, biology and landscape analysis.
Entropy Theory and its Application in Environmental and Water Engineering
by Vijay P. SinghEntropy Theory and its Application in Environmental and Water Engineering responds to the need for a book that deals with basic concepts of entropy theory from a hydrologic and water engineering perspective and then for a book that deals with applications of these concepts to a range of water engineering problems. The range of applications of entropy is constantly expanding and new areas finding a use for the theory are continually emerging. The applications of concepts and techniques vary across different subject areas and this book aims to relate them directly to practical problems of environmental and water engineering.The book presents and explains the Principle of Maximum Entropy (POME) and the Principle of Minimum Cross Entropy (POMCE) and their applications to different types of probability distributions. Spatial and inverse spatial entropy are important for urban planning and are presented with clarity. Maximum entropy spectral analysis and minimum cross entropy spectral analysis are powerful techniques for addressing a variety of problems faced by environmental and water scientists and engineers and are described here with illustrative examples.Giving a thorough introduction to the use of entropy to measure the unpredictability in environmental and water systems this book will add an essential statistical method to the toolkit of postgraduates, researchers and academic hydrologists, water resource managers, environmental scientists and engineers. It will also offer a valuable resource for professionals in the same areas, governmental organizations, private companies as well as students in earth sciences, civil and agricultural engineering, and agricultural and rangeland sciences.This book:Provides a thorough introduction to entropy for beginners and more experienced usersUses numerous examples to illustrate the applications of the theoretical principlesAllows the reader to apply entropy theory to the solution of practical problemsAssumes minimal existing mathematical knowledgeDiscusses the theory and its various aspects in both univariate and bivariate casesCovers newly expanding areas including neural networks from an entropy perspective and future developments.
Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J.R.R. Tolkien (Culture of the Land)
by Matthew Dickerson Jonathan EvansWith a Foreword by John Elder and an Afterword by Tom Shippey Though not often recognized as environmental or agrarian literature, the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien demonstrate a complex and comprehensive ecological philosophy. The ecology of Middle-earth portrayed in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion brings together three potent and convincing elements of preservation and conservation--sustainable agriculture and agrarianism, horticulture independent of utilitarianism, and protection of unspoiled wilderness. Throughout his work, Tolkien reveals his vision of the natural world and environmental responsibility. Ents, Elves, and Eriador examines the underlying environmental philosophy in Tolkien's major works as well as his lesser-known stories and essays. Matthew Dickerson and Jonathan Evans evaluate Tolkien's writing, especially his Middle-earth legendarium, in the context of modern environmental literature. The authors compare Tolkien's work with that of some of the most important environmental scholars and nature writers of the past century, including Wendell Berry, John Elder, Aldo Leopold, and Scott Sanders, highlighting Tolkien's intellectual depth. A vital contribution to environmental literature and an important addition to Tolkien scholarship, Ents, Elves, and Eriador offers all fans of Tolkien a new way to understand his writings.
Entscheidungen in die weite Zukunft: Ungewissheiten bei der Entsorgung hochradioaktiver Abfälle (Energiepolitik und Klimaschutz. Energy Policy and Climate Protection)
by Anne Eckhardt Frank Becker Volker Mintzlaff Dirk Scheer Roman SeidlIn diesem Open-Access-Buch werden Wege aufgezeigt, mit verschiedenen Formen von Ungewissheiten und der Dynamik von Ungewissheiten bezüglich der Entsorgung radioaktiver Abfälle umzugehen. Die sichere Entsorgung radioaktiver Abfälle erfordert es, über Zeiträume von bis zu einer Million Jahre hinaus zu planen. Ein solches Vorhaben ist von erheblichen Ungewissheiten begleitet, die sich zudem auf dem Entsorgungsweg verändern. Dem Sammelband liegen inter- und transdisziplinäre Forschungsergebnisse zugrunde. Die Autor:innen sprechen in allgemein verständlicher Sprache eine breite Leserschaft an, die sich für die Entsorgung radioaktiver Abfälle oder grundlegender für den Umgang mit Vorhaben, die sehr langfristig angelegt sind, interessiert.
Entwicklung, humanitäre Hilfe und soziale Wohlfahrt: Sozialer Wandel von innen nach außen
by Cornelia C. WaltherIn diesem Buch wird untersucht, wie menschliches Verhalten durch unsere Wünsche, Emotionen, Gedanken und Empfindungen geformt wird und wie sich umgekehrt die Erfahrungen, die sich aus unserem Verhalten ergeben, auf uns selbst, andere und den Planeten auswirken. Auf der Grundlage einer Analyse des ständigen Wechselspiels zwischen diesen vier Ebenen bietet es praktische Lösungen, um systematisch eine nachhaltige gesellschaftliche Veränderungsdynamik in Gang zu setzen. Es wird aufgezeigt, warum der Wandel, zusätzlich zur wirtschaftlichen und politischen Transformation auf der Makroebene, mit einem Bewusstseinswandel auf der Mikroebene beginnt. Dabei stellt er die fehlende Verbindung zwischen Investitionen in die persönliche Befähigung und das kollektive Wohlergehen her. Ein neuartiges theoretisches Paradigma bildet die Grundlage dieses Buches, das in der Perspektive einer kontinuierlichen "Körper-Geist-Herz-Seele-Verbindung" verankert ist. Ausgehend von der Prämisse, dass eine gerechte Gesellschaft allen zugute kommt, wird argumentiert, dass Anstrengungen, die für andere unternommen werden, auf drei Ebenen Vorteile bringen - für den Einzelnen, der handelt, für denjenigen, für den gehandelt wurde, und für die Gesellschaft.
Environing Media (Routledge Environmental Humanities)
by Adam Wickberg Johan GärdeboThis edited volume interrogates the role of media technologies in the formation of environments, understood both as physical spaces and as epistemological constructs about them. Using the concept of ‘environing media’, the book advances a deeper understanding of how media processes – defined here as the storage, process, and transmission of data – influence human-Earth relations. Virtually all aspects of the interconnected global ecological crisis can be related to the intensification and acceleration of scaling up the human imprint on the planet by technological means. Combining ideas from the humanities, arts, and humanistic social sciences, Environing Media offers a perspective on how we entered the current geological epoch – the Anthropocene. The ten chapters explore colonial, planetary, and elemental environing media, with cases including indigenous history, ocean monitoring, computational history, climate modeling, environmental history, the air as medium, the biosphere, and the Earth system. Drawing upon a breadth of examples and expertise in history, anthropology, geography, cultural history, science and technology studies, and media studies, the book discovers a novel approach to human-Earth histories that demonstrates how technologies have mediated between humans and environments and in the process contributed to a societal feedback loop between knowing and doing environment, each impacting the other. Environing Media is a timely addition for scholars and upper-level students in environmental humanities and media studies.
Environing Media (ISSN)
by Adam Wickberg Johan GärdeboThis edited volume interrogates the role of media technologies in the formation of environments, understood both as physical spaces and as epistemological constructs about them. Using the concept of ‘environing media’, the book advances a deeper understanding of how media processes – defined here as the storage, process, and transmission of data – influence human-Earth relations.Virtually all aspects of the interconnected global ecological crisis can be related to the intensification and acceleration of scaling up the human imprint on the planet by technological means. Combining ideas from the humanities, arts, and humanistic social sciences, Environing Media offers a perspective on how we entered the current geological epoch – the Anthropocene. The ten chapters explore colonial, planetary, and elemental environing media, with cases including indigenous history, ocean monitoring, computational history, climate modeling, environmental history, the air as medium, the biosphere, and the Earth system.Drawing upon a breadth of examples and expertise in history, anthropology, geography, cultural history, science and technology studies, and media studies, the book discovers a novel approach to human-Earth histories that demonstrates how technologies have mediated between humans and environments and in the process contributed to a societal feedback loop between knowing and doing environment, each impacting the other. Environing Media is a timely addition for scholars and upper-level students in environmental humanities and media studies.The Open Access version of chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 are available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781003282891. Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7 have been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. Chapters 3, 8, and 9 have been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) license.
Environment: Critical Essays in Human Geography (Contemporary Foundations of Space and Place)
by Bruce BraunSpanning cultural and political ecology, the political economy of the environment, humanistic landscape interpretation, cultural studies of nature, and science and technology studies, this volume is the definitive guide to environmental studies in Human Geography over the past 30 years. The articles collected capture conceptual developments in the field for audiences within and beyond Geography, and illustrate the diversity and remarkable vitality of geographical research on society-environment relations.
Environment
by David M. Hassenzahl Mary Catherine Hager Nancy Y. Gift Linda R. Berg Peter H. RavenEnvironment, Tenth Edition helps students understand the connection between the core concepts of the Environmental Science and their daily lives. The 10th edition enhanced e-text features a rich, interactive collection of current case studies and in-text examples, which provides students with the tools to understand, apply, and think critically about environmental science. It also provides instructors with powerful tools to assess individual students progresses well as the class as a whole.
The Environment
by William P. Kabasenche Michael O'Rourke Matthew H. SlaterPhilosophical reflections on the environment began with early philosophers' invocation of a cosmology that mixed natural and supernatural phenomena. Today, the central philosophical problem posed by the environment involves not what it can teach us about ourselves and our place in the cosmic order but rather how we can understand its workings in order to make better decisions about our own conduct regarding it. The resulting inquiry spans different areas of contemporary philosophy, many of which are represented by the fifteen original essays in this volume. The contributors first consider conceptual problems generated by rapid advances in biology and ecology, examining such topics as ecological communities, adaptation, and scientific consensus. The contributors then turn to epistemic and axiological issues, first considering philosophical aspects of environmental decision making and then assessing particular environmental policies (largely relating to climate change), including reparations, remediation, and nuclear power, from a normative perspective.
Environment: Our Impact on the Earth
by National Geographic LearningThis book covers many issues regarding the planet and humans' contributions to its environmental issues and discusses ways that humans are trying to preserve the planets resources and species, find new ways to recycle those resources, and help each other. .
Environment: Why Read The Classics?
by Sofia Guedes VazEnvironment: Why Read the Classics? presents six important essays by some of the world's leading environmental thinkers on six of the most emblematic books ever written on the environment. The books – Walden; A Sand County Almanac; Small is Beautiful; Silent Spring; The Limits to Growth; and Our Common Future – taken together have been hugely important in the development of global environmental awareness, activism and policy. The essayists – Viriato Soromenho-Marques, J. Baird Callicott, José Lima Santos, Tim O'Riordan, Satish Kumar and Marina Silva – invite readers to reflect on these ground-breaking works and examine their historical importance, as well as what they should mean to us today and what relevance they will have to future generations. More than just books about the environment, these are also philosophical treatises, in that they increase our understanding of the natural world and of ourselves, calling us "to weigh and consider", as Bacon put it. In particular, they make us reflect on the need to constantly redefine the purposes of progress, the economy and society. How we relate to nature is a crucial aspect in the plans we make as a species, and as individuals; and every one of these books inspires a more respectful relationship, both with nature and humanity, and consequently with ourselves. The six essays in this book are the result of a series of conferences organised in Lisbon by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation with the support of the American Embassy in Portugal. Its *raison d'être* was to revisit the ideas that have shaped the environmental movement, seeking inspiration to deal with what looks like a very challenging future. The significance of such timeless concepts is now more apparent than ever; and these evergreen books are full of ideas that retain their spark even in our difficult times. This is what makes them classics. Environment: Why Read the Classics? is a provocative book and will be essential reading for all those concerned about the state of the world.
The Environment: A History of the Idea
by Paul Warde Libby Robin Sverker SörlinAn in-depth look at the history of the environment.Is it possible for the economy to grow without the environment being destroyed? Will our lifestyles impoverish the planet for our children and grandchildren? Is the world sick? Can it be healed? Less than a lifetime ago, these questions would have made no sense. This was not because our ancestors had no impact on nature—nor because they were unaware of the serious damage they had done. What people lacked was an idea: a way of imagining the web of interconnection and consequence of which the natural world is made. Without this notion, we didn't have a way to describe the scale and scope of human impact upon nature. This idea was "the environment." In this fascinating book, Paul Warde, Libby Robin, and Sverker Sörlin trace the emergence of the concept of the environment following World War II, a period characterized by both hope for a new global order and fear of humans' capacity for almost limitless destruction. It was at this moment that a new idea and a new narrative about the planet-wide impact of people's behavior emerged, closely allied to anxieties for the future. Now we had a vocabulary for talking about how we were changing nature: resource exhaustion and energy, biodiversity, pollution, and—eventually—climate change.With the rise of "the environment," the authors argue, came new expertise, making certain kinds of knowledge crucial to understanding the future of our planet. The untold history of how people came to conceive, to manage, and to dispute environmental crisis, The Environment is essential reading for anyone who wants to help protect the environment from the numerous threats it faces today.
Environment: The Science Behind the Stories
by Jay Withgott Matthew LaposataEnvironment: The Science Behind the Stories 6th Edition, AP Edition.
Environment: The Science Behind the Stories - AP Edition
by Jay Withgott Matthew LaposataEnvironment: The Science behind the Stories is known for its student-friendly narrative style, its integration of real stories and case studies, and its presentation of the latest science and research. With the 7th Edition, engaging new features will open your eyes to environmental issues. The text makes it easy for you to see the data with new infographic-style illustrations, see connections between the case studies and your own life with new local connections activities, and see potential solutions with new success stories features.
Environment (7th Edition)
by Peter H. Raven Linda R. Berg David M. HassenzahlOffering a more concise resource for environmental scientists, this seventh edition explores important environmental issues and shows how to apply this information on the job. It focuses on a systems approach, presenting a framework for thinking about environmental science.
Environment and Belief Systems (Key Concepts in Indigenous Studies)
by G. N. DevyPart of the series Key Concepts in Indigenous Studies, this book focuses on the concepts that recur in any discussion of nature, culture and society among the indigenous. The book, the first in a five-volume series, deals with the two crucial concepts of environment and belief systems of indigenous peoples from all the continents of the world. With contributions from renowned scholars, activists and experts from around the globe, it presents a salient picture of the environments of indigenous peoples and discusses the essential features of their belief systems. It explores indigenous perspectives related to religion, ritual and cultural practice, art and design, and natural resources, as well as climate change impacts among such communities in Latin and North America, Oceania (Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands), India, Brazil, Southeast Asia and Africa. Bringing together academic insights and experiences from the ground, this unique book's wide coverage will serve as a comprehensive guide for students, teachers and scholars of indigenous studies. It will be essential reading for those in anthropology, social anthropology, sociology and social exclusion studies, religion and theology, and cultural studies, as well as activists working with indigenous communities.
Environment and Business (Routledge Introductions to Environment: Environment and Society Texts)
by David Hitchcock Alasdair BlairThis text examines how businesses and the environment interact. It is ideal for students with no previous knowledge of business studies. It examines in depth the ways in which business, industry, the physical environment, environmentalism and social change have evolved alongside each other. The authors use boxed case-studies to highlight how business practice and the environment interact at levels from local to global, with examples from multinational companies, government bodies, national charities and local enterprise. The book also contains a large number of informative diagrams. The case studies include: * Shell Oil's environmental policy* railways and the industrial revolution* the British National Trust's business enterprises* Sainsbury's approach to organic foods* Australia's landcare scheme* changing trends in retailing* Brent Spar * big game hunting and conservation.
Environment and Citizenship (Routledge Introductions to Environment: Environment and Society Texts)
by Benito CaoThe increasing awareness of the human impact on the environment is having a profound effect on the concept and content of citizenship – one of the fundamental institutions that structures human relations. In what is the first introduction of its kind, this book provides an accessible, stimulating and multidimensional overview of the many ways in which concern for the environment – driven primarily by the preoccupation with sustainability – is reshaping our understanding of citizenship. Environment and Citizenship is structured into three parts. Part I introduces the reader to the concept and theories of citizenship and explores the impact that environmental concerns is having on contemporary formulations of citizenship, both traditional (e.g. national, liberal and republican) and emerging (e.g. cosmopolitan, ecological and ecofeminist). Part II explores the practical manifestations of environmental citizenship, with each chapter focusing on a particular actor: citizens, governments, and corporations. These chapters include references to examples and case studies from a wide range of countries, broadly categorized as belonging to the Global North and the Global South. Part III explores the making of green citizens and outlines the dominant articulations of environmental citizenship that emerge from formal education, news media and popular culture. The book concludes with a general reflection on the present and future of environmental citizenship. The book contains a variety of illustrations, boxed case-studies, links to online resources and suggestions for further reading. This original and engaging text is essential reading for students and scholars of environmental politics, sustainability studies and development studies, as well as for environmental activists, policy practitioners and environmental educators. More broadly, this book will appeal to anyone interested in and concerned with issues of sustainability, social justice and citizenship in the twenty-first century.
Environment and Citizenship in Latin America
by Alex Latta Hannah WittmanScholarship related to environmental questions in Latin America has only recently begun to coalesce around citizenship as both an empirical site of inquiry and an analytical frame of reference. This has led to a series of new insights and perspectives, but few efforts have been made to bring these various approaches into a sustained conversation across different social, temporal and geographic contexts. This volume is the result of a collaborative endeavour to advance debates on environmental citizenship, while simultaneously and systematically addressing broader theoretical and methodological questions related to the particularities of studying environment and citizenship in Latin America. Providing a window onto leading scholarship in the field, the book also sets an ambitious agenda to spark further research.
Environment and Climate-smart Food Production
by Charis M. GalanakisAgriculture and food systems, forestry, the marine and the bio-based sectors are at the very heart of the climate change crisis. Evidence on climate change reveals that it will affect farming first, through changes to rainfall regimes, rising temperatures, the variability and seasonality of the climate and the occurrence of more frequent extreme events (heatwaves, droughts, storms and floods). In addition to findings ways to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, farmers will need to develop farming systems resilient to fluctuating environmental and socioeconomic conditions. It is thus a great challenge to support ambitious climate targets while satisfying the needs for food, feed, bio-based products and energy for a global population projected to reach 10 billion by 2030. Few books on the market integrate environment studies and climate-smart food production. This book fills the knowledge gap by covering all the relevant aspects in one reference: starting with microclimate management, climate change and food systems, and resilience of mixed farming and agroforestry systems, chapters address agricultural soil management, integrated water management in small agricultural catchments, citizen-driven food system approaches in cities, and ICT-enabled agri-food systems. By focusing on the most recent advances in the field while analyzing the potential of already applied practices, this book can serve as a handbook for regulators and researchers looking to understand all aspects of food production and distribution in this changing environment.
Environment and Development: Challenges, Policies and Practices
by Antonio Augusto Rossotto IorisThis book provides a comprehensive overview of emerging challenges facing different social groups, policy-makers and the international community related to economic growth, social development and environmental change, social inclusion and regional development. The book undertakes a critical assessment of the tensions associated with the failures of mainstream regulatory approaches and impacts of social and economic policies whilst widening the discussion on the interface between the expansion of the socio-environmental demands, equity and justice. These are crucial challenges, of great importance today and of equal relevance to the Global North and South. The book explores one of the main contradictions of development, the simplification of assessments and narrow consideration of alternatives. Taking this dilemma as its departure point, it goes on to examine the justification, trends and limitations of Western-based development and possible alternatives to fundamentally modify the basis and the rationale of the development process. It considers theoretical and lived experiences of development, paying attention to multiple scales, local realities and economic frontiers. Contributing authors explore policy recommendations and discuss effective practical tools for determining the values different people hold for ecosystem services and territorial resources. They cover the monitoring of change in the provision of ecosystem services that might increase the well-being of vulnerable groups as well as strategies to promote innovation and integrated, equitable and sustainable development.
Environment and Development in the Straits of Malacca (Routledge Studies in Development and Society)
by Goh Kim Chuan Mark ClearyThis unique study is the first in depth examination of the environment and development of the Straits. Taking an integrative approach, the book argues that the region has an underlying unity which political divisions (between Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore) disguise. Its emphasis is on three major elements: first, a study of the historical geography of the region illustrates its role as a sea-corridor which connected the markets of India and China. Secondly, that contemporary patterns of economic development and trade have continued to increase the strategic importance of the region. Finally, the text highlights the major environmental problems, such as pollution, traffic and tourism, that now threaten the sea and coastline.