Bücher der Reihe Advances in Global Change Research

This is the third volume of a three-volume final report, which thoroughly describes, synthesizes and analyzes the results of the four-year Integrated Research Project CIRCE - Climate Change and Impact Research: Mediterranean Environment, funded by the EU 6th Framework Programme.

Part I provides an environmental context for assessing the effects of climate change on forest resources, summarizing changes in environmental stressors, followed by state-of-science projections for future climatic conditions relevant to forest ecosystems.

Beginning with an overview of data and concepts developed in the EU-project HABIT-CHANGE, this book addresses the need for sharing knowledge and experience in the field of biodiversity conservation and climate change.

No other book can offer such a powerful tool to understand the basics of remote sensing for precipitation, to make use of existing products and to have a glimpse of the near future missions and instruments.

Today's spatial planning procedures rely on historical evidence instead of preparing for factors that by definition lie in the future, yet which are relatively uncontroversial: shortages of water, sea level rise and rises in average temperatures being but three examples.

This book integrates the different prospective, scientific and practical experience of researchers as well as beneficiaries and stakeholders in the field of forest conservation in Southeast Europe. The book stresses the importance of improving the adaptability of these ecosystems to the impacts of climate change. Gathered around a common idea, the book presents the latest results in forest genetic resources conservation at national and regional level. The chapters are written by experts from: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. The book presents the current state, legal and institutional framework for conservation and management of forest genetic resources, case studies and best practices in the application of different conservation methods and techniques (in situ and ex situ) as well as climate change aspects in this area. This book will be of particular interest to scientists and experts in the field of forestry, environmental protection and rural development, bachelor, master and doctoral students, as well as for anyone interested in the conservation issues fuelled by ethical and economic motives.

This book brings together a talented international group of scholars, policy practitioners, and NGO professionals that explores a range of issues relating to environmental, developmental, and governing challenges on the Mekong, one of the world's greatest rivers and, alas, one of the most endangered.

Coastal zones exemplify the environmental pressures we face: their beauty attracts settlement, they offer potential for diverse economic activities, and they are sensitive natural habitats for important species, as well as providing a range of ecosystem services.

It describes recent theoretical, methodological, empirical, and legal developments in the dynamic field of environmental migration research, and includes original research on environmental migration in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, China, Ghana, Haiti, Mexico, and Turkey.

The book is divided into two major sections - on natural changes and cultural changes - and 11 chapters: an introduction, six addressing changes that concern natural aspects, and four exploring cultural changes and presenting the book's conclusions.

This book provides case studies and general views of the main processes involved in the ecosystem shifts occurring in the high mountains and analyses the implications for nature conservation.

This book is the result of a team of approximately 100 scientists and resource managers who worked together for two years to understand the effects of climatic variability and change on water resources, fisheries, forest vegetation, non-forest vegetation, wildlife, recreation, cultural resources and ecosystem services.

This book provides an insight into how a country contributes to the GHG emissions reductions required to keep global warming within the limits set by the Paris Agreement arrived at COP21 in 2015.

Economic constraints and lack of knowledge often prevent companies - especially small and medium enterprises - from harmonizing their facilities with the landscape. As a result, factories significantly impact the quality of our living environment, in terms of physical effects on the ecosystem, perceptual interferences with the surroundings, and disturbances on local communities. At both the design and maintenance stages, a set of appropriate tools can assist businesses in becoming more aware of their impacts and identifying possible mitigation strategies. The book presents an assessment tool and a library of inspiring design tactics for factories, with examples of the benefits and synergies for the environment, the scenery, the community, and the company itself. The purpose is to elicit more than a simple reflection about what a sustainable factory entails. It is rather to encourage and assist both businesses and designers in mitigating the impact of industrial facilities on the landscape as holistically as possible.

This book clarifies the climatic variations in Japan from the historical period to the present based on documentary sources and meteorological data. Japanese society has suffered from various kinds of natural disasters since ancient times, such as floods and high tides caused by torrential rainfall and strong winds. They were described in large numbers of historical documents including official local weather diaries. However, all these documents were written in Japanese or Chinese languages, which prevents non-readers of those languages from accessing them. Also, Japan is a Far Eastern island country, and the unique features of Japanese climate and natural disasters would be unfamiliar and unimaginable to them without being able to read those documents. How is the climate of Japan, and how was the climate during the Little Ice Age in Japan as compared with conditions in Europe and America? When did meteorological observations start, and who (which country) introduced them to Japan?Why did so many natural disasters occur in Japan, and what caused them? This book answers these questions as specifically and objectively as possible using both figures and photographs, which are beneficial to students and the general public who are interested in historical and current climatic change in Japan, as well as professional climate scientists.