Malcolm Anderson – Encyclopedia of Hydrological Sciences

Автор: Malcolm Anderson
Название книги: Encyclopedia of Hydrological Sciences
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Биология
Страницы: 3174
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

With the increasing pressures on the availability and exploitation of fresh water resources through population increase, pollution and degradation of resources, and variations in distribution from regional and global change in the climate, compilation of knowledge in this area has become a prerequisite for education and training of practising and research hydrologists. The Encyclopedia of Hydrological Sciences is the definitive research level multi-volume treatment of this important topic.
Written and edited by leading worldwide authorities in the field, and comprising nearly 200 substantial articles, the Encyclopedia provides detailed, informed coverage of the subject. Organised into 17 themed parts for the reader's ease of navigation, it offers up-to-date, scientifically rigorous information on all key aspects of the subject, from sub-catchment to the global scale, in a convenient and credible manner.

Written by over 200 contributors
Available both in print and online
Ideal for researchers in both academia and industry

The field of hydrological science deals with the occurrence,
distribution, movement, and properties of water on the
earth. The science of hydrology holds a unique and central
place in the field of earth system science, intimately linked
with other water-related disciplines such as meteorology,
climatology, geomorphology, hydrogeology, and ecology.
Beyond basic scientific interest, water quantity and water
quality have become two of the most pressing environmental
issues of our time. The first comprehensive hydrological
studies began in the late 1600s with Pierre Perrault’s field
studies of the hydrological cycle and Edmund Halley’s
experiments on evaporation. However, it was not until the
mid-1850s that Henry Darcy quantified the hydraulics of
groundwater flow and the linear relation between velocity
and hydraulic gradient. Since then, and especially through
the latter twentieth century, knowledge generation in the
hydrological sciences exploded with new discoveries in
each of the components of the hydrological cycle. Despite
scientific and technological advances, the field of hydrological
sciences has been highly fragmented across the
engineering-science interface, between basic and applied
studies, mathematical and descriptive work, and field
and laboratory investigations. Such fragmentation has left
many aspects of the hydrological cycle and its underlying
mechanics still poorly understood. Such understanding is
an essential prerequisite for hydrological prediction and for
defining the level of uncertainty around these predictions.
The Encyclopedia of Hydrological Sciences (EHS) is the
first definitive research-level multivolume encyclopedia in
the hydrological sciences where the full scope of research
in the field of hydrological sciences is distilled – from engineering
approaches to basic science, from process studies
to mathematical modeling, and from field investigations to
the laboratory. EHS thus provides an inclusive reference
source for the field, defining what we know, what we think
we know, and what we need to know about the future.
EHS brings together information on hydrological processes
from the sub-catchment to the global scale with a focus on
research-level analysis.
We have organized the encyclopedia into 17 themed parts
that cover the breadth of current major research activity in
the field. The 203 articles in EHS have been written by
316 authors from 22 countries, all experts in their fields.
Each article has been peer-reviewed and then edited by
an Associate Editor, each among the top scientists in their
sub-disciplines. We have tried to organize EHS to maximize
ease of use for its readers. Each of the five volumes contains
a table of contents. The last volume contains a subject index
pertaining to the complete work.
The accompanying online version of the Encyclopedia
includes hypertext links to appropriate software sites. The
online format extends the usefulness of EHS through
rapid search capability, and facilitates both updating and
subsequent expansion of text material. The hard copy
version of EHS is a foundational set of knowledge that will
be progressively tuned in the online version, both tracking
the core science foci and delivering the latest research
findings.
We owe a considerable debt to the author and editor team,
colleagues who are among the most active research workers
in their respective fields. The Associate Editors of the 17
themed parts have managed both procurement of articles
and the substantive review process that such a project
demands. Such activity has been supported throughout
the project life by staff at John Wiley; in particular, we
acknowledge the support given to us by Sally Wilkinson,
who has overseen the project from conception, whilst Sue
Amesbury has given unfailing support to ourselves, the
Associate Editors, and authors. Her contribution has been
pivotal in ensuring timely delivery of the project.
We hope that EHS will provide both a sound comprehensive
platform of current knowledge and also clear pointers
to future research directions in the field.
Malcolm G Anderson
Editor-in-Chief