The discipline of environmental geology provides academicians, government entities, scientists, researchers, land use planners, and the general public with a comprehensive approach to planning for natural resource utilization to ensure protection of persons and property. This Environmental Geology volume of the encyclopedia examines unique approaches to tackling widely known problems and highlights the variety of issues and techniques which the ever changing discipline of environmental geology must incorporate in day to day cases.
This volume is divided into categories to address these concerns. Two of the “hottest topics” are in “Land and the Environment.” These relate to karst, or limestone, terrines that are subject to sinkholes affecting infrastructure and water supplies and lands that are affected by subsidence from over drafting.
Certainly, here’s the paragraph with added transition words: “Remarkably, unique applications of environmental geology are actively being developed to tackle these multifaceted issues, while also engaging the public in the process. The book “Water and the Environment” encompasses an extensive array of subjects, spanning surface water geochemistry, the repercussions of radioactive waste on groundwater, and the intricate realm of groundwater modeling.”
Two other aspects include intrusion of saline waters in coastal areas impacting water quality, and mine water inrush leading to loss of life. Furthermore, water losses entail significant urban risks, with the potential to harm infrastructure and human lives. Another dimension concerns mineral and thermal water. The bottled water industry is burgeoning and creating conflicts in relation to who owns or needs the water and the utilization of plastic bottles to package the water.
How do all of the above relate to “Environmental Remediation and Sustainability”? A plethora of publications is emerging to satiate the demand for knowledge in this domain. This includes the Second Edition of Springer’s Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology series of which this volume is a part, and the relatively new journal Sustainable Water Resources Management edited by me and published by Springer. Topics addressed in this category vary from desertification and its encroachment on arable lands to impacts of offshore drilling on marine life. Scientists are applying geochemical modeling to various domains to facilitate the creation of cost-effective alternatives.
Carbon sequestration is receiving much interest and research funds to explore ways to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. As the population migrates from increasingly arid lands to urban areas, sustaining these cities demands additional resources. This shift necessitates comprehensive planning for sustainable resource management and preemptive or post-event remediation to prevent infrastructure failures. “Construction and the Environment” incorporates the need for and building of water supplies, wastewater treatment facilities, offices, dwellings, and grounds to handle this upwell of population. Within this context, striking a balance between meeting human needs and preserving the environment is paramount.
This movement of people also means many more people are susceptible to natural and manmade disasters. Scientists have been and continue to develop guidelines to reduce damages, injuries, or deaths from various sources. Apart from creating scientific and technical guidelines, the workforce and the public need better education about risks and preparedness for dealing with issues like mining, landslides, sinkholes, flooding, sediment transport, and dam failures.
“Earthquakes and Volcanoes” are natural disasters which have significant, if not catastrophic, impacts on civilization and the environment. Technology is still in its infancy in warning the public about these dangers, although new and innovative ways of doing so are in development. Lately, researchers are tackling potential risks posed by manmade earthquakes or induced seismicity.
The thread throughout all of the above topics is the need for increased communication among scientists, engineers, policy makers, regulators, and other stakeholders. Technology is advancing to fulfill these requirements, and environmental geology serves as a crucial framework for achieving this.
