In recent years the analysis, control, preservation, remediation and correct management of underground resources have received a growing attention in a variety of sectors, including industrial, professional and academic environments. The volume describes new developments in both applied research and design technology to maintain sustainability of a vital resource (groundwater) which is continuously threatened by contamination resulting from solid waste disposal operations, site reutilization, intensive extraction, accidental leakage of spill in working installations and non-point source pollution in agriculture. It is directed to managers, professionals, and researchers working in any of the areas concerned with the control, prediction, and remediation of soil and groundwater contamination.

In 1999 the International Centre for Mechanical Sciences celebrates thirty years of activity. For this celebration CISM has organized a series of courses and meetings on environmental problems, one of the leading subjects today of theoretical and applied research all over the world. The results obtained directly influence our daily life, particularly in applications for protection from pollution and natural hazards. The most significant of the events was the Conference on "Environmental Applications of Mechanics and Computer Science”, where prominent scientists in the field present significant examples of the scientific approach to large scale phenomena involved in environmental problems.

This book focuses on the treatment and disposal technology used for solid waste in China, puts forward an optimal management scheme that takes into account the complete lifecycle, and introduces a new technical model that reflects the synergies of resource utilization and secondary pollution control. In addition, it provides a set of methods for professional on-site investigation, risk assessment, classification management and control to minimize the risk of groundwater contamination by solid waste at landfill. Given the extent and depth of knowledge and experience gathered in the book, it offers an important reference guide for government managers, environmental researchers, and all those involved in and concerned about solid waste disposal.

The complex topic of in-situ subsurface remediation technologies has been ad dressed at an international symposium at the Universitat Stuttgart on September 26 and 27, 1995, on the occasion of the inauguration of the research facility VEGAS (Versuchseinrichtung zur Grundwasser- und Altlastensanierung). The results are contained in this book with 22 contributions from leading experts in the field from Europe and North America. The book illustrates the role of large-scale experiments in groundwater and subsurface remediation research. The subtopics address the various links between conventional laboratory experiments, technology-scale experiments and field-site studies, showing the contribution of large-scale experiments to bridging the gap between small-scale investigations and large-scale field investigations (upscaling). The interdisciplinary nature of the problems requires a multidisciplinary approach. Therefore, the idea has been followed to bring together the various disciplines in volved in the different aspects and facets of subsurface flow, transport and trans as hydraulics and hydrology, physics, formation, involving such diverse disciplines chemistry, microbiology, geology, industrial, chemical and hydraulic engineering, mathematics and hydroinformatics. The individual contributions from these di versified fields address the subject from different angles in an attempt to form a coherent picture of the various aspects of the complex problems of subsurface remediation. The focus is on research approaches and strategies with respect to the development of new and improved technologies and to the role of large-scale experiments in research and application.

The book focuses on two issues related to mathematical and numerical modelling of flow in unsaturated porous media. In the first part numerical solution of the governing equations is discussed, with particular emphasis on the spatial discretization of highly nonlinear permeability coefficient. The second part deals with large scale flow in heterogeneous porous media of binary structure. Upscaled models are developed and it is shown that the presence of material heterogeneities may give rise to additional non-equilibrium terms in the governing equations or to hysteresis in the averaged constitutive relationships.

This Special Issue presents the work of 30 scientists from 11 countries. It confirms that the impacts of global change, resulting from both climate change and increasing anthropogenic pressure, are huge on worldwide coastal areas (and critically so on some islands in the Pacific Ocean), with highly negative effects on coastal groundwater resources, which are widely affected by seawater intrusion. Some improved research methods are proposed in the contributions: using innovative hydrogeological, geophysical, and geochemical monitoring; assessing impacts of the changing environment on the coastal groundwater resources in terms of quantity and quality; and using modelling, especially to improve management approaches. The scientific research needed to face these challenges must continue to be deployed by different approaches based on the monitoring, modelling and management of groundwater resources. Novel and more efficient methods must be developed to keep up with the accelerating pace of global change.

The first Symposium on Recent Advances in Problems of Flow and Transport in Porous Media was held in Marrakech in June '96 and has provided a focus for the utilization of computer methods for solving the many complex problems encountered in the field of solute transport in porous media. This symposium has been successful in bringing together scientists, physicists, hydrogeologists, researchers in soil and fluid mechanics and engineers involved in this multidisciplinary subject. It is clear that the utilization of computer-based models in this domain is still rapidly expanding and that new and novel solutions are being developed. The contributed papers which form this book reflect the recent advances, in particular with respect to new methods, inverse problems, reactive transport, unsaturated media and upscaling. These have been subdivided into the following sections: I. Numerical methods II. Mass transport and heat transfer III. Comparison with experimentation and simulation of real cases This book contains reviewed articles of the top presentations held during the International Symposium on Computer Methods in Porous Media Engineering which took place in Giens (France) in October 1998. All of the presentations and the optimism shown during the meeting provided further evidence that computer modeling is making remarkable progress and is indeed becoming an essential toolkit in the field of porous media and solute transport. I believe that the content of this book provides evidence of this and furthermore gives a comprehensive review of the theoretical developments and applications.

The introduction and application of advanced geological and geophysical methods can solve many problems related to geoscience. This Research Topic gives a thorough treatment of the interpretation of geological and geophysical data through advanced techniques and integrated approaches. It aims to create a more reliable integration of various geological and geophysical data in an exploration and new findings context weighing the strengths and limitations of the various methods in order to develop geophysical and geological models. It will also focus on the interpretation techniques for evaluating structural and sedimentological (stratigraphical) processes with applications within resource exploration, geohazards, seismology, seabed ecology and global climate.

The environment is an invaluable resource, and understanding its chemistry is essential to the continued sustainability of life on earth. Environmental science, which builds on the foundation of chemistry, seeks to remedy the present deterioration and degradation caused by humans, and to create new technology that will prevent further damage.This book deals comprehensively with the five essential global cycles or environspheres — lithosphere (minerals and energy sources), atmosphere (air), hydrosphere (water), pedosphere (soil), and biosphere (life) — and provides a clear overview of the crucial interaction away them. It covers the chemistry of energy resources and aspects of biochemistry, geochemistry, and toxicological chemistry, in addition to the three important areas of air, water, and soil; in the process, it links chemical principles with environmental issues. With the fundamental principles presented clearly and the topics covered in a logical sequence, this book can be used as a textbook of environmental chemistry for the environmental engineering or environmental science major. It can also be used as a reference book for environmental professionals./a