The deep sea covers over 60% of the surface of the earth, yet less than 1% has been scientifically investigated. There is growing pressure on deep-sea resources and on researchers to deliver information on biodiversity and the effects of human impacts on deep-sea ecosystems. Although scientific knowledge has increased rapidly in recent decades, there exist large gaps in global sampling coverage of the deep sea, and major efforts continue to be directed into offshore research. Biological Sampling in the Deep Sea represents the first comprehensive compilation of deep-sea sampling methodologies for a range of habitats. It reviews the real life applications of current, and in some instances developing, deep-sea sampling tools and techniques. In creating this book the authors have been able to draw upon the experiences of those at the coal face of deep-sea sampling, expanding on the existing methodological texts whilst encompassing a level of technical detail often omitted from journal publications. Ultimately the book will promote international consistency in sampling approaches and data collection, advance the integration of information into global databases, and facilitate improved data analyses and consequently uptake of science results for the management and conservation of the deep-sea environment. The book will appeal to a range of readers, including students, early-career through to seasoned researchers, as well as environmental managers and policy makers wishing to understand how the deep-sea is sampled, the challenges associated with deep survey work, and the type of information that can be obtained.

This Special Publication examines tsunami hazard and risk, with particular focus on using the geological record. With Earth’s growing population clustered increasingly on coastlines, tsunami hazards are of concern worldwide. The papers explore the sedimentological and dynamic traces of recent and prehistoric tsunamis globally – from Europe to the Pacific – as well as looking at historic records and how the information can be used to characterise the scale of impacts and areas that are most susceptible to tsunami hazards. Armed with this information, scientists can begin to quantify risks, both to populations and in economic terms. This volume is aimed both at scientists working in this field and at a wider community, interested in tsunami science and natural hazard assessment.

This book brings new research insights on the properties and behavior of gamma radiation, studies from a wide range of options of gamma radiation applications in Nuclear Physics, industrial processes, Environmental Science, Radiation Biology, Radiation Chemistry, Agriculture and Forestry, sterilization, food industry, as well as the review of both advantages and problems that are present in these applications. The book is primarily intended for scientific workers who have contacts with gamma radiation, such as staff working in nuclear power plants, manufacturing industries and civil engineers, medical equipment manufacturers, oncologists, radiation therapists, dental professionals, universities and the military, as well as those who intend to enter the world of applications and problems of gamma radiation. Because of the global importance of gamma radiation, the content of this book will be interesting for the wider audience as well.

The ecosystems present a great diversity worldwide and use various functionalities according to ecologic regions. In this new context of variability and climatic changes, these ecosystems undergo notable modifications amplified by domestic uses of which it was subjected to. Indeed the ecosystems render diverse services to humanity from their composition and structure but the tolerable levels are unknown. The preservation of these ecosystemic services needs a clear understanding of their complexity. The role of research is not only to characterise the ecosystems but also to clearly define the tolerable usage levels. Their characterisation proves to be important not only for the local populations that use it but also for the conservation of biodiversity. Hence, the measurement, management and protection of ecosystems need innovative and diverse methods. For all these reasons, the aim of this book is to bring out a general view on the function of ecosystems, modelling, sampling strategies, invading species, the response of organisms to modifications, the carbon dynamics, the mathematical models and theories that can be applied in diverse conditions.

It has been 25 years since publication of the most recent English language summary of the geology of Japan. This book offers an up-to-date comprehensive guide for those interested both in the geology of the Japanese islands and geological processes of island arcs in general. It contains contributions from over 70 different eminent researchers in their fields and is divided into 12 main chapters.

Explores the utility and potential of extremophiles in sustainability and biotechnology Many extremophilic bio-products are already used as life-saving drugs. Until recently, however, the difficulty of working with these microbes has discouraged efforts to develop extremophilic microbes as potential drug reservoirs of the future. Recent technological advances have opened the door to exploring these organisms anew as sources of products that might prove useful in clinical and environmental biotechnology and drug development. Extremophiles features outstanding articles by expert scientists who shed light on broad-ranging areas of progress in the development of smart therapeutics for multiple disease types and products for industrial use. It bridges technological gaps, focusing on critical aspects of extremolytes and the mechanisms regulating their biosynthesis that are relevant to human health and bioenergy, including value-added products of commercial significance as well as other potentially viable products. This groundbreaking guide: Introduces the variety of extremophiles and their extremolytes including extremozymes Provides an overview of the methodologies used to acquire extremophiles Reviews the literature on the diversity of extremophiles Offers tools and criteria for data interpretation of various extremolytes/extremozymes Discusses experimental design problems associated with extremophiles and their therapeutic implications Explores the challenges and possibilities of developing extremolytes for commercial purposes Explains the FDA's regulations on certain microbial bio-products that will be of interest to potential industrialists Extremophiles is an immensely useful resource for graduate students and researchers in biotechnology, clinical biotechnology, microbiology, and applied microbiology.

This volume honours an outstanding Japanese carcinologist, Masatsune Takeda (National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan), on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Since 1967, Takeda-sensei (“sensei” is an honourific term for teacher or senior scientist in Japan) has devoted his life to studying the taxonomy of Brachyura and has published 323 papers over a long and illustrious career, and in the process, described 231 new taxa. In this volume, a total of 24 papers have been put together by 40 of his friends and colleagues to honour him. These papers cover a wide diversity of topics on the taxonomy, larval biology, palaeontology and ecology of Brachyura, Caridea, Stenopodidea, Astacidea, Axiidea, Anomura, Amphipoda, Isopoda and Mysida, all groups that Takeda-sensei loved.

This volume highlights the career of Dr. Gaku Kimura, professor emeritus of geosciences at the University of Tokyo, by showing the spectrum of research required to understand these dynamic environments and the range of research he has inspired. The first three chapters provide context for the growth of accretionary prisms by examining the thermal structure of the ocean crust, and the sedimentary facies and potential fluid pathways in the Shikoku Basin. Next, two chapters look at the regional-scale structure of the plate boundary and the rheology and hysteresis of the hanging wall of the subduction zone in SW Japan. The following five chapters discuss the progressive deformation and thermal maturation of sediments along accretionary margins from Japan to New Zealand to western North America. The final two chapters look at the deformation processes near the subducting plate interface with the last chapter proposing a link between outcrop-scale observations and seismic slip.