Groundwater And The Environment: Applications For The Global Community

Historically, water has been treated as an inexhaustible resource. However, with the growth of population and development of industry and agriculture, freshwater demand has increased drastically, and its shortage felt in roughly 60% of the Earth. As early as 1931, renowned Russian scholar A.P. Karpansky wrote: "Water is not only a mineral resource, not only a means for developing agriculture. Water is a real culture bearer, it is a living blood, that creates life where there was none".

Groundwater and the Environment: Remediation Applications and the Global Community covers one of the most important ecological problems - the impact on the environment of intensive groundwater pumping out. Drawing on more than a quarter century of study, Zektser analyses and makes conclusions about groundwater exploitation throughout the world. He focuses on the close connection of groundwater to the environment - its affect on surface water streams, reservoirs, seas, landscapes, and vegetation.

The author demonstrates the importance of groundwater to the potable water supply, and its interaction with the environment. He stresses the significance of groundwater as a mineral resource. He provides techniques for assessing and mapping natural groundwater resources and develops these principles for studying water and hydrochemicals in coastal zones.

In the last twenty years, the global awareness of groundwater as one of the most important natural resources has grown. Any changes in the groundwater causes changes in the environment. Groundwater and the Environment: Remediation Applications and the Global Community increases your ability to predict the possible changes to the environment and to follow the principle: "When using - protect, when protecting - use!"

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Drawing on the last 25 years of study, especially in Russia, this volume addresses groundwater exploitation, emphasizing the influence of groundwater withdrawal on land subsidence, river runoff, and on reservoirs, seas, landscapes, and vegetation. The volume's central purpose, according to its author, is predicting "possible changes in the environment, to elaborate on the rational use of nature on a scientific basis, always being directed by the principle: `When using<-->protect, when protecting<-->use!' and to work out scientifically based recommendations for preventing a negative impact of man-induced activities on the environment." Zektser directs the Laboratory of Hydrogeology in the Water Problems Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Table Of Contents:

Fresh Water Problems Groundwater Function in Water Supply of Population, Industry, and Agriculture Main Notions Modern State and Main Principles of Rational Groundwater Use Groundwater Overexploitation Groundwater Resources and Their Uses in Russia Principles of Regional Assessment and Mapping Natural Groundwater Resources Groundwater Contribution to Water and Salt Balance of Rivers, Lakes, and Seas Environment and Groundwater Pollution Interconnection Between Groundwater Pollution and Environment Human Impact on the Groundwater Groundwater Pollution in Russia Groundwater Vulnerability Principles of Assessing and Mapping Groundwater Vulnerability Some Regional Investigations Ecological Consequences of Groundwater Pumping Out Influence of Groundwater Withdrawal on River Runoff Influence of Groundwater Withdrawal on Vegetation and Agriculture Influence of Groundwater Withdrawal on Land Surface Subsidence Influence on Groundwater Withdrawal on Sea Water Intrusion to the Coastal Zone Groundwater Use in Public Health Conclusion References