The preface of a book often provides a convenient place in which the author can tender his apologies for any inadequacies and affords him the facility to excuse himself by reminding the reader that his art is long but life, or at least the portion of it in which he has the opportunity for writing books, is short. I, too, am deeply conscious that I have undertaken a task which I could not hope to complete to my own satisfaction but I offer, in self defence, the observation that, inadequate though it is, there is no other book extant, so far as I am aware, which provides the information contained herein within the covers of a single volume. Often during the last decade, in discharging my responsibilities for the environmental aspects of the water authority's operations and works, I should have been deeply grateful to have had access to a compendium such as this. The lack of a convenient source of data made me aware of the need which I have attempted to fill and in doing so I have drawn on my experiences of the kinds of problem which are presented to biologists in the water industry. The maxim 'half a loaf is better than none' seems particularly apt in this context.

This essential book contains material presented at a September 1990 meeting organized by the Commission for Bioindicators, International Union for Biological Sciences.**A key role of the Commission for Bioindicators (IUBS) is to promote the use of bioindicators in environmental management. This means encouraging the transfer of ideas regarding potential bioindicators, and originating in laboratories, into the harsher realities of field environmental monitoring. Although the concept of biomonitoring is ancient, its application to current monitoring problems is relatively slow to develop.**In a bid to rectify this problem, this invaluable book brings together and discusses approaches developed around the world. It will provide both environmental administrators and research scientists with a valuable sense of proportion of the state of the art in their particular field. Bioindicators and Environmental Management is organized into four sections Bioindicators, industry, and administration Biomonitoring of the Chernobyl accident Monitoring long-term/large-scale environmental trends Basic research in biomonitoring

This new volume addresses the environmental impacts of pollution on freshwater aquatic ecosystems and presents sustainable management and remediation practices and advanced technology help to address the different types of pollutants. Freshwater Pollution and Aquatic Ecosystems: Environmental Impact and Sustainable Management considers the need for sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective tools and technologies to assess, monitor, and properly manage the increasing issues of aquatic pollution. It provides detailed accounts of the phenomena and mechanisms related to aquatic pollution and highlights the problems and threats associated with pollution contamination in freshwater. It provides useful insight into the sustainable and advanced pollution remediation technology adopted by different countries for the monitoring, assessment, and sustainable management of pollution. The chapters in the volume evaluate the sources of harmful pollutants, which include industrial effluents, sewage, and runoff from agricultural industries, which result in toxic microbes, organic waste, oils, and high load of nutrients. Unsustainable management practices of domestic sewage and indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides lead to the technological disturbance of aquatic biota. In addition to harming aquatic biota, these pollutants find their way into the human body through inhalation, ingestion, or absorption and finally tend to bio-accumulate in trophic levels of the food chain, which poses a major risk to human beings. This book will be a valuable resource for ecologists, environmentalists, scientists, and many others for their work in understanding and management of aquatic pollutants in freshwater biospheres.

This open access book surveys the frontier of scientific river research and provides examples to guide management towards a sustainable future of riverine ecosystems. Principal structures and functions of the biogeosphere of rivers are explained; key threats are identified, and effective solutions for restoration and mitigation are provided. Rivers are among the most threatened ecosystems of the world. They increasingly suffer from pollution, water abstraction, river channelisation and damming. Fundamental knowledge of ecosystem structure and function is necessary to understand how human acitivities interfere with natural processes and which interventions are feasible to rectify this. Modern water legislation strives for sustainable water resource management and protection of important habitats and species. However, decision makers would benefit from more profound understanding of ecosystem degradation processes and of innovative methodologies and tools for efficient mitigation and restoration. The book provides best-practice examples of sustainable river management from on-site studies, European-wide analyses and case studies from other parts of the world. This book will be of interest to researchers in the field of aquatic ecology, river system functioning, conservation and restoration, to postgraduate students, to institutions involved in water management, and to water related industries.

Table of contents

"Biology of Freshwater Pollution," is a highly regarded overview of the subject aimed at advanced undergraduates and professionals. This latest edition provides an up-to-date summary of the whole field covering recent research, case studies and examples. The book begins by describing contrasting examples of pollution events. Individual chapters then deal with the major types of pollution introducing their sources, exploring their impacts on biological systems and water resources using contemporary examples, and discussing methods for mitigating impacts. Techniques used to investigate pollution are introduced throughout and the penultimate chapter deals extensively with the biological assessment of water quality. The final chapter looks at water resource management in the twenty-first century and the role of the biologist in that process. Features of the new edition* "New "coverage of current issues: biomarkers, endocrine disruptors, global warming* "New "chapter on biological pollution (invasive species) * "New "combined chapters bringing together material on toxic pollutions and energy and pollution * Management chapter extensively revised including the new organisation of the water industry and new regulatory frameworks* "New "case studies and examples * References have been extensively updated This book is aimed at advanced students in Aquatic and Applied Biology, Limnology and Environmental Science and scientists working in the water industry. Christopher Mason is a Professor of Biology at the University of Essex, UK. He has extensive research experience in the fields of pollution and conservation of freshwater and coastal environments, including eutrophication, heavy metals and organochlorines.